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Gareth Thomas
Current MP
Gareth Thomas
· 1997–present
2,375 speeches on record Last active 26 Feb 2026
LAB · Labour
Active Lifestyles26 Feb 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
What steps she plans to take to ensure that people are adequately supported to maintain an active lifestyle at each stage of life.
Hansard · 26 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Local Government Finance11 Feb 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
The shadow Minister will remember that when the Conservative party took control of Harrow council four years ago, it did so on a promise of freezing council tax, which he presumably campaigned on. Instead, council tax has risen by 20% over the past four years. Will the shadow Minister take the opportunity to apologise to…
Hansard · 11 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Business of the House5 Feb 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
Our country, and Harrow certainly, benefits from the hard-working Romanian community. Many Romanian families would welcome the chance for their children to supplement their normal school exams with a GCSE in Romanian. Given that no exam board currently offers a GCSE in Romanian, may we have a debate on how we can put that right?
Hansard · 5 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Business of the House29 Jan 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
Four year ago, the regeneration of Wealdstone—now entirely in my constituency—was poised to begin. Since then, the Conservative councillors who run Harrow council have cancelled or stalled key decisions, so much-needed affordable housing is nowhere to be seen, council offices are closed to the public, local services have been starved of investment, and Wealdstone High…
Hansard · 29 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Holocaust Memorial Day29 Jan 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
As the hon. Gentleman knows, I do not always agree with him, but I very much agree with the case that he is making today and what he is saying. He mentioned the surge in antisemitism in the UK. Would he agree that Ofcom needs to crack down on online hatred—particularly antisemitism, but also Islamophobic…
Hansard · 29 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Armed Forces Bill26 Jan 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
My right hon. Friend is making an extremely good speech. He will recognise that one way in which we have the backs of current military personnel, as well as of veterans, is by offering, through the Joining Forces partnership, access to a credit union for military personnel. Will he assure me that nothing in the…
Hansard · 26 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Gaza and the West Bank: Humanitarian Situation20 Jan 2026
GT
Gareth Thomas
As my right hon. Friend has said, hundreds of thousands of displaced families in Gaza are living in torn tents and roofless homes, being exposed to the rain and freezing temperatures, with further storms due. What further steps will she take to persuade the current Israeli Government to allow in the materials necessary for more…
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Business of the House11 Dec 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
According to the UN, Sri Lanka, where many of my constituents are from, is experiencing one of its worst ever flooding disasters as a result of Cyclone Ditwah, which hit two weeks ago. Given that over 600 people have died already and over 2 million have been severely affected, and given the existing levels of…
Hansard · 11 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Low-income Households9 Dec 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
I commend the steps that my right hon. Friend took to support those on low incomes, both in the Budget and through the recently published financial inclusion strategy, but may I encourage her to go further on the issue of savings, given that a quarter of the people in the UK have little by way…
Hansard · 9 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation2 Dec 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
What steps her Department is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Hansard · 2 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Income tax (charge)1 Dec 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
I commend the skill and courage of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor, who has faced the most difficult inheritance of any post-war Chancellor since Hugh Dalton in 1945. I welcome the cost of living measures, the cut in energy bills and the increase in the minimum wage, and the lifting of the two-child cap…
Hansard · 1 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Business of the House27 Nov 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Schools in Brent and Ealing, which neighbour my constituency in Harrow, are able to offer teachers an extra £1,000 to work in their schools because of the inner London weighting. Given that the cost of living in Harrow is little different from the cost of living in inner London, and given that my schools occasionally…
Hansard · 27 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Cancer Services: North-west London25 Nov 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
What steps he is taking to improve cancer services in north-west London.
Hansard · 25 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Banking Services: Rural Areas4 Nov 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
One way of improving access to banking in rural and, indeed, urban areas would be to increase the reach and role of community banks, or community development finance institutions. Given that CDFIs play a big role in American economic life and are backed to do so by the biggest banks, would it not be good…
Hansard · 4 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Business of the House16 Oct 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
After two years of bombardment and siege, Gaza’s healthcare system has been decimated. I am sure the whole House welcomes the ceasefire, fragile as it is, the release of hostages, and that aid is beginning to increase somewhat. Will my right hon. Friend consider the case for a debate on the steps that Britain could…
Hansard · 16 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Community-led Housing13 Oct 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Whether he plans to include community-led housing within the long-term housing strategy.
Hansard · 13 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Hospitality Sector3 Sep 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Only yesterday I sat down with some of Britain’s great publicans—award-winning Tommy Higgs and Mike Dove of the Three Horseshoes, Emma Gibbon from the Plough in Prestbury, Justine Lorriman of the famous Royal Dyche in Burnley, Matt Todd of the Wonston Arms, and the excellent Steve Alton of the British Institute of Innkeeping—to go through…
Hansard · 3 Sep 2025 · parliament.uk
Support for Cycle Manufacturers17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Small and medium-sized bicycle manufacturers are important for our green growth ambitions. Through the Government’s industrial and trade strategies, we are backing innovation, sustainability and skills development to help businesses, including cycle manufacturers, to scale up so that they can compete globally and continue driving forward the UK’s cycling economy.
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Post Office IT Systems: Redress for Postmasters17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
By the end of last month, approximately £1.1 billion had been paid in total redress to almost 8,000 claimants. This represents a fourfold increase over the past 12 months, with more than 5,000 victims receiving compensation for the first time. We have also committed to extending redress to family members. As the House knows, there…
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
High Street Businesses17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
To breathe life back into Britain’s high streets, we are addressing antisocial behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, establishing a licensing taskforce, empowering communities to fill vacant properties and reforming the business rates system. There is more to do and our forthcoming small and medium enterprise strategy will set out…
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Capital and Export Finance: SMEs17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
On 26 June , the Department published our trade strategy, announcing the expansion of UK Export Finance’s capacity to £80 billion. We also announced measures to give smaller firms, including those in Buckingham and Bletchley, better access to export protection insurance. The significant increase in the capacity of the British Business Bank will also help…
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Independent Retailers17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We have frozen the small business multiplier for 2025-26, protecting over 1 million ratepayers from bill increases, and we are creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street and supports investment. Our forthcoming SME strategy will set out further plans to help businesses on the high street and beyond.
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Hospitality Sector17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We recognise the vital role hospitality plays in driving growth and strengthening all our communities. That is why we have committed to permanently lower business rates for the sector from 2026-27 and announced a hospitality fund to co-invest in projects that boost productivity and help community pubs adapt to local needs. It is also why…
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
SME Operating Costs17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Over the past five years, SMEs have faced a challenging operating environment because of the consequences of the Liz Truss Budget, the poorly negotiated trade deal with Europe, covid and increasing global uncertainty. Interest rates have come down four times under this Government, we have negotiated a new trade deal with Europe and, complementing our…
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions17 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Government-backed invest in women taskforce is addressing many of these issues through its ecosystem working group, which promotes better access to networks, to support and to procurement opportunities. My hon. Friend is absolutely right, though, to say that we need to go further. The small business strategy will set out a range of further…
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Future of the Post Office14 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement on the Green Paper that we are publishing today on the future of the Post Office. Post offices have stood as a cornerstone of British national life for generations, serving constituents in every part of the UK. They are a lot more than just…
Hansard · 14 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Post Office Horizon Inquiry: Volume 18 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Sir Wyn Williams has today released the first volume of his report into the Horizon scandal, which caused so much harm to so many innocent people. The fearless and diligent work of his inquiry has, I believe, won the trust and admiration of postmasters. The inquiry has asked penetrating questions of a large number of…
Hansard · 8 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Corporate Businesses and Franchisees: Regulatory Environment2 Jul 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
In the usual way, I thank the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) for securing this debate. Having crossed swords with him when our positions were reversed, I approached this debate with particular wariness, not least because he has assembled a very distinguished cross-party group of Members to participate…
Hansard · 2 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
Support for Entrepreneurs12 Jun 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Government continue to support entrepreneurs through start-up loans via the British Business Bank and through programmes such as growth hubs in England and “Help to Grow: Management” training across the UK. Later this year we will publish our small and medium-sized enterprise strategy, one key element of which will be to signal our determination…
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
Small Businesses: Exports12 Jun 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Just last month, we relaunched the Board of Trade to focus on the targeted support and help that small businesses need to take up opportunities from the UK’s free trade agreements. The recent trade deals with India, the United States and the European Union aim to reduce red tape, improve customs processes, slash tariffs and…
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
High Street Businesses12 Jun 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We have announced plans to reform business rates, launched high street rental auction powers for councils that will help businesses to access currently vacant properties, worked with industry to open over 150 banking hubs, and introduced the Crime and Policing Bill to provide retailers with greater protections from assault and shoplifting. Our forthcoming small and…
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
Support for Small Businesses12 Jun 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Our small business strategy will be published later this year and will set out our plans to champion entrepreneurs, improve access to finance and help small and medium-sized enterprises to reach more markets and adopt new technology. As I alluded to earlier, we are developing our plans for our new business growth service, simplifying access…
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions12 Jun 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
I thank the hon. Lady for her question, and she is absolutely right to draw attention to the continuing need to speed up compensation to sub-postmasters. Since we came into government, we have increased fourfold the amount of compensation paid to sub-postmasters, but there is an awful lot more to do. On the issues that…
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
Business and the Economy21 May 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Although that felt like a very long 50 minutes, it is always nice to see the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Andrew Griffith) taking centre stage for the Conservative party. As one of the authors of the Liz Truss Budget, he is a constant reminder of the fiscal mess the Conservatives very kindly…
Hansard · 21 May 2025 · parliament.uk
Exports: Small Businesses1 May 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We have begun a series of roadshows, which bring overseas buyers to the UK to meet small businesses here in, for example, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, technology, and digital, creative, financial and professional services. In addition, we are offering new online support to help small and medium-sized enterprises win new export orders to…
Hansard · 1 May 2025 · parliament.uk
Hospitality Industry1 May 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Hospitality businesses are vital to our communities and to economic growth in the UK, which is why we plan to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with rateable values of less than £500,000. In addition, we recently held our first licensing taskforce meeting, which aims to reduce red tape for…
Hansard · 1 May 2025 · parliament.uk
High Street Businesses1 May 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We are reforming business rates, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to bring vacant properties on the high street back into use and beginning to tackle the antisocial behaviour and crime that has bedevilled the high street over the last decade. Last month, we also announced a licensing taskforce that will…
Hansard · 1 May 2025 · parliament.uk
Rural Businesses1 May 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy, so we are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to improve the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas. Later this year, we will launch the business growth service,…
Hansard · 1 May 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions1 May 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
The hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon (Gregory Stafford) might not invite Ministers to his constituency, but I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s invitation—diary permitting, I would be delighted to come along. Last year, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced our plans for a business growth service, which should make it…
Hansard · 1 May 2025 · parliament.uk
Horizon Redress and Post Office Update8 Apr 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
With your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement on the Post Office, Horizon redress and Post Office finances. We inherited a Post Office in crisis. It had a grim past, a poor commercial track record, unstable leadership and its record on compensation was widely perceived as legalistic, slow and adversarial. Since…
Hansard · 8 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
Business Support: Rural Areas13 Mar 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Businesses in rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. We are working across Government to unlock the full potential of rural businesses as part of the Government’s growth mission. We are committed to launching a business growth service inspired by the US Small Business Administration, which will operate in…
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
High Street Businesses13 Mar 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Working across Government, we are determined to revitalise our high streets and support the businesses on them. We are working with industry to create a fairer business rates system that protects the high street and supports investment. We have introduced the Crime and Policing Bill, which will give better protection for businesses and retail workers…
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
Hospitality Industry13 Mar 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We are creating a fairer business rates system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, and our forthcoming small business strategy will set out our plan to further support small businesses on the high street and beyond. In addition, through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing, with business, strategic issues related to high street…
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
Post Office Horizon: Compensation13 Mar 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
In the past eight months we have trebled the total amount of compensation paid and ensured that more than 2,300 victims who had as yet received nothing have now had some financial redress. We are making up-front, fixed-sum offers and interim payments where possible to speed up the delivery of redress. There is still a…
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
National Insurance Contributions: SMEs13 Mar 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Treasury published a tax information and impact note in November 2024, alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the employer national insurance contribution changes. It sets out the impact of the policy on the Exchequer and the impacts on business, and that approach is consistent with previous tax changes.
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions13 Mar 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
My hon. Friend is a great champion of the social enterprise sector. She will know that we are committed to doubling the size of the co-op and mutuals sector. We recently met the recently launched mutuals and co-op business council to begin working with businesses on our plans to expand the co-op and mutuals sector.…
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
Family Businesses26 Feb 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
I thank Members on both sides of the House for their contributions to what has been an interesting debate. We heard, in particular, excellent speeches from my hon. Friends the Members for Vale of Glamorgan (Kanishka Narayan), for Gateshead Central and Whickham (Mark Ferguson), for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner), for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan), for…
Hansard · 26 Feb 2025 · parliament.uk
Business Growth Service30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
Small businesses are critical to our economy and to the future of all our communities. We will bring forward our small business strategy later this year to improve the environment for small businesses to grow. As part of that work, we are consulting widely with small businesses and other stakeholders on the design of the…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Support for High Street Businesses30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
We are continuing to work with colleagues across Government to develop a programme that will revitalise the nation’s high streets and support businesses. We will publish a small business strategy later this year, and high streets will be a key pillar of that. We have already committed to continuing funding for business growth programmes such…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Business Confidence30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
As the Chancellor of the Exchequer said only yesterday, we are driving forward planning reforms, boosting capital investment by over £100 billion over the next five years, and creating the national wealth fund. We are launching the business growth service and will soon publish our modern industrial strategy, which will be unreservedly pro-business. Business leaders,…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Post Office Closures: Impact on Communities30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Post Office has the freedom to operate the branch network within the parameters set by the Government. We protect the network by setting minimum access criteria so that, in urban and rural areas, everyone has easy access to their nearest post office. Those criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Free Trade Agreement: India30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
As the Chancellor announced yesterday, the Secretary of State will travel to Delhi in February to relaunch trade talks with India. Work is under way across Government to prepare for those negotiations as we seek a deal that drives economic growth. An agreement with India, projected to be the fourth-largest global importer by 2035, could…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Encouraging Entrepreneurship30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Government continue to support entrepreneurs through, for example, start-up loans via the British Business Bank. We will publish our small business strategy later this year, which will signal a clear, overarching ambition to promote entrepreneurship, and will articulate a new vision for business support, built around the new business growth service that I have…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
I commend Charlotte on her business. We recognise that we need to do more to help businesses like hers to be able to export more easily to Europe. That is why the Prime Minister has set out our determination to reset the relationship with Europe. We have made clear our plans to negotiate a phytosanitary…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Local Post Offices30 Jan 2025
GT
Gareth Thomas
I echo the thanks to the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington (Gideon Amos) for securing this important debate. There have been some very clear and consistent messages from across the House to the Government in this debate, and I pay tribute to the passion with which hon. Members on all sides of the House…
Hansard · 30 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
Post Office Redress and Funding18 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
With your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to provide an update to the House about the Government’s Post Office redress schemes and funding. No one in this House—no one in this country—will have failed to be moved by the plight of postmasters caught up in the Horizon scandal. The fact that they suffered so…
Hansard · 18 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
UK Exports12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
We recently launched Unlock Europe, a new export programme designed to help UK businesses build stronger relationships with European customers. Last month, in Manchester, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched a new pilot scheme, alongside the mayor and his team, that offers businesses in the north-west more support in selling their products…
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
Hospitality Businesses12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
Hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities and are vital for economic growth. The Government are creating a fairer business rates system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and reforming the apprenticeship levy to support businesses and boost opportunities. We are addressing strategic issues for the hospitality sector relating to high-street regeneration,…
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
Co-operatives12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Government are committed to doubling the size of the mutuals and co-op sector. The creation of Great British Energy will help drive a significant expansion in the number of energy co-operatives, while work to modernise co-op, credit union and mutual law to drive expansion was recently announced by Treasury colleagues. We will work particularly…
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
High Streets: Government Support12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
Working across government with mayors, local authorities and—crucially—local communities, we are beginning to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime, reforming business rates, working with the banking industry to roll out 350 banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of vacant properties, strengthening the post office network and reforming the apprenticeship levy.
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
Creative Industries12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
The creative industries are a huge force for good in our country. They were responsible for 2.4 million jobs last year, and more than £124 billion for our GDP in 2022. They are one of eight growth sectors in our industrial strategy. We are working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and…
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
Post Office Closures12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
No decisions have been taken on the future of any directly managed branches, including in Chester-le-Street in my hon. Friend’s constituency. The Post Office continues to work with local communities, and others, to consider how best to meet the need for post office services in a local area. The Government set minimum access criteria to…
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions12 Dec 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
My hon. Friend will be aware that the Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced £20.4 billion in investment for research and development for the next year, which will help to drive even more of the type of technological investment that she rightly champions. We are also working with small businesses to encourage them to adopt…
Hansard · 12 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
Future of the Post Office13 Nov 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
With permission, I will make a statement on the Post Office. Frankly, the Government inherited a Post Office that is simply not fit for purpose, following disinterest from the previous Government, a toxic culture in head office and years of under-investment. Our top priority remains delivering redress to those affected by the Horizon scandal. We…
Hansard · 13 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
Export and Investment Guarantees13 Nov 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
I beg to move, That the draft Export and Investment Guarantees (Limit on Exports and Insurance Commitments) Order 2024, which was laid before this House on 14 October , be approved.
Hansard · 13 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
High Street Businesses31 Oct 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
Revitalising our high streets is a priority for this Government, and I and the Secretary of State have spoken to colleagues across Whitehall to ensure that we are working together to create better conditions over the long term for high street businesses to thrive. That means addressing antisocial behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs,…
Hansard · 31 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
Small Businesses: Scaling Up31 Oct 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
Our plan for small businesses will help them to scale up and increase productivity and growth. We are doing that by creating opportunities for businesses to compete and access the finance they need to scale, export and break into new markets. Furthermore, at yesterday’s Budget, we announced a small business Command Paper next year, which…
Hansard · 31 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
Night-time Economy31 Oct 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
We recognise the important role that night-time economy businesses play in supporting local economies and communities. Healthy night-time economy businesses not only support our creative industries, including musicians, DJs and performance artists, but bolster tourism and day-economy businesses. We are focused on our five-point plan to breathe life back into Britain’s high streets. That work…
Hansard · 31 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions31 Oct 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
No. I gently point out to the hon. Gentleman the difficult economic inheritance that his party left this Government to sort out. We are determined to walk towards all the tough decisions his party refused to face up to in government. If he is against the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions, he needs to…
Hansard · 31 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
High Street Businesses5 Sep 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
The decline of too many high street businesses was one powerful example of the failure of the last Government’s economic record and the cost of living crisis they caused. Working with business and others, we are determined to breathe new life into our high streets. In particular, we will stamp out late payments, tackle soaring…
Hansard · 5 Sep 2024 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions5 Sep 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the question about a banking hub in his constituency. As he will have heard in answers that I gave earlier, reform of the business rates system to tackle some of the egregious disincentives in respect of the need to invest in our high streets…
Hansard · 5 Sep 2024 · parliament.uk
Public Confidence in Victim Support14 May 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
What steps his Department is taking to help ensure public confidence in the support provided to victims throughout the criminal justice process.
Hansard · 14 May 2024 · parliament.uk
Export Target2 May 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
Unfortunately for Government Members, and more importantly for the country, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s recent figures, which I know the Secretary of State struggles with, show that exports have dropped on her watch and are set to have declined again this year. If she has a moment to spare from her leadership campaign, she…
Hansard · 2 May 2024 · parliament.uk
Business of the House2 May 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
The situation in Gaza continues to be profoundly disturbing. We need a humanitarian ceasefire, all the hostages brought home, and no incursion by the Israel Defence Forces into Rafah; that would be catastrophic. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is pivotal to avoiding famine in Gaza and for the future of Palestinians more generally.…
Hansard · 2 May 2024 · parliament.uk
Engagements1 May 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
In only one of the 194 local authority areas in England are NHS ambulances meeting the national response time targets for potential heart attack and stroke victims. Does the Prime Minister know which one it is?
Hansard · 1 May 2024 · parliament.uk
UK Trade Performance1 May 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
As usual, I am grateful to the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement. I am always pleased to hear any positive news on trade and investment, but she appears, presumably inadvertently, to have missed out one or two facts and issues in her statement. Under the Conservative party, business has suffered from…
Hansard · 1 May 2024 · parliament.uk
Points of Order30 Apr 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. As our constituents look ahead to the May day bank holiday, in addition, on 1 May , Gujaratis and Maharashtrians in Harrow, across the UK and globally celebrate Gujarat Day and Maharashtra Day, marking the formation of the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in India back in…
Hansard · 30 Apr 2024 · parliament.uk
Onshore Wind Planning Applications16 Apr 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on trends in the number of onshore wind planning applications.
Hansard · 16 Apr 2024 · parliament.uk
Parliamentary Debate19 Mar 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
I rise to speak to new clauses 4 to 7 and amendment 1. I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests in relation to BPI. Let me at the outset say what a particular pleasure it was to listen to the maiden speech of my new…
Hansard · 19 Mar 2024 · parliament.uk
New Clause 1 - Report: accession of states to the CPTPP19 Mar 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
I rise to speak to new clauses 4 to 7 and amendment 1. I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests in relation to BPI. Let me at the outset say what a particular pleasure it was to listen to the maiden speech of my new…
Hansard · 19 Mar 2024 · parliament.uk
New Clause 12 - Impact assessment: UK performers’ rights19 Mar 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
We support the UK’s accession to the CPTPP. Despite the concerns we raised during the Bill’s stages, we have not stood in the way of its passage through this House thus far and we do not intend to divide the House on Third Reading. We recognise the geopolitical benefits and the economic benefits, limited none…
Hansard · 19 Mar 2024 · parliament.uk
Exports: Small and Medium-sized Businesses7 Mar 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
The Office for Budget Responsibility said yesterday that exports, including from SMEs, will fall even more than expected this year; growth in exports will be less than 1% in each of the next three years; and other countries will not be hit the same way. There have been cuts in the funding to help businesses…
Hansard · 7 Mar 2024 · parliament.uk
Income Tax (Charge)6 Mar 2024
GT
Gareth Thomas
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Peterborough (Paul Bristow) . I am afraid that this Budget will make little positive difference to his constituents or mine, or to the country at large. The cuts in national insurance announced today will not compensate for the interest rate rises my constituents have had…
Hansard · 6 Mar 2024 · parliament.uk
Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords]29 Jan 2024
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Gareth Thomas
We support accession to the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership. We have concerns about the Bill and will be seeking additional safeguards, but we will not seek to divide the House this evening. As my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Stella Creasy) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge…
Hansard · 29 Jan 2024 · parliament.uk
Prayers - [Mr Speaker in the Chair]26 Jan 2024
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Gareth Thomas
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I understand that overnight, Ministers have briefed out that they are pausing negotiations with Canada over an updated free trade agreement. While there may be good negotiating reasons, and particularly good agricultural reasons, for doing so, there are implications if the pause in negotiations means that there is…
Hansard · 26 Jan 2024 · parliament.uk
Shared Parental Leave and Pay (Bereavement) Bill26 Jan 2024
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Gareth Thomas
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Bury North (James Daly) , who made some important points to which I will return. At the outset of my speech, however, I will take the opportunity to praise my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Chris Elmore) . He already has a reputation as…
Hansard · 26 Jan 2024 · parliament.uk
Business of the House11 Jan 2024
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Gareth Thomas
A ceasefire in Gaza is desperately needed—one that begins with humanitarian pauses and becomes sustained, so that the remaining hostages can be got out and, crucially, aid can be got in. Given that UN agencies are critical to getting aid into Gaza but have secured only half the $1.2 billion needed to implement their response…
Hansard · 11 Jan 2024 · parliament.uk
SEND Provision and Funding11 Jan 2024
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Gareth Thomas
It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (Sir David Davis) , who did a superb job of setting out the strategic argument for more funding for those with special educational needs. I hope that we will get some hint from Ministers that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has…
Hansard · 11 Jan 2024 · parliament.uk
Winter Pressure on NHS Services5 Dec 2023
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Gareth Thomas
One way the Minister could help Harrow’s health services be better prepared for this winter and future winters would be to invest in new intensive care beds at Northwick Park Hospital, which serves my constituents. Given that the Government have been told repeatedly that their promised 40 new hospitals are about as real as the…
Hansard · 5 Dec 2023 · parliament.uk
Exports: Small and Medium-sized Businesses30 Nov 2023
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Gareth Thomas
I welcome the Minister back to the Department for Business and Trade, and I look forward to helping him hopefully to do better this time around. According to the International Monetary Fund, over the past decade British food and drink exports, including from SMEs, rose by just 3%, which was the lowest growth of any…
Hansard · 30 Nov 2023 · parliament.uk
Business of the House30 Nov 2023
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Gareth Thomas
This Friday is Romania’s national day, a chance to celebrate the contribution of Romania to European efforts to support Ukraine and to acknowledge the huge contribution that the British Romanian community make here. I was pleased last night to host 150 members of Romanian churches in the UK, including some of the most senior figures…
Hansard · 30 Nov 2023 · parliament.uk
Engagements22 Nov 2023
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Gareth Thomas
On Monday, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told the covid inquiry that the now Prime Minister had not asked for advice regarding eat out to help out. However, on 9 March two years ago, he told the House, “At all steps in this crisis, we have indeed taken the advice of our…
Hansard · 22 Nov 2023 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions14 Nov 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Opt-out savings are a little like auto-enrolment in pensions. They help those on lower incomes to save for a crisis—for the proverbial rainy day. Given that more than 9 million people in this country are in work with no savings at all, will the Chancellor note the impressive results of a small trial of the…
Hansard · 14 Nov 2023 · parliament.uk
[1st Day]7 Nov 2023
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Gareth Thomas
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Torbay (Kevin Foster) . I join him in welcoming the proposed legislation for further curbs on smoking and for progress on animal welfare issues. I am sure he will not be offended if I part company with him there, as there is a lack of…
Hansard · 7 Nov 2023 · parliament.uk
Points of Order24 Oct 2023
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Gareth Thomas
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I attempted earlier during Foreign Office questions to catch the Speaker’s eye, but was unsuccessful given the number of Members who were keen to speak. On Friday, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary about a constituency case, asking him to ensure that consular assistance was provided for…
Hansard · 24 Oct 2023 · parliament.uk
Core School Budget Allocations17 Oct 2023
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Gareth Thomas
I wrote to the Secretary of State at the beginning of August, asking for a meeting to discuss a series of special educational needs funding issues in Harrow. The Minister will be aware that special educational needs are one of the many pressures on school budgets across the country. They certainly are a significant issue…
Hansard · 17 Oct 2023 · parliament.uk
UK Export Performance18 Sep 2023
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Gareth Thomas
On modernising trade deals for the future, the Minister will be aware of the real difficulties our food, farming and fishing businesses face getting their products into the EU. Why will Ministers not contemplate negotiating a veterinary agreement to sort those trade barriers out?
Hansard · 18 Sep 2023 · parliament.uk
Business Exports14 Sep 2023
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Gareth Thomas
According to the International Monetary Fund, British exports to France and Germany since 2019 are down—by 14% to France and 17% to Germany. US exports to both are up by 20%; Canada’s are up by 23% and Italy’s are up by 29%. Ministers will not back an industrial strategy, have cut funding to get businesses…
Hansard · 14 Sep 2023 · parliament.uk
Sentencing: Offender Attendance12 Sep 2023
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Gareth Thomas
If we want offenders to attend their sentencing, it does rather help if the court is open. Harrow Crown court was closed two and a half weeks ago because of the discovery of crumbling concrete—RAAC—with no indication as yet of any timescale for it to be reopened. Its closure will inevitably exacerbate the backlog of…
Hansard · 12 Sep 2023 · parliament.uk
Post Office Horizon IT Scandal: Compensation18 Jul 2023
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Gareth Thomas
The report states that there are “something like 230-250 late applications to be determined and that there may yet be significantly more” late applications as well. Can the Minister confirm that those applications will be seriously considered and that those victims may be entitled to compensation? Can he provide an assessment as to whether the…
Hansard · 18 Jul 2023 · parliament.uk
Business of the House13 Jul 2023
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Gareth Thomas
The right hon. Lady will be aware of concerns that not enough financial support is available to meet the special educational needs of some of our most vulnerable young people. In my borough, that has led to two special needs schools contemplating setting deficit budgets. It has led to applications for a new 290-space special…
Hansard · 13 Jul 2023 · parliament.uk
Food Prices29 Jun 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Since 2019, food prices in the UK have rocketed by 26%, a figure that is among the highest in the G7, yet the Prime Minister’s plans for new border checks on highly perishable food from Europe could push prices up again. A veterinary agreement would cut the cost of bringing food into Britain from Europe.…
Hansard · 29 Jun 2023 · parliament.uk
Mortgage and Rental Costs27 Jun 2023
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Gareth Thomas
The Minister will be aware that the latest data on mortgage rates specifically shows that, since the mini-Budget, they have increased faster here in the UK than in the US. That gap in mortgage rates means that someone here with a mortgage of £200,000 will be paying £1,000 a year more than in the US.…
Hansard · 27 Jun 2023 · parliament.uk
Safety of School Buildings23 May 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Can the Minister give a simple answer to a simple question? How many school buildings do the Government consider to be posing a risk to the life and safety of children in my constituency and across the country?
Hansard · 23 May 2023 · parliament.uk
CPTPP: Impact on UK Businesses18 May 2023
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Gareth Thomas
While Labour Members recognise the diplomatic and security benefits of closer ties with the Indo-Pacific, Ministers’ negotiating skills are clearly not improved if Britain’s joining the CPTPP will lift economic growth here by only 0.08%. Will the Secretary of State tell the House why, in the accession talks, she was not able to resist giving…
Hansard · 18 May 2023 · parliament.uk
Business of the House18 May 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Tamil Remembrance Day is marked every year on this day, to remember the thousands of predominantly Tamil victims of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. Fourteen years on from the end of the conflict, there is still no international mechanism for holding the perpetrators of war crimes on the island of Sri Lanka, such as…
Hansard · 18 May 2023 · parliament.uk
Public Access to Nature18 May 2023
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Gareth Thomas
I am extremely grateful to the hon. Lady for initiating the debate and for allowing me to intervene. I wonder if her interest in nature extends to water and blue spaces. On the rare occasions when parliamentary duties and childcare allow, I seek joy from canoeing, but there is an unfettered right of access to…
Hansard · 18 May 2023 · parliament.uk
Financial Services Sector: Regulatory Framework9 May 2023
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Gareth Thomas
One measure that would improve the regulatory framework for mutuals in the financial services sector, such as Royal London or Liverpool Victoria, would be the introduction of permanent mutual shares. Given that such a reform would allow a new safe route to access the capital that such financial mutuals need to expand—and without having to…
Hansard · 9 May 2023 · parliament.uk
Ukraine27 Apr 2023
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Gareth Thomas
We all want the Ukrainian counter-offensive to be successful. My right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) was right to challenge the Government on whether they are adhering to their commitments. On the point about long-range missiles, which my right hon. Friend and others have pressed the Minister on, can he…
Hansard · 27 Apr 2023 · parliament.uk
Business of the House27 Apr 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Monday’s bank holiday will be warmly appreciated by hard-working families in Harrow—and, no doubt, in the rest of the United Kingdom—but 1 May will also be celebrated by many British Gujaratis as the day on which the state of Gujarat came into being in modern India. There are more than 800,000 British Gujaratis in all…
Hansard · 27 Apr 2023 · parliament.uk
International Trade and Geopolitics20 Apr 2023
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Gareth Thomas
I join the House in congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol North West (Darren Jones) , the Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, on securing this debate. I am sure that the whole House would agree that he chairs the Select Committee with considerable distinction. The way that he approached…
Hansard · 20 Apr 2023 · parliament.uk
Parliamentary Debate29 Mar 2023
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Gareth Thomas
I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to enable co-operatives to issue permanent shares; and for connected purposes. Permanent mutual shares are the rocket fuel that would help the co-operative and mutual movement to double in size. That is an ambition that the Co-op party has long sought, and…
Hansard · 29 Mar 2023 · parliament.uk
Business of the House23 Mar 2023
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Gareth Thomas
The right hon. Lady will be aware of a protest outside the Indian high commission last Sunday that turned violent. Staff working for the high commission were injured, and the high commission itself was vandalised. I am sure the whole House will agree that there should be no place in our country for such behaviour,…
Hansard · 23 Mar 2023 · parliament.uk
Clause 2 - Further provision about power22 Mar 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Last week the Office for Budget Responsibility published figures on trade which changed the context for this debate on what is an apparently innocuous amendment from the other place. According to the OBR, we now face two years of declining exports, with a huge 6.6% drop in British exports this year, a further drop next…
Hansard · 22 Mar 2023 · parliament.uk
Income Tax (Charge)15 Mar 2023
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Gareth Thomas
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous) , who rightly implies that this Budget offers thin pickings for most in the UK—it certainly does for my constituents. It underlines the fact that we have seen no wage growth across the UK for 13 years. Taxes are at record levels…
Hansard · 15 Mar 2023 · parliament.uk
Members: Correspondence7 Mar 2023
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Gareth Thomas
When the Minister dug out the letter from the right hon. Member for Tatton (Esther McVey) , I wonder whether he also stumbled upon my letter of 8 February to the Secretary of State about the desperate need for new intensive care investment at Northwick Park Hospital in my constituency, and whether he might expedite…
Hansard · 7 Mar 2023 · parliament.uk
Renewable Energy Production28 Feb 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Earlier this month, the pan-European EVOLVE project found significantly greater potential for marine energy in British waters, which would obviously help us achieve our net zero targets and offer a quicker route to round-the-clock renewable and carbon-free energy. Why are Ministers being so timid about backing that cutting-edge energy technology?
Hansard · 28 Feb 2023 · parliament.uk
NHS Workforce Expansion28 Feb 2023
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Gareth Thomas
I hope the hon. Gentleman will not mind my encouraging the Minister to look, in addition to the case for more investment in his local hospital, at investing more in Northwick Park Hospital, which serves my constituents. It needs a 60-bed intensive care unit to improve the quality of critical care and, crucially, to help…
Hansard · 28 Feb 2023 · parliament.uk
Trade with European Countries9 Feb 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Over the past three years, according to the latest German trade figures, exports to Germany are up by almost a third from the US, by almost a quarter from the rest of the EU and by more than 10% from China, yet exports from Britain to Germany are down. Everybody else’s exports are up; Britain’s…
Hansard · 9 Feb 2023 · parliament.uk
Free Trade Agreement with the US9 Feb 2023
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Gareth Thomas
Had the Conservative party negotiated a free trade agreement with the US, as it promised at the general election, British firms would have been protected from new market barriers to green trade that are being introduced by the US Inflation Reduction Act 2022. That means that new investment and jobs here in Britain in green…
Hansard · 9 Feb 2023 · parliament.uk
Gareth Thomas — Hansard Social