It was another busy week in Parliament with many important votes in the House of Commons. On Monday, Health Minister Karin Smyth MP addressed the future of NHS volunteering. The national NHS Care and Volunteer Responders Programme—launched during the pandemic—is being replaced with a new, more efficient central recruitment portal.
I am incredibly grateful to all the volunteers in our community who stepped up when we needed them most and the new portal, launching this year, will ensure continued opportunities for volunteers to support the NHS. I welcome this step forward in strengthening and modernising NHS volunteering.
The House of Commons also debated and passed the second reading of the Mental Health Bill, a vital step toward modernising how we care for those experiencing mental ill health.
The Bill will end the inappropriate detention of people with autism or learning disabilities without therapeutic benefit, allow patients to choose a nominated person to represent them, replacing the outdated “nearest relative” rule and limit detentions to 28 days unless a co-occurring mental health condition is present.
The Government is investing £680 million in mental health services this year, £26 million for new crisis centres and support for 380,000 more patients through NHS talking therapies. This is about dignity, choice, and care for people at their most vulnerable and I know is of huge importance to many constituents and their families,
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister updated Parliament on the UK-EU Summit—the first since Brexit. The new agreement with the EU cuts red tape for food and agricultural exports — great news for farmers, supermarkets, and food producers. It also boosts national security through a new defence partnership, giving UK firms access to the EU’s €150bn defence fund, and introduces a capped youth mobility scheme. I can assure you that I will continue to support efforts to reset our relations with the EU and to deliver an improved relationship that is better for our country, our economy, and our security.
Following that, the Foreign Secretary made a statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, following new ground operations by the Israeli military in Gaza.
The Government strongly opposes the Israeli plan to control Gaza and permit only minimal amounts of food to reach civilians. This is morally unjustifiable, wholly disproportionate, and utterly counterproductive and I share David Lammy’s condemnation in the strongest terms. Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool, and Israel is bound by international law to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid.
The threat of starvation in Gaza, as warned by the UN and the World Health Organisation, is abominable. Gazans face homelessness, trauma, renewed bombardment, displacement and suffering and Israel must change course and end the blockade.
Next up, MPs gave the Victims and Courts Bill its Second Reading—a key step in rebuilding our justice system.
The Bill will empower judges to order criminals to attend sentencing hearings, with tough penalties for offenders who refuse to attend or disrupt proceedings and strengthens the role of the Victims’ Commissioner to better advocate for victims’ rights.
On Wednesday, the House of Commons debated an Opposition motion on business and the economy. I support the Government’s clear plan to deliver stability, growth, and opportunity.
Since the General Election, the UK is the fastest growing economy in the G7, four interest rate cuts have eased pressure on families, three new trade deals have been signed, British Steel has been saved, and the minimum wage increased by almost 7%, giving millions an above inflation pay rise.
The Government is investing £100bn+ in public infrastructure over 5 years, doubling the employment allowance to £10,500 for small businesses and reforming business rates to support high streets and tax large online warehouses fairly.
The House of Commons also debated an Opposition motion on immigration. The previous Government left behind a system in chaos. 127,896 people crossed the Channel during their tenure. They spent £700 million on the Rwanda scheme, with just four volunteers sent there.
I welcome the new Government’s action. 1,000 staff redirected from Rwanda to speed up asylum processing, a new Border Security Command is in place and crackdowns on illegal working and people smuggling gangs are underway.
I look forward to progress on new international agreements and the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will strengthen our counter-terror powers and border enforcement.
On Thursday morning, the Government accepted in full the independent School Teachers’ Review Body recommendations for 2025–26. From September teachers & school leaders will receive a 4% pay rise, starting salaries will rise to £33,000, average teacher pay will exceed £51,000 and most school support staff will be offered a 3.2% pay rise from April.
The Government is providing £615 million to help schools fund the award and £160 million for colleges and 16–19 providers.
The early announcement of this will give more time for schools to plan and new reforms will also support part-time teachers in accessing leadership roles.
Every classroom deserves an excellent teacher—and this is a step in the right direction.
There was also a debate on NHS Dentistry. Access to NHS dental care remains a grave concern for many constituents. I want to thank our hardworking dentists and dental professionals for all they do.
Last year I wrote to many residents inviting them to complete a survey on access to NHS Dentistry and to strengthen my work on this, I have launched another online version recently. You can complete that survey here.
The Government inherited a broken system—but is taking action to rescue and restore NHS dentistry. There will be 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, starting April. We are investing £11 million in supervised toothbrushing for 600,000 children in deprived areas. A refreshed workforce plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places and there will be a golden hello scheme to attract dentists to areas most in need.
There is also ongoing work with the British Dental Association to reform the dental contract – a crucial piece of work towards reforming NHS Dentistry in this country. This is about prevention, access, and making the NHS a better place to work for all dental professionals.
I was glad to get back to the constituency on Friday after such a hectic week. I held my regular advice surgeries and met with Manchester United for an update on their development plans for Old Trafford, during which I pressed again the need for community consultation. I was pleased to get this assurance and will keep constituents informed going informed.
On Saturday I was pleased to join local councillors out door knocking in Old Trafford. It was great to speak to local residents for a couple of hours after which I was delighted to visit Butty’s Booth with Cllr Emma Hirst, a Caribbean eatery on Powell Street that was celebrating its 5th birthday. The food was fantastic and I highly recommend!