Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs)
Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock
Like many, I spent the weekend door-knocking in my constituency. People in Bicester and Woodstock are frustrated by delays to medical appointments, fed up with rising prices and fearful about the war in the middle east. Yet a number of them raised the Prime Minister’s handling of the Peter Mandelson saga. Their overwhelming emotions were disappointment that a Prime Minister who promised...
My constituents have shared with me their concern that Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet is committing international war crimes in Gaza, the west bank and Lebanon, under the cover of the war that he launched with Donald Trump. As my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) has just said, the Government were right to finally recognise the state of Palestine, yet the actions...
This morning the Foreign Affairs Committee learned that officials in No. 10 put pressure on the FCDO to find a job as ambassador for Matthew Doyle, a close friend of a convicted sex offender. Does the Foreign Secretary see a pattern here? Does she find it incredible that No. 10 told FCDO officials not to tell her predecessor about this proposal? Will she commit to investigating and publishing...
Developed vetting should be carried out before someone has “frequent and uncontrolled access” to top-secret material or any access to top-secret or coded—otherwise known as STRAP—material. The Prime Minister has promised full transparency, so I ask him these three questions. Did Peter Mandelson have access to any top-secret or STRAP material before his DV clearance on 29 January?...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the mental health investment standard on access to mental health services.
In my constituency, too many families face long and distressing waits for mental health support for children and young people. When I raised this with the Secretary of State some 15 months ago, he said that the Government were determined to ensure that mental health waits receive the same focus as the elective backlog. Yet a constituent recently wrote to me to explain that her son is waiting...
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement, and I associate my party with his thanks and appreciation for the dedicated service of our armed forces personnel around the world. While the world’s attention was on Trump and Netanyahu’s catastrophic war in Iran, Vladimir Putin was collecting vital information about our critical infrastructure. In response, the Defence Secretary...
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement. The war of Trump and Netanyahu—cheered on uncritically by Reform Members and the Conservatives—has put our citizens and troops in the region under immediate threat from Iran’s reckless retaliation, and worsened the cost of living crisis for households here in the UK. The Government’s first priority must be to protect...
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in how many cases her Department applied mitigating measures permitting (a) appointment and (b) access for applicants for Developed Vetting in 2025 who were assessed by United Kingdom Security Vetting as (i) clearance approved with risk management measures and (ii) clearance (A) denied and (B) withdrawn.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what written records, including electronic communications such as emails, text messages and WhatsApp messages, her Department holds referring to an enquiry about a possible appointment for Matthew Doyle.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government departments and agencies may apply mitigating or risk management measures following an assessment by United Kingdom Security Vetting of (a) clearance approved with risk management, and (b) clearance denied or withdrawn.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent planning reforms on the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Peter Mandelson had access to Top Secret and STRAP classified material between 20 December 2024 and 29 January 2025.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the estimated number of staff hours her Department has expended planning for the state visit to the US in April 2026.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the estimated cost of her Department's planning for the state visit to the US in April 2026.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the estimated number of staff hours his Department has expended planning for the state visit to the US in April 2026.
