First elected: 12th December 2019
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
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).
Call a General Election
Sign this petition Gov Responded - 6 Dec 2024 Debated on - 6 Jan 2025 View Richard Holden's petition debate contributionsI would like there to be another General Election.
I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.
These initiatives were driven by Richard Holden, 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.
Richard Holden has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to prohibit the marriage of first cousins; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require a seller of a vehicle to record their home address or specified information about a company that owns the vehicle in the vehicle’s registration document; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to prohibit virginity testing procedures; to make associated provision about education; and for connected purposes.
Roadworks (Regulation) Bill 2024-26
Sponsor - Mark Francois (Con)
Carbon Emissions (Buildings) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Duncan Baker (Con)
This is not a matter for the House of Commons Commission.
The rules are set out in the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022 (HC 1083).
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmcode/1083/1083-1.pdf
Members seeking advice on the registration of specific interests should contact the Registrar of Members’ Interests.
This is not a matter for the House of Commons Commission.
The rules are set out in the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022 (HC 1083).
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmcode/1083/1083-1.pdf
Members seeking advice on the registration of specific interests should contact the Registrar of Members’ Interests.
80 artworks moved from display to storage between dissolution (30 May 2024) and 4 July 2024, of which none were portraits. Since 4 July 2024, 405 artworks have moved to store, of which one was a portrait.
These changes have been for a number of reasons: movement of Members’ offices, required conservation work, or temporary storage due to maintenance projects. Many artworks in store are currently under consideration by Members for new office selections.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (the PSED) requires organisations in scope to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.
The scope of the PSED is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). It extends to all public authorities listed in Schedule 19 of the Act and all parties carrying out public functions. This includes private sector and voluntary organisations when carrying out public functions.
The government expects regulators to ensure organisations comply with their legal requirements. It is not the role of regulators to intervene where legal requirements do not apply and we have no evidence that this is occurring.
Registration requirements are set out in the Code of Conduct together with the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022. (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmcode/1083/1083.pdf)
Paragraph 5 of the Code provides that new Members must register all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election, and Members must register any change in those registrable interests within 28 days. Gifts, donations or hospitality are registrable from the day of receipt (whether or not subsequently repaid). The 28-day period is provided to enable time for registration for the purpose of transparency.
Members are encouraged to seek advice from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests if they are in any doubt about whether a proposed course of action is in line with the rules.
The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society. It makes it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity.
The Act also makes it unlawful for recruiters to hire by race, where the person is to be paid under a contract for services. Under certain conditions, a recruiter choosing between candidates of equal merit can hire the candidate from the more disadvantaged or lower-participating race or ethnicity. This is one type of ‘positive action’. Positive action can deliver better outcomes for particular groups in order to overcome or minimise a disadvantage arising from a protected characteristic.
In April 2023, the previous government published guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination. The guidance is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. Section 9 of this guidance explains the general positive action provision. Section 10.2 explains tie-breaking in more detail. With this considered, there are currently no plans to issue further guidance to public bodies on positive action.
The ‘Table of Kindred and Affinity’ is part of the Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer can be changed by a Measure from the General Synod of the Church of England, which would come to Parliament for approval in the usual manner. The Church of England has no plans currently to change the text.
The duration of appointments of office holders in the Church of England is governed by statutory provisions. Under section 3 of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure 2009, the term of office of a person who holds office under Common Tenure (which includes archbishops, bishops and most other clergy) is terminated:
• on the death of the office holder
• by resignation
• on attaining the mandatory retirement age (subject to any extension)
• where the office ceases to exist
• where the office holder is removed from office under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003
• on the expiry of a fixed term appointment (where applicable)
• under the capability procedures.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/2009/1/contents
It is for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to determine what guidance it issues to political parties. Equalities Ministers will have periodic discussions with their Cabinet Office colleagues on matters of mutual policy interest. 'Belief’ is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, meaning any religious or philosophical belief, rather than political opinion. As such, the issue of guidance on political belief discrimination that purportedly related to the Equality Act’s protected characteristics would be misleading.
The Office for Equality and Opportunity’s role in informing Government policy on marriage relates to equality and discrimination, as it is responsible for the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include marriage and civil partnership.
While the Office for Equality and Opportunity work with the Ministry of Justice on issues relating to equality, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for marriage law.
Minimal costs were incurred in the rebranding of the Equality Hub to the Office of Equality and Opportunity as it was a renaming exercise rather than a Machinery of Government change. Therefore, there has been no programme or digital expenditure to date and only minimal administrative time by current employees.
I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 in response to question 41107.
The Plan for Change set out clear and transparent milestones, and our plan to achieve them. These milestones allow the public to track our progress and hold the government to account for their delivery. There have been no changes to these milestones since the publication of the Plan for Change.
The expectations surrounding the conduct of special advisers are outlined in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. No additional guidance has been issued by the Department to special advisers concerning the requirement to record informal lobbying approaches.
The government does not publish such information.
An ALB needs to pass at least one of three tests: (1) it is a technical function that requires external expertise (2) it needs to be delivered with political impartiality, or (3) it needs to be delivered independently from Ministers to establish facts and figures with integrity. The Cabinet Office makes an assessment based on the information provided by the department.
Guidance on overseas visits by Ministers is found in Chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code.
As outlined in the Guide to Handling Correspondence, all Government departments and agencies must aim to respond to correspondence within 20 working days. Government departments and agencies can set their own more ambitious deadlines if they want to do so.
Downing Street holds 7 lecterns, all of which were inherited from previous governments.
Ministers and officials use a range of communication methods and there are longstanding appropriate arrangements and guidance in place for the management of electronic communications.
The Civil Service Recruitment principles outline the process by which grades below SCS can be appointed without fair and open competition. This includes guidance about the involvement of Ministers in the recruitment process.
The process and approach remains consistent with that applied by the previous administration.
The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of behaviour which the Prime Minister expects of ministers. As set out at paragraph 2.1, the Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of those standards of behaviour and of the appropriate consequences for any breach of those standards.
The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury are working together to determine how best this investment can be used by departments to support their individual exit schemes, the terms of which will vary from organisation to organisation.
Most Crown Commercial Service (CCS) commercial agreements use the public sector contract which does not permit increases in the framework rates for employer national insurance contributions as these are classed as General Change in Law. Where the framework contract allows for framework rates to be reviewed, any request by a supplier to do so would be considered by CCS on a case-by-case basis.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 31st March is attached.
The Department for Transport is currently working through the approval process to establish Great British Railways as an Arm’s Length Body. The completion of business cases as part of this process considers viable delivery mechanisms and the three tests.
His Majesty's Government can confirm that:
As was the case under the previous administration, the template is intended solely for internal departmental use and will not be released publicly.
The Government publishes notices of final orders made on GOV.UK - this includes cases that are blocked, unwound, or cleared subject to conditions. The notices include a high level summary of what mitigation measures are imposed on the parties.
Whilst the NHS and some wider public sector organisations will have their own arrangements, any individual who leaves under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and later returns to the same organisation, or another one that uses the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, within six months, must pay back a proportionate amount of their compensation.
The majority of Permanent Secretaries (First and Second) are permanent civil servants, on permanent contracts. Exceptionally, fixed term contracts may be offered to external candidates, for example in the case of specialist roles.
When appointed to a Permanent Secretary role, Permanent Secretaries (First and Second) are appointed on fixed term tenures, typically for five years. Where appropriate, and with the Prime Minister and relevant Minister’s approval, tenure may be extended.
Data collection on gender identities, genders or sexual orientation is delegated to departments.
In-year vouchers can be given at any point in the year. The vouchers cannot be directly redeemed for utility bills, but have a wide range of retail outlets where they can be spent. The Cabinet Office does not use Love2Shop vouchers.
The Government regularly evaluates the effectiveness of all communication activities to ensure they are delivering and providing the best value for money for taxpayers. An example of this is the recent comprehensive communications Spending Review that delivered savings of £85 million in 2024-25 and up to £96 million in 2025-26.
Departments are responsible for pay, terms and conditions of civil servants, within the parameters set out in the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance, this includes setting budgets for annual increases for its own workforce.
Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics, an Accredited Official Statistics release. Civil Service Statistics 2025 is due to be published on 30 July 2025.
For 2025/26, departmental pay awards have not yet been made and the 2025/26 Pay Remit Guidance will be published in due course.
As the sponsoring department for the following bodies, the Cabinet Office can confirm that the Office for National Statistics, the Public Health Service Ombudsman, and the Crown Commercial Service do not pay subscription fees to Stonewall.
All other bodies asked about are not sponsored by the Cabinet Office, and are therefore a matter for their individual sponsoring departments.
The information that is published in response to Parliamentary Questions is handled on a case by case basis, as is the information that is published in response to any request under the Freedom of Information Act. The Cabinet Office takes seriously both its obligations to Parliament and its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.
I refer the honourable member to my response to PQ 30681.
Ministers regularly liaise with a wide range of stakeholders. Mariana Mazzucato is not employed within government as a special adviser. Nor does she hold a position in a role as a regulated public appointee.
As has been the policy of successive governments, the government does not comment on matters relating to the intelligence agencies. The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament scrutinises the policies, expenditure, administration and operations of the intelligence agencies on behalf of Parliament.
The House of Commons leads on the recruitment of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which is ongoing. We expect that further information will be made available shortly.
The Test, Learn and Grow Programme will use existing government recruitment channels to staff the programme for the three years of the initiative. This includes the use of loans for existing Civil Servants, and fixed term appointments for external candidates. The programme will also leverage an inward secondment programme for public service delivery experts working near the frontline to help drive public service reform in their field. This scheme will be flexible in terms of duration and location, and specifically for those with experience relevant to the public service reform project. We do not plan to use recruitment consultants for these staffing needs.
Senior Responsible Officers for each of the five Missions were selected by the Cabinet Secretary and relevant Permanent Secretary, in consultation with their Secretary of State, on the basis of their expertise and experience. They remain on their current salaries and have not received any increase.
There are 38 staff, at multiple grades, who support the 8 Cabinet Office ministers in private office roles.
Minister | Number of staff in Private Office |
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | 8 |
Minister for the Cabinet Office | 6 |
Minister Oppong-Asare | 3 |
Minister Reeves | 4 |
Minister Gould | 6 |
Minister Alexander | 1 (Cabinet Office portfolio only) |
Leader of the House of Lords | 3 |
Leader of the House of Commons | 7 |
A Prime-Ministerial directive, issued in 2010, mandated all departments to publish details of all spend approvals from the Advertising, Marketing and Communications, Commercial, Contingent Labour, Digital and Technology, and National Property controls on a quarterly basis. The Cabinet Office’s publications are at this link https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-spend-data .
HMT Treasury delegates authority to departments to enter into commitments and spend within predefined limits without specific prior approval. Agreements of any exemptions a body holds from the Spend Controls should be recorded in the department’s delegation letter and in the Framework Document, or similar relationship-defining document, between the body and its sponsor department.
Information on Senior Civil Service appointments is not collated centrally. Departments can run campaigns outside of the central recruitment services through their own Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or processes, or make appointments from existing reserve lists. Therefore, we are unable to provide a full response.
Appointments by exception at SCS2 or above must be approved by the Civil Service Commission, details of which are published on the commission’s website.
In May 2022 the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to cabinet ministers outlining all Senior Civil Service (SCS) jobs must be advertised externally to the public unless an exemption is approved. This continues to be the policy.
As under the previous Government, for appointments below SCS level, departments have the authority to determine how they recruit in line with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. Again, this continues to be the policy.