Lola McEvoy
MP for Darlington · Labour · United Kingdom
“T5. The Department is aware of my increasing frustration at balaclava-clad yobs tearing up and down on dirtbikes in Darlington. Indeed, the rest of the House is increasingly frustrated and we need action.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for bringing this important debate to Westminster Hall.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Durham police are doing a great job of seizing and crushing them—I attended a scrapyard recently and crushed 70 of them with the police—but aside from that, they do not have the powers alone to tackle the problem. One reason why this issue has become so prolific is that it requires a multi-Department approach.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is obvious from the cross-section of representation in the Chamber that we are not alone. The balaclava-wearing men tearing through our town and deliberately intimidating everyone else, on and off the road, are a visible degradation of our collective social contract.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Having had 14 years in power to do something about this issue, the Conservative party might be expected to support the next stage of our policing regulations, as set out in the King’s Speech. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it would be great if the upcoming policing Bill contained provisions on the regulation of off-road bikes?”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The trust does not get any financial support for that work, which I find counterintuitive, as the victims need answers and justice, and the trust must learn the lessons from what went wrong while also carrying on its vital duties.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“T5. The Department is aware of my increasing frustration at balaclava-clad yobs tearing up and down on dirtbikes in Darlington. Indeed, the rest of the House is increasingly frustrated and we need action. Will the Minister and the Department commit to licensing or registration at the point of sale to aid the valiant effort of our police forces in the north-east?”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Will he bring together a cross-Department taskforce to regulate the import of these dangerous kits and, ultimately, get these illegal bikes off our streets?”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Durham police are doing a great job of seizing and crushing them—I attended a scrapyard recently and crushed 70 of them with the police—but aside from that, they do not have the powers alone to tackle the problem. One reason why this issue has become so prolific is that it requires a multi-Department approach. Will the Minister review the dirt bike licensing regime, because it is clearly ineffective? In the north-east, we have 34 licensed Sur-Ron bikes; I saw more than that crushed two weeks ago. Will he consider mirroring the gun licensing regulation to enforce stricter requirements for legitimate UK purchases, increasing the penalty for driving dirt bikes without a licence, and banning the sale of e-scooters entirely in our high-street retailers?”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is obvious from the cross-section of representation in the Chamber that we are not alone. The balaclava-wearing men tearing through our town and deliberately intimidating everyone else, on and off the road, are a visible degradation of our collective social contract. They are literally running amuck, Minister, and my constituents and I have had enough. “Ban them” is the most tempered call from residents, and the most appropriate for a parliamentary debate; many have suggested other measures, which I will not go into now. But the truth is that they are banned; it is already illegal to ride these dirt bikes, motocross bikes and e-scooters on our roads.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) for bringing this important debate to Westminster Hall. On 16 May 2025, just before 1 pm, 86-year-old Gloria Stephenson was walking her daughter’s dog using a zebra crossing when she was hit by an 18-year-old riding a Sur-Ron e-bike. Gloria died at the scene. My constituent Julie Francis lost her mother that day. She has a petition for more police funding and has been a vocal campaigner for more action to get these bikes off the road. In September, I brought her to Parliament to meet the Policing Minister. Julie’s ask of us all is simple: “Don’t let my mother’s death be in vain.” The rise of e-bikes and e-scooters in Darlington is a major problem.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Having had 14 years in power to do something about this issue, the Conservative party might be expected to support the next stage of our policing regulations, as set out in the King’s Speech. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it would be great if the upcoming policing Bill contained provisions on the regulation of off-road bikes?”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It will inevitably go into debt and probably be bailed out by the Department of Health and Social Care—that is, the taxpayer. Given that the Health Bill, which is focused on abolishing NHS England and giving direct powers back to the Secretary of State, is going through the House, we have the legislative opportunity to change the culture from fearing and fighting for scrutiny to funding and facilitating it. Our trust needs to provide the answers and support the affected patients in a timely and compassionate manner, and to improve and change services to gather the information necessary to do that. We all in this House agree that patients across the country deserve better.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The trust does not get any financial support for that work, which I find counterintuitive, as the victims need answers and justice, and the trust must learn the lessons from what went wrong while also carrying on its vital duties. Campaigners are calling for a public inquiry—I support them and understand why—but I fear that it will take years and years for answers to be found and lessons to be learned. The Prime Minister recently agreed and said in a BBC interview: “Of course there needs to be the fullest possible inquiry…we will ensure that those affected have all of the answers that they need”. He said that there are different routes to the truth but, without additional resources, how can the trust be expected to keep other services running effectively while conducting the inquiry?”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The women in this room know how much pain we are deemed to have to endure and put up with. But to hear that women put their trust in our NHS at a time of great stress and anxiety and had their breasts removed unnecessarily is truly abhorrent. The trust has rightly changed leadership and is now undertaking a further review of the treatment given to women by the breast services from 2015 onwards. The cases of a further 4,500 women need to be reviewed by specialists. The current rate of review—538 cases a year—means that, without further resource to fund more specialists to review the cases, the process could go well into the 2030s. Recent Health Service Journal modelling estimates that the work could cost the trust £4.5 million.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I commend the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Marie Goldman) for securing the debate, which is about—politely—underperforming trusts. This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I will be talking about the breast cancer failings at my local trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS foundation trust. In April 2025, the trust began going through the case files of women who had been patients of its breast services between 2023 and 2025. Of the 538 women whose cases have been reviewed, 321 experienced some form of harm: 77 suffered significant harm, 20 underwent unnecessary mastectomies, and the trust has confirmed that one woman has died, and it is currently investigating the situation. Let me take a moment to reflect on that.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Q13. Olivia is a young constituent in Darlington. Her testimony was instrumental in securing a ban on stranger contact for under-16s. She has the letter that the Prime Minister sent her framed on her wall. Olivia and millions of young people across the country will be safer because of him: his commitment to hear the stories of ordinary people and the injustices that they face, and then to take action, has delivered real change. Given that social media has, for better or worse, played such an influential role in our tenure in this House, will the Prime Minister share with all of us any of the viral moments that have had cut-through in the Starmer household?”
House of Commons15 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I recently met a woman who had spent her career fighting fraud for the Department for Work and Pensions. If she had behaved in the way that this company is behaving around her pension, she would have been fired on the spot. It is one rule for ordinary working people and another for these outsourced companies, which behave so terribly on the taxpayers’ money. In Darlington, we have a Capita base with over 1,000 employees. Capita recently announced that it could no longer afford to pay the real living wage. How much profit is it making on this £200 million contract that it is failing to deliver?”
House of Commons6 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Carbon-intensive industries, and workers in these industries, are calling for equitable alternatives and for the same pay and progression as other sectors.”
House of Commons24 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have huge innovations through the Northern Endurance Partnership, and Low Carbon Materials, which is a local start-up, was shortlisted for the Earthshot prize. Net zero jobs are 40% more productive than the national average, with wages 15% higher than the UK norm. In other words, these are not just more jobs; they are better jobs. That is the assessment of the CBI, not the Labour Government. Whether it is the electric trains being built at Hitachi or what will soon to be the largest wind farm in the world at Dogger Bank, our region is home not only to the best people in England, but to the most net zero businesses per head in the country. I say to the Minister: all clean power to your elbow. Industry is investing and innovating. The public support action and want subsidies, with two thirds wanting action on climate change.”
House of Commons24 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Although I absolutely back the calls from the trade unions to ensure a proper, equitable career transition for those working in the oil and gas industry, saying that this Government’s commitment to net zero is bad for our economy is for the birds. In my region, we have a world-leading carbon capture project, the East Coast Cluster, which includes the net zero Teesside power plant. The plant, which is powered by gas, will capture 2 million tonnes of CO 2 annually and create enough power for 1.3 million homes. This technology will be globally significant, boosting our ability to support other countries that are looking for solutions to their transition, which we can sell. The technology is backed by a £22 billion investment, alongside the green hydrogen on Teesside and many other innovations. Our region is powering ahead.”
House of Commons24 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I know that the net zero project has delivered incredible impacts and huge investment in my area, and the Minister has shown excellent leadership on this issue. Although today’s extreme weather makes her point for her, the Government have been working hand in glove with industry to ensure that we reap the economic rewards of the transition to net zero. At the G7 last week, the Government secured £1.3 billion for battery energy storage systems so that we can end the ludicrous practice of curtailment of our wind farms. In recent weeks, we have seen a co-ordinated effort by the once-credible Conservative party to paint decarbonisation as anti-jobs, anti-growth and anti-industrial communities.”
House of Commons24 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The temperature right now in London is about 35°, compared with a perfect 25° in Darlington—so take me home! I want to put on the record my thanks to all the staff working to support us today, especially the armed police and the Doorkeepers in their three-piece suits. The effects of this heatwave will put huge pressure on our public and essential services, and we should all spare a thought for any woman giving birth today, for the families living in overcrowded accommodation, and for anyone with medical vulnerabilities. This weather is deeply dangerous and, in proposing inaction in the face of this climate emergency, the Conservative party must be living on another planet. I may not be a climate change expert—my brother is a geography teacher, so I am under serious pressure—but I do know my regional economy.”
House of Commons24 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The difference could not be more clear: where the last Government allowed an essential, critical, highly skilled, historical British industry to be decimated by inaction and ignorance, this Labour Government promote our most qualified steel industry expert to the Front Bench to protect high-skilled jobs, stand up for our supply chains, champion our communities and nationalise steel in the national interest—and I, for one, say all power to them.”
House of Commons9 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If anyone is looking for a magnificent industrial steel site in the heart of the country’s most investable town, please do contact me, and I will happily negotiate and advocate for a discounted rent from the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice). The pride that our community has in a critical, century-old industry cannot be overstated. It is vital for wellbeing, but it is security that is essential for growth. People employed in critical industries, whether self-employed, businesses or workers, can afford to spend locally—they have the confidence to get the kitchen done, or take the family out for a meal. It is insecurity that chills investment and growth. By securing this critical sovereign industry, this Labour Government are demonstrating and living our values, and delivering on the change that we were sent here to make.”
House of Commons9 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Despite their historic defeat, they refuse to accept that their inaction on steel has already cost the taxpayer dearly, and not only in significant employment tax contributions but in the business contributions of this critical industry’s supply chain. It is their inaction that chilled investment. We know that thriving supply chains boost local employment and incubate home-grown entrepreneurs. They boost confidence locally, and industrial communities such as ours support and cultivate thriving, close-knit business ecosystems—something that we in Darlington still benefit from greatly, despite the closure of SSI, Cleveland Bridge and British Steel on Whessoe Road. The vacant South Works site in Darlington, which is currently available to rent, is 131,000 square feet and comes with three cranes.”
House of Commons9 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In my constituency of Darlington, we know the economic importance of the steel industry, and many of my constituents bear the scars of the Conservative party’s unwavering worship of the global free market. Regardless of the social, economic, community or security costs, they badly let us down. The last Government refused to step in for our highly skilled essential steel workers in Redcar, leading to the loss of thousands of jobs and the closure of a 170-year-old industry, and thousands more jobs in the supply chain were lost. The Conservatives demanded a cap on the cost to the Treasury for this essential intervention to protect out sovereign steel capacity, which shows that they still do not get it. It shows their fundamental misunderstanding of the mistakes they made while they were in government.”
House of Commons9 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for answering this urgent question today, and urgent it is. While the tech companies are spending millions of pounds congratulating themselves on how they are going above and beyond, children in Darlington tell me that the parental controls are really easy to work around. Can the Minister outline how these new settings on devices will be safeguarded to make sure that children cannot toggle them on and off to regain access to functionality?”
House of Commons8 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I wholeheartedly welcome the Chancellor’s intervention at a time when the cost of living is increasingly putting pressure on working families in Darlington. This is a proper Labour intervention from a proper Labour Chancellor, and representation matters in this House. As I look around the Chamber, I can see Stoke and the ceramics industry supported. I can see Redcar, Middlesbrough and Stockton represented, and their industries supported. Not only has this Labour Chancellor intervened to make sure that families in my constituency can have a much better summer, but their jobs will be secure for much longer, so I thank her.”
House of Commons21 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The message from this Dispatch Box is clear: apprenticeships, apprenticeships, apprenticeships. This Government will meet the challenges that we face today with fantastic careers for the next generation, so thank you. SMEs in Darlington are huge engines of growth across the country. Many of the business owners came up through apprenticeship routes, and desperately want to pass on that opportunity to the next generation. We will bite the Secretary of State’s hand off for the £2,000 hiring bonus. Can the Secretary of State outline any sector-specific restrictions on the types of SMEs that can take advantage of the bonus?”
House of Commons17 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I put on record my personal thanks to the Minister for the support that he has given to many Members of this House, including newly elected Members like me, and I welcome a newly elected female Member, the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton (Hannah Spencer), to the House today. Will the Minister elaborate on the work of the defending democracy taskforce, and talk about any time spent looking into the algorithms that reward rage-baiting and extremist opinions? I feel that they are degrading our public debate, outside and inside this place.”
House of Commons12 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Minister is making a brilliant speech that lots of us will be feeling very emotional about. Does she agree with me and Members across the House that although increasing the minimum wage is really important, as it disproportionately affects female workers, we also need to restructure how we value women’s work and the workforce predominantly made up of women?”
House of Commons12 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would like the Minister to allay some of our fears about crucial public services, and the postal communications from our Departments and arm’s length bodies.”
House of Commons11 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would like to put on the record that, despite testimony to the contrary, it is Darlington’s postal workers who are the best in the country. They deliver their service to the best of their abilities, and they also provide a social service; their visit is often the only one that residents get. I want to draw the Minister’s attention to two quite shocking cases that constituents have brought to me. One constituent, despite using the tracking system, has had their application form to join the Royal Navy go awry, which is obviously causing huge delays. Another constituent successfully gained compensation from Royal Mail for a late delivery, but the cheque, which was sent in the post, bounced.”
House of Commons11 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am determined to ensure that my time in this place is used to create evergreen legislation for the issue of our time, which is protecting children from the horrendous and exploitative harms that they are coming to.”
House of Commons9 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would like to talk to the social media element of the Lords amendments. The argument for stronger protections for children online has been won, not least because of the appalling harms that have come to so many children because of the lack of proper, functioning legislation. I will use my time, which is limited, on this subject to make clear what I would like the Government to do and why I will be voting down the amendments in front of us tonight. I want to focus on my steadfast belief that we must age-gate functionalities instead of age-gating social media, because I think that phrase will immediately become outdated—it is already outdated in schools. One of the big problems with the Online Safety Act and how long it took to come in is that so many technologies are now not covered by that legislation—it is not evergreen.”
House of Commons9 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am determined that whatever this Government decide to do, they must do it with the idea of effective implementation of the legislation. We owe it to the next generation and the generation currently using the digital world to get it right and to future-proof their right to a childhood. Because so many of them have been badly let down, we must make evergreen—”
House of Commons9 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I do not think that content that is not regulated, that has not gone through any supervision and that has no legislative or regulatory framework surrounding it should be allowed to be fed to our children in any way. I will sum up by saying that one of the young people in my latest online safety forum said to me via an anonymous note—I told them all that they could send me an anonymous note if there was anything they did not want to say in front of their peers— “Don’t ban it, but if you do, make sure it works.” I thought that was brilliant. Young people are much savvier than we give them credit for. I want to make it very clear that at the moment, Ofcom is yet to use its strongest powers. The Online Safety Act does not include AI.”
House of Commons9 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am interested in the idea of licensing functionalities and new developments before they come into children’s lives, which is not happening at the moment—at the moment it is happening after they have been used for a long time. We are age-analysing and risk-assessing them retrospectively, which seems very backwards to me. I agree that we should have a licensing scheme for content that is designed for children, like CoComelon and some of the other content that we know is addictive for very young children. Such a scheme would obviously have to be fleshed out, with a proper consultation on publishing rights and with information on who is going to do the licensing. I feel very strongly that self-published is inappropriate for under-16s.”
House of Commons9 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for all his work on this ever-changing situation. The Samuels and their two children, who are constituents of mine, are in Dubai at the moment. They are not able to get proper advice from the airlines about the options available to them. Will the Minister elaborate on the work he has been doing with the airlines, where commercial flights are going ahead, and tell us whether they are prioritising based on need and vulnerability?”
House of Commons5 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As the Secretary of State knows, Darlington Memorial hospital is part of the County Durham and Darlington NHS foundation trust, which has recently been marred by the scandal of over-operation in breast services. We know that many women came to harm as a result of those failures, but we are yet to find out how many and the full extent of the harm because the trust has not completed the comprehensive look-back. Will the Minister meet me to ensure that our trust has all the resources it needs to learn the lessons necessary to ensure that no women—whether in my area or across the country—have invasive and painful clinical procedures that they do not need?”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I wanted to ask the hon. Lady about the register and the ranking of age-appropriateness for content. We have sat opposite each other on many occasions discussing this matter. I have grave concerns about who will register those individual self-published bits of content and who will manage it and pay for it, and how it would actually work in practice.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend—my actual friend—is giving a brilliant speech. I pay tribute to him: he is a brilliant advocate for our generation of parents and also a wonderful dad. Does he agree that parents today are in desperate need of such guidance? I recently met Jonathan Haidt, the author of “The Anxious Generation”, and I asked him straight out, “What do we do about screens?”. He told me that watching long-form narrative content with our children is fine, but that letting them watch short-form content by themselves is a problem. We need a kind of five-a-day public health campaign from the Government. I hope that the Minister will address that.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As I said, my hon. Friend is giving a brilliant speech. Does he share my concern that relying solely on parental intervention in relation to this huge swathe of technological advances is not enough? We do not want children to start hiding things from their parents; we want to ensure that they are not exposed to it in the first place.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Minister is giving a brilliant speech to sum up this important debate. Will the work she mentions consider the link between the need for more speech and language therapy for early years and screen time pre-school?”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is making a great speech, outlining the need for more youth services. In Darlington, I have called for the council to apply a public spaces protection order, which would allow them to remove balaclava-wearing people who commit anti-social behaviour. We are seeing an escalation in such activity from young people, who are trying to be “the big man” in the town and wearing balaclavas to hide their identity from the police. What is her view on that?”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is eloquently making a point about the funding given to the police to eradicate e-bike crime. Does he agree that we would be in a better position if we had more bobbies on bikes? Perhaps the Minister will talk about that in her speech.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If the hon. Member is paying £6 for a coffee, he should come to Darlington where it definitely is not £6. We also have the best plaices for fish and chips, with Yarm Road Fish and Chips and Cockerton Fisheries both winning awards. Please do consider a visit to Darlington to try some really pukka fish and chips.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Finally, we need to address the deep imbalance in who pays the price for online extortion with images of girls. Girls who make a single mistake are made to suffer a permanent price. That is obviously wrong. Their image could be circulated at any time. The threat of it is unbearable: it can be used anywhere and shared with any number of people throughout their life. That is brutal enough, but as one girl in the forum said to me, “It’s so wrong. The girl’s always blamed. She’s totally responsible.” Can the Minister outline how we can do more to support girls who are victims and survivors?”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is easy to pass through: recent analysis of the ban in Australia showed that a lot of children had drawn on moustaches and coloured in fake beards in order to pass the facial recognition age verification test. I urge the Minister to look into that and to offer her support for a more rigorous ban. Obviously, strangers should not be able to contact under-16-year-old girls. The secondary point about enforcement is quite clear, but there is also a point that has not yet been made to the House, about self-publishing and online safety. Where we see self-published content, we see an organised criminal network of people grooming children through links and through more enticing content that might lead them into a darker space that is even less regulated. I urge the Minister to support work to address that.”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I wanted to hear what the real issue was in Darlington and how severe it was, because so many parents had raised it with me. The results from the first forum, in which a thousand pupils came forward, were worse than I had feared: 60% of girls had known someone who had been bullied or blackmailed online, 53% of girls had been contacted by somebody lying about their age, 49% had been asked for pictures or personal information, compared with 28% of boys, and over 70% had been contacted by a stranger. One 14-year-old girl told me that they had been added to groups of strangers and that extreme content was then shared. That was on an app where you are not supposed to have contact from strangers. The platforms say that adults should no longer be able to contact under-16s, but it is obvious that it is still happening.”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Most 14-year-old girls will take risks, will keep secrets, will have a crush or 10, and will say mean things they should not say. That is part of growing up. What we have allowed to happen to our girls, through the explosion of unsupervised stranger contact and self-published content, is utterly appalling. It is not normal, and we must take action now. I will outline as quickly as possible why I think we must take action to ban any form of stranger contact for under-16s online and why self-published content and functionalities that publish unregulated and unvetted content need to be banned for under-16s, to stop the exploitation. The first meeting I had when I was elected was with the headteachers of secondary schools in Darlington, about online safety.”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. The argument for urgent and robust regulation to protect girls online has been won, thanks in no small part to the grit and resilience of survivors who have spoken out, and of the Minister herself, who is a formidable force in this area. I began campaigning on this issue in defence of 14-year-old girls. Being 14 is tough: your hormones are wild, your body is changing, you take risks and you are desperate to belong. It has not been that long—although it is longer than I care to state to the House—since I was 14, so I do remember it. Some people advocate for an imaginary time gone by, filled with innocence, skipping ropes and cross-stitch, but that world was not real for most girls.”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does the hon. Member have any observations on the fact that technology has always outstripped legislation, and that this is actually about accountability and the enforcement of regulation?”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My problem with the hon. Lady’s argument is that we have constantly said that our legislation is lagging behind technological advances, but the proposed solution is to name a number of platforms where there is evidence of exploitation, crime and damage. I agree that we need to do that, but is it not better to make evergreen legislation, as some Members have argued, than to have a list of examples that somebody else has come up with?”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We on the Labour Benches are from the north and fight for the north, and this Labour Government will deliver the economic justice that we deserve in the north. As the Secretary of State will agree, I am sure, Darlington is the home of the railways, with our proud industrial history of British rail manufacturing. Will she outline how this investment and this plan will deliver for British rail manufacturing in my constituency and the rest of the north?”
House of Commons14 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗