New Clause 17 of the Trade Bill was one of more than 50 amendments that were put forward to the Bill for potential consideration on Monday. Unfortunately, the scope of this amendment has been wilfully misinterpreted by some, as is often the case with opposition amendments and it has been suggeste

We had another very constructive "virtual" session of the Science and Technology Committee today, taking evidence from the four Chief Medical Officers of the different nations of the UK.

Obviously there is only one subject on most people’s minds; however I would like to keep this weekly post reflecting the variety of work I have been up to both in Westminster and back in Newcastle.

I was delighted to be elected to the Science & Technology Select Committee today.

This Committee exists "to ensure that Government policy and decision-making are based on good scientific and engineering advice and evidence."

It was great to welcome Jane, Joanne & Daniel from Newcastle College to Parliament to celebrate their nomination for “Promoting Apprenticeships campaign of the Year” - and I wish them all the best for the awards in March!

This is probably the most crucial General Election in my lifetime (I wasn’t born in 1979!)

It offers the country:

1. a chance to deliver Brexit and finally honour the referendum result