Samantha Niblett MP: speeches

Speeches

• 10 Mar 2026 · Digital ID: Public Consultation · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for announcing that there will be a public consultation, as I know that my constituents value having the opportunity to have their say. As the mum to an 18-year-old, in the last two weeks, I have heard—I kid you not—“Mum, where do I get my national insurance number? Mum, I need to tax my car. Where do I get my MOT certificate? Mum?” And that is before we even start talking about what she is going to do when she enters the world of full-time work and becomes a homeowner. May I thank the Minister for proposing that we give people access to the data that is already held about them in a far more convenient way that matches our lives in the 21st century?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Energy Markets · Hansard source

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  The statement, for which I am very grateful, really drives home the importance of energy security and the move to renewables, but food security is equally important. In my constituency of South Derbyshire, we have had a plethora of applications for battery energy storage systems and solar farms, because we have a close connection to two grids. I am not saying that we do not need that, but will the Secretary of State meet me, my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) and other members of the Labour rural research group to discuss the benefits of a local area energy plan?

• 4 Mar 2026 · Healthcare in Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Dr Huq—it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship. I am really grateful to the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson)—I will call him my hon. Friend; we were in the armed forces parliamentary scheme together—for the opportunity to speak in this important debate on healthcare in rural areas. In my constituency, we are proud of our strong sense of community, but too many of my constituents face growing barriers when it comes to accessing healthcare. For many residents, the first challenge is distance: GP surgeries are fewer and farther between, community hospitals have been hollowed out, and public transport is limited or unreliable. When appointments are moved online or centralised miles away, what is described as efficiency can feel more like exclusion, and older residents, carers and those without access to a car are too often left struggling. Rural practices find it harder to attract and retain GPs, nurses and allied health professionals. Smaller patient lists and higher operating costs make practices less financially viable, placing additional strain on already overstretched staff. The result is longer waiting times, fewer appointments and growing frustration for patients who simply want timely care close to home. Those pressures are compounded by wider inequalities. Rural communities tend to have older populations and higher levels of chronic illness, yet funding formulas do not always reflect the true cost of delivering care across a large, sparsely populated area. It is also worth mentioning that South Derbyshire has a high number of falls, which accounts for a large proportion of emergency hospital admissions for people over 65, and has other negative consequences such as impacting people’s confidence and their sense of independence. Mental health services are also particularly patchy, leaving many people waiting far too long for support, if they can access it at all. Tracey Thorneloe, one of my constituents in South Derbyshire, experiences debilitating pelvic girdle pain as part of a chronic health condition. While pelvic girdle pain is normally experienced during pregnancy or childbirth, she began experiencing this pain six years ago and has had great difficulty accessing physio. There are no specialist physios for her condition in South Derbyshire, and access to hydrotherapy is very limited. Wheelchair provision is also an ongoing issue in my constituency. My constituent Amanda Storer has told me of her year-long battle to get a wheelchair for her son Derrick, who has Down’s syndrome. A wheelchair allows him to be more independent and allows Amanda to get out and about more as he grows. We have helped her as much as we can, but we have been struggling too. All that does not have to be the case; with the right investment and planning, rural healthcare can thrive. We need fairer funding that properly reflects rural need, stronger incentives to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in rural areas, and a renewed commitment to community-based services. Digital healthcare has a role to play, but it must complement, rather than replace, face-to-face provision.

• 2 Mar 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  First, may I associate myself with the comments of the Prime Minister in giving thanks to our brave armed forces who are serving right now? I have constituents in South Derbyshire, as I am sure we all do across the country, who look at their TV screens and their social media and see some world leaders who appear reckless, both internationally and domestically, overseeing what looks like state-sponsored murder of people in their own country. So may I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his cool head in this engagement, and may I implore him to continue exactly as he is: taking all the evidence into account, making decisions that are within the law, and putting the interests of British citizens, both in the countries that are under attack and in the region and at home, first and foremost?

• 23 Feb 2026 · Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving · Hansard source

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  I was grateful to the Secretary of State for coming to my constituency and meeting some SEND parents in Swadlincote. They felt heard. I thank her for the way she is delivering this White Paper; it is not a case of, “Here you go—this is what we will do to you,” which is what these people have been used to for so long. It is, “We want to hear from you.” I will have a consultation meeting with my constituents, and I will be very interested to hear what they have to say.

• 9 Feb 2026 · Domestic Violence: Victim Support · Hansard source

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  In my constituency, I am grateful to Derbyshire Wish, which provides support services to victims of domestic violence and abuse. It uses my offices for free to speak with victims of domestic violence and abuse in a safe and neutral environment. What is the Minister doing to tackle domestic violence and abuse in rural communities, where isolation plays a significant part in it going undetected?

• 4 Feb 2026 · Lord Mandelson · Hansard source

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  I am a from the 2024 intake, and I am very grateful that I have never had to meet the cretin that is Peter Mandelson. I want to be clear that, party politics aside—or not, actually—I did not join the Labour party because I hold anyone who has led or influenced the party in high esteem. I joined the Labour party for two very important reasons: the welfare state, which is one of the most important things that this country has ever done, and the national health service. It is dangerous when we hold someone in such high esteem, and when we give so much power to so few people, that things like this are allowed to happen. Let me be very clear: my faith in the Labour party to deliver for the people of this country continues. As for my faith in people like Peter Mandelson, I am very grateful that he is no longer a member of this party.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill · Hansard source

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  I rise to speak in support of lifting the two-child cap, not just as a Member of Parliament but as someone who knows personally what it means to live on the edge of financial insecurity. That was not my child’s fault. A few years ago, between the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, long before I entered the House, I was for a time a single parent and out of work—not for long in the grand scheme of things, but for long enough to struggle again. I do not want to make this speech about me, but I want to give this example because, hopefully, it shows a modicum of insight and empathy that appears to be missing in more than one party on the other side of the House. Like millions of people, I was doing everything that I could to keep going, to keep my home afloat and to shield my child from the worst of the stress and anxiety that come with not having enough. Many people experience that even in work—people with responsibility for more children than I have. At that time, I had to register a statutory off-road notification for my car because I simply could not afford to run and tax it, so twice a day, every day, I would walk to the school. That took me about three hours. Let me be clear about what that meant in practice. It meant—especially for my daughter—starting the day already exhausted, yet knowing that I still had to parent, to job hunt, to cope. At the end of the day, it meant digging deep for energy that, quite frankly, I often just did not have. On some days, if I could scrape together enough loose change—coins that I gathered from looking hither and thither—I could afford to take a bus, and that small thing, that single bus journey, made an enormous difference to me and to my child. I had a little more patience, a little more capacity to be the parent that my child needed me to be. That, for so many, is the reality that we are talking about today. The two-child cap is often discussed in abstract terms—in terms of numbers, incentives and thresholds—but behind every statistic is a family making impossible choices, parents skipping meals so that their children can eat, and children growing up with limits imposed on them before they have even had a chance to begin. This is not about supporting families who are simply irresponsible or reckless or thoughtless or not planning ahead for children they can or cannot afford. It predominantly impacts on working families who sometimes fall on hard times, families who lose a job, families whose circumstances change through illness, bereavement or redundancy, families who did not plan to need support but need it none the less. Children do not choose the circumstances they are born into, yet under the two-child cap we are telling some children that they are worth less than others. This support will remove the arbitrary line drawn not by need, but by ideology. Lifting the two-child cap is not about rewarding anyone, but about recognising reality. It is about acknowledging that the cost of living has risen, that wages have not kept pace and that social security should provide security, especially for children. When we invest in families, we invest in better outcomes, better health, less crime, better education and stronger communities. We also reduce pressure on public services further down the line, and we give parents the breathing space they need. When I think back to the long walks, exhaustion and worry, as well as the quiet determination to keep going, I know how much difference a little extra support will make for the very many families and children who will be lifted out of poverty by this policy. It is not luxury and comfort; it is just dignity and a fair chance. It is the difference between a parent breaking or not, going without a meal to feed their child or not, and the difference between a child not starting the day exhausted and having a warm bedroom at bedtime or not. Saying, “Don’t have children if you can’t afford them,” just does not wash. It is not a parent’s fault if they have record high energy bills thanks to the war in Ukraine. Saying that does not help a parent who is out of work due to ill health, thanks to a broken NHS that has not been there to help them after 14 years of Conservative government. It is no parent’s fault when they have a child with special educational needs and disabilities, who perhaps they have had to give up work to support. The fault does not lie with the more than 60% of working families who are struggling. That is why I urge this House to do the right thing, as have Citizens Advice, the Child Poverty Action Group, Alder Hey children’s hospital, the Mental Health Foundation, the Royal College of Nursing, the Women’s Budget Group and UNICEF UK—to name but a few. I notice that Conservative Members have referred to absolutely no organisations that back their claim that this is the wrong thing to do. I want to ensure that no child in this country is held back simply because of the circumstances they were born into or the changed circumstances that have made things harder for them and their parents. That is why I am grateful that we are not passing the Bill in isolation, but that this Labour Government are delivering Best Start hubs, breakfast clubs to help parents get back into work and to get to work earlier, and up to £7,000 of childcare for working parents. We are also helping young people who are out of work, education or training into the workplace to better their life opportunities, and that is what lifting the two-child cap is about.

• 2 Feb 2026 · China and Japan · Hansard source

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  I want to thank the Prime Minister for his incredible leadership on an international scale, which has a direct benefit to us domestically, not least through the disruption of the supply chain for small boat engines. I just wonder, because it is not a silver bullet to solve the challenge with immigration through illegal routes, whether the conversation came up about TikTok being used as a platform to share disinformation and misinformation to encourage people to make dangerous journeys.

• 29 Jan 2026 · Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report · Hansard source

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  In my constituency, I have 5,400 women affected by this decision. Not all of them know about it; my mum sort of shrugged her shoulders and went, “Oh, okay,” but some women do know, and they will be listening today and will be really disappointed. I was proud to put my name to, and campaign for, the brilliant support that the Government offered on the mineworkers’ pension scheme and the British Coal staff superannuation scheme—there were hundreds of beneficiaries in my constituency—but it looks like we are letting down women of a certain age, women who were so frequently on the back foot. The message sounds like, “It’s a little bit too tricky to address.” While I acknowledge that paying £10.3 billion in flat-rate payments might not be the right thing to do, is there not something we can do to acknowledge the campaigning of these women, whom we have supported for many years?

• 28 Jan 2026 · Ivanhoe Line: Restoration · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. She has been a fierce champion for this campaign since before becoming an MP and has been relentless since—and I love her for it. I also thank the members of the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line who live in South Derbyshire. Swadlincote lost its original Midland Railway station in 1947, leaving it a disconnected town. There are very few places the size of Swad in the UK without a train station. The nearest train station, for anyone who wants to get anywhere, is in Burton. Anyone who wants to get a train directly to our capital city would have to go to Tamworth, over 15 miles away and 30 minutes away on a good day. East Midlands Parkway is over 30 minutes away, and there are many others. I want South Derbyshire to continue to grow, with great tech jobs and opportunities. Does my hon. Friend agree that reopening the Ivanhoe line for passengers, as well as the railway station in Castle Gresley, would help to create a two-way gateway and opportunity for people in Swadlincote and the surrounding areas?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Business Rates · Hansard source

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  Last Friday, I met Laura at the Malt in Aston-on-Trent. She started as a pot washer, went to university, worked the whole way through and is now a tenanted landlady. She shared the amount of hours she works, and she will welcome the review of the business rates methodology, not least because she feels that she works all the hours God sends and she was due to have to pay a lot more. Will the Treasury look at a couple of key bits of feedback that she gave me? One is about prices for alcohol in supermarkets. She could have longer licensing hours, but she cannot compete with people staying at home drinking. The other was about a cardboard tax. She has to pay for packaging for brewery deliveries, but she also has to pay local councils to pick up the packaging, so she would welcome something where the breweries reuse existing crates.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that it is a crucial first step. I cannot understand how anybody in all good conscience can run a puppy farm, but I understand how some people have the wool pulled over their eyes to buy from one. If we take away puppy farms as an option, those people will not be tricked. The scale of this issue is vast. There are an estimated 35 million pets living in the UK, with the pet care market worth £8.2 billion and forecast to grow by 7% annually. At the same time, there are around 150 million farmed animals in England at any one time, comprising 22 million cattle, sheep and pigs and 133 million poultry. The livestock sector contributes £20.1 billion to the UK economy, thanks to the hard work of our farmers. While strengthening animal welfare standards here in the UK is vital, this must go hand in hand with Baroness Batters’s report and with genuine partnership working with farmers, who are already driving standards upwards. Crucially, we must ensure that they are properly supported and paid for this work. I welcome the Government’s decision to transition to non-cage systems and to consult on phasing out enriched colony cages for laying hens. I support Compassion in World Farming’s “End the Cage Age” campaign. Cages severely restrict hens’ movement, preventing them from running, flapping their wings, dust bathing and foraging—behaviours that are fundamental to their welfare. At my most recent coffee morning in Burnaston, it was good to speak about farming again with my constituent Angela Sargent, this time about her concerns regarding salmonella in eggs from imported caged birds. I never buy eggs from caged birds, but I fully appreciate that not everyone can afford to make that choice and must take the cheapest option available. This issue also has serious implications for British farmers, who are placed at a competitive disadvantage by the tariff-free import of eggs from caged Ukrainian hens. The same point applies for meat imports.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. As MPs, we are pulled in every direction by many people, and it is hard to be in all places at all times, but the issues that cut through the most are the ones that are campaigned on the hardest and the heaviest. I am super grateful to the campaign groups that have helped to shape the animal welfare strategy. I am reassured that the Labour Government recognise animal welfare as a global issue and have committed to continuing to work with organisations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Trade Organisation to champion high standards internationally and promote best practice. Public support for this approach is overwhelming: a 2021 National Farmers Union survey found that 86% of respondents believe that animal welfare standards for imports should match those in the UK, while a Which? survey found that 87% of people agree that imported food should meet our animal welfare standards. Each year, approximately 40 million to 45 million male chicks from conventional laying-hen breeds are culled within 12 to 36 hours of hatching. It is encouraging that the UK egg industry is exploring technology to sex eggs before chicks are born, with the aim of eliminating the need for this practice. While I welcome the Government’s ambition to end the killing of day-old chicks, it is essential that we work closely with the farming industry to ensure that the costs are not unfairly passed on to farmers and that any transition happens on a realistic timeline.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, who I know is a big animal lover herself—we certainly have that in common—that the welfare strategy will tackle those concerns. I will address some of those points later in my speech. We have a moral duty to safeguard animal welfare, and most people agree with us, so I warmly welcome the Labour Government’s recent animal welfare strategy. What a wonderful Christmas present it was for so many of us. The strategy sets out clear ambitions, to be achieved by 2030, on improving the lives of companion animals, wild animals, farmed animals and animals overseas. It commits to addressing loopholes around breeding, to banning snare traps, to delivering on our manifesto commitment to ban trail hunting and to introduce standards for the humane killing of fish.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I did not know that fact, and I am really grateful to my hon. Friend for sharing it. One of the challenges is the lack of profit in farming. I welcome the fact that the Labour Government have committed to help our farmers to become more profitable. One pence per egg sounds very little, but it has a heavy impact on farmers’ productivity and profitability. Similarly, we must listen carefully to farmers when considering how to move away from the use of farrowing crates for sows. While the crates are designed to protect piglets against being crushed, they also significantly restrict the sows’ movement and raise serious welfare concerns. For many animal lovers, perhaps the most challenging part of the strategy is the issue of slaughter, even for those of us who eat meat. I will give a trigger warning now, because I am going to talk about things that might upset a few people. Each year, just over 1 billion meat chickens are reared and slaughtered in the UK. I agree with the Government that all animals should be spared avoidable pain and distress at the point of killing, while also respecting the right of people to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. For example, a significant proportion of halal meat comes from animals that are stunned before slaughter to render them unconscious and insensible to pain. Slaughtermen are required to check for signs of consciousness between stunning and death. Certification bodies, such as the Halal Food Authority, enforce the standards through regular audits and inspections, combining ancient principles with modern safeguards. However, “a significant proportion” does not mean all animals, and I understand and share the concerns of those who are worried about the percentage that are not stunned before slaughter. On the difficult subject of end of life for animals, I was grateful to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation for inviting me to a game dinner last November. I feel far more comfortable eating meat from animals that have lived a full life in open spaces in our beautiful Derbyshire countryside, and whose deaths were carried out swiftly by trained conservationists who play a key role in conservation, pest control and habitat management. I am grateful to those who help to manage our countryside and parks responsibly and humanely, even for animals we do not eat, such as grey squirrels that damage young trees. To turn back to pets, I met vets Kathryn and Kieran Patel back in October—

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, who picked the right moment because I was just about to address that issue. I met vets Kathryn and Keiran Patel in October at their newly opened independent practice in Bretby. They would like the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 to be updated. They shared with me concerning insights about how a small number of large corporates dominate the sector, particularly in relation to fees and prescription charges. In December, the Competition and Markets Authority published the provisional findings of its investigation of veterinary services for household pets, and it identified competition concerns. Many pet owners would welcome clearer pricing for common services, capped prescription charges and transparency around practice ownership. That said, the broader challenges facing veterinary practices and the cost pressures on pet owners deserve a debate in their own right. My good hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter) has been doing a huge amount of work in this space. My constituent, David Llewellyn of Walton-on-Trent, is a strong advocate for reforming the regulations around puppy farming. I am delighted that our manifesto committed to ending puppy farming and puppy smuggling.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in praising the Government for putting an end to puppy farming. As we discussed earlier with other concerned colleagues, it is barbaric. So many people who buy from puppy farms have been tricked into doing so. It is absolutely right to put an end to it. I am proud that the Labour Government passed the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025, which bans the import of dogs and cats under six months old, those that have been declawed or had their ears cropped, and those that are heavily pregnant. However, my constituent Lexi Ireland is vice-chair of Basil’s Forever Sofa, which rescues Romanian dogs and rehomes them in the UK, and she contacted me with concerns that, unless carefully drafted, the legislation could inadvertently prevent legitimate charities from rescuing dogs with cropped ears or docked tails. I wrote to Baroness Hayman, who reassured me that all necessary exemptions will be provided through secondary legislation. I also welcome the Act’s power to prevent the supply to the UK of low-welfare pets, such as stray animals brought back from overseas holidays. Cats Protection has raised concerns that the strategy does not go far enough in delivering what it describes as “meaningful protection for cats and kittens”, particularly around irresponsible breeding, including the breeding of bully cats. It has also called for a single point of search for cat microchipping—I must confess that I assumed that already existed. I welcome the Government’s decision to reconvene the responsible dog ownership taskforce, which provides an opportunity to reduce dog attacks and improve safety in public areas. Although I believe that the previous Government made the right decision at the time in introducing the XL bully ban, given the tragic loss of life we were seeing, I recognise the heartbreak experienced by responsible pet owners whose well-loved dogs were cherished family members. I share the Government’s concerns about the welfare implications of e-collars, and I support positive, reward-based training as the preferred approach. Later in this Parliament, we will consult on whether to ban e-collars, following the example already set in Wales. The Hunting Act 2004 is 20 years old, yet concerns persist about illegal hunting taking place under the guise of trail hunting. I have heard from farmers and landowners who oppose trail hunting due to the land damage but feel under pressure to allow it. Trail hunting was banned on National Trust land in 2022, due to animal welfare concerns, and Forestry England and several local authorities and private estates followed suit, often citing environmental damage. I am glad we are banning it altogether. I also support the Labour Government’s decision to end the use of snares. A YouGov poll in January 2025 found that 71% of adults in England believe snares should be illegal. I welcome the review of other traps, including those used indoors, while noting concerns raised by the British Pest Control Association that banning smaller traps could increase chemical use, which is a concern more broadly. My constituent Harriet Redfern contacted me after losing her beloved dog, because she believed that non-pet-friendly pesticides were to blame. Others have had similar experiences, including Lisa, who shared her anguish with me during a horse-safety ride that I attended, organised by Councillor Ann Hughes, chair of Overseal parish council. I welcome the strategy’s commitment to exploring measures to prevent equines from being exported for slaughter, but road safety is an urgent issue in the UK that affects horses and their riders, who are disproportionally women. Mary Holland, who invited me to the horse-safety rides, is part of the Pass Wide and Slow campaign, which calls for better driver education to ensure that horses, riders and motorists are kept safe. I am sure campaigners would welcome provisions on that in future iterations of the animal welfare strategy. I was struck by something that Sally Barker wrote on my Facebook post when I announced the strategy before Christmas. She said that “whilst I applaud this, we are quite clearly no longer a nation of animal lovers, if we were, this would not be necessary”. That is a valid point, and it really made me sad. There will always be awful people who do not treat animals right, so I am glad that our animal welfare strategy seeks to provide protections. It balances compassion with practicality, ambition with partnership and ethics with economic reality. From pets and farm animals to wildlife and working animals, from domestic change to global leadership, the strategy sets a clear direction of travel. Animal welfare is not a niche issue: it speaks to who we are as a society in the main. I am proud that the Labour Government are rising to the challenge, listening to constituents, working with farmers and experts, and placing animal welfare firmly at the heart of public policy. I look forward to continuing this work and to seeing our commitments translated into a real and lasting change for animals across the UK and beyond.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I thank everybody for their contributions, and I encourage them to listen to the most recent brilliant New Scientist podcast, “The World, the Universe and Us”, in which the historian Rutger Bregman, who wrote “Moral Ambition”, asks what, in the future, we will look back on and be ashamed of. The way we treat animals is probably one of those things. I am reminded today that the animal welfare strategy is not an end game, but animal welfare is a moving goal. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the animal welfare strategy for England.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered the animal welfare strategy for England. It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell, and to have secured my very first Westminster Hall debate on animal welfare, which really means something to me. I am sure that colleagues present are equally compassionate and animal friendly. The UK has a proud and long-standing history of championing animal welfare. Back in 1822, this country led the world with the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act, the first ever piece of animal welfare legislation anywhere on the globe. That legacy continues today in the incredible organisations we are fortunate to have here in the UK: the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; Cats Protection; the Blue Cross; the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, which provides free veterinary services to sick or injured pets; Battersea Dogs & Cats Home; and South Derbyshire’s very own Wonky Pets Rescue in Swadlincote. I am immensely proud that the Labour Government are committed to delivering the most ambitious animal welfare strategy in a generation. Whether we are talking about cats and dogs who share our homes, the working animals who give disabled people independence, or those who support our police force and airport staff in keeping us safe, we owe animals a huge debt of gratitude. I grew up with pets, and until recent years my daughter did, too. Sadly, the demands of this job and the lifestyle it requires—and my personal lifestyle—make having pets impractical for me at the moment. It would feel selfish. But I have no doubt that my time will come again. I see how my mum and stepdad organise their entire lives around their little dogs Rosie and Oliver, which is why I often smile when people talk about pet owners—because in reality they own us. Or rather, they are family members. Animals are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, fear and joy. That places a responsibility on us all to protect them. It is reassuring that 85% of UK adults agree that we have a moral duty to safeguard animal welfare.

• 20 Jan 2026 · Mobile Phones and Social Media: Use by Children · Hansard source

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  I have recently been asking my constituents what they think about a ban on phones in schools, as well as for their thoughts about social media for under-16s. It was clear that, regardless of their politics, they all wanted to have their views heard. They were so grateful to be asked, instead of having something imposed on them. Will the Secretary of State join me in South Derbyshire for the consultation meetings that I hope to have, so that my constituents feel that they are being heard by the decision maker right at the top?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Sale of Fireworks · Hansard source

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  I, too, have had lots of constituents contact me about this issue with concern for neurodiverse people, people with mental health issues, veterans with PTSD and animal owners. My constituent Helen sent me video footage of her border collie Alf, cowering in fear under a table. I wonder if the hon. Member agrees that in today’s modern age there are lots of beautiful alternatives for displays in the air that do not require fireworks—not to say that fireworks are not marvellous at the right time—and which can actually be silent. Does he agree that more people should be encouraged to use modern technology to deliver awe-inspiring displays?

• 15 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In the village of Overseal in my constituency, retrospective planning permission has been submitted for a Traveller site, where unauthorised work was carried out over a bank holiday weekend, making it less likely that authorities would be made aware. They were made aware, though, and a stop notice was issued and subsequently ignored. As a country, we might need more authorised Traveller sites, but granting retrospective planning permission in such circumstances—denying residents the opportunity to challenge, and effectively presenting them with a fait accompli—is not acceptable. Such sites should not be approved through underhand tactics, when people have played the system. Can the Leader of the House help me to secure a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss underhand use of the planning system?

• 12 Jan 2026 · Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes · Hansard source

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  Last week I met the brilliant Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, and the MakeLoveNotPorn Academy who, like me and many across the House, believes in empowering people to talk openly and responsibly about sex, free from shame. Given how quickly tech is evolving, regulation, bans and blocks alone cannot shift the behaviour of people such as those using the Grok tool to make non-consensual sexual deepfakes, and a shared cross-party commitment to lifelong age-appropriate sex and relationships education is vital to changing culture, promoting consent, and preventing harm. Does my right hon. Friend agree that despite the horror stories we are currently seeing, tech is not an enemy, people are—including some tech bros like Musk—and that tech could be used for good by good people to aid lifelong sex education instead of exploitation?

• 12 Jan 2026 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  I have enjoyed working with my hon. Friend on the Labour rural research group. We are so grateful to our farmers for engaging with us and educating us as we have gone along, so does he agree that we now have a fantastic opportunity to rebuild trust with our farmers? I have had many emails of thanks from them, and I thank the Prime Minister and the Treasury for this policy amendment. I wonder how many of my hon. Friend’s farmers have also said that, despite the fact that they have usually or often voted Conservative, they always do better under a Labour Government.