2026 February

As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Classical Music, I was delighted to visit the Southbank Centre for ‘Classical Mixtape: A Live Takeover’ on Thursday 5 February 2026. The multi-venue event, a mixtape brought to life, featured classical music favourites and film soundtracks, performed by all six of the Southbank Centre’s resident orchestras:  Orchestra

On 4 February 2026 I chaired the third Delegated Legislation Committee, to consider the Draft Energy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2026. These regulations aim to increase electricity price support to energy-intensive industries through the British industry supercharger. Energy-intensive industries include foundational manufacturing sectors that are critical to the UK’s economic security

On Tuesday 3 February 2026, the Universal Credit (Removal of Two-Child Limit) Bill had its Second Reading in the House of Commons. The previous Government introduced the two-child limit on Universal Credit (UC). Its effect was to push more children into poverty. From 2010, the number of children in poverty rose by 900,000, reaching 4.5

A group of organisations, comprising of Global Witness, Tax Justice UK, Oxfam, Greenpeace, War on Want, the Center for Economic and Social Rights, and Amnesty International, held a drop-in event in Parliament on 3 February 2026 to draw attention to  “Why the UK Government must support the the UN Tax Convention” (UNTC).  The UNTC is