2026

This is the Year of Reading and i was pleased to take part in a Roundtable hosted by The Reading Agency on 19 May 2026. The CEO Karen Napier reminded us it is 20 years when Quick Reads were established. Gail Rebuck chaired a discussion which included Nick Serota (Arts Council ) William Sieghart, Baroness

On 20 May 2026, was the last day for debates on the King’s Speech. Any topic relating to the speech can be debated, the Speaker of House of Commons selected three amendments to the speech from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Reform. The following Conservative amendment was not agreed (Ayes 104, Noes 317): to add

In the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 the Energy Independence Bill was announced, to scale-up homegrown renewable energy and protect living standards for the long-term. The speech also included a commitment to take forward recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Review in 2025 and introduce the Nuclear Regulation Bill to encourage a new era of

I spoke on the day following the King’s Speech which outlines the Government’s future legislative programme. There are 5 days of debate and I spoke on Thursday 14 May 2026: here is my speech:  “It is a pleasure to follow the shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately).

I was pleased to attend the Inauguration Mass at St Mary’s the Mount Catholic Church on Sunday 10 May 2026.  This was a celebration of the first Catholic Church built after the reformation in 1827 and is the oldest Catholic Church in the West Midlands. St Mary’s the Mount is 200 years old.  The Mass