My work in Parliament
Quick links: Votes, questions and debates | Early Day Motions | All-Party Parliamentary Groups
Votes, questions and debates
In the House of Commons new laws are debated, amended and voted on. MPs also debate topical issues and hold the government to account by asking questions.
Government departments (such as Health, the Home Office, and Energy and Climate Change) take it in turns to come to the House of Commons and answer questions. MPs are also able to table written questions to the government on any issue for which they have responsibility.
As a Liberal Democrat, I vote with my party. But I also have strong personal views and when I disagree with the party position on an issue because of personal principle or local concern I am prepared to do this.
Find out more about my work in Parliament
Recent answers to questions and interventions I have made in debates can be found on They Work for You (external website).
You can see an overview of my voting record going back to 1997 are on the Public Whip (external website).
You can see more information about the Gurkha vote on BBC news (external website).
Early Day Motions
Early day motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons.
MPs can introduce new ones themselves and also add their names to those put down by other MPs. In practice they are very rarely debated but they are a good measure of support for a particular issue or campaign and can help raise publicity of an issue.
In the last year I have tabled EDMs to:
- Champion conflict prevention work globally
- Campaign for arts council funding for the London Bubble Theatre Company in Rotherhithe.
- Support proposals to build a cross river tram in London
- Praise Neil Harris, Millwall Football Club's all time record goalscorer
As long as they are consistent with my party's and my own principles, I am happy to sign motions when constituents ask me to do so.
More about Early Day Motions
You can find out more about EDMs in the EDM area of the Parliament website (external website).
You can also see which EDMs I've sponsored and supported on the same site (external website).
All-Party Parliamentary Groups
All Party Parliamentary Groups are a less formal way that parliamentarians can learn and share information about a subject of interest. These groups are non-party political and are a useful forum for debate. Sometimes APPGs also release reports.
In the last parliamentary term I was an an officer of several groups. These include:
- Conflict Issues, Co Chair (website)
- Youth Affairs, Vice-Chair
- Race and Community, Vice-Chair
- Credit Unions, Vice-Chair
- Suicide Prevention, Vice-Chair
- Tamils, Vice-Chair
- UK Sikhs, Vice-Chair
- Islam, Vice-Chair
- Cross-Rail, Vice-Chair
I was also a member of several groups, including:
- Save The Pub
- Legal and Constitutional Affairs
- Construction
- Men's Health
- Poverty
- Sustainable Housing
- Thameslink Route
The country or region focussed groups of which I am a member are:
- Sri Lanka, Vice-Chair
- Mexico, Vice-Chair
- Gibraltar, Vice-Chair
- Ukraine, Vice-Chair
- Columbia
- Cyprus
- Hungary
- Kashmir
Many APPGs promote cross-cultural dialogue with groups both in the UK and from all over the world. During the last parliamentary term I was a member of the following such groups:
- British-Argentine
- British-Latin America
- British-Bangladesh
- British Central American
- British-Finnish
- Chinese in Britain
- Irish in Britain, Vice-Chair
- Panjabis in Britain, Vice-Chair
Purpose and membership of APPGs
You can find out more about APPGs on the Parliament site, including their nature, purpose and membership (external site).
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