During Topical Questions to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, I asked the following question:

"Will the Minister meet me to discuss the decisions of Walsall council, including the closure of the Walsall Leather Museum against the wishes of local people?"

The Minister for Local Government, Alison McGovern MP, responded that she will.

 

 

The 10th Westminster Book Awards were celebrated on 4 February 2026 in the Cholmondeley and Terrace Pavilion in Parliament. As Chair of the APPG on Publishing, I opened the event and you can read my full speech below. I introduced Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association and we heard  from Fleur Sinclair, President of the Booksellers Association.

Matt Chorley, Radio 5 Live presenter gave a short speech before announcing the Winners.


Thank you all for being here and can I welcome you all to this the 10th
Westminster Book Awards and for me, a personal pleasure as well, as Chair
of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Publishing.
Baroness Margaret Hodge is unable to be here but on behalf of all of us I want
 to thank her for sponsoring this evening’s event.
This evening is a celebration – of authors, of readers, of booksellers, and of
publishers everyone who works in the industry.
All those who together ensure that important political writing is not only created,
but championed, shared, and brought into the public square.
And it is also a reminder of the remarkable history of the book world itself.
Bookshops and publishers have been part of our national story for generations.
Bookshops such as P&G Wells, which opened in 1729, and publishers such as
Oxford and Cambridge Universities Press–which both date back to the 16th
century have been serving our nation and their communities through centuries
of political change.
Of course the Open University Press; the Open University celebrates 60 years of
the White paper that led the way to life long learning;
The book trade has witnessed governments rise and fall, movements emerge,
rights won and contested, and society transformed.
Through it all, books ,journals and pamphlets  have remained one of the most
 enduring ways we explore, challenge, and understand politics.
At their best, political books do far more than analyse events or recount history.
They challenge complacency.
They expose injustice.
They help us see the world more clearly.
And they give voice to those whose stories too often go unheard.
And I think we can all feel that clarity is especially important now in the political
moment we’re living through.
In moments like these, thoughtful writing becomes even more vital.
There is a line in the book Careless People:( by Sarah Wynn Williams) the
Impermanence of importance;
Because democracy depends on more than elections.
It depends on an informed public, on honesty, on accountability, and on the
willingness to engage with complexity rather than slogans.
But books do not reach people by magic.
They reach people because of the whole chain of commitment behind them:
authors who write, publishers who take risks and invest in ideas, and booksellers who bring those stories to life in communities across the country.
What bravery from those on the shortlist;
For me and many of us it’s the physical book which touches all our senses,
whether the books are old or brand new;
So tonight, as we mark 10 years of the Westminster Book Awards,
we celebrate not only individual achievement, but the role books play in our
national life.
We celebrate the writers who enrich public debate. like the Palestinian writer
Sondos Sabra who said:
“In our country, dreams demand a patience that exceeds human capacity”
We celebrate the publishers and booksellers who ensure those voices are heard.
And we celebrate the enduring power of books to bring understanding, honesty,
and hope in difficult times.
we are all looking forward to “ Speeches by Mark Carney";
It is the Year of Reading for pleasure-  Keep reading,
To all in the book industry: Our children and our country need you;
Thank you all for being here,
thank you to everyone who has made these awards possible over the last
decade,  and congratulations to all those shortlisted this evening.
I hope you enjoy what promises to be a wonderful celebration
I will now hand over to the CEO of the Publishers Association, Dan Conway
Dan  Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, in his speech made a call to support this:

AI companies shouldn’t steal our content. The government should rule out a copyright exception on the 18 March 2026.

Universal anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits against Public Perception) provisions should be included in the next King’s Speech to eliminate the fundamental misuse of our justice system

Reduce the funding and scope of the Oak National Academy. It’s a DfE quango which is needlessly driving education publishers away from investing in the UK market.

Publishers Association: https://www.publishers.org.uk

Booksellers Association:https://www.booksellers.org.uk

The awards ceremony was hosted by Matt Chorley, author and previous winner for Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian for 'Planes Trains and Toilet Doors: 50 Places that Changed British Politics' announced the winners:

Best Biography by a Parliamentarian-'A Life and a Half: The Unexpected Making of a Politician' by Chris Bryant MP. (Bloomsbury)

Best Fiction or Non-Fiction Book by a Parliamentarian - 'The Football Battalions: The Elite Footballers Who Fought in the Great War' by Chris Evans MP. (Bloomsbury)

Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian-'A Different Kind of Power' by Jacinda Ardern, a memoir about her time as Prime Minister of New Zealand.(Pan MacMillan)

I was delighted to visit Christ Church C of E Primary School, Harden Road, Leamore, WS3 1EN on 13 February 2026 to give them some books donated by the Reading Agency. 

This is the Year of Reading for Pleasure and I am keen that all children can take part in this initiative so providing them with books is an important part of raising awareness of how important reading is and that it can be fun.  

 

On Wednesday 11 February 2026, I was pleased to support the Local Government Finance Settlement. 

Local government provides the services people rely on every day – from social care and housing to road maintenance and tackling homelessness. This settlement will give councils the security they need to rebuild local services and strengthen our communities for the long term.

This settlement includes an additional £740 million in new grant funding. By the end of the multi-year period, councils will see a 15.5% increase in core spending power, worth over £11.4 billion compared with 2025-26. It restores a clearer link between funding and deprivation, ensuring that resources are directed towards the areas with the greatest need.

The package also includes nearly £3 billion over four years to reform children’s social care, significant support to address SEND pressures – including grants covering 90% of historic high-needs deficits up to 2025-26 – and a £272 million uplift for homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse services. In addition, the Recovery Grant will see £2.6 billion invested over this Parliament in the most deprived councils.

These measures demonstrate a clear commitment to strengthening local government and putting services on a sustainable footing.

The Motion was voted on and carried: Ayes 277, Noes 143

Police Grant Report (Government Motion)
Government announces £1.3 billion boost in police funding for 2026-27, bringing overall funding up to £21 billion.  On Wednesday (11 February 2026), the Policing Minister set out set out the final police funding settlement for 2026-27.

The Policing Minister expressed her gratitude towards police officers, staff and volunteers who are dedicated to keeping the public safe. She stated that is why the Government’s record cash investment in the policing system for England and Wales is so important, as it is determined to provide our police forces with the resources they need to continue their vital work.

I consider that investment and certainty is needed to strengthen our police forces, ensuring that they can meet the demands of today and the future. That is why I welcome the Government’s announcement that funding for police in England and Wales will increase up to £1.3 billion in 2026-27. This brings the overall funding up to £21 billion, which is a cash funding increase of 6.7% and a real terms increase of 4.4%.

Local police forces across the country will benefit from a total of up to £18.4 billion of available funding, an increase of £796 million from 2025-26, or 2.3% in real terms. The Government has confirmed that it has worked with a small group of forces facing particular financial pressures, where it has agreed to additional precept flexibility. To preserve national security and guard against the most severe threats, it has also provided £1.2 billion of the settlement for counter-terrorism policing.

Our police officers, staff and volunteers perform their duties with professionalism, skill and courage. These brave individuals are dedicated to keeping us safe every day, turning towards danger, offering support in their neighbourhoods, and working behind the scenes to track the latest threats to the public.

I am glad that the Government continues to recognise this important work, and that it is committed to providing police forces with the support they need. It is also right that the priority of the 2026-27 settlement is to boost visible policing in our communities, and to ensure that forces can shape their workforce to meet modern crime demands.

Other votes:

Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases (Principles) (England) Report 2026-27 – Ayes 279, Noes 90

Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Extension to Maritime Activities) Order 2026 – Ayes 362, Noes 107

 

 

I attended a meeting on on 10 February 2026, the launch of a report, "Brave New World?" and on the panel was Independent Society of Musicians,(ISM), the Society of Authors, the Association of Illustrators, Equity and the Association of Photographers, a roundtable discussion to discuss the findings of the report, Brave New World?

The panel for the roundtable was made up of (from left to right above): Sam Blake, author of 'Little Bones'; Dr Rachel Drury, the author of the Brave New World? report; Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive. ISM;  Thomas Hewitt Jones, composer and music producer; and Tim Flach, photographer and President of the Association of Photographers.

The report examines the impact of generative AI (Gen AI) on the creative industries, bringing together evidence from more than 10,000 creators across music, writing, photography, art and performance. This is now one of the most comprehensive studies of Gen AI's impact on creative work in the UK.

According to the report, one in three creative jobs are at risk due to Gen AI. 99% of creators say their work has been scraped without consent, reporting lost work, falling income, unlicensed use of their work in AI training datasets, and the rapid spread of digital replicas that threaten livelihoods and creative identity.

These findings have led to the creation of a "CLEAR" Framework for AI:

Consent first. Creators want the choice on their intellectual property being used to train Gen AI models.
Licensing, not scraping. Using a sector-specific approach to ensure that creators have a platform to
Ethical use of training data. Building datasets from lawfully licensed works.
Accountability and transparency. Establishing minimum transparency standards, building public trust.
Remuneration and rights. Fair pay for all creatives.

What creators are asking for are clear rules that allow innovation to develop in a way that respects creative work.