Labour/Co-operative MP for Manchester Central
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker—it is nice to speak from the Back Benches for the first time in a very long time. I strongly welcome this commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail and the vision that underpins it. This will be game-changing for the north after decades of under-investment and poor connectivity; after years and years of indecision by the Conservative party, this really is going...
The business for the week commencing 8 September will include: Monday 8 September—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill. Tuesday 9 September—Second Reading of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill. Wednesday 10 September—Remaining stages of the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]. Thursday 11 September—General debate on...
Welcome back to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and all the House staff. I join the shadow Leader of the House in wishing the Prime Minister a happy birthday for earlier this week. This summer has been marked by some happy personal events here in the House—no, I am not talking about Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce, although I am sure we will all want to wish them a happy engagement....
The Privy Council does not directly administer any (a) arm’s-length bodies, (b) agencies or (c) public bodies. Certain functions fall to Ministers as Privy Counsellors, either because they arise under the Royal Prerogative or because an Act of Parliament specifies that delegated legislation is to be made by Order in Council, or by the Privy Council. This is usually limited to the approval...
No such discussions have taken place. IPSA is independent of Parliament and Government. More widely, the Government is committed to ensuring public procurement expenditure boosts British industry.
It is a matter for individual departments to determine how to respond to parliamentary questions from Members. In responding to questions, Ministers should be as open as possible and provide helpful answers to Members. The Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliame ntary-work), published by my office, sets out guidance for...
The information requested can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi.
The Ministerial Code is clear, when Parliament is in session the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance to Parliament. This is an important principle that the government stands by. As of 9th July 2025 there have been 185 oral statements in 165 sitting days – more than one per day and more than in the previous session. While the Government...
I have responded to the Committee on Standards, welcoming its report (HC 943) and confirming that the relevant motion will be brought forward in due course for the approval of the House.
The Modernisation Committee has not held a Review. The Modernisation Committee held a “call for views” between October and December 2024, seeking views on what it should prioritise for reform. In February 2025, it published the results of this exercise in a document entitled “Next steps for the Modernisation Committee following the Call for Views”, which is available on the...
Chapter 21 of the Guide to Making Legislation sets out the broad principles and process by which a bill is considered for publication in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny. Decisions in relation to whether a bill is published in draft are taken on a case by case basis in the broader context of the overall legislative programme.
