Labour Party MP for Widnes and Halewood since (elected). An MP continuously since .
Parliament recordVoting recordWritten questionsEarly day motions
Entries on this tracker
132
Each filed under the party they sat for that day
Register entries
1
As currently published
Declared while sitting for Labour
£0
0 of 1 entries state an amount
| Party | Office | Area | Period | Began | Ended | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | MP | Widnes and Halewood | – present | elected | — | Party history |
Parliament's party history for this member: Labour ( – present).
Every entry the member has in the Register of Members' Financial Interests, as Parliament currently publishes it. The wording and values are the member's own declarations; nothing here has been assessed by this site.
Totals add only the entries that declare an amount received: payments for work, donations, gifts, and funded visits (register categories 1.1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). Ongoing employment is listed but not added, because its figure is a rate rather than a sum received. Each entry is dated by when the benefit happened, not when it was registered, and placed under the party the member sat for on that date. A member who changed party therefore has a separate total for each.
| Date | Category | Entry | Declared value | Sitting for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8. Miscellaneous | Member of the Executive of the British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG). This is an unpaid role. | — | Labour | Register record |
The current situation is not the Government’s fault, and it is certainly not the fault of the excellent employees at Poundland. It is the fault of the worst type of greedy capitalism. A number of my constituents have contacted me about the situation, and what they want to know from the Government is what robust response they are giving the owners. My constituents want to be assured that no stone will be left unturned, and they want to know what options the Government can pursue.
Without a doubt, the greatest concern for most of my constituents is the cost of living, in particular the cost of energy. The biggest factors driving up the costs are the Ukraine war and, of course, President Trump’s ill-conceived and, frankly, stupid decision to go to war with Iran. It is just not credible to claim that in the current financial climate this Government could put right in just over two years 14 years of Tory mismanagement of the economy and the impact of those two wars. It is also worrying that we have a generation of young people who feel they will be worse off than their parents. Clearly, it is shocking that we have a million young people not in education, employment or training. I welcome many of the measures introduced by the Chancellor in the Budget, in particular the breathing space scheme whereby households in bands A to D will get a £100 payment directly into their bank account this winter to help deal with rising energy bills. It is good that the Budget supports households with the rising cost of energy bills by extending the temporary 0% rate of VAT on electricity until 2027 and capping new levies on energy bills at 0% until 2030. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, so I welcome the fact that we are taking more businesses out of paying business rates by increasing small business rates relief thresholds for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. Likewise, I support removing eligibility for vape shops and adult gaming centres, to help our high streets to become vibrant places once more, supporting independent businesses and creating town centres where people want to live. I initiated a new town centre plan for Widnes with Halton borough council to help regenerate our town centre as the money becomes available, so I am pleased that the Government have allocated £1.24 million to renovate derelict buildings. When added to the £1.5 million Widnes Pride in Place town centre impact fund allocated last year, that can help kick-start some of the improvements we want to see in Widnes town centre, and I look forward to working with Halton council on that. I am also pleased that Knowsley council has been allocated £1.55 million, and I look forward to discussions with the council on how that will be used.
I will not, given the time. I look forward to hearing more from the Chancellor about the fiscal devolution road map, reforming the long-term funding model for regional and local government. It has the potential over time to make a real difference to the economic performance of many of our cities and towns outside London. We have had the biggest increase in defence spending since the cold war. It is also true that we face the biggest threat since the cold war. I am pleased that the Chancellor has announced that he is fully funding the defence investment plan and has a target date of 3% of GDP by 2030, but I think we need to see the plan for reaching that target sooner rather than later. It remains my view that threats are escalating, and we need to be spending 3% before the end of this Parliament. The previous Tory Government hollowed out and grossly underfunded our armed forces, leaving them in a truly shocking state, with the smallest Army since the Napoleonic wars, every single recruitment target missed and an equipment programme that was in disarray—over budget, behind schedule or both. Now they have the cheek to try to erase their woeful record on defence. This Government are working hard to make sure that our armed forces are ready for war, but there is more to do. I want to turn briefly to the zero emission vehicle mandate. I declare an interest, as chair of the all-party motoring group, and I have both Jaguar Land Rover and Ford plants in my constituency. The consultation on the ZEV mandate review closed on 23 October 2026. Both Ford and JLR want Ministers to publish their response and clarify the mandate’s direction ahead of the 2027 compliance year. Early clarity will help manufacturers to plan, sustain investment and support an ambitious, deliverable transition. Ford tells me that it is committed to a truly electrified future, but the transition must reflect customer need, charging infrastructure and vehicle users’ needs. There are specific challenges for vans. We have big challenges ahead in bringing down debt and the cost of welfare. It will take some tough decisions and challenging work, but it has to be done, and we must have a credible long-term plan. We cannot just pick an arbitrary figure out of the air to save on welfare; we need a proper, thought-out strategy that is informed by the Milburn and Timms reviews. Finally, productivity remains a real challenge in the economy. We need to deal with the lack of capital investment to make sure we have sustained growth in our economy.
I supported the Home Secretary’s original proposals and the tougher measures she has been taking since she came into post. I am also pleased that she made the point clearly about disqualification because of a criminal record. Has any assessment been made by the Department of how many of these care workers will remain in the care sector after the qualifying period?
Further education colleges play a crucial role in apprenticeships and in supporting education. Will the Minister tell me what extra measures the Government are bringing in to ensure that further education colleges naturally provide a wide range of education and technical skills to apprentices?
Order. I am conscious of time. I assume that the shadow Minister is coming towards the ends of his comments, but I want to make sure that the Minister and Member in charge have plenty of time to respond. I will call the Minister in about a minute’s time.
I will call Ben Obese-Jecty to move the motion and then call the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make a speech only with prior permission from the Member in charge of the debate and the Minister. As is the convention for 30-minute debates, there will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up.
Order.
Order. I call the Minister.
Could the hon. Member point to current legislation that has a gap and does not give the protection to the intelligence services that we all wish to see?
Held . Recorded result: Lab Hold. Majority 16,425. 38,116 votes cast from an electorate of 70,161. Parties are as each candidate stood at the time.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Twigg | Labour | 23,484 | 61.6% |
| Jake Fraser | Reform UK | 7,059 | 18.5% |
| Sean Houlston | Conservative | 3,507 | 9.2% |
| Nancy Mills | Green Party | 2,058 | 5.4% |
| David Coveney | Liberal Democrat | 1,593 | 4.2% |
| Michael Murphy | Workers Party of Britain | 415 | 1.1% |
| Seat | Dates |
|---|---|
| Widnes and HalewoodElected 1 time | – present |
| HaltonElected 4 times | – |
| HaltonElected 3 times | – |
| Post | Dates |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Veterans)Ministry of Defence | – |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)Department for Transport | – |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education and Skills) (Schools)Department for Education and Skills | – |
| Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip)Whips Office (Commons) | – |
| Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)Whips Office (Commons) | – |
| Post | Dates |
|---|---|
| Shadow Minister (Health)Department of Health | – |
| Committee | Dates |
|---|---|
| Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament | – present |
| National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) | – present |
| Defence Committee | – present |
| Panel of Chairs | – present |
| Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill | – |
| Panel of Chairs | – |
| Defence Committee | – |
| Defence Sub-Committee | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)Chair | – |
| Liaison Committee (Commons) | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)Chair | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee) | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee) | – |
| Liaison Committee (Commons) | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)Chair | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)Chair | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee) | – |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee) | – |
| Committees on Arms Export Controls | – |
| Defence Committee | – |
| Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill (Joint Committee) | – |
| Children, Schools and Families | – |
| Public Accounts Committee | – |
Constituency office
Bridge Business Centre, Suite E, Cheshire House, Gorsey Lane, Widnes, Cheshire, (Please send post to House of Commons), WA8 0RP
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