Together with other MPs and Peers I signed Tonia Antoniazzi MP's letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board calling for the Men's team to consider a boycott of next month's ICC Champion's Trophy group stage match against Afghanistan.
The EWCB has taken action in 2024 confirming that as long as Afghanistan maintain their ban on women participating in sport, England would not schedule a bilateral series against them. This stance must be maintained in all competitions as we stand up for values of equality and access to sport and civic life for women and girls in Afghanistan. 

The second reading of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill  was debated on 8 January 2025. This Bill aims to improve the welfare of children through the education and care systems. An amendment was tabled, seeking to reject the bill altogether. The result of the division was: Ayes: 111, Noes: 364

Regarding the amendment on Child sexual exploitation, this is an utterly despicable crime and we have to do all we can to prevent it. The law must operate without fear or favour. Perpetrators must be punished and victims and survivors must be protected and supported.

In my view, for too long, not enough action has been taken to prevent these crimes. I therefore support the steps the Government is taking to implement the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), chaired by Professor Alexis Jay. The IICSA reported in 2022. However, I note that the previous Government had not fully implemented any of its 20 recommendations prior to the General Election in 2024, despite having almost two years to do so. Professor Jay has also called for the implementation of her report rather than a further Inquiry. The new Government will act on those recommendations.

To ensure that victims’ voices are heard, the Home Office is also acting to set up a new victims and survivors panel to advise on Government policy. This is not a knee jerk reaction to current events. The Crime and Policing Bill and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill were part of the Kings Speech in July 2024 and will seek to embed child protection in our legislation.

Legislation will shortly be presented to Parliament to make it mandatory to report child abuse. Once this legislation, which I support, is approved by MPs, it will become an offence, with professional and criminal sanctions, to either fail to report or to cover up child sexual abuse. In addition, the Government intends to toughen existing laws to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences.

Regarding further inquiries, I fully support police investigations and local independent inquiries and reviews. Local inquiries have a valuable role to play in uncovering wrongdoing. For example, it was a report by Louise Casey into events in Rotherham which helped to identify the failure to confront shocking acts of abuse by gangs of men.

More widely, I am clear that it is completely unacceptable to use race and ethnicity or community relations as an excuse not to investigate and punish sex offenders. Concerns about political correctness and the protection of institutions must never be put before the protection of children. All of us have a responsibility to protect children. I welcome the action the Government is taking to change protection for the better, give a voice to victims, and to ensure that perpetrators, whoever they are, pay the price for their crimes.

The Bill will now progress to be scrutinised in a Bill Committee. 

I was delighted to meet with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla who was elected as the Speaker in the Parliament of India.

Shri Om Birla met with MPs and Peers and along with Speaker Rt Hon Sir Lindsey Hoyle MP spoke about the special connection between our 2 countries and how this would help in future discussions on a range of subjects and issues that affect both countries. Shri Om Birla said he was looking forward to meeting us in India.  

I chaired three debates in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 7 January 2025 from 2.30-5.30pm:
The first debate, 'That this House has considered the fiscal impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on Scotland' was moved by Gregor Poynton MP and responded to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Kirsty McNeil MP.
The second debate, 'That this House has considered Government support for town centres' was moved by Luke Murphy MP and responded to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Alex Norris MP.
The final debate, 'That this House has considered the impact of changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions on the charity sector' was moved by Joe Robertson MP and responded to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Stephanie Peacock MP.