Tom Hayes MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 15 Oct 2025 · Knife Crime · Hansard source

  More

  In Dorset, where I represent Bournemouth East, figures show 39 knife-related incidents per 100,000 people. That is more than half below the national average, but behind every statistic there is a story. I am thinking particularly of 18-year-old Cameron Hamilton, who was tragically killed. His grandmother Tracy, who I had the honour to meet, has set up an organisation called Changes Are Made. Does the hon. Member agree with the mission of that organisation—that we must put lives before knives? Would he also agree that no one should carry a knife, because the quickest way to destroy a life is to carry a knife?

• 14 Oct 2025 · Tackling Climate Change: International Co-operation · Hansard source

  More

  The Amazon rainforest is the lungs of the earth, but it is gasping for breath. I am pleased that COP30 will be in the heart of the Amazon. Ella, a school student from my constituency, would like to know what steps the Government will be taking to stop deforestation and back nature-based solutions. On behalf of Ella, may I urge the Secretary of State to go as far as possible and do all he can?

• 14 Oct 2025 · Tackling Climate Change: International Co-operation · Hansard source

  More

  12. What steps he is taking to increase co-operation with other countries to tackle climate change.

• 11 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  I have enjoyed many Bournemouth air festivals, so its cancellation has left a huge gap. I recently met an event organiser who has a plan, and I am open to meeting more organisers. The BH Area Hospitality Association, under the leadership of Rosie Radwell, has launched “Check In – Chill Out”, which is a campaign to showcase how great Bournemouth is. Does the Leader of the House agree in the strongest possible terms that Bournemouth is the best seaside town? Will he congratulate the campaign? Will he grant a debate on tourism, particularly for coastal and seaside towns?

• 11 Sept 2025 · Regional Transport Inequality · Hansard source

  More

  We know that when it comes to transport inequality, as we have just heard, the people who are left behind most are younger people, disabled people, people on low incomes and older people. Madam Deputy Speaker, I note that when you were the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, you called for an older people’s commissioner. In this respect, that could provide real value. In the time available to me, I will major in as many transport forms as possible. Yesterday I spoke about buses. In Bournemouth, we are crying out for a better No. 33 bus, the reinstatement of the bus route in and to Throop, and a bus to the airport that is better and goes more frequently. We need a stronger provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure; it is typically concentrated in more affluent areas, and where it is concentrated in public areas it does not work. When it comes to trains, I am campaigning for an accessible Pokesdown station and faster trains to London. I want to talk particularly about the problems that people experience locally with accessing driving tests. The Labour Government have committed to 10,000 additional driving tests, and we have four additional instructors in Poole, but people in Bournemouth East have to travel to Poole to take their test, because their centre was closed in 2019. Operators are using bots to sweep up months-worth of test dates and sell them to parents and learners at a high profit. That is not fair, and it is an example of inequality. I have written to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency, but it is nowhere to be seen on this issue. I want this Government to be on the side of learners and to tackle the driving test backlog. I welcome the fact that we have £1.1 million in funding coming to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council for the improvement of transport infrastructure, and that we have an extra £2 million to invest on potholes. I particularly want to make the case, for the first time in this Chamber, for the resurrection of a tram network in Bournemouth, which I think is really important. [ Interruption. ] I can hear murmurs of assent from my hon. Friends. Everyone loves a tram. Trams foster economic, social and cultural growth around them. In Bournemouth, which has joined two other towns to create a super-city region, we are falling behind in economic growth opportunities because we do not have the interconnectedness we need. I was going to say more, but I will just briefly say that if we can have faster trains to London, accessible stations, the potholes in our roads filled, better bus services, more driving tests and a tram network which, because of its permanence, attracts businesses, organisations and people to move into our areas—those areas are already thriving, but could thrive so much more—Bournemouth would no longer be left behind; Bournemouth would thrive. It is a fantastic, beautiful town, which I am so proud to represent, and with the elimination of our transport inequalities, there would be no limit to the success we could achieve.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

  More

  In Bournemouth East, I am campaigning to get a better bus route to Bournemouth airport, to improve the No. 33 and to reinstate a service in Throop, where the community feel very disconnected. Does the hon. Lady agree that one benefit of this Bill is that it empowers local authorities to run their own bus companies so that they can reinstate those routes?

• 10 Sept 2025 · Playgrounds: Bournemouth East · Hansard source

  More

  I entirely agree; the hon. Gentleman pre-empts some of what I am about to say. Community infrastructure and accessible infrastructure are absolutely critical alongside playgrounds. The public voted for change last year, and we now happily have a different Government. The question is whether this Government will restore playgrounds for future generations. My first year as an MP has taught me how difficult it is to bring together Departments around the cross-cutting issue of play. We have a fantastic Minister, Baroness Taylor, who holds responsibility for play. To support her, this Parliament needs to agitate for a strategy with objectives and deadlines. That is my first request. Seventeen years ago, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham, as Secretaries of State, published England’s first national play strategy, and much of it still stands. It is time to dust it off. This is unfinished business for Labour, and momentum is building now, as it was before the last play strategy and the multimillion-pound budget were announced. In June, I hosted the launch of Play England’s 10-year strategy, “It All Starts with Play!”, here in Parliament, and I also welcomed the Raising the Nation Play Commission’s final report, “Everything to Play For”, which called for a new national strategy, a statutory duty for councils and a cultural shift that places play at the heart of public life. Last week, a new all-party parliamentary group on play launched with a Minister in attendance. I am honoured to chair it. That followed, on the same day, a session on play by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Yesterday, I was pleased to sponsor and speak at a LEGO reception in Parliament. The LEGO group, supported by the LEGO Foundation, launched “The Power of Play”, a report that looked into its project in Tower Hamlets, where poverty limits and denies access to play, as it does around the country.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Playgrounds: Bournemouth East · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend makes a valid and important point about funding our playgrounds so that they are accessible, safe and fun. I commend the work that she does on behalf of her constituents, particularly children. A strategy alone will not be enough. That is why I tabled an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to introduce a play sufficiency duty in England, mirroring legislation in Wales and Scotland. It was backed by 70-plus MPs from across parties, although unfortunately there were no signatories from Reform. It sought to correct the wrong that England does not have the same statutory duty as Wales and Scotland. It is wrong that Scottish and Welsh councils regularly assess and support play provision, while this Parliament does not regard that as essential for English councils. We saw what happened when the previous Labour Government announced a strategy and a budget. The coalition quietly dropped the strategy and drew a thick red line through the budget. Without a statutory duty, Parliament cannot protect playgrounds for childhoods in this country, so a statutory duty is my second request. We can and should extend Sport England-style duties to play, making it a statutory consideration, like sports facilities, not a discretionary extra that gets ignored. That is my third request. My fourth and final request, which goes to the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Erdington (Paulette Hamilton) made, is that we need to talk about funding. Put simply, this will require financial investment from the Government. I care deeply about giving children their right to play, which is why I am shining a light on Bournemouth East in Parliament to help bring money to our town. In Bournemouth, we are embracing the challenge of improving our play areas. Thanks to council officers such as Martin Whitchurch and Rebecca Whelan-Edmonds, all 171 play sites in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and all 1,175 pieces of play equipment have been mapped, audited and costed. A consultation has closed, and I have represented constituents’ views on proposals into it. The consultation included events, and I joined two to hear from constituents. I want to balance my admiration for the good work done by those officers with my constituents’ need to represent their concerns for the council’s plans. While every playground matters in Bournemouth East, some raise particular concerns, such as Kings Park and its two play areas. At the Ashley Road site, security fencing dominated until I got it removed. The zipwire is missing, the bandstand and bins are rusty, and offensive graffiti scarred a bench until I lobbied the council to scrub it clean. The sudden removal of equipment without warning or explanation has deepened frustration. It struck such a chord with year 6 students from King’s Park academy that they staged a protest in their final day of school. Many of their placards remain in my office and are a daily reminder to campaign harder. It was an honour to stand with those children as they voiced their hopes and called on the council to act in their very first protest. If the Minister would like to green-light funding for a trampoline to go into the refurbished Kings Park playground in Bournemouth, I am sure the students of King’s Park academy would be most grateful. Last week I met with Kirsty, Kate and David, Rebecca, Shelley, Robyn, Jonathan, Charlotte and their children at Harewood junior school. They were clear that these spaces are vital for children’s health, wellbeing and social development. Yet they have been overlooked for too long. I have met Rio and his mum Amanda at Mallard Road play area, just steps from their home . Rio organised a protest at 9 am on 6 August and rallied 30 people to stand up for their park—an incredible achievement. Some brought home-made posters to voice their concerns. Dave, who lives nearby with his two children, says, “We do not have a garden so the play space is very needed as parents do not have the money sometimes to take their children out.” For Dave and others, that park is a lifeline. Kayleigh, a mother of three, says, “With the cost of living being what it is right now, families are relying more than ever on free local spaces like this one.” She reminds us that play areas are not just for children; they bring people together. Parents chat, children make friends and local bonds are formed. Without those spaces, we lose more than just swings; we lose connection. Kayleigh ended with a powerful plea, “I understand budgets are tight, but I’d ask you to think of this not as a cost, but as an investment in our children, our neighbourhood, and in our community’s future. Please do not take this away from them. Let’s find a way to protect this space for the children who use it now, and for those who will in the years to come.” The proposed closure of 13 playgrounds across Muscliff, Strouden Park and Townsend in my constituency is sparking serious concern. Residents fear longer journeys, fewer spontaneous visits and exclusion for those without transport, which will inevitably hit the disadvantaged families of those communities hardest. The promise of a new playground at Landford Way is being understood as a trade-off for the loss of those 13 doorstep play areas, and it is not reassuring people. It is seen as a reduction in equity, not as an enhancement in access. Muscliff Park, a high-use site, has seen strong demands for reopening the toilet facilities, reviving the café and launching a full refurbishment programme, which again goes to the point that the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) was making, which is that there is a deeper truth here that parks are not just patches of grass and playgrounds, not just swings and slides; they are outdoor community centres. Reframing them as essential community infrastructure is essential. Elsewhere, constituents have raised concerns about proposals to consider and relocate Tuckton tea gardens and Riverlands play park. Others have voiced concerns about Beaufort Park, Knowlton Gardens, Clarence Road, Shelley Road, Churchill Gardens, Moordown rec and Epiphany play areas. The Minister will be pleased to hear that there is not a test on these playgrounds. I name them because they are so important to my constituents. Above all, residents are asking for a strategic approach: yes to investing in busy destination play spaces, but not to the detriment of smaller playgrounds on people’s doorsteps. The message is simple: play matters and our communities are ready to help shape its future. For my constituents, play matters for very distinct reasons. Children’s development, their mental health and emotional support is key. Sarah in Strouden Park, whose family uses Mallard Road play area, says that play “lays down positive habits for life.” Rachel in Townsend, who uses Moordown rec, says, “It is vital for children to be outside and free resources are a lifeline for many. Our children spend so much time learning or on screens that play is desperately needed”. Danielle in Boscombe West, who uses Kings Park at the Ashley Road site, says that playgrounds “help children learn through play. They are a free activity that helps low-income families who otherwise would have no outdoor space access. They keep the older children occupied rather than committing anti-social behaviour.” At the other play area in Kings Park, Clarence Road, Thomas, who lives in Boscombe East, says, “It is an essential part of our day that gives the girls a chance for physical play and to decompress after school. It’s really important for our eldest, who is dyslexic and often finds the school day mentally exhausting.” Playgrounds are also great for community and social connection. Chris in Muscliff, who uses Knowlton Gardens play area with his family, says, “Micro communities within Muscliff use these green spaces/play parks (what’s left of them) and rely on them for their own wellbeing as well as their families.” Charlotte in Littledown, whose family uses Kings Park, Clarence Road, says: “They are one of the few remaining things that parents and children can do together as a community outside in nature for free.” And Judith in Southbourne says about Riverlands play area: “Grandparents who take their children there also have an increased social circle—not only with other elderly people but with young people who might be using it. I often find myself in conversation with people I don’t know of all different ages.” There are clearly significant benefits to having playgrounds. Play is not just about playgrounds; it is a mindset, a culture, a lifeline, and it deserves to be woven into every part of community life. For children who have known trauma or injury, health play services are critical. They help children to cope, connect and heal, both emotionally and psychologically, yet for too long health play services have been treated as optional. That must change. Play specialists should be embedded in paediatric care, supporting children from waiting rooms to treatment rooms, and even in operating theatres. I saw this in action in Poole hospital, with Lego used to explain MRI scans, playful syringe demonstrations and outdoor play woven into physiotherapy. In June, NHS England and Starlight launched “play well”, a new toolkit co-produced by over 60 professionals with support from the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Care Quality Commission and Sophie’s Legacy. It is backed by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and research showing that therapeutic play reduces anxiety, loneliness and the risk of medical trauma, so I fully endorse it. Play also happened in Sure Start centres, so I am thrilled that the Government are bringing back a revamped Sure Start programme. Recent reports by University College London, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Centre for Young Lives all proved the benefits of Sure Starts and their play provision. Sure Starts prevented over 5,000 hospital admissions annually and halved inequality gaps, and children living near centres scored higher in GCSEs. The experience of Bournemouth East’s Sure Starts, delivered so excellently by the YMCA in Townsend and Springbourne, was that safe, joyful play helps children to develop socially and emotionally. I cannot wait to see a revamped, reinvigorated Sure Start in my constituency. Play is good for our economy. The Association of Play Industries has 60 members contributing around £250 million to the economy. The association represents 70% of the industry, so if we extrapolate, it has been estimated that the industry is worth approximately £357 million. Many of those businesses are small, British and family-owned. I will close where I started, which is to say that the people of Bournemouth East have felt they have not been heard for too long. They know that a child’s right to play is important. They know the importance of playgrounds to a child’s right to play. We must protect these spaces and improve them. We must stand up for play everywhere, not just in Bournemouth East. After 14 long years of austerity, with the benefit of a Labour Government, we should stand up for play across the country.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Playgrounds: Bournemouth East · Hansard source

  More

  I beg to move, That this House has considered playgrounds in Bournemouth East constituency. Eight months ago, I stood just a few seats away from this spot to lead the first debate on playgrounds in eight years—the longest in 17 years. The previous debate, 17 years ago, saw the last Labour Government launch the first and only national play strategy, backed by £235 million of investment in children’s right to play. On behalf of my constituents, it is an honour to open this debate, my second, and to turn a spotlight specifically on my constituency, focusing exclusively on playgrounds in Bournemouth East. When Parliament has effectively ignored playgrounds in Bournemouth for 17 years, is it any wonder that they are rotting? Is it any wonder that people feel pushed away from politics when Parliament did not speak to their priorities to any meaningful extent for nearly two decades? Is it any wonder that people feel disaffected with democracy when the last Government did not care enough about children to invest in their playgrounds? Children who sat GCSEs this year were not even alive the last time that Parliament seriously considered playground provision. We are talking about near adults whose formative years went unexamined at the very highest levels of the last Conservative Government. Children make up 20% of our population and 100% of our future, but we are not treating them that way as a country. As Play England’s Eugene Minogue says, “Let’s start with play.” This really matters. In 1925, Lloyd George called play “nature’s training for life”. Frank Dobson later described it as, “what children and young people do—when they follow their own ideas, in their own way, and for their own reasons.” Play is instinctive and natural; it is how children learn, grow and take responsibility. In Gaza, where children are hungry, exhausted and emotionally wounded, the instinct to play still endures. Just two weeks ago, Palestinian children were filmed playing with a parachute used to drop aid. Play is natural, essential and deeply personal. It nurtures emotional development, builds confidence and fosters creativity, collaboration and resilience. Those are the skills that renew our democracy and reinvigorate our liberal values, but right now, in Bournemouth East and across England, that right is being eroded. Lloyd George warned how infringing the right to play can cause “deep and enduring harm to the minds and bodies of its citizens.” Lloyd George was right. Today, 2 million children in England live more than 10 minutes from a playground, and one in eight have no garden—in London, it is one in five. Nearly 800 playgrounds have closed in the past decade, casualties of austerity. In Bournemouth East, only 35% of children live within reach of a play area. What are the deep and enduring harms that result when children cannot play outdoors? First, they retreat indoors, glued to screens. As my constituent Helen from Southbourne says, “We must provide exciting, enjoyable and affordable alternatives to screen time.” Secondly, as Baroness Longfield, the former Children’s Commissioner reminds us, “Play is a social justice issue—it’s about who gets to thrive and who gets left behind.” Among those children being left behind the most are wheelchair users and neurodivergent children. As Terri from Muscliff says: “If a child uses a wheelchair, there is nothing they can do.” Teens for whom traditional spaces such as multi-use games areas and skate parks just do not work are excluded too. In particular, teenage girls who mostly want social spaces near, but not within, family zones are not being catered for. If inclusive design is to be the baseline, not a bonus, we must listen to my constituent Jennie Savage, a community place-making designer, who, at our surgery on Saturday, spoke about the importance of listening to the very people who use playgrounds.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  I recently met grassroots football teams, including King Park Dynamos, Generation Elite Academy, Queens Park ladies and the AFC Bournemouth community sports trust Minikickers. They want more football pitches in Bournemouth, and Kings park would be the perfect place, but the athletics track needs fixing, the master plan updating and the playground enhancing, and Kings park nursery should be brought into use again. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on access to grassroots sport?

• 4 Sept 2025 · Dorset Coast: Pollution · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Secretary of State for his answer and for his two visits to Bournemouth. People still talk happily about his visit to the Hengistbury Head Outdoors centre. I met recently with constituents in Bournemouth East who are calling for nationalisation as a way to improve accountability and investment in the water industry. How does the Secretary of State see a path towards nationalisation sitting within his wider efforts to protect our waters?

• 4 Sept 2025 · Dorset Coast: Pollution · Hansard source

  More

  5. What steps he is taking to help tackle water pollution on the Dorset coast.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, although I do not recognise what he is saying. I hope he is welcoming the NHS investment that his constituency is receiving, as well as the free breakfast clubs, place-based nurseries, stimulation of his local economy, improved pothole filling and improved connectivity. If he wishes to stand up and say that, I would be happy to give way to him again.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  I think my hon. Friend has said enough—and I welcome what he has said. I also want to recognise the difficult financial inheritance of this Government: how they needed to raise money to fix the foundations, to invest in our public services, and to deliver the change that people were calling out for during the general election and long before. All of us on the Government Benches, and I hope on the Opposition Benches too, are hearing from our constituents about the green shoots of recovery in our NHS, about schools finally starting to get the investment that they need, about those place-based nurseries and about childcare being rolled out on a larger scale. What I want to see from our Government is a continuation of their hard work. I welcome the fact that the empty shops rental auction is under way in Bournemouth. I welcome, too, that the Government are moving ahead with supporting the hospitality sector. I would particularly like to see the valuation office properly pay regard to the issues that need fixing and that have been stated to me in places like Boscombe. At the last valuation, which was done under the Conservatives, neighbourhoods like Boscombe saw their rates stay flat or even increase, harming independent retailers. As a Labour Member who wants to support hospitality, I would like to see that corrected. I would like to see proposals including the raising of the rateable value threshold for 100% relief from £15,000 to £25,000 with tapered relief, the introduction of high street survival discounts, and the simplification of the appeals process with open data and fast-track support for SMEs. Those are just some of the ideas that I am hearing from constituents. I am sure that other colleagues will have many more that they wish to share, so I shall rest there.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Lady raises an interesting point on behalf of her constituents and businesses. I would, of course, say that were it not for the tax rise that allowed for investment in our NHS, we would not be seeing so many hospital appointments and such dramatic falls in NHS waiting lists, and we would not then be seeing people who were once ill returning to the workforce, so that they can earn, work and contribute to our economy, and then help our hospitality sector.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  Bournemouth relies heavily on hospitality and tourism. In my constituency alone, hospitality generates £162.8 million in revenue and employs 3,700 people across more than 30 venues. The sector creates vibrant communities, accessible jobs and attracts investment. Take Kris Gumbrell, the CEO of Brewhouse and Kitchen. He chairs an industry apprenticeship programme and has invested over £3 million to revive a derelict pub in Southbourne, creating a community hub and over 40 new jobs. Take Emma Sclanders of Wild & Ginger or Ricky Knowlton of Syds Slaps, who the new the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend for Bristol North West (Darren Jones), was so happy to visit just a few short months ago. Take James Fowler of the Larder House, Jon Roberts of Little Perth or Rich Slater of Sobo Beach. The list really does go on. In Bournemouth East, we are blessed with fantastic hospitality owners. That is because, as entrepreneurs, they are investing time, money and personal risk to create jobs and community hubs. They shoulder costs and were often overlooked in policy discussions over the past 14 years. They want, as do we on the Labour Benches, balanced and targeted support for businesses to ensure that their efforts are being supported. Hospitality matters so much because it is woven into everyday life. Whether it is coffee with friends, football at the stadium, a drink down the pub, date nights or quick bites before events, the hospitality sector provides so many of the events that we find so meaningful in our personal lives. They are a critical community space and social infrastructure that bring us together, and create belonging to each other and to the places we live in. And by God, over the last 14 years have we not seen our social infrastructure attacked and decimated? We need to support our hospitality sector, and that is especially important for Government Members who represent coastal communities. Labour now represents more coastal communities than at any time since 1997, after nearly half the coastal seats in England and Wales were won from the Conservatives in 2024—that is no wonder when I hear my constituents talk about how Bournemouth has been left behind and how coastal communities have been forgotten. Labour is committed to putting that right, which means supporting our hospitality and tourism sectors.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  My understanding is that the Airedale NHS foundation trust covers the hon. Member’s constituency. The waiting list there has fallen from 14,779 to 13,846, there are 32,312 additional urgent dental appointments, and £3.3 million is going to the hospital to support building and other safety works. Does he welcome that investment, which is partly funded by the national insurance contributions increase?

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire (Mr MacDonald) does not wish to, so I will give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Euan Stainbank).

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

  More

  I am astonished that nobody raised a point of order there. Of course Plymouth does not have the best beer in the country; Bournemouth East does. If not Bournemouth East, I am sure that many other constituencies would claim to, too. However, I agree with my hon. Friend that the hospitality sector has endured difficulty time and again, whether during the pandemic, the cost of living crisis or the previous Government’s reckless disregard for the sector’s needs, and so Labour needs to fix the foundations of the hospitality sector. We need to support our economy by stabilising it and, in so doing, supporting our hospitality businesses. Coastal communities like Plymouth and Bournemouth have faced significant challenges, whether it be worse health outcomes, lower life expectancy, poorer education, lower pay or higher deprivation. We need to support our coastal communities, particularly given that they are so heavily reliant on tourism and industries that have struggled over recent years, such as hospitality. According to the Office for National Statistics, coastal communities have a higher proportion of hospitality businesses than inland areas. The hospitality sector in our coastal communities can therefore be a powerful economic driver at a time when we are desperate to raise productivity from its sluggish levels and grow our economy.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Property Taxes · Hansard source

  More

  The Conservative Government raised taxes 25 times in the last Parliament. How many of those tax rises did the hon. Gentleman oppose?

• 2 Sept 2025 · Defibrillators · Hansard source

  More

  Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating the work of Bournemouth Heart Club, which promotes good heart health, and also Regency Living, HENRA—Hengistbury Residents’ Association—and St Nicholas Church, which funded a defibrillator at St Nicholas Church that, just seven weeks after installation, saved a life at Hengistbury Head? Some 41% of postcodes in Bournemouth East are outside of direct reach of a defibrillator. Does she agree that we need to end this postcode lottery now?

• 1 Sept 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

  More

  What happened on 7 October was inhumane: Hamas are terrorists and the hostages must be returned immediately and safely. Israel is behaving insufferably and what the Israeli Government are doing is unacceptable. The International Criminal Court has indicted Israeli leaders for the war crime of starvation. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the Israeli Government are guilty of violating articles of the fourth Geneva convention. Will the Government do all that they can to support British prosecutors and our British courts to arrest war criminals and hold them to account?

• 1 Sept 2025 · Borders and Asylum · Hansard source

  More

  Is it any wonder that an Opposition Member described the shadow Home Secretary’s asylum policy as “silly”, given that it was a Conservative Government who failed to process claims, filled up hotels, left people in limbo and broke the bank in the process, just as they broke the bank when it came to everything that they touched? Opening asylum hotels did not happen on our watch, and we want to shut them. We want to save the public purse significant sums of money, and we want to get the system right. Will the Home Secretary tell the people of Bournemouth East, whom I represent, how she is speeding up the process of closing asylum hotels in Bournemouth and in Britain?

• 16 Jul 2025 · Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life · Hansard source

  More

  On Friday, I visited St Katharine’s primary school, where I met young people from my constituency who emphasised two really important points: first, that they want to be global citizens and a part of wider humanity focusing on the world, and, secondly, that they care deeply about nature and want to be conservers of it. Does my hon. Friend agree that our children are at their best when they are able to play the role of global citizen and can take care of the nature on our doorstep?

• 16 Jul 2025 · Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life · Hansard source

  More

  When I talk with parents and guardians in Bournemouth East, they described the EHCP process as being adversarial and almost designed to exclude. They want a greater role earlier on in the design of their child’s EHCP. Does the Minister agree that that is an important thing that we should be seeking to achieve? Would she also agree that, as we take forward SEND reform, it is important to have families at the heart of that process?