On 18 March 2026, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Laura Trott MP (Conservative) moved the motion on Student Loans: 

"That this House calls on the Government to set the interest rate on Plan 2 student loans at a level which ensures that balances will never rise faster than RPI inflation; further calls on the Government to stop the freeze on repayment thresholds; and also calls on the Government to create more apprenticeships for 18-21 year olds, funded by controlling the number of places on university courses where the benefits are significantly outweighed by the cost to graduates and taxpayers."




Throughout the debate, concerns about Plan 2 loans – those for undergraduate students who began their courses between 2012 and 2023 – were raised. These loans were designed, implemented and operated by  previous Conservative and Con:Lib Governments.

It is a system that this Government would never have designed, due to the worries and pressure it places on graduates.

When this Government was elected, it immediately recognised the pressure on Plan 2 borrowers. The repayment threshold was raised in 2025, and will be raised again this year to £29,385, ensuring that it is higher than average graduate salaries three years after a course is completed. That is two increases to the threshold in two years – the same number of increases as in the 12 years after Plan 2 loans were first introduced. In fact, payment thresholds were frozen for ten years under previous Governments.

Under the previous Government, tuition fees trebled, maintenance grants were scrapped, and youth apprenticeships were cut by 40%. In its last three years in office, the number of NEETs – young people not in employment, education or training – rose by 250,000.

This Government is providing a new deal for young people. There is a new target for two thirds of young people to be in an apprenticeship or at university, new youth and job guarantees, and a new approach to encourage technical learning while earning. All these programmes will give young people the support they need to thrive.

It is clear that there are problems present in the student loan system, and the Government recognising that work is needed to improve it, and its commitment to keeping the system under review.



The Motion was rejected:  Ayes 88, Noes 266 and the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister was resolved: 




"That this House recognises that the Government inherited the current broken student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by previous administrations; welcomes the Government’s commitment to make the system fairer and financially sustainable; further welcomes the support the Government is providing to young people through the Youth Guarantee; supports the Government’s target for two thirds of young people to achieve higher level skills by the age of 25, including reversing the decline in apprenticeships under the previous Government; and further supports the reintroduction of maintenance grants, which had been scrapped under the previous Government, to help ensure that background is not a barrier to opportunity for young people."

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Classical Music, met for its annual AGM on 18 March 2026 and I was re-elected Chair with Baroness Barbara Keeley as co Chair.  The APPG exists to bring together parliamentarians who have an interest in and wish to further the appreciation and championing of classical music; to act as an interface between British orchestras' on and off-stage activities, the wider classical music industry and key decision makers and opinion formers.

After its regular business, we heard from a guest speaker, Sarah Derbyshire MBE. She is CEO of Orchestras Live, a national producing organisation that connects professional orchestras with communities across England to widen access, participation, and impact in orchestral music.

Sarah shared her insights regarding devolution in England, given Orchestras Live's regional orchestral partnerships all over the country and the issues that have been addressed in the Hodge Review regarding social impact and investment.

Judith Webster, Chief Executive of the Association of British Orchestras (ABO), Sophie Lewis, Chair of ABO and Chief Executive of National Children's Orchestras and Hanna Madalska-Gayer (ABO) were also present. 

Main image: London Schools Symphony Orchestra, Guildhall

On the 19th allotted Opposition Day, 18 March 2026, the Conservative Party raised Fuel Duty with this motion:

"That this House believes that it is wrong to increase the main fuel duty rates on 1 September, then again on 1 December 2026, with a further increase on 1 March 2027, by a total of five pence per litre, as global oil prices are rising; notes that these increases will affect drivers, farmers, businesses and other hard-working people already struggling with higher taxes and higher cost of living as a result of the Government’s economic policies; and calls on the Government to maintain the five pence per litre cut to the main fuel duty rates introduced by the previous Government beyond September 2026."


Given the recent escalations in the conflict in the Middle East, many families and businesses will be incredibly concerned about the potential impacts on themselves and the cost of living during these uncertain times. Fuel costs matter enormously to people across the country, and I recognise that fluctuations in pump prices cause fluctuations in working people’s bank balances.

I welcome the Chancellor’s recent assurances that Britain’s economy remains strong, and I support the steps she is taking to protect families and businesses from the impact of the conflict. This includes by prioritising energy security, investing in clean, home-grown energy and the Government’s response to the Fingleton Review of nuclear regulation. I am pleased to see that our energy system is already much more secure than it was at the outset of the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

The Government and the Competition Market Authority will continue to closely monitor petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, ensuring the latter has the necessary powers to crack down on any companies attempting to exploit this crisis for excessive profits, whether on road fuel, heating oil or other essentials. The Government is also engaging regularly with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly. The UK benefits from strong and diverse security of energy supplies, and there are no issues with fuel supply.

I know that the Government is also currently working with the UK’s partners to secure oil and liquified natural gas transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and it remains the case that the single best way to protect families and businesses from rising energy prices is a swift resolution to the conflict in the Middle East. The Government is also supporting a co-ordinated release of collective International Energy Agency oil reserves, helping to stabilise international oil markets.

I welcome that the Government has already taken action to ensure that fuel remains affordable, and the current conflict only increases the importance of the action taken over the autumn. At the Budget in 2025, the Government extended the temporary 5p per litre cut in fuel duty until the end of August 2026 and cancelled the inflation-linked increase that had been planned for 2026-27. Taken together with decisions made since the 2024 Budget, the Government’s fuel duty freeze will save the average motorist more than £90 compared with the plans inherited from the previous Government.


The Motion was rejected: Ayes 103, Noes 259 and the Prime Minister's motion was resolved: 

"That this House recognises that, at the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government extended the five pence per litre fuel duty cut for five months and cancelled the inflation linked increase for 2026-27; welcomes that Fuel Finder helps consumers compare prices and encourages competition and that the Government has ensured that all UK petrol filling stations must report prices within 30 minutes of a change; notes that HM Treasury will continue to work with the Competition and Markets Authority on behalf of consumers; and further notes that the Government keeps fuel duty under review and that a rapid de-escalation in the Middle East is the best way to keep prices low at the pump."

Andrew Western MP invited his local school St Matthews Primary to promote the Peace Mala Project.  A Peace Mala is a symbolic double rainbow bracelet that promotes friendship, respect, and peace between people of all cultures, lifestyles, faiths, beliefs, and none.

My bracelet was made by Georgina who read out what each bead meant while she threaded it. It is a great project which teaches us all we can respect each other's religion and even if you dont have one.

I was pleased to support the Bill presented by Abena Oppong-Asare MP:
"That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about the teaching of menstrual and gynaecological health in certain educational settings; to provide for training, guidance and resources to support such teaching; to provide that training includes content about awareness of racial discrimination in menstrual and gynaecological health; to require the Secretary of State to take steps to increase public understanding of menstrual and gynaecological health, including measures to counter inaccurate or misleading information online relating to menstrual and gynaecological health; and for connected purposes."
Other MPs who presented the Bill included Marsha De Cordova, Olly Glover, Paulette Hamilton, Carolyn Harris, Christine Jardine, Tulip Siddiq, Gill Furniss, Kirsteen Sullivan, Simon Hoare and Sir Alec Shelbrooke.
The Bill was read the first time without opposition and will be read a second time on Friday 17 April.