Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills
The hon. Member makes a really important point about grey belt. I completely understand her example of a car park, but grey belt needs much clearer definition, because we are seeing cases of development that inspectors are now saying is grey belt when it is actually greenfield, and that is really damaging to our communities.
My hon. Friend speaks passionately about this, but does he not agree that this absolutely shows the problem with centralising not just targets but powers in the hands of one person—the mayor or a combined authority? We need much more involvement of local communities, and we need councils to have a greater say on planning matters.
My hon. Friend is painting a really bleak picture for London. Does he agree that to build the homes that we need in this country, we should focus not only on increased density in our city centres, but crucially on brownfield sites? We are not seeing from the Government a determined brownfield-first approach to housing that would protect the green belts surrounding our towns and cities.
The key thing is that until the Government recognise that they need to put some support into brownfield regeneration, our green belt and our green spaces will always be under threat.
We are seeing more and more HMOs across Walsall borough and in my constituency, and it is leaving my local residents feeling that they have very little say on what is happening in their streets. Walsall council has worked on this. I welcome its new article 4 direction, which came into effect in October 2025 and is a much-needed step in restoring local accountability. However, the issue does...
The hon. Lady talks a lot about footfall on high streets, and I think we all agree that more footfall benefits businesses. With that in mind, what consideration has she given to regenerating our towns and city centres by building on brownfield sites and setting proper housing targets in our city centres, rather than on the peripheries of cities?
The hon. Lady talks a lot about footfall on high streets, and I think we all agree that more footfall benefits businesses. With that in mind, what consideration has she given to regenerating our towns and city centres by building on brownfield sites and setting proper housing targets in our city centres, rather than on the peripheries of cities?
Does my hon. Friend agree that we have a Government who simply do not understand business? They seem to think that they can just squeeze and squeeze small businesses because they make unlimited profits. If they do that, there will be no businesses left on our high streets.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent UK aid reductions on the delivery of (a) global health and (b) climate resilience programmes.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing spending on Education, Gender and Equality on girls’ education.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67366 on Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, when he plans to discuss the timing of the UK pledge with (a) the Global Fund and (b) South Africa.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding commitments she has made in support of (a) the African Development Bank and (b) other multilateral partners mentioned in Baroness Chapman’s G20 speech on 25 July 2025.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to increase the UK contribution to the Global Fund ahead of its replenishment round.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Fleming Fund on global health.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support partner countries impacted by the closure of the Fleming Fund.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Fleming Fund’s closure on (a) the UK’s ability to respond to antimicrobial resistance globally and (b) future pandemic preparedness.
