Allison Gardner MP: speeches

Speeches

• 8 Dec 2025 · Digital ID · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member makes an interesting point. I recently applied for a mortgage, and I received a link via email to a provider that requested that I upload my bank statements, my utility bills, and copies of my passport and driving licence—I am lucky enough to have those two pieces of photo ID. I trusted that it was a registered provider, but I did have a slight worry about scamming. When I applied for a car loan, I did so on paper, and I had to provide three bank statements, several utility bills, and copies of my driving licence and passport. It got so ridiculous that I asked whether the company wanted to know my bra size as well. I was very concerned about ID theft in those processes, hence I am a proponent of secure digital ID and digital wallets, which would give me control over how I share my data. Having all my credentials, including Government-minted credentials such as my driving licence, in my digital wallet would allow me to send a one-time-only link to providers, which would allow them to view my data but prevent them from downloading it. There are ways of designing such a system, and I ask the Minister to think about how to integrate that level of choice in the platform that is developed. My hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Laura Kyrke-Smith) outlined how citizens would be able to see who is asking for their data and would even be able to control who can access it. They would know what data has been asked for and why, and they can then give the thumbs up. How we implement the digital ID system is really important. We already have the digital identity and attributes trust framework, which is delivered by 43 private providers, with 11,000 members of staff. We should not argue to these extremes, and we should not scaremonger. We should have a calm consultation and debate on how digital ID could improve people’s lives by making them safer and more secure. I look forward to hearing the Minister deal with all the issues that have been rightly raised.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  Regarding trade, exporting to the EU is particularly challenging, and I look forward to any trade deals we may see from there to help with that.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  Do I take it from the Minister’s response that we will have some help to prevent china-dumping? GMB and great campaigners such as Sharon Yates have been campaigning to stop the huge foreign imports that are coming in and damaging our locally and British-made products.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. Absolutely, this is an industry connecting our heritage with our future, and it is vital that young people can see that and get support to help them with apprenticeships. Lucideon’s proposed site is near the AMRICC—Applied Materials Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Company—centre at Keele University science park in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), where the existing Government-funded centre of excellence for advanced ceramics would be relocated. That would cement north Staffordshire as a cluster for advanced ceramics, boosting local research and development and high-value jobs, all while positioning the UK as a leader in high-growth advanced material technology. I thank the Minister and the Department for engaging with me and Lucideon on the proposal. The Minister previously suggested that the National Wealth Fund could support such a proposal, given its alignment with its objectives. Will he outline what practical steps Lucideon should take as it seeks to secure that investment? I have also been consulting with the Henry Royce Institute, which notes the importance of reduced reliance on imported critical materials, including CMCs. Securing sovereign capability would also support our investment in nuclear power generation. As well as its use in armour, boron carbide is critical to neutron absorption—it is the modifier that controls nuclear reactor reaction rates. China owns 81% of the world’s production of boron carbide, leaving UK supply chains vulnerable. To secure our progress in the small modular reactor scheme, we must invest in domestic production. Advanced ceramics are used in nuclear fission reactors as coating for accident-tolerant pellets, ceramic coatings are applied to small modular reactors, and ceramics are needed in fuel particle coatings, reflectors and control rods. Will the Minister liaise with colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure that advanced ceramics companies in north Staffordshire receive investment as part of the SMR scheme?

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for the advanced ceramics industry in north Staffordshire. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Jeremy. I thank the House for allowing this debate today. Although the ceramics industry is typically known for producing bespoke mugs and saucers, the advanced ceramics industry plays a critical but often discreet role in the manufacture of specialist components for key industries. We cannot manufacture steel, aluminium, glass, bricks or cement without ceramics or refractories. Materials such as zirconia, silicon nitride, alumina and silicon carbide are hidden components that form a critical part of the supply chain for high-tech industries, including defence, nuclear energy, electronics and aerospace. I was delighted when ceramics was recognised as a foundational sector in the industrial strategy. The contribution that our local companies make to the IS-8 critical sectors is remarkable. North Staffordshire is a recognised cluster for advanced ceramics. It is home to world-leading companies such as Mantec, Ross Ceramics and Lucideon. Our local industry is particularly important for defence capability. I have been working with the Ministry of Defence to highlight the importance of advanced ceramics to procurement, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises such as Mantec. Mantec produces for Rolls-Royce ceramic molten metal filters that remove impurities from molten turbine blades used in civil aviation and defence, and it is asking how SMEs can access defence funding projects to bolster their expertise. Will the Minister outline what practical steps SMEs such as Mantec can take to access SME support from the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Defence, and who they can contact for guidance? Advanced ceramics is the only class of materials capable of enabling hypersonic weapons for defence. Silicon carbide, boron carbide and alumina are used in ballistic-resistant armour and military vehicles. Advanced ceramics are used in antennae and sensors for defence communication and surveillance, and in jet engine coatings for civil and defence aerospace. Without ceramic coatings, aero engines would not be able to operate. Ultra high-temperature ceramics have some of the highest melting points of any material and are used in rocket nozzles and nose cones, and on the leading edge of wings and stabilisers on hypersonic missiles and thrust diverters. For example, Ross Ceramics in Trentham, which is part of Rolls-Royce, manufactures complex geometry ceramic cores used in the investment casting of gas turbine engine components. Lucideon, which is based in the constituency of the right hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson), specialises in high-tech applications of advanced ceramics in aerospace, nuclear energy and construction. I have been working with Lucideon on its proposal to establish sovereign capability for the development of ceramic matrix composites, or CMCs.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I heartily agree with my hon. Friend. The people of north Staffordshire really are ready and waiting to offer their skills and energy, and that history of technology, to our advancement. We must be forward-thinking and establish the UK as a leader in advanced ceramics manufacturing. The UK’s share of the global market in 2024 was 6% and worth roughly £4.5 billion. There is huge potential for further growth, as supporting advanced ceramics will attract investment in other high-tech manufacturing industries. As noted by the Henry Royce Institute, the electronics industry is expected to increase demand for electroceramics, which can handle higher fields and temperatures. In healthcare, biocompatible ceramics are being used for dental implants, bone replacements and spinal correction segments. The application of advanced ceramics is also being explored in waste disposal. Mantec manufactures ceramic cross membrane filters, which can separate solids from liquids to de-water valuable materials and extract critical minerals, ensuring environmental compliance when wastewater is discharged. These issues are often cross-departmental, so will the Minister outline how he is working with colleagues across all Departments to support innovation in this sector? Economic growth in Stoke-on-Trent and north Staffordshire has lagged behind other regions, yet there is real potential to establish north Staffordshire as a cluster for advanced ceramics. The AMRICC centre already provides testing space for new ceramic technologies and products. Lucideon’s CMC proposal would greatly expand R&D in critical materials at Keele University. Combined with the growing engineering expertise at the University of Staffordshire and Keele University, this would build a cluster aligned with our modern industrial strategy. Traditional ceramics drove industrialisation and wealth in north Staffordshire, led by pioneers such as Josiah Wedgwood. Will the Minister ensure that advanced ceramics becomes the flagship for our modern industrial renewal? I must also give credit to our beloved tableware industry. Our pottery is our heritage, and beloved household names like Wedgwood and Duchess China have produced bespoke products for hundreds of years, including the tableware used in this House. Cross-working between traditional and advanced ceramics is growing, with traditional ceramics creating a skills pipeline into advanced ceramics. I know of an excellent example in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) between Denby and Ross Ceramics. Investment in advanced ceramics will support our traditional industries, which, as Members will know, have been struggling with energy costs.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  Yes, sovereign capability is vital to ensure this nation’s security. CMCs are essential as lightweight replacements for alloys in high-temperature aggressive environments, such as turbine engines and exhaust systems. They are vital to maintaining technical advantage and capability in defence, offering high temperature resistance, low weight and superior durability. Carbon matrix and silicon carbide matrix composites will be needed in fusion energy systems, hypersonic vehicles, space vehicles and defence infrastructure. At present, the UK has no sovereign CMC manufacturing capability, and there is no sovereign supply for critical raw materials such as silicon carbide fibres and precursors. The Rolls-Royce CMC factory is in California, and it can only supply some civil aerospace requirements, leaving UK defence turbines vulnerable to export controls, US supply chains and tariffs. Lucideon wishes to create a UK manufacturing facility to produce CMC materials and components, including oxide and non-oxide composites. Those products would be world leading. They would replace heavy metal rotating parts in high-temperature turbines on jet engines, making them lighter and able to run at higher temperatures. They would significantly reduce fuel burn on aero engines, giving UK aerospace a huge commercial advantage.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Members will know that the ceramics industry has been struggling with rising energy costs. Alongside my hon. Friends the Members for Stoke-on-Trent North (David Williams) and for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell), I have had sustained discussions with DBT and DESNZ about a support package for industry gas and electricity costs. Ceramics production is incredibly energy intensive, and it is the hardest energy-intensive industry to decarbonise; gas-fired tunnel kilns cannot be converted to electric plants without significant capital. I have been working with the TUC and the GMB on a proposal to develop a decarbonisation innovation fund, which would offer capital loans and grants to invest in decarbonisation technologies. As I have raised with the Minister previously, there is further potential to offer innovation vouchers to SMEs and tableware companies to access scaling and testing facilities at larger sites.

• 3 Dec 2025 · Advanced Ceramics Industry: North Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that well-made point, which is central to my argument. Any benefits we see in advanced ceramics will be felt more widely, not just in heritage tableware ceramics but in the broader field. SMEs cannot afford to use facilities at other sites, nor can they shoulder the risks of testing hydrogen, electric kilns or process optimisation alone. Some firms are developing more efficient firing methods; for example, in the brick industry, using lightweight insulating materials for kiln cars allows more heat to go into products using less energy. These innovations could deliver real energy savings, but replacing existing equipment requires major capital, and without collaborative R&D, SMEs cannot shoulder the risks of testing new technologies. Production is sensitive: one kiln failure can destroy an entire batch worth tens of thousands of pounds. With collaborative testing environments and access to innovation vouchers, SMEs and tableware companies could access the facilities at AMRICC and Lucideon to trial hydrogen, electrification and other low-carbon processes. Alongside decarbonisation technologies, there is real potential for AI to reduce energy consumption. Lucideon has trialled using AI to identify efficiency savings in kilns and reduce kiln gas consumption—evidence that innovation can deliver savings. I have discussed these proposals with the Minister, and I am grateful for his suggestion to work with Innovate UK. I would greatly welcome the opportunity to convene colleagues from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and DBT to discuss whether Innovate grants could support this proposal, or whether an alternative scheme could establish innovation vouchers. With the right investment in innovation, infrastructure and skills, north Staffordshire could become a world-leading growth hub for advanced ceramics. Given its foundation in so many sectors, supporting advanced ceramics requires cross-departmental working. I invite the Minister to attend a roundtable with local advanced ceramics companies to discuss a working road map and a practical support package for the sector. I also invite him to meet us —including my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central, who is chair of the newly founded ceramics all-party parliamentary group—and Ceramics UK for further conversations. I look forward to continuing to work together. Will the Minister please ensure that proper investment follows the Government’s clear recognition of the vital role that both traditional and advanced ceramics play in local and national growth?

• 24 Nov 2025 · Critical Minerals Strategy · Hansard source

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  Advanced ceramics companies such as Mantec in my constituency produce ceramic membrane filters that are capable of extracting critical minerals including from industrial waste, improving productivity and recycling, reducing environmental pollution and of course reducing costs. Can the Minister tell me how UK businesses in the critical minerals supply chain, including innovators like Mantec, can benefit from the strategy through our strong public finance offers, including the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance?

• 24 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  I wanted to intervene on the hon. Member for Broxbourne (Lewis Cocking), but he had on his feet for over 20 minutes and I decided to give him a break. However, I want to raise that issue now. Much has been made about the conflict of planning—local planning going right to the boundaries, creating issues for infrastructure planning, which often sits at the wider unitary level. Devolution and wider strategic authority oversight, including greater planning oversight, will help to address some of the challenges and stresses we can face. Is that something my hon. Friend sees in the London boroughs?

• 24 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  I agree with my hon. Friend. It is with great sadness that I see this fight between cities and rural areas that demonises the city areas. Around Stoke-on-Trent we have a doughnut economy. Stoke generates wealth for north Staffordshire and it filters out to the rural areas, yet we hear people saying, “No to Stoke, no to Stoke.” People need to understand that we are all one in north Staffordshire. I offer a new fact: the under-75 mortality rate from all causes for Staffordshire, as of the 2023 statistics, was 319.5, compared with an England national average rate of 341.6. However, in Stoke the under-75 mortality rate from all causes was a whopping 474. It is understandable that any devolution has to address this disparity, and I look at this broadening to help us to do that. I stress that this does not mean that improving Stoke’s outcomes means we are going to take away or reduce Staffordshire’s. This is often a knee-jerk fear reaction for some, and a tool for the Conservative and Reform parties to use for political scaremongering. I am saddened to hear the views on this of the right hon. Member for Staffordshire Moorlands (Dame Karen Bradley), who I greatly respect and personally like. I wish that there could be some understanding and cross-conversation on this issue. I also wish to speak in support of Government amendments 116 and 118, which address health improvements, health inequality duties and health determinants. The Government are right to add environmental factors including air quality and access to green space and bodies of water. We have talked about boundaries. In my own constituency, the Meir tunnel has high levels of poor air quality in an area with high levels of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but fixing that issue is extremely difficult as it is on a boundary with neighbouring councils. The value of green space is also an issue close to my heart. When Meir park, a much-loved green space, had all its trees knocked down, out of the blue, it caused some residents genuine fear, upset and hurt. Also, Trentham gardens are in the border area covered by Staffordshire county council, Stafford borough council and Stoke-on-Trent city council, with ensuing traffic problems. It has the most beautiful lake, and I one day I hope to find the time to go paddle boarding on it again. The quality of our environment is vital to mental and physical health, and I hope that the value of green space, good air quality and access to the advantage of bodies of water will always be central to any policy. In Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, we are looking to achieve an enhanced north Staffordshire unitary authority under local government reorganisation, and I am particularly supportive of the broader proposal submitted by Staffordshire Moorlands district council, which sensibly outlines travel-to-work areas, economic functional areas, cultural links and transport links. We sit at the beginning of a north midlands growth corridor to Derby and Nottingham that offers this country a huge opportunity to create a strategic centre for growth across the middle of England. While we have still to decide a devolution model for North Staffordshire, southern Staffordshire and Staffordshire as a whole, I ask that we think radically and consider our east-west links to the east midlands and the potential of a north midlands strategic authority. Whatever we end up with, I ask the Minister for more details for Stoke and Staffordshire as to the plans and timelines for devolution.

• 24 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  I reject the emotive use of terms like “gun to the head”. The Stoke-on-Trent city council and Staffordshire Moorlands district council proposals on LGR have been approved, and they are the democratically elected councils for those areas. The wider Staffordshire county council, which is now under Reform, had one proposal out of the blue, and now does not want reorganisation either; it is chaotic. We cannot keep having this. This is something that will happen, and I say to my constituents, “This is going to happen, so we need to make it work for us.” I need people to start saying yes to the opportunity, yes to growth and yes to the future.

• 24 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  I am quite interested in what my hon. Friend says about the differential approach. As a councillor, I know that Stoke-on-Trent is not necessarily known for its tourism industry, although that is absolutely a failure on the part of the country and of everybody, because we have great tourism attractions in Stoke. I have seen that when we have Airbnbs on family estates, and different people come and go, it creates an awful lot of unrest, antisocial behaviour and real concern about the revolving door of different people, which upsets local residents. [ Interruption. ] My apologies. Does he agree that the proposed approach would be of benefit?

• 24 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  In Staffordshire, which is quite rural—I have Stoke-on-Trent city centre in my constituency—we have that shared interlinking, and it is very important to the development of north Staffordshire. Staffordshire Moorlands council has shared services with High Peak in Derbyshire. Much of Stoke-on-Trent city council service provision is in the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and likewise with Stafford borough, which uses Cannock Chase services. Shared and interlinked services exist in rural areas and can work together.

• 24 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  One of the advantages of this Government’s plan for devolution is that it offers the opportunity to address the country’s many regional inequalities. Indeed, strategic authorities, particularly those with mayoralties, have the ability to address inequalities within individual regions. The Bill’s original clause 43 addresses health, wellbeing and public services reform, and it is Government amendments 116 and 118 and amendment 172 that I wish to discuss. This section of the Bill confers a new duty on all combined authorities and combined county authorities to have regard to improving the health of persons in their area and reducing health inequalities between persons in their area. Amendment 172 outlines the requirements for a health inequalities strategy, which may include the metrics for healthy life expectancy, infant mortality rates and poverty, including child poverty. My constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South and the villages has the interesting profile of sitting across a number of councils: the two unitaries—Stoke-on-Trent city council and Staffordshire county council—as well as Stafford borough council and Staffordshire Moorlands district council. I was also a councillor in neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme for several years, so I have the advantage of a broad view across the long-recognised area of north Staffordshire. I should add that there is a road in my constituency, Uttoxeter Road, that has five lots of bins from five different councils, which is quite an achievement. There are clear inequalities across all areas, and of course there are pockets of wealth and deprivation in all. However, the health statistics outline a harsh reality. When we compare Staffordshire county council and Stoke-on-Trent city council’s female healthy life expectancy, we see that in Staffordshire it is 63, compared with the national average of 61.5, but in Stoke it is just 55. Men in Stoke can expect a healthy life until they are 56, compared with 63 in Staffordshire, with the national average being 61. We see the same for overall life expectancy, with Staffordshire above average and Stoke below average. I have on many occasions raised the shocking fact that Stoke-on-Trent routinely scores highest for infant mortality rates, and the shocking statistic that a baby born in Stoke-on-Trent will have half the chance of surviving to their fifth birthday than the national average.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Active Travel · Hansard source

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  12. What steps she is taking to promote active travel.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Active Travel · Hansard source

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  My constituents in Stoke-on-Trent South have told me that they cannot move safely around their community because vehicles parked on pavements force pedestrians into the road. Similarly, Staffordshire Sight Loss Council has raised with me the dangers that pavement parking creates for people with vision loss. Of course, that also impacts parents with buggies and wheelchair users. Will the Minister ensure that active travel planning and investment are used to tackle pavement parking and that accessibility is at the forefront, so that no one is excluded from safely moving around their community?

• 19 Nov 2025 · Specialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional Economies · Hansard source

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  In 1882, a ceramics company in my constituency exported 50% of its products to Europe and globally. Since Brexit its ability to export to Europe has dramatically reduced. It can export to the US in two days, but it can take months to get its exports to Italy. What can the Minister do to help us improve our trade to Europe?

• 19 Nov 2025 · Specialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional Economies · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn) for securing this debate and for his call for the use of British parts in British infrastructure. The debate is incredibly pertinent to my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South and to neighbouring areas across north Staffordshire, and unsurprisingly my colleagues from Stoke-on-Trent are here with me today. Ours is a post-industrial city and, typically for the coalfield and other regions across the north and midlands, we have lagged behind others in wage growth and investment. Although we rightly take pride in our industrial past and heritage, we must also look with ambition to our future. North Staffordshire is the home of the British ceramics industry, and we are incredibly lucky to have manufacturing specialisms in advanced ceramics, which form part of the supply chains for critical industries and the IS-8—the eight sectors identified in the industrial strategy. Without ceramics, we cannot have steel, glass or mobile phones. The industrial strategy rightly recognised ceramics as a foundational industry, and I am delighted that the national materials innovation strategy, championed by the Henry Royce Institute, recognises the importance of ceramics as critical materials. Ceramic materials are used in specialist components for high-tech industries, and I will name just a few. They are used in implants and prosthetics in the healthcare sector and as jet engine coatings for civil and defence aerospace. They are used in fuel cells for small modular reactors and in defence applications including rocket components, antennas, surveillance and armour. In fact, they are the only class of materials capable of enabling hypersonic weapons for defence. North Staffordshire’s advanced ceramics industry is therefore a cornerstone of the UK defence capability. We have a well-established cluster for advanced ceramics in our region, with established companies and research consultancies. That includes Mantec, Ross Ceramics and Lucideon. Lastly, north Staffordshire is incredibly lucky to have AMRICC—the Applied Materials Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Company, which is the Government-funded centre of excellence for advanced ceramics. The global ceramics market was valued at £200 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach £358 billion by 2035. Advanced ceramics account for 54% of that market, with the UK holding a share worth £4.5 billion, so the opportunity for growth here is clear. I must stress, however, that advanced ceramics are only part of the advanced manufacturing specialisms in our part of the country. The west midlands has the UK’s second highest number of advanced manufacturing jobs and contributes 6.7% of total GVA. In my constituency, the engineering manufacturer Goodwin produces materials for submarines, aeroplanes and advanced surveillance systems. Key to the potential for growth is the A50/A500 growth corridor, the nexus of which is in Sideway in my constituency. It is the key connector between Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Along the A50/A500 growth corridor are world-renowned advanced manufacturing companies, including Bentley, JCB and Toyota. That growth corridor connects more than 1 million people and 500,000 jobs in clean energy, hydrogen and technology. If we extend to Nottingham, it connects three university city regions, and if we use the East Midlands rail line, it will take us all the way to Lincolnshire. Midlands Connect has estimated that the A50/A500 project, along with the building of more houses, will generate more than £12 billion in GVA, could create up to 39,000 new jobs—an unbelievable number—by 2045, and has a projected annual growth rate of 1.6% until 2070. He will tell me off for doing this, but I am going to quote the chief executive of Stoke-on-Trent city council. He said to me that it “could deliver a greater bang for its buck than the northern powerhouse.” The project requires £3 million to develop the business case. I therefore ask my hon. Friend the Minister to support the project and development of the business case. The economic benefits from the project would link manufacturers in north Staffordshire to the east midlands, with strong implications for devolution and economic growth across the regions. I believe that it might be worth considering a north midlands strategic authority to unlock those benefits further, as the corridor is a critical supply chain and distribution artery for businesses to the east and west and, indeed, the north and south, because it connects the M1 and M6. There is an incredible amount of specialist manufacturing in our regional economy, particularly in the advanced ceramics sector. With the right investment in innovation, infrastructure and skills, the north midlands advanced manufacturing corridor could become a leading growth hub for our regional economy and the UK economy more broadly.

• 18 Nov 2025 · Clean Energy Transition: New Nuclear Power · Hansard source

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  Advanced ceramics and ceramic matrix composites play a critical role in the manufacturing of nuclear infrastructure. They are used in nuclear fission reactors as pellets, ceramic coatings are applied to small modular reactors, and ceramics are needed in fuel particle coating, moderators, reflectors and control rods. North Staffordshire is a hotbed of advanced ceramics manufacturing, and I ask the Minister to ensure that our local companies receive investment as part of the nuclear modular reactor scheme to ensure supply chain resilience.

• 18 Nov 2025 · Clean Energy Transition: New Nuclear Power · Hansard source

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  3. What steps he plans to take to support the clean energy transition through the adoption of new nuclear power.

• 18 Nov 2025 · UNESCO: 80th Anniversary · Hansard source

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  Neighbouring Derbyshire, in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent has a proud heritage of craftmanship thanks to our famous ceramics industry, including Duchess China and Wedgwood. We are recognised globally for pottery, shipping products all over the world. I would be delighted if Stoke-on-Trent were recognised as a UNESCO creative city. Would my hon. Friend join me in recognising the historical contribution of Stoke-on-Trent and the boost in tourism that our bid to make Stoke-on-Trent a UNESCO creative city would bring?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Police Reform · Hansard source

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  In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, we have a police, fire and crime commissioner. While I welcome the Minister’s statement, I worry about the impact on our fire service. Could she reassure me that we will consider the fire service as well, and how oversight of it will be transitioned in areas that now have a mayor, like my area?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Drug-related Deaths · Hansard source

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  Stoke-on-Trent has the highest number of drug-related deaths in north Staffordshire. Synthetic cathinones, colloquially known as monkey dust, are used in Stoke-on-Trent to an extent not seen elsewhere in the country. Does my hon. Friend agree that more needs to be done to battle the scourge of monkey dust in Stoke-on-Trent?