Gareth Thomas
Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West
6,642 (14.7%) majority - 2024 General ElectionFirst elected: 1st May 1997
4 APPG Memberships
Financial Education for Young People, Football Supporters, Global Education, Modern Conflict16 Former APPG Officer Positions
Alevis, British Gujaratis, British Hindus, Chinese in Britain, Council of Sri Lankan Muslim Organisations UK, India (Trade and Investment), Infant Feeding and Inequalities, Islamophobia, Jainism, London's Green Belt, Mutuals, Somaliland, Sudan, Tamils, Zoroastrian, ZoroastrianismDivision Voting information
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(19 debate interactions)
(16 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(355 debate contributions)
(5 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
Gareth Thomas has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debateHarrow West Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
of 170,007 signatures (0.87%)
of 20,249 signatures (0.84%)
of 108,423 signatures (0.47%)
of 31,980 signatures (0.46%)
of 28,260 signatures (0.44%)
of 170,007 signatures (0.87%)
of 108,423 signatures (0.47%)
of 916,262 signatures (0.05%)
c. 821 added daily
109,151
(Estimated)
Keep 5-year ILR terms to Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visas
Sign this petition Gov Responded - 11 Jul 2025 Debated on - 8 Sep 2025 View Gareth Thomas's petition debate contributionscloses in 3 months
We urge the Government to exempt BN(O) visa for Hongkongers from the proposed immigration reforms. We think the current ILR terms must remain unchanged:
1. Five years of UK residency
2. B1 level English proficiency
3. Passing the Life in the UK Test
c. 1,289 added daily
175,703
(Estimated)
Keep the 5-Year ILR pathway for existing Skilled Worker visa holders
Sign this petition Gov Responded - 17 Jun 2025 Debated on - 8 Sep 2025 View Gareth Thomas's petition debate contributionscloses in 2 months
Do not apply the proposed 10-year ILR rule to existing Skilled Worker visa holders. Keep the 5-year ILR route for those already in the UK on this visa. Apply any changes only to new applicants from the date of implementation.
Latest EDMs signed by Gareth Thomas
The contribution of the co-operative movement in the UK economy
Tabled by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)That this House recognises the vital contribution of the UK co-operative movement to the economy; further notes that co-operatives in the UK operate across a wide range of sectors, all guided by the values and principles of co-operation that include concern for community and member economic participation; recognises the importance …
(Most recent: 17 Oct 2022)
Signatures by party:
Independent: 7
Labour: 5
Plaid Cymru: 3
Liberal Democrat: 2
Green Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Specialist Huntington’s Disease Services
Tabled by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)That this House notes that Huntington’s Disease is a rare, hereditary and incurable neurological condition that slowly robs patients of their ability to walk, talk, eat, drink, make decisions and care for themselves; notes that a University of Aberdeen study, published in the Journal of Neurology, highlights that the number …
(Most recent: 26 Oct 2023)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 41
Labour: 33
Liberal Democrat: 14
Independent: 9
Democratic Unionist Party: 5
Plaid Cymru: 3
Conservative: 3
Alba Party: 2
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Alliance: 1
Green Party: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Gareth Thomas, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Gareth Thomas has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Gareth Thomas has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
13 Bills introduced by Gareth Thomas
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to provide that any Withdrawal Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union shall not have effect without a vote by the electorate of the United Kingdom and Gibraltar to that effect; to make arrangements for the holding of such a public vote; and for connected purposes.
Friday 8th February 2019
A Bill to require local authorities to adopt public amenities in certain circumstances where specified minimum standards are met; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to enable co-operatives to issue permanent shares; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to establish a presumption in public sector procurement in favour of purchasing goods and services from businesses based in the UK; to require the Secretary of State to publish data on the value of Government contracts awarded to such businesses, and estimates of jobs created as a result, by region and nation; to make provision for a kitemark scheme for goods of predominantly UK origin; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to transfer the ownership of the Royal Bank of Scotland to its customers and employees; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to make provision for extending the autonomy of the government of London, in particular in relation to duties and powers for the Greater London Authority (GLA) in respect of income tax, property tax and valuation, other fiscal matters, economic management including a London minimum wage and its enforcement, housing policy and planning, the regulation of rents chargeable within the private residential housing sector and skills and employment training; the devolution of responsibilities for health and the NHS in London to the GLA and appropriate London authorities; the Secretary of State to consult the Mayor about decisions on justice and education expenditure, administration and policy as they relate to London and mandatory membership for the Mayor or his representative of the boards of certain public bodies with responsibilities affecting London; to require proposals for extending the autonomy of the government of London to be approved by the residents of Greater London in a referendum before they may come into force; to make provision for such a referendum; and for connected purposes.
Tuesday 8th September 2015
A Bill to make provision about the entitlement of employees to benefit from profits made by their employers in certain circumstances; to require a company to allocate one seat on its board to an employee representative; and for connected purposes.
Tuesday 26th January 2016
Wednesday 19th November 2014
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to provide for the establishment of a credit union for members of the armed forces and family members who live in the same household; and for connected purposes.
Wednesday 18th December 2013
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 to extend the use of local occupancy clauses to certain urban areas with the permission of the Secretary of State; to increase the qualifying period of local occupancy clauses from three years to either five or ten years; to place a duty on the Homes and Communities Agency and local authorities with housing and planning responsibilities to promote co-operative and mutual housing options and report annually in this regard; to require the Homes and Communities Agency, local authorities and the Land Registry to identify land available for housing development which has not been developed and to publish a report on the available options for development of housing on such land; and for connected purposes.
Wednesday 30th January 2013
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require new energy generation companies to offer a proportion of shares for purchase by residents in local communities; to provide that residents in local communities have the right to invest in ownership of local electricity distribution grids; to establish an agency called Community Power Direct to advise local communities on matters relating to energy generation; to require local planning authorities to consult Community Power Direct when considering planning applications involving energy generation; and for connected purposes.
Tuesday 6th March 2012
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require firms offering regulated private pensions services to exercise a fiduciary duty of care to consumers and other users of financial services, to exercise due diligence when making decisions on behalf of consumers, to provide clear information to consumers on all charges and costs paid by the consumer or the pension fund on the consumer’s behalf and to disclose any conflict of interest and potential conflict of interest including commercial relationships that might result in or be perceived to result in financial detriment to consumers or undermine the integrity of financial markets; to make provision for disclosure by postcode of the location of investors in private pension funds; to make provision for an Annual General Meeting for each private pension fund; and for connected purposes.
Thursday 1st March 2012
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for the establishment of a Royal Commission to consider the future challenges facing London in housing, transport, the environment, population, equality, the City and the wider economy, and such other matters as the Royal Commission considers appropriate; and for connected purposes
Tuesday 12th October 2010
4 Bills co-sponsored by Gareth Thomas
Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies (Environmentally Sustainable Investment) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Anna McMorrin (Lab)
Parental Leave and Pay Arrangements (Publication) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Jo Swinson (LD)
Leasehold Reform Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Justin Madders (Lab)
Service Animals (Offences) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Oliver Heald (Con)
Latest 6 Written Questions
(View all written questions)London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust provides cancer services at Northwick Park, Central Middlesex, Ealing, and St Mark's Hospitals, with speciality cancer teams at each site. Performance data on cancer pathways is reported at trust level.
The trust demonstrated strong performance up to mid-2023, particularly for the Faster Diagnosis Standard, with 84.7% performance in July 2023 being 14.7 percentage points above the 75% standard, and the 31-day treatment standard, with 100% performance in July 2023 being four percentage points above the 96% standard.
From mid-202,3 data quality issues and a temporary reduction in activity following the implementation of Cerner, an electronic patient record system, plus capacity constraints, saw a decline in performance. Backlogs increased with the number of patients waiting over 104 days for treatment peaking significantly.
A recovery programme was implemented to reduce the backlog, using real-time data to drive action and accountability. Actions included increasing the trust’s capacity and workforce, with specialist nurses, radiographers, and consultants, plus extended hours and weekend clinics. Rapid triage and assessment pathways led to faster diagnosis, along with expanded one-stop clinics, especially for breast cancer and gynaecology, with more patients also being sent straight to test for lower gastrointestinal cancers.
By early 2025, the number of patients wating more than 104 days was close to zero, with a steady improvement seen in two-week waits and the Faster Diagnosis Standard. As the trust has started to stabilise its backlog, there has been significant improvement in the 62 day performance target with the trust continuing to be above the London target of 70%.
Latest waiting time performance from July 2025 has been promising, with the trust achieving 81.5% Faster Diagnosis Standard performance and 100% 31-day treatment performance. 62-day referral to first treatment performance was 83%, one of the best in the country.
Full cancer performance figures are published in the trust’s annual report, which is available at the following link:
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The government is keen to ensure that the law governing co-operatives and community benefit societies is clear and supports their growth. That is why we are funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
The Law Commission’s independent review is considering ways to update and modernise the legislation for co-operatives and community benefit societies, ensuring that it fits the nature and needs of these societies as well as ensuring that regulation is proportionate and effective.
The Law Commission will publish its final recommendations in a report and draft bill. These are expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government will then carefully consider the Law Commission’s recommendations to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.
HM Treasury is delivering on measures announced by the Chancellor in last year’s Mansion House speech, including: concluding a call for evidence on potential reforms to the credit union common bond, supporting the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioning the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025.
The Government currently has no plans to develop a central finance facility for credit unions but continues to engage with the sector and will keep all issues, like central finance functions, under review.
There are currently no credit unions in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with more than 500,000 members. According to annual data published on the Bank of England’s website, there were a total of 1,520,300 credit union members in GB in 2024, served by a total of 220 credit unions.
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.
HM Treasury is delivering on measures announced by the Chancellor in last year’s Mansion House speech, including: concluding a call for evidence on potential reforms to the credit union common bond, supporting the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioning the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025.
The Government currently has no plans to develop a central finance facility for credit unions but continues to engage with the sector and will keep all issues, like central finance functions, under review.
There are currently no credit unions in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with more than 500,000 members. According to annual data published on the Bank of England’s website, there were a total of 1,520,300 credit union members in GB in 2024, served by a total of 220 credit unions.
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
1 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions
(View all Gareth Thomas's MHCLG questions)The government recognises that the community-led housing sector – which includes community land trusts and housing cooperatives – delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.
In March, we announced a £20 million 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.
Through the recent revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, we have strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.
We are also undertaking a significant research project to inform future interventions to support the sector, with a particular focus on sustainable finance.
Looking ahead, as we develop our Long Term Housing Strategy, the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme and the National Housing Delivery Fund, we will consider how the government may further support the growth of the community-led housing sector, helping to deliver the additional homes the country needs.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)