I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and his clarity on our adherence to international law. From Somalia to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, history shows us that military interventions do not always lead to peaceful political transitions and often have wider regional and global repercussions. Can the Prime Minister reassure me that his focus… will be on encouraging a peaceful transition for the people of Iran and de-escalating the situation regionally and globally?
Hansard · 2 Mar 2026 · parliament.uk
KS
Keir Starmer
With permission, I will update the House on the situation in Iran and the wider region, and our response. The United Kingdom was not involved in the initial strikes on Iran by the US and Israel. That decision was deliberate. We believe that the best way forward for the region and for the world is a negotiated settlemen…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Leader of the Opposition.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement and for the security briefing I received earlier. This is a defining moment for the people of Iran, the wider middle east and the world order. I know that hundreds of thousands of British people still in the region, many sheltering from drone attacks, are fe…
KS
Keir Starmer
The right hon. Lady asks about contingency plans for UK nationals. I can assure her and the House that we are working at speed with our partners in the region to take whatever measures we can to ensure that our people can return as safely and as swiftly as possible, and we will continue to do so. I am happy to update h…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Business of the House5 Feb 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Churches are at the heart of our communities, and I have heard from residents who go to St Peter and St Paul’s in Wingrave, St Michael’s in Aston Clinton and St Mary’s in Aylesbury, among others, about the importance of the listed places of worship grant scheme in helping to preserve historic church buildings. Can… the Leader of the House therefore confirm whether that funding will be continued? What steps will be taken to protect smaller congregations if so, and can he ensure that this House debates the importance of churches in our communities?
Hansard · 5 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
AC
Alan Campbell
The business for the week commencing 9 February will include: Monday 9 February —General debate on the UK-India free trade agreement, followed by debate on a motion on increasing survival rates of brain tumours. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 10 February —Debate …
JN
Jesse Norman
I do not think that this is a moment for normal business. I am sure that you, Mr Speaker, and the Leader of the House and all Members, will join me in taking this moment to remember the victims of Jeffrey Epstein: the young women and girls who were systematically trafficked and abused by him and his associates over man…
AC
Alan Campbell
I thank the shadow Leader of the House for the way he has addressed these matters this morning. He is fully entitled to do so. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he is right to do so, because I agree that there is palpable anger, outrage and a degree of sadness about the way these events have unfolded. I would n…
AH
Amanda Hack
I have been working closely with driving instructors who provide tuition to learner drivers in North West Leicestershire. One of them reached out to me earlier this week to share that they had got up at 5.45 am to book a test for a student in Loughborough, but no tests were available. What work is being done to increas…
Police Reform White Paper26 Jan 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Home Secretary for her action. One local farmer described to me the crime he has been experiencing, with gates cut open, crops damaged, and quad bikes and 4x4s stolen. Because he lives close to the Bedfordshire border, the criminals just flee over the border, and Thames Valley police finds it very difficult… to follow that up. Can she say how these reforms will improve the police presence and their response times in rural areas, and in particular how they will solve the problem of police forces not collaborating across borders?
Hansard · 26 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Before we start, it would be remiss of me not to say to the Home Secretary that although we have a statement now, I watched this all unfold yesterday and over the past few days. Whether it is the FBI or the merging of police forces, it really needs to be brought to the House before it is taken to the media. I say once …
SM
Shabana Mahmood
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on police reform. A little less than 200 years ago, speaking at this very Dispatch Box, Sir Robert Peel declared that: “the time is come, when…we may fairly pronounce that the country has outgrown her police institutions”.—[Official Report, 28 February 1828 ; Vol. 18…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
You did run slightly over, by over a minute, so I will give a little bit of leeway to the Opposition Front Benchers. I call the shadow Home Secretary.
CP
Chris Philp
I thank the Home Secretary for advance sight of her statement—especially after her busy weekend chairing the national executive committee, which excluded Andy Burnham from returning to Parliament. Anyway, the Home Secretary’s statement—[Interruption.] There seems to be some concern from the Benches behind her on that. …
SM
Shabana Mahmood
Dear me! I will take no lectures on policing from the Conservatives. They had 14 years in government and delivered no meaningful change beyond decimating neighbourhood policing, introducing the failed experiment of police and crime commissioners, and sweeping away meaningful targets to hold our police forces to account…
Mobile Phones and Social Media: Use by Children20 Jan 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I really welcome the Secretary of State’s leadership and commitment. I run a work experience programme, “Your Voice, Your Future”, which encourages young people to get involved in politics and government. Some of the participants produced a powerful campaign called “Rise above the rumours”, which was all about how the rapid spread of misinformation online… is harming young people’s mental health and fuelling division. Can the Secretary of State say how young people in my constituency and across the country can get involved?
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
LK
Liz Kendall
I would like to make a statement on the next steps this Government will take to keep children safe online and give them the childhood they deserve. Last week, I said in this House that artificial intelligence and technology have huge potential to create jobs and growth, to diagnose and treat disease, to transform our p…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
JL
Julia Lopez
I thank the Secretary of State for advance notice of her statement. What does an ailing Prime Minister do to demonstrate firm and decisive leadership? He launches a consultation, with a variety of options. What does he do when the Conservative party, the House of Lords, trade unions and more than 60 of his own Labour M…
LK
Liz Kendall
The hon. Lady has talked about leadership. May I remind the House that last week, when the Prime Minister and I showed strong and firm leadership on X and Grok, she claimed that the issues were a legal grey area—which they are not—and compared our stance to that of the mullahs of Iran, which would be laughable if it we…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. I want to hear the Secretary of State, and this private conversation between the two Front Benches is not helpful.
Topical Questions19 Jan 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Alex Foster, a 17-year-old from Aylesbury, has shared his experiences of social media with me. He says that “thankfully I was one of the very few who had my phone checked”— by his parents—but “my friends told stories of watching beheadings, terrorist material, explicit photos of them being shared”. Does the Minister agree that we… must go further to protect and educate young people when it comes to online harms?
Hansard · 19 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
BS
Blake Stephenson
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
BP
Bridget Phillipson
As we have heard today, we know that the system to support children with SEND and their families is not working. Our schools White Paper will deliver change that lasts, informed by our national conversation with parents, staff and experts, but critically, we are putting in place the foundations for change right now thr…
BS
Blake Stephenson
Following the curriculum review, will the Secretary of State outline how the Government will support teachers to deliver financial education in the constituency of Mid Bedfordshire and, of course, right across the country? Will financial education form part of initial teacher training?
BP
Bridget Phillipson
We are continuing to review initial teacher training, but we want to make sure that, through our curriculum review and its outcomes, children receive stronger education around financial literacy, budgeting and saving. There are some fantastic examples of schools that are already doing this well, but we want that to be …
LE
Lauren Edwards
There is concern in the hospitality industry that the Government are reviewing funding for some important level 3 and level 4 apprenticeships, such as those used to train chefs. Hospitality is a key means by which we can tackle the challenge for those not in education, employment or training, but to deliver positive lo…
Maternity and Neonatal Care13 Jan 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps his Department is taking to improve maternity and neonatal care.
Hansard · 13 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
PW
Paul Waugh
What steps his Department is taking to improve maternity care.
WS
Wes Streeting
As the House knows, I am deeply concerned by the state of maternity care in the NHS that we inherited. While the majority of births go well, I know from the courage of families who have spoken up and the concern of staff that devastating impacts are arising from failures in care. That is why I asked Baroness Amos to ch…
PW
Paul Waugh
The new maternal care bundle, to which the Secretary of State refers, is rightly aimed at reversing the recent worrying rise in maternal death and ill health. In particular, the increase in obstetric haemorrhage concerns so many midwives and doctors and the families affected. Given that the Government want to help wome…
WS
Wes Streeting
Everyone accessing maternity care should be offered a personalised care and support plan, informed by a personalised risk assessment. That is so women have more control over their own care based on what matters to them and their individual needs and preferences, as well as to ensure that every woman understands the ris…
WS
Wes Streeting
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise that issue, and I commend her for the work she is doing in this area. There is a real risk of post-natal depression. Certainly where there have been complications in birth or, worse still, injury or the most unimaginable experience of loss, we need to make sure that women and…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I welcome the new maternal care bundle and its ambition to drive consistently high standards of care for every pregnant and new mum. It is great that maternal mental health is one of the five elements prioritised; I am grateful to the Secretary of State for his focus on that. The challenge now is to drive forward its i…
Topical Questions5 Jan 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
In the light of the appalling antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach, the faith communities in Aylesbury are scared. I welcome the Government’s funding to protect places of worship, but it does not extend to my local Jewish community, who do not have their own synagogue. What further measures will the Minister consider to ensure… that all faith communities, even those without their own premises, are well protected?
Hansard · 5 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
DB
David Burton-Sampson
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
SM
Shabana Mahmood
Today the powers in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 come into force—no thanks, I might add, to Opposition Members, who voted against them at every opportunity. The Act has given vital new tools to law enforcement agencies, with approaches that have been tried and tested in the countering of terrori…
DB
David Burton-Sampson
In my constituency I have launched the We Love Westcliff campaign, which, as well as promoting greater civic pride, aims to drive down antisocial behaviour such as fly-tipping and drug dealing. What support will the new neighbourhood policing teams provide to help us to achieve that goal?
SM
Shabana Mahmood
I congratulate my hon. Friend on his campaign. Essex police have been allocated £4.5 million, which will fund 74 more neighbourhood police officers in 2025-26. They will provide a visible and engaging police presence, build strong relationships with local communities, and tackle the issues that my hon. Friend has raise…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Home Secretary.
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief5 Jan 2026
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I hugely welcome these changes, which have been met with real relief by the farmers in my constituency, and I am grateful to the farmers who fed in their perspectives to me over the last year and allowed me to pass them on to the Treasury. Can the Minister reassure me and my local farmers… that he will continue to listen and engage with our farming communities in this way, recognising the inherent value of farming, but also the great contribution it makes to the economy and our food security?
Hansard · 5 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
VA
Victoria Atkins
(Urgent Question): To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if she will make a statement on the changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief.
DT
Dan Tomlinson
I thank the shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for asking this question. I wish a happy new year to her and to all Members of the House. The reforms announced in December go further to protect more farms and businesses while maintaining the core principle that more valuable agricultural a…
VA
Victoria Atkins
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this first urgent question of 2026—and what a way to open the new year, with yet another Government U-turn. But where is the Chancellor of the Exchequer? This is her tax and her U-turn, and she should explain why she did not announce this at the Budget. Over the past 14 months, farme…
DT
Dan Tomlinson
The Government announced the change in December because we had continued to listen to the representatives of family businesses and the farming community. I note that the National Farmers’ Union and others have welcomed the change, which will increase the threshold from £1 million to £2.5 million. I think it is the righ…
JD
Jim Dickson
Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer. I was pleased to meet NFU representatives for Dartford and for Kent in late 2024 and January 2025. Following those meetings, I passed on the view to Treasury Ministers that it was right for the Government to close the inheritance tax loophole and s…
Sudan: Humanitarian Situation15 Dec 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I welcome the additional funding and the sanctions that the Minister has updated us on. There is currently a rapid escalation of violence in the Kordofan region, with a repeat of the tactics seen in El Fasher, including siege and sexual violence. What will the Minister do to protect civilians and prevent future atrocities in… the Kordofan region?
Hansard · 15 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
SL
Seamus Logan
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if she will make a statement on UK Government actions on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
CE
Chris Elmore
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this urgent question. The thoughts of the whole House will be with those affected by the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack on Bondi beach yesterday. The Foreign Secretary will address this further at the start of her statement, which follows this UQ. Sudan is experienci…
SL
Seamus Logan
I thank the Minister for his statement and thank the Speaker for granting this urgent question. In fewer than two months, since the RSF captured El Fasher on 26 October , the city has been consumed by a killing spree—a series of appalling international war crimes. We have seen reports of relentless assassinations of in…
CE
Chris Elmore
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his further questions. He is not correct about ODA cuts for Sudan. The Prime Minister has already committed to that funding continuing over the next three years, so it is not correct to say that there will be ODA cuts for Sudan. We continue to support the International Criminal Court’s ac…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I welcome the Government’s sanctioning of senior commanders in the RSF, but the Minister will be aware of the genuine fears about further barbaric escalation in the run-up to Christmas. He rightly talked about the appalling killing of peacekeepers, but in the past couple of days a hospital has been shelled, and there a…
Business of the House4 Dec 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
In Aylesbury, the average waiting time for a driving test at the local test centre is now 19 weeks. One constituent told me about the substantial financial toll, which can run into the thousands of pounds and places an unreasonable burden on families—that is not to mention the stress. I welcome the Government’s action, including… deploying more driving examiners and reducing the ability of bots to book test slots, but driving instructors tell me that the problem is not solved yet. Will the Leader of the House advise me on what more I can do to ensure that we get new drivers on to the roads?
Hansard · 4 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
AC
Alan Campbell
The business for the week commencing 8 December will include: Monday 8 December —Consideration of Lords message to the Employment Rights Bill, followed by consideration of Lords message to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, followed by consideration of Lords message to the Mental Health Bill [Lords]. Tuesday 9 Decem…
JN
Jesse Norman
If I may, I would like to express my personal sorrow at the death of Sir John Stanley this week. The House may not know that he was the first person to reach and to comfort the dying Airey Neave, after Neave had been the victim of a bomb from the Irish National Liberation Army, a spin-off of the IRA. Sir John was also …
AC
Alan Campbell
First of all, I join the shadow Leader of the House in paying tribute to Sir John Stanley, who was a committed and long-standing Member of Parliament and a highly respected Minister. He gave 41 years of continuous service to this House and to his constituents. Let me also congratulate one of our senior Doorkeepers, Pau…
JB
Jonathan Brash
Last week was Parliament Week, and like Members across the House I had the chance to visit some of the brilliant schools in my constituency, to hear from Hartlepool children about the things that matter to them at St Teresa’s, St Peter’s Elwick, West View, and Eldon Grove academy, where pupils showed me their brilliant…
Access to GPs25 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps his Department is taking to improve patient access to GPs.
Hansard · 25 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
AB
Alex Baker
What steps his Department is taking to improve patient access to GPs.
WS
Wes Streeting
I am pleased to report that both access to general practice and patient satisfaction with general practice have improved since Labour came to office. Over 75% of patients find it easy to contact their practice —an improvement of 14 percentage points since the general election. Not only have we recruited an extra 2,500 …
AB
Alex Baker
I am proud to see this Government’s improvements to GP services making a real difference locally, with over 2,000 more GPs hired and new investment already reaching practices like Jenner House surgery in Farnborough. However, many of my older and more vulnerable constituents tell me they are still struggling to get thr…
WS
Wes Streeting
Well, Mr Speaker, you couldn’t script this! We have a doctor in the House—my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley) —whose phone was alive as this very issue was raised by my hon. Friend, such is the commitment of doctors in our NHS to be available to patients wherever and whenever t…
WS
Wes Streeting
I certainly can, and I am sorry that my hon. Friend’s constituent was let down. Everyone who needs a same-day appointment should be able to book one, and that is what we are working towards. As she says, we are recruiting more GPs. We are also investing £102 million to create additional space for appointments, includin…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
The number of qualified GPs in Buckinghamshire has risen by 8% in the last year thanks to this Government’s determination to recruit and retain more GPs. It is a great start, but I still hear from too many people in Aylesbury who cannot get through to their GP surgery or cannot get a quick enough appointment when they …
G20 and Ukraine25 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Prime Minister for his updates on the G20 and, in particular, for his commitment to the Global Fund, which we should be really proud of. I was also very pleased to see Sudan referenced in the joint declaration of the G20 leaders—as the Prime Minister has said, it is the world’s worst… humanitarian crisis, but we are also hearing appalling accounts of war crimes. What more will the Prime Minister now do with global partners to secure a ceasefire, protect civilians and hold the warring parties to account for their crimes?
Hansard · 25 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
KS
Keir Starmer
With permission, I will update the House on my recent international engagements and our work to strengthen the security of our continent and economy, starting with the situation in Ukraine, which is at the forefront of all our minds. Over recent days, I have had detailed discussions with allies; I met our partners in t…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Leader of the Opposition.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement. We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and our support remains unwavering. Ukraine is battling the most flagrant breach of territorial integrity in Europe in recent times. We must never forget that the war was started by Putin, who is tryin…
KS
Keir Starmer
May I start by thanking the right hon. Lady for her support on Ukraine? It is really important that we stay united in this House. I readily acknowledge the role of the previous Government in leading on Ukraine and in bringing the whole House together on this issue, which they did for a number of years. This allowed us …
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Topical Questions20 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
There is great news for train travellers in Aylesbury this week, as the Government have announced that contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing will be rolled out at Aylesbury station from 14 December. Will the Minister join me in encouraging Aylesbury residents to give it a try, and can he assure me that they will get the best-value… ticket when they do?
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
SC
Sarah Coombes
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
HA
Heidi Alexander
I would like to start by placing on record my deep gratitude to the brave railway staff and emergency responders who dealt so heroically with the appalling attack in Huntingdon a few weeks ago. I am relieved that LNER staff member Sam Zitouni is now continuing his recovery at home. I am sure the whole House will want t…
SC
Sarah Coombes
Ghost number plates are a scourge on our roads and must be tackled. Part of the problem is the thousands of rogue traders who are very happy to sell ghost and cloned number plates to criminals with no questions asked. Despite this number plate wild west, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has removed from its regi…
HA
Heidi Alexander
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her dogged campaigning on road safety, and thank her for talking to me about this issue and others when I visited West Bromwich earlier this year. We are determined to tackle illegal ghost plates and will publish our road safety strategy before the end of the year. We are working wit…
WH
Wera Hobhouse
Yesterday, I met Volkswagen. It stressed that to meet our electric vehicle targets the Government must provide long-term support and certainty through to 2030 and beyond, with sensible incentives, a supportive tax framework and more robust infrastructure. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that consumers and…
Warm Home Discount: Fuel Poverty18 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the warm home discount on levels of fuel poverty.
Hansard · 18 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
MF
Mary Foy
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the warm home discount on levels of fuel poverty.
MM
Martin McCluskey
I am proud that this Labour Government are extending the warm home discount to an extra 2.7 million households, taking the total to nearly 6 million. This will make a vital difference to so many families this winter, including an approximate additional 350,000 households in the south-east.
MM
Martin McCluskey
I know that my hon. Friend will be doing all she can to encourage her constituents to sign up for these schemes and to ensure that as many households as possible take advantage of schemes like the warm homes local grant so that their houses are retrofitted and made fit for the future. We want people living in warm and …
MF
Mary Foy
The Government’s extension of the warm home discount to 6 million households to combat fuel poverty was a welcome move. However, the current discount rate of £150 has stalled for a decade, not rising in proportion to energy prices. The average energy debt per person seen by Citizens Advice County Durham is in the regio…
MM
Martin McCluskey
Like my hon. Friend, I am concerned about levels of energy debt, which I also see in my own constituency. Ofgem is continuing work on the debt strategy, which includes a number of measures, and we are looking at the potential introduction of a debt relief scheme. On the warm home discount, we need to balance the needs …
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Buckinghamshire council has received more than £3 million in Government funding through the warm homes local grant to help residents with heating and energy efficiency this winter through things like upgrading insulation or installing smart heating controls. Will the Minister join me in encouraging eligible households …
Gaza and Sudan18 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her work, and for the update on Sudan and Gaza. I was really glad to hear her talk about the west bank, because while we hope that a fragile peace is taking hold in Gaza, the opposite is true on the west bank. Last month, the UN recorded 260… attacks by settlers on Palestinians, including olive farmers. That is the highest rate of settler violence we have seen since the UN started collecting records in 2006. The Foreign Secretary rightly said that the Israeli Government’s response has been completely insufficient, but what more will she do to press them to rein in these deadly, illegal attacks?
Hansard · 18 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
YC
Yvette Cooper
I want to update the House on two of the world’s gravest conflicts—in Gaza and in Sudan—following recent resolutions in the UN and discussions at the G7, and on the action that the UK Government are taking to pursue peace. First, I turn to Gaza. After two years of the most horrendous suffering, the ceasefire agreement …
AR
Andrew Rosindell
I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of her statement. His Majesty’s Opposition welcome the passing of the US-drafted resolution at the United Nations Security Council yesterday. The US has shown consistent leadership on the middle east, and for that we are grateful. Hamas must now release the final three de…
YC
Yvette Cooper
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his response to the issues relating to Gaza and Sudan, and I will take his points in turn. We do not expect the UK to contribute troops to the international stabilisation force, but we are already providing military and civilian deployment into the civil-military co-ordination committee t…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the Chair of the International Development Committee.
SC
Sarah Champion
This morning, Members received a private briefing on Sudan, at which one of the academics stated: “El Fasher is a slaughter house. Our low estimate is 60,000 people have been killed there in the last three weeks.” That would make it the biggest atrocity crime since the 1990s. These are civilians, not soldiers, and this…
Asylum Policy17 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I take great pride in our country’s track record of offering sanctuary to people fleeing conflict and persecution, and I know Afghans, Syrians, Ukrainians and many others who are now settled here and making great contributions to our economy and society in our hospitals, schools and businesses. I therefore welcome the Home Secretary’s commitment to… getting the proposed safe and legal routes working urgently. Will she ensure that the right incentives and support are in place so that people arriving in this way can integrate successfully?
Hansard · 17 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
CN
Caroline Nokes
Before I call the Home Secretary to make her statement, I am sorry that Mr Speaker has once again had to ask me to remind Ministers of the requirement in the Government’s own ministerial code that major new policy announcements should be made in this House in the first instance and not to the media. This afternoon’s st…
SM
Shabana Mahmood
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement about how we restore order and control to our borders. I do so as this Government publish the most significant reform to our migration system in modern times. This country will always offer sanctuary to those fleeing danger, but we must also acknowledge tha…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
I thank the Home Secretary for advance sight of her statement, most of which I read The Sunday Telegraph. I am pleased that she is bringing forward measures to crack down on illegal immigration. It is not enough but it is a start, and a change from her previous position in opposition of a general amnesty for illegal mi…
CN
Caroline Nokes
Order. I was very generous with the time I allowed the Leader of the Opposition. I call the Home Secretary.
Business of the House13 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Today marks the start of Transgender Awareness Week. I express my solidarity with and respect for the trans community in Aylesbury. When I met a local LGBTQ+ group recently, we discussed the urgent need to end the harmful practice of conversion therapy. Labour committed to doing so in our manifesto, so will the Leader of… the House update me on when that matter will be given parliamentary time?
Hansard · 13 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
AC
Alan Campbell
The business for the week commencing 17 November will include: Monday 17 November —Committee of the whole House and remaining stages of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill. Tuesday 18 November —Second Reading of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. Wednesday 19 November —Consideration of Lords amendments …
JN
Jesse Norman
I am sure I speak for many Members when I thank you, Mr Speaker, and the whole of the Speaker’s Office for the work you have put in to make this past week of remembrance so memorable. The gardens of remembrance, the projection of images from the second world war on to the Elizabeth Tower, the wreath laying in Westminst…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Leader of the House.
AC
Alan Campbell
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker—[Interruption.] Mr Speaker, sorry. It is very early in the day. I thank the shadow Leader of the House for his remarks. I join him in thanking you, Mr Speaker, and indeed all House staff, for this week’s work on remembrance events, which provide an opportunity for us, not just as a House bu…
Engagements5 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
In Aylesbury, I have been running a programme called “Your Voice, Your Future” to help young people engage with politics and shape the issues that matter to them. They have sent in ideas for the school curriculum review, advocated for better mental health support and shared their fears about smartphones and social media. Will the… Deputy Prime Minister join me in recognising the contributions and ideas of young people, and what more will he do to ensure that they can meaningfully engage in national policy?
Hansard · 5 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Before we begin, may I extend a warm welcome to the President of the Portuguese Parliament and his delegation, who are in the Gallery today?
CR
Connor Rand
If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 5 November.
DL
David Lammy
My right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister is in Brazil, attending COP30 in Belém and the Earthshot prize ceremony alongside His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The thoughts of the whole House remain with those affected by the appalling scenes we saw in Huntingdon and Peterborough, where I spent seven year…
CR
Connor Rand
May I start by congratulating the Deputy Prime Minister on being the first black person to ever answer Prime Minister’s questions? It is a landmark moment for this place and for our country, and I hope he is proud. My eight-year-old constituent Phoebe is battling cancer. Her parents are fundraising to help with treatme…
DL
David Lammy
It is very kind of my hon. Friend to say those opening remarks. I am conscious that my right hon. Friend the Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) , and indeed the Leader of the Opposition, are both trailblazers who have stood at the Dispatch Box. It is important to recognise the progress that has be…
Conflict in Sudan5 Nov 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What is happening in El Fasher is nothing short of catastrophic. My former colleagues at the International Rescue Committee report that although more than 250,000 people live there, fewer than 5,000 have been able to flee and make it to nearby Tawila, which suggests that many may be dead, or trapped in the city or… along the route. Can the Minister say more about what the Government are able to do to get these civilians out?
Hansard · 5 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
PP
Priti Patel
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government’s approach to the worsening conflict in Sudan.
HF
Hamish Falconer
I am sure the whole House will join me in condemning the shocking violence against civilians in El Fasher. The latest reports, including of 460 civilians being killed in a single attack, are harrowing. This is part of a pattern of appalling violence perpetrated against civilians and is just one element of the suffering…
PP
Priti Patel
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question. The atrocities of recent days, including in El Fasher, are beyond horrifying. The suffering inflicted on the Sudanese people by this war is an affront to humanity. Red lines have been crossed in the prosecution of this conflict that cannot be allowed to stand, e…
HF
Hamish Falconer
I thank the right hon. Lady for that important set of questions. On accountability, we continue to lead the core group in Geneva. We are supporting the fact-finding mechanism of the United Nations, and it is absolutely vital that work on accountability and justice continues. Those at the top of both the RSF and the Sud…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Topical Questions23 Oct 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
At my meet and greet session last week, my constituent Mick also raised that point about the importance of our young people having more opportunities to work and study abroad, including in Europe. I was so pleased by the Government’s announcement of a youth mobility scheme with the EU, but could I ask the Minister… for an update on those plans and how they will benefit my constituents in Aylesbury?
Hansard · 23 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
SD
Shaun Davies
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
DJ
Darren Jones
This is my first appearance at the Dispatch Box as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. In this role, I have been tasked with modernising the state to build a system that will better deliver the public’s priorities and better communicate the changes we are making across the country. Sadly, too many political parties …
SD
Shaun Davies
Transforming Britain’s public services will be a mammoth task, but while the white heat of artificial intelligence and digital technology offer a revolutionary opportunity to improve performance and value for money in healthcare, tax services and everything in between, will the Government seize this opportunity to mode…
DJ
Darren Jones
The answer is absolutely yes. All our constituents know from their experiences at home, whether they are trying to do their banking, do their shopping or book a holiday, that they have the power to do it, when they want to do it, how they want to do it, on their phone, with services delivered in the way they want. That…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Rape Gangs: National Statutory Inquiry21 Oct 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I commend the Minister for her formidable personal leadership on this, and I am proud to sit on these Benches alongside other formidable campaigners, too. The Minister has reiterated that the inquiry must be trauma-informed, and I know from speaking to victims in my constituency just how vital it is that we are cognisant both… of the initial trauma that they have experienced and also of the retraumatising effects of going through the process of seeking justice for themselves and others. Can the Minister set out more about how she will ensure that this trauma-informed approach is woven through the ongoing inquiry?
Hansard · 21 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
CP
Chris Philp
(Urgent Question): To ask the Home Secretary to make a statement on the recent criticism of the statutory inquiry into the rape gang scandal.
JP
Jess Phillips
As stated in my previous statement to the House on 2 September and in my letter to the Home Affairs Committee yesterday, the Government remain resolute in delivering Baroness Casey’s recommendations following her national audit of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. These crimes committed by grooming gangs…
CP
Chris Philp
This scandal arose because young, mainly white girls were systematically gang-raped and it was covered up by those in authority because the perpetrators were mainly of Pakistani origin. It is all the more shocking that when calls for a national inquiry became public in January, the Prime Minister smeared campaigners as…
JP
Jess Phillips
The right hon. Gentleman cannot have listened to my remarks at all if he is suggesting that the Government have silenced anybody. The Government have not handled the process; it has been handled by a grooming gang charity. He cited and named a victim of crime. If the right hon. Gentleman had done anywhere near the leve…
JM
Jim McMahon
Oldham has stepped forward to take on a local inquiry, and it has been waiting to understand what the move to the national inquiry means for its work. The same is true of victims and survivors, whose bravery and strength in the most difficult circumstances have been truly remarkable. What arrangements have been put in …
Business of the House16 Oct 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
At my Whitchurch meet and greet, residents raised serious concerns about dangerous and disruptive heavy goods vehicle traffic on Oving Road. One warned me that soon there will be a nasty accident, yet the route remains unrestricted for HGVs. Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate on the impact of HGV… traffic on our villages? Does he agree that local authorities such as Buckinghamshire council should make full use of their powers to restrict or prohibit HGVs where that is possible?
Hansard · 16 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
JL
John Lamont
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
AC
Alan Campbell
With permission, I shall give the business for the week commencing 20 October , which includes: Monday 20 October —Committee of the whole House and remaining stages of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill. Tuesday 21 October —Committee of the whole House of the Sentencing Bill. Wednesd…
JL
John Lamont
I thank the Leader of the House for the forthcoming business. I want to start by paying tribute to Lord Ming Campbell, a former Member of this place and former leader of the Liberal Democrats. He was a hugely respected parliamentarian, and I know he will be much missed. I would also like to express my deepest sympathie…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. Mr Snell, I thought you were the man who had sent me a letter about going on the Chairmen’s Panel. This is not the way to get a good interview.
JL
John Lamont
How embarrassing for the Labour party. I am sure the Leader of the House is relieved to no longer be the Government Chief Whip, although perhaps he thinks he could have done a better job than his successor at attempting to manage the increasingly rowdy mob lurking behind him. The Labour party conference was also deeply…
Middle East14 Oct 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
We know that humanitarian aid saves lives, rebuilds lives and plays a crucial stabilising role, so I thank the Prime Minister for his emphasis on getting aid into Gaza. It has been heartening to hear from the UN agencies that are now crossing the border for the first time since March, getting in vital supplies… such as cooking gas and medicines. However, some non-governmental organisations, including British NGOs, are still struggling to get the permissions they need to operate, so what more will the Prime Minister do to ensure that these immediate humanitarian relief efforts become a sustained, scaled-up part of Gaza’s recovery, and that our British NGOs can also play their full part?
Hansard · 14 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
KS
Keir Starmer
Before I update the House on the peace process in the middle east and my trade visit to India, I want to put on record my utter condemnation of the vile antisemitic terrorist attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, which killed two Jewish men: Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz. Antisemitism is not a new hatre…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Leader of the Opposition.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
I am grateful to the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement. I remember almost two years ago meeting three mothers whose children had been stolen from them on 7 October and held captive in terror tunnels. They were living a nightmare unimaginable for any parent. Many of us on the Conservative Benches have me…
KS
Keir Starmer
May I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her words about the hostages a moment ago? I know how heartfelt they are. I was surprised and saddened that she spent more time attacking what we actually did to help the process than even mentioning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, without setting out in terms the number of…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the International Development Committee.
Manchester Terrorism Attack13 Oct 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I share the Home Secretary’s condemnation of this terrorist attack. I was pleased to join my Jewish constituents in solidarity at an event to mark Sukkot this weekend. It was particularly touching that we were joined by people of all faiths, including Hindus and Muslims. They were there in solidarity, but also with anxieties of… their own. One Hindu community representative said to me, “This incident makes us nervous that this could happen to us as well.” Does the Home Secretary agree that the Government’s protections must extend to people of all faiths? Can she say more about what she will do to ensure that people of all faiths can meet, celebrate and worship without fear?
Hansard · 13 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
SM
Shabana Mahmood
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement about the terrorist attack on 2 October and the action that the Government are taking in response. Let me start by calling this attack what it was: an evil act of antisemitic terrorism that targeted innocent worshippers on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish ca…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Home Secretary.
CP
Chris Philp
I thank the Home Secretary for advance sight of her statement. At 9.31 am on the morning of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, we saw the sickening terrorist attack on worshippers at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester by an Islamist extremist. The brutal attack left two men dead, Melvin Cravitz and Ad…
SM
Shabana Mahmood
I thank the shadow Home Secretary for his response and for the way in which he made it. I look forward to working with him and with all Members across the House as we deal with what I hope will always be a shared issue and a shared problem. Where there is agreement and consensus in this House on the measures that we sh…
GS
Graham Stringer
I thank the Home Secretary for her statement, and I am sure that the people of Crumpsall, where this atrocity took place, will welcome it. The only point I would add is that while these acts of antisemitism and violence are un-British, they are also inhuman—I think that is a better way to describe them, rather than “un…
Topical Questions16 Sep 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
The formidable team at Aylesbury Women’s Aid report continued severe delays in the charging and prosecution of domestic abuse cases. We are in touch about one survivor who lives in constant fear of her abuser, who turns up at her house and taps on her windows at night, despite a warrant being out for his… arrest. What steps has the Minister taken to ensure that survivors are not left living in fear while they wait for justice?
Hansard · 16 Sep 2025 · parliament.uk
BG
Becky Gittins
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
DL
David Lammy
It is my honour to take my first oral questions as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary. Today, the Government will introduce the Public Office (Accountability) Bill—better known as the Hillsborough law. It will create a new professional and legal duty of candour, placing public servants under a duty to act with hones…
BG
Becky Gittins
I associate myself with the Secretary of State’s passionate remarks. Some 71% of people in the youth justice system have a speech and language need that may impact on their ability to access justice, but only a tiny fraction of those young people have received any speech and language support. How is he working across G…
DL
David Lammy
I remain very concerned, particularly about neurodiversity in young people and how they fare in the criminal justice system. I will look closely at the youth justice system, working closely with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care and of course the Department for Education.
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Justice Secretary.
Suicide Prevention11 Sep 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) on securing this debate. I will focus my contribution on the suicide risks during the perinatal period, which is the period from pregnancy through to the year after a child’s birth. I have spoken in the House before… about the tragic death of my wonderful friend Sophie, who took her own life four years ago, leaving behind her husband and her three little girls aged six, three and just 10 weeks old. I have been feeling the sadness of her death again this week, looking at the photos of her youngest now setting off to primary school for the first time, beaming with pride, and I know Sophie would have been so proud too. I still vividly recall the shock of the moment I learned that she had died when the message came through from her husband. It was only after we lost her that I learned just what a risk there is of suicide in this period of life. One in four people experience some form of post-natal depression or anxiety, which is still poorly recognised as an issue generally, and it is something I campaign on. The vast majority go on to recover, but for some people it is very serious, and for some it is so unbearable that they end their lives. The leading cause of death for women in that period from six weeks to a year after the birth of their child is suicide. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance has delved into the data and found some more alarming details—in particular, the persistent social, economic and racial inequalities in who dies and who survives. Women in the most deprived areas have much higher rates of death. Black women are more than twice as likely to die as white women, and women of Asian and mixed ethnic backgrounds also face elevated risks. With these risks and Sophie’s death in mind, I want to offer three reflections. The first is that we are all vulnerable—each and every one of us. Of the women who die by suicide, nearly half have known mental health proble
Hansard · 11 Sep 2025 · parliament.uk
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call Lee Pitcher, who will speak for around 15 minutes.
LP
Lee Pitcher
I beg to move, That this House has considered suicide prevention. Before I begin, I want to share for the benefit of anyone watching or anyone in this Chamber who may ever need it that help is available: 24/7 crisis mental health support can be accessed by calling NHS 111 and selecting option 2, or by calling the Samar…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
As colleagues can see, over 10 Members are hoping to speak. We need to begin winding up by 4.30 pm, to let the Front Benchers contribute, so unfortunately I will have to set a time limit of four minutes to ensure that everyone can get in. I call Liz Twist, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on suicide and sel…
LT
Liz Twist
I start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) for securing this important debate just one day after World Suicide Prevention Day, and for speaking so movingly about his personal experience. It does not take much scratching below the surface to find out that many …
FM
Frank McNally
I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) for securing this debate and for his incredibly powerful remarks a few moments ago. Suicide is one of the most pressing public health challenges we face. Behind every statistic is a devastated family, a community shaken …
Business of the House4 Sep 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Whether they are about the much needed eastern link road, the rail link to Milton Keynes or the many traffic hotspots, so many of the conversations I have with my residents come back to the same issue of our poor infrastructure and the impact it has on people’s quality of life. The Government’s announcement this… week of £1.4 million of investment into transport funding for Buckinghamshire is therefore hugely welcome, opening up the potential to decrease congestion, improve pedestrian safety and much more. Will the Leader of the House join me in welcoming that funding? Will she urge Buckinghamshire council to use it to give Aylesbury the boost we need?
Hansard · 4 Sep 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 8 September will include: Monday 8 September —Consideration of Lords amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill. Tuesday 9 September —Second Reading of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill. Wednesday 10 September —Remaining stages of the Bus Services (N…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the shadow Leader of the House.
JN
Jesse Norman
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I hope you and everyone in this Chamber had a very good summer break, with just the right proportions of sun, sleep and family. If I may, let me start with a double round of congratulations: first, to the Prime Minister on his 63rd birthday this week, putting him squarely in the prime o…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the Leader of the House.
Topical Questions2 Sep 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
This week, the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution concluding that Israel’s conduct meets the legal definition of genocide, as laid out in the UN convention, noting in particular the killing and injuring of 50,000 Palestinian children. What assessment does the Foreign Secretary make of this resolution, and does he agree that we… must go further to ensure accountability for these crimes and justice for the Palestinian people?
Hansard · 2 Sep 2025 · parliament.uk
AF
Ashley Fox
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
DL
David Lammy
Yesterday I updated the House on the unimaginably bleak situation in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I shared the latest on Iran’s dangerous nuclear programme, and my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary set out Britain’s unwavering support for Ukraine. May I also mention the tragic earthquake in Kuna…
AF
Ashley Fox
The Foreign Secretary wants to pay a huge amount of taxpayers’ money to Mauritius to lease back a military base that we already own. Why is he afraid of holding a vote on this policy?
DL
David Lammy
I know that the hon. Gentleman has not been in Parliament very long, but he will see that there is a Second Reading next week, and of course there will be a vote.
BL
Brian Leishman
For Palestinians, if suffering decades of oppression and apartheid, thousands being killed, and millions confined in an ever-reducing area as their homes are stolen and communities are destroyed was not bad enough, now the American President is devising a plan to carve up what is left of Palestinian territory for prime…
10-Year Health Plan: Perinatal Mental Health22 Jul 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10-year health plan for England on perinatal mental health.
Hansard · 22 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
KS
Karin Smyth
The 10-year health plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country, including for women during the perinatal period. During the year to April 2025, a record 64,805 women accessed maternal mental health services or specialist community perinatal mental health services, such as those at th…
KS
Karin Smyth
I recognise my hon. Friend’s great work in this place to support women on this issue. We recognise that newly qualified midwives are experiencing challenges in gaining that first role. That is partly due to the record number of midwives in post and to better retention rates. NHS England is working with employers, unive…
AE
Alex Easton
In assessing the impact of the 10-year plan on perinatal health for England, can the Minister assure us that the lessons learned will be shared across the rest of the United Kingdom, to enhance care quality and reduce regional disparities, especially in Northern Ireland?
KS
Karin Smyth
The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point about the important need to share the learning across the United Kingdom, and I will make sure that we do indeed make efforts to do that.
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am really grateful to the Minister for her answer and for her focus on this. I would like to ask about midwives, who do incredible work supporting parents and babies, including identifying and supporting women who are facing mental health challenges. We desperately need more of them, yet the Royal College of Midwives…
Topical Questions21 Jul 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last week, I heard from a mum who applied for an EHCP for her son in December and was told it would be ready in June. She has now been informed by Buckinghamshire council that he remains unallocated, with 789 children ahead of him. I am very grateful to the Secretary of State for the… work she is doing to grip and reform the SEND system, but can she talk more about her ambitions to support people caught in the horrible waiting game for EHCPs?
Hansard · 21 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
LA
Lee Anderson
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
BP
Bridget Phillipson
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like first to address last week’s tragic incident in Minehead. I am sure that all Members will join me in offering support and prayers to everyone affected by the Minehead middle school bus crash last Thursday. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go to all those affected at …
LA
Lee Anderson
Last week I visited the Outwood academy school in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, which has gone from double special measures to “good” in just three years under the leadership of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust. Will the Secretary of State please say a big thank you to the trust, and the staff, for helping to turn the school a…
BP
Bridget Phillipson
Like the hon. Gentleman, I welcome the hard work of our teachers, leaders and support staff, and I am always pleased to hear about improvements in standards. This Government are ambitious for every child, and our new regional improvement in standards and excellence teams are working across schools to bring together lea…
AL
Andrew Lewin
It remains a reality that it is possible to take a GCSE in Russian but not in Ukrainian, and I have resolved to do my part to help because I believe that a Ukrainian GCSE should be available to all. As this is a topical question, I bring some encouraging news: I have written to all the exam boards—
Middle East21 Jul 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Najwa Ahmed Fathi Radwan and Mohammed Hassan Yousef Daoud are just two of the tens of thousands of Palestinian children who have been killed in Gaza. Many of their names were read out over the course of 12 hours at a really powerful vigil, which I joined in Aylesbury town centre this weekend. Yet today,… that list of dead children has likely just got longer, with Israel’s assault on Deir al-Balah. Will the Foreign Secretary say to his Israeli counterparts: enough is enough?
Hansard · 21 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the middle east. I will begin with Syria. We have been horrified by the recent violence in the south, including civilian deaths. Clashes between Druze and Bedouin militias have quickly escalated into intense fighting, with involvement from Governme…
RG
Roger Gale
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
PP
Priti Patel
I am grateful to the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement. The violence, loss of life and conflicts that continue in the middle east shock us all. Events in the middle east have a direct impact on our national interests and on people living on our own country, from concerns about family members in the r…
DL
David Lammy
I am grateful to the shadow Foreign Secretary for the tone of her remarks, and I am grateful for the cross-party consensus in the House that this war must come to an end. I note the huge concern that we all feel, not just in the House but in the international community, about the humanitarian suffering that we continue…
RG
Roger Gale
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Business of the House17 Jul 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Martyn Waters to discuss the closure of Cublington’s only and much-loved pub, the Unicorn. Martyn is working hard with the community to buy it and to give it a future, and I have told him that he has my full support. I am grateful to the Leader… of the House for making space to debate and progress our manifesto pledge to introduce a community right to buy. Will she share more about how that will help protect places like the Unicorn pub in Cublington?
Hansard · 17 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give the House the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 21 July includes: Monday 21 July —General debate on the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan. Tuesday 22 July —The Sir David Amess summer adjournment debate. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. The House will rise for the summer recess a…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
Where do we go from there? I call the shadow Leader of the House.
JN
Jesse Norman
I doubt if the Leader of the House has ever given a more popular statement to the House of Commons. More seriously, this is a welcome development as it will give guidance to colleagues and their families, and I am sure it will be widely welcomed across the House, so I thank her for that. I understand that Robert Gibbs,…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
Before the Leader of the House responds, in case I misheard, let me say that the shadow Leader of the House knows we do not accuse colleagues of misleading the House. “Inadvertent” is the language.
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life7 Jul 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I join others in hugely welcoming today’s announcement. I will get straight on the case and urge Buckinghamshire council to prioritise Aylesbury for a Best Start family hub, given that we have the highest levels of deprivation in our county. I have been campaigning for better understanding of and support for maternal mental health. Many… new mums tell me that what they really need in their community is somewhere they can go for advice and company. Does the Secretary of State agree that this should be of real benefit to parents who are struggling with their mental health?
Hansard · 7 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
BP
Bridget Phillipson
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on this Government’s vital work to change our country for good by giving every child the best start in life. The focus today is firmly on our youngest children, but the impact will be much more broader. This Government are building a stronger, fairer societ…
JC
Judith Cummins
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
LT
Laura Trott
When the right hon. Lady was in opposition, she criticised every announcement simply because it came from the Conservatives. Take childcare: she called the hours model that she talked about today “broken”. She said that she would have a new childcare system, and that its creation would be “like the creation of the NHS.…
BP
Bridget Phillipson
Every time I come here to announce the positive changes that a Labour Government are bringing, whether it is free breakfast clubs, school-based nurseries or our “best start in life” strategy, what is the right hon. Lady’s response? The same confected outrage, the same negativity, and the same petty point scoring. She h…
JC
Judith Cummins
Order. I certainly want to listen to what the Secretary of State for Education has to say.
Clause 2 - Elections to the Scottish Parliament4 Jul 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) for bringing forward the Bill, which I rise to support. It seeks not only to modernise our democratic processes but to safeguard the rights of every citizen across the devolved nations of the UK. At its heart, the Bill is about… strengthening participation and ensuring that no one is left without a voice in our democratic institutions. In particular, it seeks to streamline and clarify the mechanisms for absentee voting—by post or by proxy—in the Scottish Parliament and in the Senedd Cymru elections, to align them more effectively with the broader UK framework while respecting the integrity of the devolved powers. The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy, but a right is meaningful only if it can be exercised in practice. Too many voters across Scotland and Wales, especially those in rural areas, students, those with disabilities and military personnel, have faced avoidable barriers to postal or proxy voting. Inconsistent regulations and outdated application processes have led to confusion and delays, and the result is that people are prevented from participating in our democracy. They may be serving overseas or temporarily relocated for work or on caring duties for a loved one—playing a vital part in our society or our economy—yet they are penalised for it by being unable to vote. The Bill’s reforms are sensible and pragmatic and aim to standardise the application procedures for such votes, improving the accessibility and transparency of the system but keeping it inclusive and fair. I am well assured that in doing so, the Bill does not seek to override or diminish the autonomy of the Scottish Parliament or Senedd Cymru, but rather offer a legislative framework that can be adopted in co-operation with them. It should be seen as an opportunity for collaboration—a chance for all corners of the UK to work together to improve the democratic process for every voter. A voter in Aberdee
Hansard · 4 Jul 2025 · parliament.uk
TG
Tracy Gilbert
I beg to move amendment 1, in clause 2, page 4, line 37, at end insert— “(3A) In section 114 (subordinate legislation: particular provisions), in subsection (1), after ‘sections’ insert ‘12B,’”. This enables regulations made under new section 12B of the Scotland Act 1998 (as inserted by clause 2) to be exercised by mod…
JG
John Grady
Does my hon. Friend agree that the UK Government’s focus, under the Secretary of State for Scotland, on working closely with the Scottish Government—where possible, to be pragmatic—is important? It has secured an amendment to the Bill that will be of benefit to the voters in Baillieston in my constituency, who go to th…
TG
Tracy Gilbert
Yes, I agree. There has been support from the Scottish Government and we have been working in co-operation. How the Bill will be implemented by the Scottish Government is a core part of the amendment. Without the amendment, the Bill could still deliver on its purpose. However, the Scottish Government would have to repe…
RA
Rushanara Ali
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) on all her work. She has shown admirable commitment during the passage of the Bill so far, and her commitment to delivering it for the benefit of voters in Scotland is evident. I also take the opportunity to reaffirm that the Bill ha…
TG
Tracy Gilbert
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. With your leave, Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to thank hon. Members across the House for their contributions during the various stages of the Bill’s passage. I also thank the civil servants in the registration and franchise policy team and the Public Bill Office …
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I agree; the education system plays a big part. I thank my hon. Friend for making that point, which brings me to a related point. I recently ran a work experience programme for a fantastic group of 16 to 18-year-olds in Aylesbury, and I asked the students to come up with ideas for what more the Government could do for …
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I do agree. It is exactly that: if we are going to rebuild trust in democracy, that has to start with elections, and with a voting system that people have faith in. We have discussed the urgent need to rebuild engagement and trust in our democracy. That is fundamental, and the Bill, which will make absent voting more u…
Local Bus Services26 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.
Hansard · 26 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
DW
David Williams
What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.
PD
Paul Davies
What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.
CV
Christopher Vince
What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.
MT
Matt Turmaine
What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.
LT
Liz Twist
What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am grateful to the more than 300 residents who took part in my bus survey. Many expressed frustration about Arriva’s decision to cut the X5 service, leaving schoolchildren stranded and people unable to get to work. Fortunately, on this occasion, Red Eagle Buses stepped in, but what happened speaks to the wider issue …
Business of the House26 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
One in four women experience mental health challenges during pregnancy or after birth; in fact, it is the most common complication of pregnancy in the UK. Last month, almost 50 hon. Members of this House pledged their support for improved maternal mental health provision at an event that I hosted with the Maternal Mental Health… Alliance. Will the Leader of the House advise on further opportunities to embed better maternal mental health provision in the Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS?
Hansard · 26 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
I shall. The business for the week commencing 30 June includes: Monday 30 June —Second Reading of the Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill. Tuesday 1 July —Second Reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. Wednesday 2 July —Consideration of Lords message to the Arme…
JN
Jesse Norman
I am afraid to say that the past week has been another horror show for the Government. This is Armed Forces Week, as the House will know. It is a time to celebrate and champion all those who serve and have served in our armed forces, and nowhere more than in my own county of Herefordshire. We must also note that, far f…
JN
Jesse Norman
Ah, okay. I am very sorry to say that the Leader of the House has corrected me. She is, in fact, a union member and therefore fully complicit in the same problem. The Treasury itself is now the only hold-out against union demands. Little wonder the Chancellor has looked so unhappy and out of sorts—and that was before t…
LP
Lucy Powell
May I start by wishing two Deputy Speakers a happy birthday? [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] As the right hon. Gentleman said, this is Armed Forces Week, when we thank and show our support for the men and women who serve, or who have served, in our armed forces over many years. It is nice to see the right hon. Gentleman …
G7 and NATO Summits26 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Prime Minister for his commitment to keeping our country safe and for his effective diplomacy to that end. While our international aid budget is now diminished, it remains my belief that the work we do to prevent and respond to humanitarian crises around the world plays a crucial role in global stability… and security and, in turn, in our own. Can the Prime Minister reaffirm his commitment to that vital role for the UK in the world?
Hansard · 26 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
KS
Keir Starmer
This Labour Government are focused on delivering security for the British people—national security, economic security, and social security. On social security, I recognise that there is a consensus across the House on the urgent need for reform of our welfare system, because the British people deserve protection and di…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Leader of the Opposition.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement. He has evaded Prime Minister’s questions for two weeks, only to come back here to tell us what we already heard on the news. This is a weak statement from a weak Prime Minister, which can be characterised in two words: noises off. In his statement, the Prim…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. You may not wish to hear the Leader of the Opposition, but I do. It does not do anybody good in this Chamber to try to shout down somebody who is speaking.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
Labour Members can shout as much as they like, but we all know the truth. We used to be a strategic player on the global stage, advancing Britain’s interests with confidence, and now we are on the sidelines. Over the last few weeks, historic events unfolded in the middle east, and at every stage Britain has been out of…
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation24 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to help ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to Gaza.
Hansard · 24 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
SO
Simon Opher
What steps he is taking to support the provision of medical aid in Gaza.
GF
Gill Furniss
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
HF
Hamish Falconer
Israel must immediately allow rapid and unhindered aid into Gaza. The Foreign Secretary raised the humanitarian situation with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar on Sunday. We recently announced £4 million of further UK humanitarian support for Gazans, and we will continue to urge Israel to lift restrictions on humanitaria…
SO
Simon Opher
This morning I heard from my medical colleague, Dr Rebecca Inglis, of Healthcare Workers Watch, that a GP in Gaza was killed by Israeli soldiers—shot in the head, Mr Speaker. He is just one of 1,200 healthcare workers who have been murdered by Israeli forces. Countless others have been unlawfully detained and tortured.…
HF
Hamish Falconer
I can confirm that I have raised these issues with my Israeli counterpart. It is appalling that hundreds of healthcare workers have reportedly been killed since the start of the conflict. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to ensure that incidents are investigated transparently and that those responsible are h…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Mussa Abu Darabi is just one of hundreds of Palestinians who have been killed trying to access food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in recent weeks. Fifteen international human rights organisations have now warned that the GHF may face legal consequences for “aiding and abetting, or otherwise being complicit, in …
Middle East23 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I commend the Foreign Secretary for urging calm and restraint at this troubling time. I know that he has been engaging with our European counterparts—notably with France and Germany as the E3—but as the positions of the US and Israel on Iran harden, does he agree that this is the moment when our relationship with… Europe as a collective force for diplomacy and peace will be crucial?
Hansard · 23 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With permission, I will make a statement on the Israel-Iran conflict. Since I last updated the House, the United States has struck three Iranian nuclear sites at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the action was “intentionally limited”. Britain was not involved in the strikes, just…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
PP
Priti Patel
Two weeks ago, the IAEA produced a report that was damning of the Iranian regime. Iran was not co-operating, and was breaching its obligations. It had more than 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, far beyond any level needed for a civilian nuclear programme, and enough material to create at least nine nuclear devices, w…
DL
David Lammy
I am very grateful for the co-operative tone in which the right hon. Lady has made her remarks. Quite rightly, she has a number of questions that I will attempt to answer, but let me begin by saying that, fundamentally, we are in agreement that the regime in Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and all our efforts are…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Business of the House19 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
On Monday evening, two reckless individuals had their vehicles seized in Aylesbury town centre due to antisocial driving. I am really grateful to Thames Valley police, who acted quickly against them, and I am pleased that the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill will give the police stronger powers in this area, removing the requirement to… issue a warning before a vehicle can be seized. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking the Thames Valley police officers for their dedicated work and join me in welcoming this Bill?
Hansard · 19 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the acting shadow Leader of the House.
JM
Joy Morrissey
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 23 June includes: Monday 23 June —General debate on Pride Month. Tuesday 24 June —Estimates day (2nd allotted day). There will be debates on estimates relating to the Department for Education; the Department of Health and Social Care; and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Loc…
JM
Joy Morrissey
I would like to start by congratulating the right hon. Lady. This is the third time I have had the pleasure of responding to her at business questions, and they have proved to be remarkably fruitful encounters. At our first encounter, I asked her to press the Chancellor to U-turn on winter fuel payments. The Leader of …
LP
Lucy Powell
I know the whole House will be following the unfolding events in the middle east carefully and with a great deal of concern. I assure the House that the Government are working with our partners to urge de-escalation and diplomacy, as well as continuing to engage very closely on the situation in Gaza, for aid to get in …
HS2 Reset18 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
The HS2 line runs down the west side of Aylesbury. It will bring no benefits at all to my constituency, yet my residents have suffered years of noise, disruption, flooding, loss of access to the countryside and the destruction of their natural environment as a result of its construction. I am pleased that the Government… are getting a grip on this issue, and I commend the Secretary of State for her honesty and focus, but my constituents will understandably be concerned by the news of further delays and potential further disruption. Can the Secretary of State confirm that she will do everything in her power to hold HS2 and its contractors to account in order to minimise the ongoing disruption for my long-suffering residents?
Hansard · 18 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
HA
Heidi Alexander
With permission, Mr Speaker, I shall make a statement on HS2. As a London councillor over 15 years ago, I remember hearing the then Labour Government’s bold plans for high-speed rail to link our major cities, address the capacity needs of the future and, in the words of then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to join “the h…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
GB
Gareth Bacon
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement and for updating the House on the initial findings of the HS2 reviews. I also thank her for advance notice and a copy of her statement. On the substance of the Secretary of State’s statement, I believe there is a broad consensus in this House on the central point that mi…
HA
Heidi Alexander
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his response, and indeed for the tone with which he made his comments. I was pleased to hear him acknowledge that mistakes had been made on HS2 by the previous Government. I think he described the path as not having been perfect—I would go so far as to say that it has been a shambolic mes…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Transport Committee.
Care in the Community17 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to shift care from hospitals into the community.
Hansard · 17 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
SK
Stephen Kinnock
We are getting the NHS back on its feet and making it fit for the future by shifting care to the community with £889 million more for GPs, 1,700 additional frontline GPs, 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments annually and a 19% uplift to the community pharmacy contract. Looking to the future, our commitment to build…
SK
Stephen Kinnock
It is really good to hear about the fantastic work going on in my hon. Friend’s constituency. We are working with systems to move to a neighbourhood health model by building on existing good practice, particularly around the development of multidisciplinary teams. Aylesbury is an outstanding example of that. Ahead of t…
GS
Graham Stuart
Dental patients with untreated need end up in hospitals. In places like Hedon in my constituency, we have seen more and more dental practices moving away from the NHS. I have a constituent who found it took her three years to get her child their first check-up, and that dental practice has now ceased to look after NHS …
SK
Stephen Kinnock
The right hon. Member is right to point to children’s dental health. After we won the election in July, I looked across my portfolio and it was pretty much a car crash in every aspect, thanks to the incompetence of previous Governments. Perhaps the most shocking statistic of all is that the biggest reason five to nine-…
MW
Michelle Welsh
The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a baby, meaning that those in our community provide families with vital support. Does the Minister agree that we need to invest in more community midwives to ensure that families are properly supported through the whole of pregnancy and after birth?
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am delighted by the Government’s commitment to moving healthcare closer to the community, including through the establishment of neighbourhood health centres. That is exactly what we need in Aylesbury, and I am pleased that all our key healthcare providers, including the NHS trust and several GP practices, are alread…
Child Sexual Exploitation: Casey Report16 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I welcome the clarity and focus on action that the Home Secretary has brought to the House. This morning I spoke to the father of a young woman in my constituency who was the victim of child sexual exploitation. He thinks that this is the right way forward, but his concern, and mine, is for… those victims and survivors whose trauma will be opened up again by the process. As he put it: “When you open Pandora’s box, you’ve got to have the tools to deal with whatever comes out.” Will the Home Secretary say more about the tools that she will put in place to support the survivors at the heart of this issue?
Hansard · 16 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
YC
Yvette Cooper
With permission, I will update the House on the audit the Government commissioned from Baroness Casey on child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs, and on the action we are taking to tackle this vile crime—to put perpetrators behind bars and to provide the innocent victims of those crimes with support and justice. T…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Hopefully the report will be available in the Table Office for those Members who wish to see it. The Home Secretary quite rightly took longer than expected, and I have no problem with that. I say to the Leader of the Opposition, and to the Lib Dems, that it is available to them to do the same.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
I thank the Home Secretary for advance sight of the statement, although when I listened to it, I could not believe my ears. It was as if this was the Government’s plan all along, when we all know it is another U-turn. After months of pressure, the Prime Minister has finally accepted our call for a full, statutory, nati…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. Mr Swallow, I want you to set a good example. This is a very serious statement, and tempers are running high, but I certainly do not want to see you pointing, shouting and bawling in that way.
KB
Kemi Badenoch
Mr Speaker, they can point and shout as much as they like; they know the truth, just as we on the Conservative Benches do. Three times—[Interruption.] I will repeat myself: Labour MPs voted against the reasoned amendment to the children’s Bill; in Committee, they voted against that Bill; and they voted against the Crim…
Support for Small Businesses12 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to support small businesses.
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
JP
Joe Powell
What steps he is taking to support small businesses.
MO
Melanie Onn
What steps he is taking to support small businesses in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency.
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 servi…
GT
Gareth Thomas
I very much enjoyed my visit to my hon. Friend’s constituency and the roundtable we had with some of the fantastic businesses there. I very much hope that Conservative-controlled Buckinghamshire council will finally get its act together and sort out some of the traffic and parking issues she mentioned. We will set out …
JP
Joe Powell
Small businesses on our high streets across my constituency, from Earl’s Court Road to Queensway, Notting Hill Gate and Portobello Road, are fed up of being blighted by candy shops, low-grade souvenir shops, Harry Potter shops and even barbershops, with accusations of VAT and business rates evasion and even links to mo…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
In Aylesbury town centre, we have some fantastic businesses, from Darlington’s to the Rockwood pub and Nafees bakery. They provide an amazing service to the community, but with issues such as traffic, parking and antisocial behaviour, they can struggle to get customers into town and through their doors. I congratulate …
Topical Questions12 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
Since our last oral question time, we have secured three major trade agreements to boost British exports and drive growth across the UK. This Government are delivering trade deals that benefit businesses and put money in workers’ pockets, and are securing deals that other Governments promised, but failed to deliver. We…
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. Yes, I can reaffirm that position. As she says, the Foreign Secretary announced on 20 May that we have suspended negotiations on an upgraded free trade agreement with Israel in response to the egregious actions of the Netanyahu Government in Gaza and the west bank. Of …
HB
Harriett Baldwin
Postmasters who were hit by the Horizon scandal will be concerned to hear Sir Alan Bates describe the compensation process as a “quasi-kangaroo court”. Can the Minister reassure postmasters about the redress that they are due, and reassure taxpayers about the redress that he is seeking from Fujitsu?
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…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. If Ministers do not want Members to get in, please will they say so, because they are taking all the time from Back Benchers, which is really unfair to them? Back Benchers have put forward their names and come here to ask questions, and Ministers are just enjoying themselves too much.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I congratulate the Secretary of State on his excellent work. The Government’s decision to suspend their trade negotiations with the Israeli Government last month was absolutely the right one, but some constituents have been in touch in confusion after trade envoy Ian Austin’s visit still went ahead. Can the Secretary o…
Business of the House12 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I had an extremely harrowing meeting with a mum in my constituency. Her 12-year-old son had been groomed by an artificial intelligence chatbot through character.ai. It is utterly unacceptable that young people are exposed to the risks and harms of AI in this way. The Online Safety Act 2023 is a step in the right… direction, but does the Leader of the House agree that we must do more? Will she make further space to debate this vital issue in this House?
Hansard · 12 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for next week is as follows: Monday 16 June —Motion relating to the House of Commons independent complaints and grievance scheme, followed by a general debate on Windrush Day 2025. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 17 June —Remaining stages of the Crime…
JN
Jesse Norman
As the House will know, we have incoming news of a terrible disaster involving a flight out of Ahmedabad in India. I know that the Leader of the House will want to say a few words, but, from the Conservative Benches—I am sure that I speak for the whole House—let me wish everyone involved and their families the very bes…
LP
Lucy Powell
I start by saying that the thoughts of the whole House and the Government will be with the families of those travelling on flight AI171 from Ahmedabad in India to London Gatwick, which has reportedly crashed. This is an unfolding story, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern to the many f…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
To follow on from what the Leader of the House and the shadow Leader of the House have said, all our prayers and thoughts go to the families of the London-bound aircraft that has crashed. Let us hope there is better news to come on that. I was tempted by the Leader of the House when she talked about the knighthood for …
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories4 Jun 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
The approach of the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation flies in the face of every established principle of humane and effective aid delivery, as has become quickly apparent. The head of the organisation has resigned and at least 42 Palestinians have been killed—killed—for simply trying to feed their starving families. That is an affront to all… of us and to the basic principles of human dignity and respect. Does the Minister agree that there has to be full accountability for these atrocities?
Hansard · 4 Jun 2025 · parliament.uk
HF
Hamish Falconer
We are appalled by repeated reports of mass casualty incidents in which Palestinians have been killed when trying to access aid sites in Gaza. Desperate civilians who have endured 20 months of war should never face the risk of death or injury to simply feed themselves and their families. We call for an immediate and in…
JC
Judith Cummins
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
PP
Priti Patel
I am grateful to the Minister for advance sight of his statement. The scenes emanating from Gaza are harrowing and the suffering is intolerable. The current situation that we are all witnessing simply cannot continue. The level of humanitarian suffering and desperation continues to be unacceptable, as children, women a…
HF
Hamish Falconer
I thank the shadow Foreign Secretary for her important questions. I confirm that we are working closely with our allies, both in the region and beyond, on this devastating situation. I saw colleagues from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the Madrid conference 10 days ago, and I will be continuing my consultatio…
PB
Paula Barker
I thank the Minister for his statement, but we have been here countless times before. Last week, Israel approved 22 further settlements in the west bank. Israeli Defence Minister Katz claimed it was “a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state”. What more evidence do we need to call this exa…
Mental Health Bill [Lords]19 May 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
May I say how humbled I am to follow such powerful and personal contributions from many hon. Members? I welcome these long-overdue reforms of the Mental Health Act. I am extremely proud to be part of a Government who are moving so quickly to ensure that people who experience severe mental illness are given more… autonomy and choice, are always treated with dignity and respect, and are given enhanced rights and support under the Bill. Mental health is a theme of so many of the conversations that I have—and of the support that I try to provide—in my Aylesbury constituency, whether with Fay, Tyler, AJ and Dhwani, the young people who joined my recent work experience programme and devised the fantastic “Breaking the Silence” campaign to improve mental health understanding for young adults; with the residents at Bearbrook Place, which is run by Connection Support and offers supported accommodation for adults facing homelessness, who told me that their mental health challenges contributed to them becoming at risk of homelessness, and that it was their ongoing mental health recovery gave them the most confidence that they could live independently again; or with the people who go along to the fantastic drop-ins provided by the Space charity in St Mary’s church, many of whom experience mental challenges as a result of unexpected life events, health struggles or social isolation. I could go on, but this evening I will focus on how the Bill should improve the experience of pregnant and new mums struggling with severe mental illness. That subject is particularly close to my heart, as I lost one of my best friends, Sophie Middlemiss, to suicide shortly after the birth of her little girl—her third child. I speak to many parents about it, including the fantastic Amy Scullard, who runs the PANDAS perinatal mental health group in Aylesbury. In this period of pregnancy and the year after birth, almost one in four people struggle with their mental health. For many people, their experie
Hansard · 19 May 2025 · parliament.uk
WS
Wes Streeting
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. I want to place on record my thanks to Baroness Merron for her leadership of the Bill’s progress in the House of Lords, and to thank Members on both sides of that House for their contribution to scrutiny of it. I particularly thank Baroness May of Maidenhead for t…
JH
Jeremy Hunt
The Health Secretary will have been briefed by the Minister for Care about the tragic murder of Christopher Laskaris, the son of my constituent Fiona Laskaris, and the lack of a voice for parents, who know their own children extremely well, in very difficult situations like this. Have the Government considered whether …
WS
Wes Streeting
I am extremely grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and I place on record my thanks to Fiona for her campaigning work in circumstances that are completely unimaginable for those who have not walked in her shoes and experienced the kind of grief that she is experiencing. I know that my hon. Friend …
PS
Peter Swallow
My right hon. Friend is touching on ways to strengthen this Bill even further. He will know that the Joint Committee on Human Rights has just this morning published our report on the Bill. We have praised it for all that it will do to address a number of inequalities, but we have picked out one or two areas where it co…
WS
Wes Streeting
I wish I could correct my hon. Friend and say that I have already read in detail the feedback from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, but he is right: I have not yet had a chance to do that. However, I can assure him that I and my hon. Friend the Minister for Care will look at the Committee’s report. We would be very…
Topical Questions14 May 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
Hansard · 14 May 2025 · parliament.uk
PK
Peter Kyle
This Government are harnessing the power of technology to create a smarter, smaller state. My Department is partnering with the Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to understand how AI can save taxpayers’ money and deliver the world-class public services that people deserve. At the sa…
PK
Peter Kyle
I agree with my hon. Friend; excessive smartphone use is detrimental to children, as it is to MPs across the House. I can assure her that I am commissioning evidence on the impact of social media use on children. I am looking particularly closely at the addictive nature of some of the algorithms being deployed, and at …
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
AM
Alan Mak
Labour has cancelled Britain’s new national supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh, damaging our research capability and economic growth. That project was fully funded by the Conservatives, and the university says that it will be a disaster if the cancellation is not reversed, so will the Government reinstate tha…
PK
Peter Kyle
It surprises me that the hon. Gentleman continues down this path. One of the first decisions I had to take after becoming Secretary of State was how we deal with an unfunded commitment for hundreds of millions of pounds where the money never existed—the Treasury had not committed it. Not a single letter had gone to my …
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I met Jess and Hannah from Aston Clinton in my constituency, who are doing brilliant work to encourage parents to delay giving their children smartphones. Responding on Second Reading of the safer phones Bill, the Minister for digital, my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda and Ogmore (Chris Bryant) , agreed that excess…
Gaza: UK Assessment14 May 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
After 70 days of aid being blockaded, we are watching an entirely preventable famine unfold in real time in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli Government’s anti-NGO Bill seeks to restrict the ability of lifesaving humanitarians to operate, and instead militarises aid delivery in violation of international humanitarian law. I thank the Minister for all his efforts… and for his challenge on this point, but will he continue to challenge the Israeli Government on it, and does he agree that there has to be accountability?
Hansard · 14 May 2025 · parliament.uk
AR
Adrian Ramsay
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK’s assessment of the likelihood of genocide in Gaza.
HF
Hamish Falconer
Yesterday, alongside partners, the UK convened a meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the intolerable civilian suffering and humanitarian need in Gaza. As I told the House yesterday, Israel’s denial of aid is appalling. Tonnes of food are currently sitting rotting at the Gaza-Israel border, blocked from re…
AR
Adrian Ramsay
Overnight, the UN’s emergency relief co-ordinator, Tom Fletcher, warned that a genocide was possible in Gaza. One in five people face starvation. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity. In Gaza, Gaza North, Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah, there is a risk of famine. There is one primar…
HF
Hamish Falconer
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for asking those important questions. The testimony of the emergency relief co-ordinator, the very most senior official in the world’s entire humanitarian system, given last night at the UN Security Council meeting that we called with our allies, is clearly incredibly important. I ca…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. May I remind Members not to use the word “you”, because I am not responsible for some of those statements?
Topical Questions12 May 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I have been in touch with a constituent who has a disability and needs help with showering and dressing. She is concerned that, under our proposed reforms, she will not score enough points to continue receiving the daily living portion of PIP. I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement that the Government are reviewing the… PIP assessment, including the descriptors, but can she confirm that cases like that of my constituent will be considered as part of the review?
Hansard · 12 May 2025 · parliament.uk
GS
Greg Smith
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
LK
Liz Kendall
Since our last Question Time, Work and Pensions Ministers and local leaders have launched eight of our 17 Get Britain Working trailblazer programmes across the UK, backed by £240 million of additional investment. These include South Yorkshire’s brilliant plans to get people back to health and back to work; five trailbl…
GS
Greg Smith
One of my constituents is experiencing severe delays in getting Access to Work scheme payments, dating back to February. In correspondence with the Department, a letter openly says there is no long-term solution to that, so when will the Secretary of State come forward with a long-term solution to speed up these paymen…
LK
Liz Kendall
I really thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, and we do actually have a plan right now. It was announced in our Green Paper that we are going to reform Access to Work. It is a brilliant support, with a grant or money to help people with physical aids and adaptations, and other support, to get work and to stay in …
SC
Sam Carling
According to Sense, there are over 2,500 people with complex needs in North West Cambridgeshire, many of whom will never be able to work because of their conditions. Does the Minister agree that dignity for severely disabled people needs to be a priority for the welfare system, and can he update the House on progress t…
Perinatal Mental Health6 May 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to improve perinatal mental health provision.
Hansard · 6 May 2025 · parliament.uk
KS
Karin Smyth
I commend my hon. Friend for her work on such an important topic; I know it is very personal to her. Specialist perinatal and maternity mental health services are available across England, providing vital support to parents before, during and after pregnancy, including increased access to evidence-based psychological t…
KS
Karin Smyth
I absolutely join my hon. Friend in recognising the importance of supporting women’s health throughout pregnancy and into parenthood on Maternal Mental Health Day. We are committed to improving the support available, and it will form an important part of our 10-year plan. We are investing £126 million in family hubs an…
FM
Freddie Van Mierlo
I thank the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Laura Kyrke-Smith) for her question and the Minister for her answer. I am delighted to be forming the all-party parliamentary group for fatherhood. Will the Minister outline the steps that she will take to improve perinatal mental health for fathers?
KS
Karin Smyth
I congratulate the hon. Member on taking forward that work. The Minister responsible will be happy to continue to work with him in any way possible to support that work on this important aspect of parenthood.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Tomorrow is World Maternal Mental Health Day, recognising the particular challenges that some mums face from pregnancy to birth, and after birth. I commend the Secretary of State and his team for their rapid work to get the NHS delivering better for patients again. As they develop the 10-year plan for the NHS, what mea…
Kashmir: Increasing Tension29 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Like many colleagues in this House, I was appalled by the terrorist attack in Kashmir, and my heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones. What really worries me now is the hatred, threats and incitement we have seen online since the attack, which I know are deeply unsettling for many of my… constituents. Does the Minister agree that the incitement of hatred online is completely unacceptable, and can he share what measures the Government are taking to monitor and act against it?
Hansard · 29 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
GJ
Gurinder Josan
(Urgent Question): Will the Minister make a statement on the killing of 26 people in Pahalgam in Kashmir and the increasing tension between India and Pakistan?
HF
Hamish Falconer
The horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April was devastating. [Interruption.]
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. Members must sit down, because the Minister is on his feet replying.
HF
Hamish Falconer
Our thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones and, of course, the people of India. This attack left 26 people dead, most of whom, we understand, were tourists travelling to the region. Following the attack, India has announced a number of diplomatic measures against Pakistan, and Pakistan has reciprocated. The…
GJ
Gurinder Josan
I thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing this question, and I thank the Minister for his statement. I have three further points. First, this is a terrorist attack of the utmost barbarity, and it deserves to be condemned by all. My thoughts are with the families of those killed. The killing took place in a popular tourist …
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Visit29 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
It was a real honour to join the meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa in Parliament yesterday. I welcome the Minister’s hard work in the signing of the MOU. I desperately want peace for Palestinians and for Israelis, and I was touched by Prime Minister Mustafa’s gracious remarks that the way forward has to be peace… for all, dignity for all and justice for all. Does the Minister agree that while we work through the short-term practical considerations of recognising the state of Palestine, we have to keep our eyes on that long-term prize of peace, dignity and justice, and that a state of Palestine is a vital part of that?
Hansard · 29 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
HF
Hamish Falconer
With your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the inward visit of Prime Minister Mustafa. Yesterday, at the invitation of the Government, the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Dr Mohammad Mustafa, visited the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Mustafa was accompanied by Minister of State for Fo…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
PP
Priti Patel
I am grateful to the Minister for advance sight of his statement. The Government’s MOU fails to stand up to credible scrutiny, as it fails to outline in any way how it will help to achieve a meaningful end to the conflict. The MOU says that the PA are the “only legitimate governing entity” across the west bank, East Je…
HF
Hamish Falconer
The shadow Foreign Secretary asked many questions. Let me be clear: the British Government see the Palestinian Authority as a vital partner, and they are a vital partner that must go through reform. The new Prime Minister has shown leadership on that reform agenda and has made progress on a range of issues. The right h…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Child Rape Gangs28 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last week I caught up with SafeStep, a remarkable charity in my constituency that supports victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation and abuse. We discussed the many ways in which trauma remains with victims and survivors, and how important accountability is for them as they rebuild their lives. My constituents who have suffered this… appalling abuse need closure and change. I pay tribute to the Minister for her vital and persistent work to that end, including the establishment of the five local inquiries. Will she give further examples of what areas such as mine can do to ensure that the vile perpetrators are brought to justice?
Hansard · 28 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
CP
Chris Philp
(Urgent Question): To ask the Home Secretary to make a statement on the child rape gangs scandal.
JP
Jess Phillips
The shadow Home Secretary was away when I updated the House on the Government’s response to the independent national inquiry into child sexual abuse, and on the action that we are taking to investigate and tackle child grooming gangs across the country. As I have said many times, people up and down this country are und…
CP
Chris Philp
The whole nation is shocked by the rape gangs scandal. Thousands of young teenage girls were systematically raped over years by men of predominantly Pakistani heritage—girls such as Jane, who was repeatedly gang raped at the age of just 12. The police found her being abused by an illegal immigrant, but instead of arres…
JP
Jess Phillips
I thank the shadow Home Secretary. I do not need to read out the things found in other local inquiries to know, because I speak to the victims. I spoke to some of the victims of grooming gangs this morning, and I will speak to some more tomorrow. I have spoken to them from Oxford, from Birmingham, from Rochdale, from R…
JR
Jake Richards
I genuinely welcome the renewed focus on this issue in this Parliament. In the Home Affairs Committee we have heard evidence from Professor Jay about her report, which made a number of recommendations in November 2022. She then set out her efforts in trying to get the previous Conservative Government to act on any of t…
London Sudan Conference24 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I commend the Foreign Secretary for co-hosting the conference and for giving this situation the political and diplomatic attention that it warrants. The crisis in Sudan is awful. The UN has warned that “never in modern history have so many people faced starvation and famine as in Sudan today”. The UN puts that down to… the deliberate starvation tactics by the RSF and the SAF. Can the Minister outline what further measures the Government are taking to end the deliberate obstruction of food aid by the warring parties?
Hansard · 24 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
DM
David Mundell
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the London Sudan conference.
HF
Hamish Falconer
Co-hosted with the African Union, the EU, France and Germany, the London Sudan conference convened Foreign Ministers, major donors and humanitarian leaders to galvanise co-ordinated international action on the conflict. Discussions focused on ensuring humanitarian access, protecting civilians and supporting a Sudanese-…
DM
David Mundell
I thank Mr Speaker for granting this urgent question. It is so important that we shine a light on this conflict, which is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world at this time. Sudan is experiencing the most extreme hunger crisis. Conflict-related famine, mass displacement, and extreme and sexual violence and killing…
HF
Hamish Falconer
This is a truly tragic sequence of events for the people of Sudan. The right hon. Gentleman has long had an interest and he is right to call me to the House to answer questions. We had hoped that at the conference last week, we would be able to issue a communiqué agreed by all parties. As he identifies, there is a whol…
JC
Judith Cummins
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
Business of the House24 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
The new traffic calming scheme in Bierton has been causing chaos, noise pollution and danger in my constituency. Almost 2,000 people have signed Matthew Grolimund’s petition calling for an urgent review of the chosen layout. Will the Leader of the House join me in urging Buckinghamshire council to plan its road building and roadworks better,… and will she reaffirm this Government’s commitment to improving our road infrastructure?
Hansard · 24 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 28 April includes: Monday 28 April —Second Reading of the Football Governance Bill [Lords]. Tuesday 29 April —Remaining stages of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. Wednesday 30 April —Committee of the whole House and remaining stages of the Sentencing Guidelin…
JN
Jesse Norman
Could there be a local election coming up? I very much hope that you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and everyone here had a perfectly spectacular Easter. I am sure I speak for the whole House in recording my sadness at the death of His Holiness the Pope, who was, in his work and in his life, the embodiment of faith, hope and c…
LP
Lucy Powell
I am sure the thoughts of the whole House will be with Catholics in this country and around the world as they grieve Pope Francis. As the shadow Leader of the House said, Pope Francis embodied the very best of us with his deep faith and commitment to the poorest, the weakest and those dealing with conflict and destitut…
TD
Tan Dhesi
We have been dealing this week with the sad passing of Pope Francis. I was also deeply saddened by the shocking, cowardly and deadly terrorist attack on innocent tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. The victims and their families are very much in my prayers. I sincerely hope that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justi…
Hospitals23 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
It is a pleasure to speak in the debate. The previous Government made off-the-cuff commitments to new hospitals that were never going to be affordable or deliverable; I am really proud to be part of a Labour Government who commit only to what we can afford. We stick to our promises and deliver them. The… rapid progress that we have made towards improving the NHS, reorienting it towards frontline delivery, is a fantastic example of that. Over 3 million more appointments were delivered in the first nine months of this Government—that is well ahead of the target—and over 100,000 people have been treated on time. Those are great statistics, but when I knock on doors and meet residents, I hear about the difference that that has made to them and their families. People are back on their feet, back at work, and back being active parents and grandparents sooner than they could have imagined. This is politics that is delivering for people. It is not the politics of easy answers, but the politics of progress, and of change to people’s lives. I will highlight one change that will be particularly important in my constituency of Aylesbury as we continue the work of transforming the NHS, including through the new hospital programme: the need to better integrate primary and secondary care. There is great potential for savings there, if we think about the secondary and primary care estates in the round. More importantly, that will help bring traditionally hospital based-care closer to the community; it will be better care that has better outcomes for people. As I have said in this place before, we face an acute challenge in Aylesbury with our GP surgeries. We had new housing estates built in a poorly planned way under the previous Government, without the necessary GP services being provided. We also have particularly high levels of deprivation in Aylesbury and the county of Buckinghamshire—it is really marked by inequalities—which contributes to the pressures on our GP services. The
Hansard · 23 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I inform the House that I have selected the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister.
HM
Helen Morgan
I beg to move, That this House regrets the appalling state of repair of NHS hospitals across the country; notes that the NHS maintenance backlog rose to £13.8 billion in 2023-24; further notes the sustained pattern of cannibalising NHS capital budgets to keep day-to-day services running; condemns the previous Governmen…
AS
Andrew Slaughter
I was with the hon. Lady almost up until that point. I congratulate her on opening the debate. It is absolutely true that the new hospital programme did not deliver new hospitals and was unfunded under the Tories. However, it is being funded now under Labour. Money is being invested in my local hospitals, in the Imperi…
HM
Helen Morgan
The hon. Member will be aware that there were not 40 new hospitals—they were not all hospitals and there were not 40 of them. The issue here is that the start dates for work on many hospitals that need urgent rebuilding have been pushed back into the 2030s, long beyond the life of this Parliament. The people who are se…
MF
Mark Ferguson
I wonder if the hon. Member can explain to me how spending £22 billion extra on the national health service this year can in any way be described as procrastination.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am in regular contact with my GPs, and I know that they are really pleased, actually, with the uplift in funding that they have received through the contract, and with what they will be able to deliver with that. As we think about the future of hospital provision, we must think about our healthcare in the round—what …
Israel: Refusal of Entry for UK Parliamentarians7 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I travelled to the west bank in November, and I heard from UN agencies and non-governmental organisations about their international staff being denied entry, restricting their aid efforts. That was alarming enough, but the appalling treatment of our brilliant colleagues is a new low, as it seems that it is not just the support to… Palestinians that is being denied, but the right to scrutinise whether that support is getting through. Does the Minister agree that future access to the Occupied Palestinian Territories for aid and scrutiny must be protected?
Hansard · 7 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
HF
Hamish Falconer
Over the weekend, two Members of this House—my hon. Friends the Members for Earley and Woodley (Yuan Yang) and for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed)—on a parliamentary delegation to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories were detained and refused entry by the authorities. They had both been granted entry cle…
WM
Wendy Morton
I am grateful to the Minister for advance sight of his statement. It is important that we put this all within the context of Britain’s relationship with Israel. Israel is a key security and defence partner for the United Kingdom, and it is the only democracy in the middle east. Its security matters and helps to keep us…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
Order. We have to be able to hear the shadow Minister. I understand that emotions are high. We have to make sure that we temper the debate.
WM
Wendy Morton
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is important and right that we ask some questions. Will the Minister update the House on the UK Government’s latest engagement with key interlocutors on efforts to find a way through the current, extremely difficult moment in the conflict? [Interruption.] There is chuntering from the…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
Order. That is for the Chair to decide. Please continue.
Business of the House3 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last year, there were more than 4,000 incidents of fly-tipping in Buckinghamshire. I have been working with Thames Valley police, who are increasing patrols in affected areas such as Slapton and Ivinghoe Aston, but it is not enough. One resident has told me that it is beyond a joke. Does the Leader of the House… agree that we have to do more to tackle fly-tipping, and will she make time for us to debate introducing tougher sanctions for those who continue to spoil our countryside and our villages in this way?
Hansard · 3 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
BR
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
I have met many leaseholders fighting for fair treatment from housing association freeholders such as Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, Hyde, L&Q, Notting Hill Genesis, Optivo and Peabody, to name a few. They are struggling to secure general repairs, sort issues with damp and mould and get transparency about rising s…
LP
Lucy Powell
The plight of leaseholders is raised with me regularly in these sessions, and I represent many tens of thousands of leaseholders in Manchester Central. The Government are committed to bringing forward a draft leasehold reform Bill. We recently published our commonhold White Paper, and the Minister for Housing and Plann…
JG
John Glen
The Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed this week that the tariffs announced have not been factored into the forecast, nor has the effect of the Employment Rights Bill. I talked to local businesses in Salisbury last Friday at a Budget breakfast, as I have done for the last eight years, and they are very concerne…
LP
Lucy Powell
We have only just had the spring statement last week, and the OBR has forecast that the economy will grow faster than expected over the forecasting period. The right hon. Gentleman might not like our Employment Rights Bill, but I am afraid Government Members stand proud behind it, because we have a firm belief that mak…
JM
Julie Minns
With thoughts turning to Easter, I recommend to Members who might not already have plans a visit to my beautiful constituency of Carlisle and north Cumbria, and in particular RSPB Geltsdale, where they will see the award-winning Howgill Beck restoration project, which just last night won the UK river prize. It is a fan…
UK-US Trade and Tariffs3 Apr 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Secretary of State for his hard work and for his calm and pragmatic approach. In my constituency of Aylesbury, there are almost 5,000 small and medium-sized businesses, several of which export to the US or have been seeking to do so. Will the Secretary of State set out what he is doing… to protect our SMEs in his ongoing negotiations with the Trump Administration?
Hansard · 3 Apr 2025 · parliament.uk
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the United Kingdom’s economic relationship with the United States. The UK has a strong and balanced trading relationship with the US worth £315 billion, which supports 2.5 million jobs across both our countries. This is second only to the EU, wh…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
AG
Andrew Griffith
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. Businesses, workers and their families woke up this morning with greater fear and more uncertainty about their future. Tariffs make us all poorer by pushing up costs, suppressing demand and making the pound in our pocket buy less of the things we need. …
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
I thank the shadow Secretary of State for his response and his tone in responding. I recognise his commitment to free trade and the case he has made for it. I believe it is something we broadly share. He asks for honesty—that is always good in Parliament—but he is a little bit flippant about the position we find oursel…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
Workers at BMW at Cowley are deeply concerned by the recent news. BMW is right that a trade war would have no benefits. The Secretary of State is right to engage calmly with his US counterparts, but what discussions has he had with his EU counterparts, given how integrated our automotive sector is with that of EU count…
PIP Changes: Impact on Carer’s Allowance27 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
It is shocking that one in eight of our young people is not in education, employment or training. I want this to be a country in which all working-age people, including young people, feel that sense of opportunity again. I know how important work is in lifting people out of poverty. I also know that… it is in our DNA as a Labour party to be there for people who are disabled, vulnerable or not able to work. Will the Minister share how that £1 billion-a-year support package will help those who can work get into work? And does he agree that we will always have the backs of those who cannot work, and those who care for them?
Hansard · 27 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
SD
Steve Darling
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will make a statement on the changes to personal independence payments and how that will impact those who receive carer’s allowance.
ST
Stephen Timms
The “Pathways to Work” Green Paper sets out our plan to fix a broken system, providing proper employment support for those who can work, and a strong and sustainable safety net for everybody who needs it. We will change personal independence payments to focus support on those in the greatest need. That change will be i…
SD
Steve Darling
Yesterday saw the biggest cuts to carer’s allowance for decades. Although we need to manage down appropriately the benefits budget, that needs to be done in a way that is caring, compassionate and far from rushed, which is what we saw yesterday. We are looking at approximately 150,000 carers losing allowances under the…
ST
Stephen Timms
I very much agree that this all needs to be done in a managed and compassionate way, which is exactly what we are doing, so I do not agree that it is being rushed. As I have said, the changes will not happen for more than 18 months—they will not take effect until November 2026. They will not affect current recipients o…
DP
David Pinto-Duschinsky
Does my right hon. Friend agree that in order to safeguard the future of the welfare system, we must ensure that it is sustainable?
Business of the House27 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am in touch with many parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities who have to battle too hard with Buckinghamshire council to get their education, health and care plans, their school places and their home-to-school transport. Will the Leader of the House join me in recognising the extraordinary lengths to… which parents have to go to support their SEND kids? Will she continue to ensure that this House prioritises the reforms to the SEND system that are desperately needed?
Hansard · 27 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
I shall. The business for the week commencing 31 March includes: Monday 31 March —Consideration of Lords message on the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, followed by remaining stages of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [Lords]. Tuesday …
JN
Jesse Norman
May I start by thanking the whole House for their wonderful messages of condolence during last week’s business questions? I could not be more grateful. I single out, in particular, the Leader of the House for her very gracious remarks. I turn from fathers to mothers, as this Sunday, of course, is Mother’s Day. The infa…
LP
Lucy Powell
I join the right hon. Gentleman in saying that it was really heartwarming to hear so many tributes paid to his father at last week’s business questions. Such moments show the House at its best, and I thank him for bringing his eulogy to the Floor of the House. I also join him in looking forward to Mothering Sunday—mayb…
DT
Derek Twigg
I refer the Leader of the House to the public office standards Bill, better known as the Hillsborough law, which is how I would like to refer to it. She will know my history in what happened at Hillsborough and, subsequently, with the independent panel report, and the involvement I had in the negotiations between Minis…
Topical Questions26 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
It was inspiring to meet Safran Electrical & Power and tour its site in Pitstone in my constituency earlier this month. Safran is celebrating a world first: it has obtained certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency for the first electric motor to power new air mobility. Will the Secretary of State join me… in congratulating Safran and, given the crucial need to decarbonise aviation, will he assure me of our commitment to innovation in this sector?
Hansard · 26 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
MH
Meg Hillier
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
PK
Peter Kyle
I start by thanking Professor Sullivan for her independent review into sex and gender data. This is an important area, and we have shared the report with Departments as part of our ongoing policy work. After landmark online safety regulations came into force last week, platforms will now have to act to take down illega…
MH
Meg Hillier
The Secretary of State has today referred to space and AI as key drivers of growth. Closer to home, in my constituency and across the country, our creative industries are huge drivers of growth, but there is a battle with AI. If our creators’ content is taken and they are not recompensed, that will damage the economy, …
PK
Peter Kyle
I can assure my hon. Friend that I am speaking to both sectors, and I am determined that both sectors will get fit for the future as we face the opportunities and challenges. We are lucky as a country to have the second largest creative arts sector and the third largest AI market in the world. This is both a benefit an…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
Business of the House20 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Potholes have plagued motorists in Buckinghamshire for too long, damaging cars and making drivers, pedestrians and cyclists less safe. I welcome the Government’s commitment to delivering more than £20 million in funding to Buckinghamshire council to fix those potholes, and I am working hard to get Labour councillors elected on 1 May to ensure that… the investment delivers results. Will my right hon. Friend reaffirm the Government’s commitment to our road infrastructure, and ensure that it keeps getting priority in Parliament?
Hansard · 20 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the business for next week?
LP
Lucy Powell
I shall. The business for the week commencing 24 March includes: Monday 24 March —Second Reading of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Tuesday 25 March —If necessary, consideration of Lords amendments, followed by consideration of Lords amendments to the Non-domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, fo…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the shadow Leader of the House.
JN
Jesse Norman
Thank you very much indeed, Madam Deputy Speaker. I hope that you and the House will excuse me if I start on a very personal note. Almost exactly 24 hours ago, my father, Torquil Norman, died at the age of 91. He was an extraordinary man. He flew Seafires and Sea Furies during his national service in the Fleet Air Arm.…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
Before the Leader of the House responds, I wish to put on the record my condolences to the right hon. Gentleman, and my love and prayers. He and I spent some time together in a Department. He was a top gentleman to work with, and his father will have been very proud.
Conflict in Gaza20 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
In recent weeks, I have heard my constituents express their relief, but also their fear that this exact moment would come. I thank the Foreign Secretary for all the work that he has been doing to secure a lasting peace, and I am glad to hear him speak of the need to send a clear… message to Israel that the resumption of airstrikes is unacceptable, but I worry that this message will be heard only if it is conveyed through both words and actions. Can he reassure my constituents that he is looking at what further actions may be needed, including on sanctions, to get back on the path to peace?
Hansard · 20 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With the permission of the House, I shall make a statement about the conflict in Gaza. In January, I outlined to the House the deal agreed between Israel and Hamas. It was a moment of huge hope and relief. In the weeks that followed, hostages cruelly detained by Hamas were reunited with their families, and aid blocked …
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
PP
Priti Patel
I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement. We all mourned the loss of innocent lives in this appalling conflict. The death of the UN aid worker and the injury to a British national are tragic, and our sympathies and thoughts are with their families. Will the Foreign Secretary provide an update on…
DL
David Lammy
I am grateful to the right hon. Lady, and let me make clear regarding the charity worker who was injured, that of course our ambassador and the Foreign Office are in touch with his family. As she would expect, we have made representations to the Israeli Government, and I will be speaking to the Israeli Foreign Minister…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Business of the House13 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I was delighted to meet my constituent Amy Scullard at the Pebble Brook Community Cafe last week. Amy helps run a peer support group in Aylesbury for parents and parents-to-be who are struggling with their mental health, as so many people do. Amy is an absolute inspiration and I look forward to joining her group… in future. Will the Leader of the House join me in recognising the vital role that such mental health support groups play and will she continue to ensure that mental health gets the attention that it deserves in Parliament?
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
I shall. Monday 17 March —Remaining stages of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (day one). Tuesday 18 March —Remaining stages of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (day two). Wednesday 19 March —Consideration of Lords amendments to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bi…
JN
Jesse Norman
I am sure the whole House will want to join me in recognising and thanking the salvage and nature recovery specialists who are even now scrambling to clear up after the disastrous collision in the North sea. They say a conservative is a socialist who has been mugged by reality. If that is so, we are witnessing the extr…
LP
Lucy Powell
I start by congratulating young carers across the country on their day of action yesterday. I know the whole House will be as hopeful as everybody else in the country about Ukraine, as talks continue this week and over the weekend. I am sure we all welcome the resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing between…
CE
Cat Eccles
I recently met my constituent, Becky, who is profoundly disabled after her mother was given Primodos, a hormone-based pregnancy test that was popular in the ’60s and ’70s and taken by roughly 1.5 million pregnant women. It was directly linked to miscarriages and severe birth defects in a study commissioned by the Unive…
NHS England Update13 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I held a public consultation in my constituency on the future of the NHS. Participants were crystal clear that we need to cut bureaucracy and get resources to the frontline. When they talk about the frontline, they mean not just hospitals but people out in the community, and, crucially for my constituency, GP practices. Will… the Secretary of State share more about how he intends to make that shift?
Hansard · 13 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
WS
Wes Streeting
With permission, I would like to make a statement on the future of NHS England. Since coming into office, this Government have made big strides in fixing our broken NHS. Under the Conservatives, the NHS suffered years of industrial action, costing taxpayers billions and costing patients more than 1 million cancelled op…
DJ
Dr Caroline Johnson
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. It is disappointing, once again, that it was not made to the House first; in recent days, there have been numerous media briefings about this potential restructure. Under new leadership on the Conservative Benches, we believe in a leaner and more effici…
WS
Wes Streeting
I will take the more serious questions from the shadow Minister first. On timeframes, we will work immediately to start bringing teams together, as we have done with the one-team culture we have been building over the past eight months. I want the integration of NHS England into the Department to be complete in two yea…
MH
Meg Hillier
I applaud my right hon. Friend for his leadership and for the reduction in waiting lists, which we so desperately need. We all know that there is still a struggle with budgets in the health service—my excellently run Honiton hospital is facing a deficit for the first time in its history—so can he give more detail about…
WS
Wes Streeting
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the need to improve procurement. One thing that Attlee and Bevan could not have predicted in 1948 is that the single-payer model of the national health service makes it ideally placed for this world of artificial intelligence, genomics, machine learning and big data. We must unl…
Business of the House6 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
In recent weeks I have been contacted by many constituents who are frightened by the decision of Buckinghamshire council to close its housing register temporarily. Does my right hon. Friend agree that people facing homelessness deserve our full support, and that we must address the underlying causes of homelessness, such as the lack of affordable… and social housing? Will she make time for a debate on that issue?
Hansard · 6 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
I shall. The business for the week commencing 10 March includes: Monday 10 March —Second Reading of the Crime and Policing Bill. Tuesday 11 March —Remaining stages of the Employment Rights Bill, day one. Wednesday 12 March —Remaining stages of the Employment Rights Bill, day two. Thursday 13 March —General debate on th…
JN
Jesse Norman
Mr Speaker, may I first associate myself very strongly with your kind remarks about Peter Hipkins and his service to this House? We join all colleagues in celebration of International Women’s Day this Saturday. I am sure the whole House will also share my deep concern at the latest news in relation to Ukraine and will …
LP
Lucy Powell
I join you, Mr Speaker, in passing on our condolences to the family of Peter Hipkins, who gave long service in this House. I also wish peace and blessings to those observing Ramadan and those marking Lent. Today is also World Book Day, a day to celebrate our favourite books and authors—and, I have to say, every working…
MT
Marie Tidball
Flooding has caused heartache for families and communities in my constituency. In order to be protected from extreme flooding, they desperately need Sheffield city council’s excellent proposals for the upper Don flood alleviation scheme, including work on the Clough Dike culvert and Whitley Brook improvements. Despite …
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office5 Mar 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing deeply fragile and unstable conflicts such as Afghanistan into this discussion. Does he agree that aid plays a deeply stabilising role in such conflicts and, as such, contributes to global stability and security and to our own national security? Does he agree that that should be recognised in… the tough choices we have to make on development spending?
Hansard · 5 Mar 2025 · parliament.uk
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the Chair of the International Development Committee.
SC
Sarah Champion
I thank the Backbench Business Committee for selecting this subject for this very timely debate, which is in my name and the name of my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) . I also thank the members of the International Development Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee…
JN
James Naish
I thank my hon. Friend for her work as Chair of the International Development Committee, on which I sit. Earlier today, I had the privilege of meeting representatives from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to hear at first hand about its lifesaving work. Gavi has, of course, played a pivotal role in ensuring that millions of…
SC
Sarah Champion
I thank my hon. Friend and fellow Committee member. As he is well aware, the Committee is doing a value-for-money inquiry, and Gavi is one of the best ways to get value for money by vaccinating children around the world. It is not just that the House wants that commitment to Gavi and all other bodies. Do the British pu…
MC
Marsha de Cordova
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and case against the cut to aid. She knows that the world’s most vulnerable children include disabled children. The Government’s disability inclusion and rights strategy was going a long way towards supporting those children through healthcare, and when it came to social pro…
Topical Questions10 Feb 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
This week is National Apprenticeship Week. I know from my constituents that apprenticeships are a vital and successful route into the workplace. Will the Minister join me in welcoming the 26,000 apprenticeships in the defence sector across the country? Will the Government continue to build the right skills and workforce of the future through apprenticeships?
Hansard · 10 Feb 2025 · parliament.uk
GD
Graeme Downie
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
JH
John Healey
On behalf of us all, I wish our UK team in Canada good luck for the Invictus games. This week, I will have the privilege of chairing the 50-nation Ukraine defence contact group. I will also attend the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, and then the Munich security conference. Mr Speaker, 2025 is the critical year for t…
GD
Graeme Downie
US navy officials have reported increased Russian and Chinese patrols in the High North. Last week, the Danish navy announced plans to acquire three new Arctic patrol ships, and March will see one of the largest Exercise Joint Viking operations in NATO’s history. With these concerns in mind, will the Secretary of State…
JH
John Healey
My hon. Friend is right about the High North. We will continue to maintain a strong defence profile and posture. Both the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be taking part in Exercise Joint Viking.
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill10 Feb 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I draw the attention of the House to my entry in Register of Members’ Financial Interests and the support I receive from the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy project. Members across the House want an immigration system that is well managed. When I speak to my constituents, they tell me that is what they want,… too—grip, control and a Government back in control of our borders. I am so pleased that the Bill seeks to provide exactly that, and not just with slogans, but with solutions. I welcome the establishment of the Border Security Command and the enhanced powers to tackle the criminal gangs that make it possible for people to cross the channel in small boats. Those gangs are exploiting some of the world’s most vulnerable people, and that is unacceptable. I welcome the Bill’s focus on unaccompanied children who enter the country in that way. It is right that we will no longer detain them without time limits, and it is right that local authorities will be supported to make decisions on their accommodation needs. We must not leave those vulnerable children in hotels or in any inappropriate adult accommodation. I cannot tell the House how much I welcome the repeal, in full, of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024. Some £700 million of taxpayer money was wasted on a scheme that was inhumane and never going to work. There are two areas of the Bill that we will need to scrutinise carefully as it moves forward. First, I would like reassurance that we are able to continually review which countries are safe and which are not, based on evidence. That is really important when international events can be so unpredictable and fast-paced, as we have seen with the fall of Assad in Syria, for example. Secondly, we have to be careful to minimise the risk of unintentionally criminalising asylum seekers—people like Ibrahima Bah, a young person from Senegal who was sentenced after steering a dinghy that broke apart next to a fishing vessel, under threat, he claimed
Hansard · 10 Feb 2025 · parliament.uk
JC
Judith Cummins
The reasoned amendment in the name of the Leader of the Opposition, the right hon. Member for North West Essex (Mrs Badenoch) , has been selected.
YC
Yvette Cooper
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. The purpose of the Bill is to strengthen UK border security, which has been weakened and undermined in recent years; to restore order to the immigration and asylum systems, which were left in chaos; and to bring in new counter-terror-style powers for our law enfor…
GR
Gavin Robinson
The Home Secretary may recall that, when she was on the Opposition Benches, I cautioned the then Conservative Government that the actions they were going to take to have a uniform immigration policy throughout the United Kingdom were unsustainable. More particularly, I warned during proceedings on the Illegal Migration…
YC
Yvette Cooper
The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point. I can assure him that our approach is for both immigration and asylum to apply right across the UK, recognising the importance of border security as part of that UK-wide approach. Most people across the UK want strong border security and a properly controlled and manag…
YC
Yvette Cooper
I will give way to the hon. Member, but I inform Members that although I will take many interventions, I must make progress first.
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories6 Feb 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
We have seen a really worrying escalation of violence on the west bank, just at the time when this fragile peace has been found in Gaza. Large parts of Jenin refugee camp have been completely destroyed by Israeli security forces, and thousands have been forcibly displaced. UNRWA services have been interrupted. What measures is the… Minister taking to ensure that Palestinians can live safely and securely in their homes on the west bank?
Hansard · 6 Feb 2025 · parliament.uk
AM
Andy McDonald
(Urgent Question): To ask the Foreign Secretary to make a statement on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this important matter, and for the urgent question being granted. The whole House will be well aware that for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that we must se…
AM
Andy McDonald
I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement. The context in which we approach this question is following 16 months of bloodshed and the deaths of almost 50,000 Palestinians, and a welcome temporary ceasefire. So the remarks of the US President, in conference with the Israeli Prime Minister, that the US will “take ov…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his many points. Of course, he is right to underline the appalling suffering that so many Gazans have experienced over recent months. We also recognise the suffering of the hostages and their families. This has been a truly horrendous time for Gazans, Palestinians and Israelis. The c…
WM
Wendy Morton
The ceasefire remains fragile. There continues to be a long road ahead. We want the agreement to hold, and that means that each and every hostage must be released, in accordance with the terms of phase 1 of the agreement, and the subsequent phases. The videos we have all watched of the released hostages being reunited …
Growing the UK Economy29 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I was very pleased to hear about the ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, which will create great opportunities for my constituents. I was particularly pleased to note the emphasis on infrastructure, including the East-West Rail link, and I would love to see a rail link from Aylesbury to Milton Keynes and on to East… West Rail in due course. Does the Chief Secretary agree that good transport infrastructure of this kind is critical to growing our economy?
Hansard · 29 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
DJ
Darren Jones
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to update the House on the Government’s work to unlock investment and secure economic growth. That is the No. 1 mission of this Government. Without growth, we cannot deliver on the priorities of the British people, cut NHS waiting lists, rebuild our schools or put more pol…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
MS
Mel Stride
The Chief Secretary told us that growth is the No. 1 mission of this Government and added, “Now we must go faster”, which I have to tell him suggests a certain lack of ambition. What we do not need is some hasty mañana moment of unquantified, vague promises of a better tomorrow; we need action now to reverse the grievo…
DJ
Darren Jones
The House is indebted to the shadow Chancellor—Mr Melmentum himself—for his lecture on the need for speed from this Government. Let me tell him that we have done more in the last six or seven months than that lot did in the last 14 years. The shadow Chancellor asked me about our plans to work with business. The comment…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Treasury Committee.
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation28 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am glad to hear of the uplift in funding for Gaza, and I share the Minister’s serious concerns about the effective ban on UNRWA coming into force this week. Of course, 60% of the food that has entered Gaza during the ceasefire has been delivered through UNRWA, which plays a vital lifesaving and stabilising… role in the west bank by providing education to 50,000 Palestinian children, as well as healthcare, clean water and rubbish collection. What reassurances has the Minister had from Israel that if UNRWA can no longer operate, there is a viable and humane alternative way of getting support to the Palestinians?
Hansard · 28 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
AD
Anneliese Dodds
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will update the House on the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and detail our latest efforts to get aid to those in desperate need. This is a fragile ceasefire, but it brings much-needed hope for Israeli and Palestinian people. The agreement to end the fighting and release the hostage…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
PP
Priti Patel
Since the savage terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 , all of us in this House have called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas as the only way of reaching a sustainable end to this abhorrent conflict, and to alleviate the enormous scale of the humanitarian suffering. We now feel both the anxiety and the hope …
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for her support for the approach being taken by the UK Government. I agree with her about the savagery of the 7 October attacks and the suffering that has been undergone by the families of the hostages. I met the brother of Emily Damari when I was in Tel Aviv. It is difficult to fin…
DA
Debbie Abrahams
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. Could she expand on the technical and financial assistance that the UK is providing to the Palestinian Authority? We know that there are tens of thousands of tonnes of unexploded ordnance. What is happening about that? Finally, what interventions have the Government made abou…
Sudan and Eastern DRC28 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his updates, and for his clear and deeply felt commitment to Sudan. It is the largest humanitarian crisis on record, yet both of the warring parties are choking humanitarian access. The SAF have blocked the UN from reaching areas controlled by the RSF, while the RSF is increasingly imposing… bureaucratic obstacles to delay and block aid. What measures is the Foreign Secretary taking to ensure that both of the warring parties and their international backers are allowing vital aid to get in?
Hansard · 28 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the situation in Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latest conflict in Sudan has now lasted 21 months. This weekend, the Rapid Support Forces attacked the last functional hospital in the besieged city of El Fasher, in Darfur. The Wor…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
PP
Priti Patel
I am grateful to the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement and for the way he has spoken about Sudan and the DRC. Both conflicts are truly shocking, and are resulting in an ongoing displacement crisis, with millions of innocent people having to flee their homes. As he has highlighted in his statement and…
DL
David Lammy
I am grateful to the right hon. Lady. Of course, I know that she too draws some heritage from the African continent and so will take these issues very seriously. I also know the work of the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) before coming to office. He did a lot on the humanitarian aid side, particula…
DL
David Lammy
There have been efforts in the past. The US tried to lead efforts, and all regional partners—the Egyptians and the Chadians—want to see those efforts bear fruit. However, the truth is that the people I met are suffering horrendously. When you are at a crossing meeting those fleeing for their lives, you are always aware…
Apprenticeships27 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships.
Hansard · 27 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
IR
Ian Roome
What plans she has for the future of apprenticeships.
JD
Janet Daby
The Government have a mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and we want to rebalance opportunities in favour of young people who have the most to gain from apprenticeships. Where starts have fallen by almost 40%, we are introducing foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the …
JD
Janet Daby
My hon. Friend is a real champion for students at Buckinghamshire colleges, and indeed for young people across Aylesbury. I know the area she represents very well. After the Conservatives left us with a collapsing apprenticeship system and other skills shortages, Labour is listening to employers and redrawing the syste…
IR
Ian Roome
Back in the autumn, the new Government announced plans to reduce the financial support available for level 7 apprenticeships. Does the Secretary of State understand that curtailing higher-level apprenticeships will make it harder to access graduate-level skills and qualifications in rural areas such as North Devon, whe…
JD
Janet Daby
The Government have an extremely challenging fiscal inheritance and tough choices need to be taken on how funding should be prioritised to generate opportunities for all. Employers will still be able to offer and invest in level 7 apprenticeships where they feel they provide a good return on investment. We have taken a…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
We are fortunate to have some great apprenticeship providers in Aylesbury, such as the Buckinghamshire College Group and Buckinghamshire New University. When I joined pupils from the Grange school at their careers fair, I saw at first hand their excitement about the apprenticeship options on offer. We know that apprent…
Middle East16 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement. I have dared to feel some hope that this ceasefire could be the beginning of the end of Israel’s 15 months of pain and suffering since the appalling Hamas attacks, and the end of 15 months in which the entire population of Gaza has wondered day in,… day out whether they will survive another day of bombing. The humanitarian situation is dire. Staff at the Al-Awda hospital, the only partially functioning hospital in the north of Gaza, report that they have been entirely cut off from aid supplies. The long-awaited and so far failed flood of aid is absolutely necessary, but the success of aid efforts must be measured not just by how many trucks get in, essential as that is, but by how many lives are ultimately protected and saved. What urgent measures is the Foreign Secretary taking to ensure that that is the case?
Hansard · 16 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With permission, I will update the House on the deal announced between Israel and Hamas. Last night, US President Biden and Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani confirmed that negotiators had reached an agreement. While we await political approval for the text, the agreement is expected to come into force shortly after midda…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
PP
Priti Patel
All Members recognise the fragile and sensitive nature of the current situation. There is a long road ahead at one of the most important moments for the middle east, which we all hope will usher in a sustainable end to the dreadful conflict in Gaza. It is a conflict that we should never forget was triggered by the horr…
DL
David Lammy
I thank the shadow Foreign Secretary for her remarks and for her tone. Doing this role, one understands the effort that one’s predecessors have put in, so I want to put on the record once again that the right hon. Members for Braintree (Mr Cleverly) and for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) and Lord Cameron, before me, ma…
CN
Caroline Nokes
I call the Chair of the International Development Committee.
Sudan: US Determination of Genocide13 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
As we have heard, the situation for women and girls is particularly severe in Sudan, with reports of gender-based violence surging, including kidnapping, forced marriage, child marriage and intimate partner violence. In fact, the UN has reported a 288% increase in the number of survivors of gender-based violence seeking its case management services. Will the… Minister outline what steps we are taking to ensure that those perpetrating gender-based violence are being held to account?
Hansard · 13 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
AM
Andrew Mitchell
(Urgent Question): To ask the Minister for International Development for a statement following the United States’ determination of genocide in Sudan.
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for bringing this important urgent question to the House, and to you, Mr Speaker, for granting it. The evidence of abhorrent atrocities against civilians in Darfur is mounting. I am appalled by reports from the UN fact-finding mission, including those referring to acts of murde…
AM
Andrew Mitchell
My purpose today is not to criticise the Government but to urge them to do more on what is without doubt the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. I wish not to detain the House on the high politics of the region, but to focus on the unspeakable suffering of the Sudanese civilians, who for almost two years have borne…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his commitment to this issue, which I know is shared by many Members from every party in this House. We are determined to do something about these appalling events, and I am grateful for the passion and determination with which he rightly speaks. The right hon. Gentleman ta…
AM
Alice Macdonald
At this hour, the situation is horrendous, with 6.9 million people at risk of gender-based violence and 75% of children out of school. The US also announced new sanctions when it made the announcement. Will the Government review their sanctions policy, in relation both to the perpetrating networks on the ground and to …
Business of the House9 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last month, I worked with Aylesbury town council to convene some of the businesses that are so central to our community. They raised concerns about antisocial behaviour, and the data backs up those concerns: in the past year, more than 750 incidents were recorded in the constituency. Does the Leader of the House agree that… we must not only tackle this challenge in our town centres but promote positive, respectful behaviour? Will she make space for a debate on this issue?
Hansard · 9 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 13 January includes: Monday 13 January —General debate on hospice and palliative care, followed by a general debate on the impact of food and diet on obesity. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 14 January —Remaining stages of …
JN
Jesse Norman
Madam Deputy Speaker, may I start by wishing you a very happy new year? I hope that all colleagues in the Chamber had a zestful and restful Christmas. I also pay tribute to those members of the House Service who were honoured in the recent honours list. The new year is always a time for new starts and fresh beginnings;…
LP
Lucy Powell
May I, too, wish you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the whole House a very happy new year? I send all our sympathies to the residents of Los Angeles who are being hit by wildfires—the situation unfolding there is very concerning indeed. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate a fellow northerner, Luke Littler, on …
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the Chair of the Defence Committee.
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill8 Jan 2025
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I wish to move away from the distracting, insulting and dangerous politics of some Conservative Members and return to the key principles of the Bill, which will reduce the pervasive inequality in our society. It will drive high standards throughout our education and care systems so that every child can achieve and thrive, no matter… where and into what circumstances they were born. In Aylesbury, 15% of children live in absolute poverty. That reality is sometimes lost in the perception of Buckinghamshire as a wealthy place, which masks significant inequality. I will highlight three ways in which the Bill will make a difference to children and families struggling in my constituency. First, I support the Bill’s commitment to delivering high and rising standards for every child in school by establishing core national standards from which all schools can build and innovate. When I visit schools, I meet children full of hope and ambition and teachers determined to drive that ambition forward. However, budgets are stretched, staff recruitment is tough and standards across the sector are uneven. The Bill contains very welcome measures such as putting more qualified teachers in classrooms, and updating the pay and conditions framework for teachers, including in schools in areas with high levels of deprivation. I have heard great ideas in my constituency about the curriculum and assessment review, including from some brilliant pupils I spoke to at the Grange school. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of that review later this year. Secondly, I am pleased that the Bill will support the many parents and carers who are struggling with the cost of living. Free breakfast clubs will save parents and carers £450 per child, and limiting the number of branded school uniform items will save £50 per child in the back-to-school shop. One Broughton resident told me that seven branded items cost them £280—seven items that their child will grow out of or lose before they knew it. They sai
Hansard · 8 Jan 2025 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
The reasoned amendment in the name of the Leader of the Opposition has been selected.
BP
Bridget Phillipson
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. In the week in which we return to this House and our children return to school, I am proud to be the Secretary of State for Education in a truly child-centred Government. The actions I take and the decisions I make are always in pursuit of what is best for the chi…
GS
Graham Stuart
The Secretary of State has mentioned previous generations of politicians, and all of us in this House must recognise that we follow in the footsteps of giants. Tony Blair, Lord Adonis and others created the academy system that was built on under the last Conservative Government and brought about a transformation of Eng…
BP
Bridget Phillipson
That is simply a mischaracterisation, and the right hon. Gentleman knows it. I will come on to the wider schools measures in this Bill later in my speech, but I note that he had nothing to say in his intervention about the safety of children and the measures we are discussing today. The wrecking amendment that the Lead…
CV
Christopher Vince
The right hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart) mentioned uniformity, but the only uniform measures I can see in the Bill are about saving parents money on uniform bills, which I think we can all welcome. Does the Secretary of State agree that the fragmentation of the school system created by the last…
Winter Preparedness18 Dec 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
It is great to be going into the winter for the first time in four years without doctors being on strike. Last week I visited the new emergency medical receiving unit at Stoke Mandeville hospital, a 21-bed facility to provide quicker care for patients who come in from ambulances and as a result of GP… referrals but require only short admissions. The early results look very promising. Does the Minister agree that we must take these pockets of good practice from across the NHS and ensure that other parts of the NHS learn from and adopt them to help us get through this winter and future winters?
Hansard · 18 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
KS
Karin Smyth
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on winter preparedness. Before I begin, I want to say a very special thank you to all the staff who will be keeping our NHS going over the Christmas holidays and into the new year. When I was a manager in the NHS, I worked on winter planning, so, i…
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
EA
Edward Argar
I am grateful to the Minister for early sight of her statement—as I have said before, it is typically courteous of her. I echo the gratitude that she expressed to those in our NHS, and also those in the social care workforce who will be working hard throughout the festive period. As she alluded to, the NHS is already f…
KS
Karin Smyth
I will do my best to address that range of questions. First, as even a stopped clock is right once—[Interruption.] Yes, twice. On that basis, I agree with the right hon. Gentleman. On correspondence and answers to parliamentary questions, again, the situation we inherited is not satisfactory. I apologise to all Members…
RM
Rachael Maskell
Despite York’s new emergency department, a consultant has described to me the situation in emergency medicine, where patients are waiting for days to be discharged and 50 patients are waiting to be placed on wards. We know we have inherited a broken NHS. Will the Minister say what she is doing first to enable primary c…
Farming and Inheritance Tax4 Dec 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Farmers in my constituency tell me how much they are struggling to see a GP and to get public transport—the buses just are not there. The rural economy has been ruined by 14 years of Conservative Government. Can the Minister reassure us that the necessary actions that we are taking in the Budget will get… our public services working again for our farming and rural communities?
Hansard · 4 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I inform the House that I have selected amendment (a) in the name of the Prime Minister.
VA
Victoria Atkins
I beg to move, That this House regrets that the Government has undone its promises to farmers, and is seeking to punish them with Inheritance Tax bills of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of pounds by cutting Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief; further regrets that the Government has prov…
JS
Jim Shannon
Will the shadow Minister give way?
VA
Victoria Atkins
In a moment. Since the Budget, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers has analysed the family farm tax and applied tax law and the realities of modern-day farming to it. Its analysis has revealed that up to 75,000 individual owners of farming businesses could be affected over the coming generation, even before…
AH
Alison Hume
Will the right hon. Member give way?
Bangladesh: Attacks on Hindu Community2 Dec 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Many constituents in Aylesbury have raised concerns about the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh. They have shown me extremely concerning social media content containing threats to Hindus to leave the country or face extermination. Does the Minister agree that that is unacceptable? Will she outline what representations she has made to the Government of Bangladesh… to ensure that those who incite and perpetrate violence are held to account?
Hansard · 2 Dec 2024 · parliament.uk
BG
Barry Gardiner
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Bangladesh and recent attacks on the Hindu community there.
CW
Catherine West
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the protection of human rights. The UK champions freedom of religion or belief for all; no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are working to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and at other mu…
BG
Barry Gardiner
Thank you for allowing this urgent question, Mr Speaker. Since the fall of the previous Government in August, Bangladesh has seen more than 2,000 incidents of violence, most of which have been targeted against the minority Hindu community. Hindus make up less than 10% of the population of Bangladesh. As my hon. Friend …
CW
Catherine West
My hon. Friend is right to raise these concerns. Our high commission, based in Dhaka, is in detailed discussions with the interim Government of Bangladesh on how to verify and record the number of incidents or attacks against communities, and indeed small businesses, where there have been reports of such attacks, as we…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
Business of the House28 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Tuesday was a proud day for Aylesbury, as Dylan Bachelet reached the final of the “Great British Bake Off”. A former student of Sir Henry Floyd grammar school, aged just 20, he rose to the occasion again and again throughout the series with his dough-lightful creations. Will the Leader of the House join me in… congratulating Dylan and thanking him for inspiring so many young people to achieve their dreams?
Hansard · 28 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 2 December includes: Monday 2 December —General debate on the Grenfell Tower inquiry phase 2 report. Tuesday 3 December —Second Reading of the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill. Wednesday 4 December —Opposition day (4th allotted day). Debate on …
JN
Jesse Norman
I am sure that the whole House will want to join me in wishing a very happy Thanksgiving day to all our American friends and family, and a happy big birthday today to the Clerk: the Joe Root of the parliamentary estate. Huge thanks to him for his stylish and expert first century—half-century, I should say! Mr Speaker, …
LP
Lucy Powell
I join the right hon. Gentleman in congratulating the Clerk of the House on his very special birthday. As someone recently on the other side of that same special birthday—obviously, I know I do not look it—I welcome him to the half-century club, and I hope his party is as good as mine was. We will leave that conversati…
SH
Sarah Hall
This year marked the 51st anniversary of the Summerland disaster on the Isle of Man, in which 50 people, including 11 children, lost their lives after a fire engulfed the Summerland leisure complex. My constituent Valerie Daniels and her younger sister were both impacted by that horrifying tragedy. Two young men from W…
UK Leadership on Sudan28 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I thank the Minister for her updates. Part of the reason that Sudan is becoming not just a devastating conflict but a protracted one is the involvement of state and non-state actors from elsewhere in Africa, the middle east and further afield. Does she consider Sudan to be a foreign policy priority as well as… a humanitarian priority, and what diplomatic actions is the Department taking with the warring parties and their backers to urge de-escalation?
Hansard · 28 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
AD
Anneliese Dodds
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I shall make a statement about the UK’s focus on Sudan during the UK’s presidency of the UN Security Council this month and about the humanitarian emergency in Sudan. Eighteen months into this devastating conflict, the war that began as a power struggle between the Sudanese armed …
WM
Wendy Morton
I thank the Minister for advance sight of her statement. I welcome this statement not least because it provides an opportunity to highlight what is a humanitarian catastrophe. Yesterday, I was fortunate to meet representatives of the World Food Programme. From speaking to them and to others in the sector, I know how cr…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for her remarks and her clear concern about the situation. I hope that a loud and clear message has been sent that there is cross-party concern about what is going on. I was very encouraged by how she described the situation and the need for the UK leadership that we are determined …
JC
Judith Cummins
I call the Chair of the International Development Committee.
SC
Sarah Champion
Yesterday, in the Committee’s session on Sudan, Dr Eva Khair, director of the Sudan Transnational Consortium, made it clear that we should regard this not as a civil war but as a war on civilians, and she is right. Since April 2023, when the war started, 61,000 people have been killed, with 11 million people internally…
Leadership on Climate Change26 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to demonstrate leadership on climate change.
Hansard · 26 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
CC
Chris Curtis
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to demonstrate leadership on climate change.
DL
David Lammy
I was proud to join Ministers across Government to show UK leadership on the climate and nature crisis at COP29. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced our ambitious 2035 emissions reduction target, and I reaffirmed our commitment to the global south through £11.6 billion in climate finance.
CC
Chris Curtis
At COP29, under a Labour Government, the UK reclaimed its position as a global leader on climate action. We recognise now that our security and prosperity hinge on addressing the crisis. Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the progress made on climate finance, while acknowledging that there is much more to d…
DL
David Lammy
It was important that our Prime Minister was the only G7 Prime Minister to attend COP. My hon. Friend will recall that, last year, the Prime Minister at the time did not attend. It is hugely important that we reach the £300 billion for climate finance, which will help the global south get to clean energy. We hope that …
DL
David Lammy
I was very pleased to speak at COP on the issue of forests and to join inspirational indigenous leaders on that subject. That is why we found £3 billion for nature, of which £1.5 billion is dedicated to work on forests.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
The world’s forests are the lungs of the earth, but we are losing them at an alarming rate. An area the size of Azerbaijan, where COP29 was hosted, is destroyed every year. Will the Foreign Secretary explain what the Government are doing to preserve the world’s forests and to support those who protect them?
Violence against Women and Girls25 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls.
Hansard · 25 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
MH
Monica Harding
What steps her Department is taking with police forces to tackle violence against women and girls.
CB
Christopher Bloore
What support she is providing to local organisations to help tackle violence against women and girls.
JP
Jess Phillips
The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable, and the Government will treat it as a national emergency. As part of this mission, we are bringing together Ministers from right across Government so that every Department does its bit, from prevention work in schools through to relentless pur…
JP
Jess Phillips
A massive thank you to Aylesbury Women’s Aid for the amazing work that it is clearly doing. I am afraid that my hon. Friend and victims are exactly right in their assessment. That is why we must have a completely cross-Government approach to ensuring that no matter where a victim stands up, all services take responsibi…
MH
Monica Harding
As the hon. Member for Stourbridge (Cat Eccles) pointed out, coercive control is a criminal offence but it is often overlooked, despite research suggesting that it is the third highest risk factor in domestic homicide. In my surgeries in Esher and Walton, victims have told me that there is not a sufficient understandin…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Charities such as Aylesbury Women’s Aid do brilliant and vital work to support survivors of domestic abuse. However, when these survivors interact with other public-facing services such as emergency or healthcare services, they are not always met with the same level of understanding. What measures is the Minister takin…
Israel-Gaza Conflict: Arrest Warrants25 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I have just returned from the west bank, where I met Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA affairs, and saw UNRWA’s work at first hand. In the west bank alone, that work includes running 97 schools and 43 health centres and providing public services such as clean drinking water and rubbish collection. Does the Minister agree… that there is no viable alternative to UNRWA, and will he do everything in his power to ensure Israel allows its vital operations to continue?
Hansard · 25 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
PP
Priti Patel
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government’s response to the decision taken by the International Criminal Court’s pre-trial chamber I to issue arrest warrants in respect of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
HF
Hamish Falconer
Last Thursday, judges at the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and the reportedly deceased Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, commonly known as Deif, commander-in-chief of the military wing of Hamas. The ICC is the pr…
PP
Priti Patel
The International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for the state of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant will do nothing to help secure the release of those poor hostages, who have been held captive by Hamas for more than a year. It will not help to g…
HF
Hamish Falconer
I welcome the questions from the right hon. Member across the Benches. Utmost in the Government’s mind is the need to bring an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza and to secure the release of the hostages, whose families I have met. She knows that I am familiar with these issues from my previous life. We also need to…
JC
Judith Cummins
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Business of the House14 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Aylesbury Wombles is a fantastic litter-picking charity that works hard to make Aylesbury a greener, cleaner and better place to live. In September alone, it collected 5,749 plastic bottles. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Richard Walker, Abigail Walker and all the Aylesbury Wombles on their remarkable work, and in welcoming… their campaign for a deposit return scheme to reduce plastic waste?
Hansard · 14 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
JN
Jesse Norman
Will the Leader of the House present the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 18 November includes: Monday 18 November —Second Reading of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill. Tuesday 19 November —Consideration of Lords amendments to the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill, followed by a general debate on the infected blood inquiry. Wednesday 20 …
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I call the shadow Leader of the House.
JN
Jesse Norman
Thank you very much indeed, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am sure that the whole House will want to join me in wishing a very happy birthday today to His Majesty the King. The last few days in global politics have been extraordinary, featuring one of the most incredible comebacks of modern times. It was wildly hard to predic…
LP
Lucy Powell
I also wish His Majesty the King a very happy birthday. This is Islamophobia awareness month—a chance for us all to come together to tackle all forms of religious and racial hatred. It is also transgender awareness week, which started yesterday, celebrating our trans heroes. It is a chance to remind ourselves that the …
Small Boat Crossings6 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am pleased to see this Government taking swift action to tackle the small boats crisis, including scrapping the Rwanda scheme, which was not only ludicrously expensive but inhumane and ineffective. Will the Minister confirm that it is possible to manage our borders in a way that is both effective and humane, and that we… will do that?
Hansard · 6 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
CP
Chris Philp
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to make a statement on the recent increase in dangerous, illegal and unnecessary channel crossings by small boat?
AE
Angela Eagle
For too long, smuggling gangs have been undermining our border security and putting lives at risk, which is why the new Government have made it a top priority to address the crisis we inherited. Let us be clear about what that crisis entailed: small boat crossings in the first half of the year at their highest point on…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Leader of the House, Chris Philp.
CP
Chris Philp
Shadow Home Secretary; thank you, Mr Speaker. I am afraid the Government’s actions belie the reality. Since they came to office, 17,520 people have crossed the English channel, more than twice the number they have removed. That is one and a half times the number in the previous four months and 15% more than the same pe…
AE
Angela Eagle
I welcome the right hon. Gentleman —the shadow Home Secretary—to his new Front-Bench position. What a pleasure it is to be opposite him; I am going to look forward to jousting with him over the years. On the Rwanda scheme, during the period from when it began to when we scrapped it, 83,500 people crossed in small boats…
Income Tax (Charge)6 Nov 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I congratulate the Chancellor on delivering the first Labour Budget in 15 years, and on doing so as the first ever female Chancellor. Speaking to residents in and around the Stocklake area of my constituency over the weekend, I was glad to hear positive feedback and optimism following the Budget. Of course we had to… make tough choices, but people get that, and personally I am very proud of the choice we have made to invest in our public services first and foremost and to get them working for people again. There is much to commend in the Budget, and I want to highlight four points. First, the national minimum wage has increased to £12.21 per hour, which has been very well received by my constituents. Over 9,000 people in Buckinghamshire are on the national living wage, and they are all set for a pay rise. Secondly, the core schools budget has increased by £2.3 billion, and £1 billion has been allocated to support children with SEND, which I know cannot come soon enough for my constituents. Thirdly, there is a commitment to infrastructure investment, including the commitment to East West Rail, which I know will unlock growth and opportunity. I will keep pushing for the Aylesbury spur to link up with that. Finally and most importantly, we have made a huge commitment to the NHS in this Budget, including through a £22 billion increase to day-to-day spending and £3.1 billion of capital investment, which will be used to bring waiting lists down, invest in new technology and deliver 40,000 extra appointments every week, including at Stoke Mandeville hospital. I am excited about the budget for mental health, which will be crucial. I am conscious that improving our nation’s health will take time, and that our goals are necessarily long term. I was reminded of that at this morning’s parliamentary launch of the fantastic Health Equals campaign, which highlights the work that we have to do to tackle the social determinants of health inequalities and halve the gap in healthy life
Hansard · 6 Nov 2024 · parliament.uk
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
It is a pleasure to open this final day of the debate on the Chancellor’s growth Budget. Can I welcome the new shadow team? It is lovely to see them in place. I think many of us on this side would admit that we were shadow Ministers for longer than we ideally would have been, and I know that it is a tough and thankless…
KM
Kit Malthouse
The Secretary of State makes much of growth. Of course we all want growth, but the OBR report actually says that growth in real GDP will start to slow over the next three years and that in years four and five of the Parliament it will go negative. It is telling us that the Government’s Budget is actually going to resul…
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
That is not what it says. First, on the figures, we cannot make a like-for-like comparison because we know that the information provided by the previous Government in their financial information was erroneous. They did not square their own spending pledges with what was in those documents. The analysis by the OBR shows…
GS
Graham Stuart
The right hon. Gentleman will, I hope, be aware that the long-term economic growth of this country relies not primarily on public investment or indeed public infrastructure, but on a healthy private sector—the wealth creators from whom we can take the funding to deliver into those goods that he talks about and that are…
JR
Jonathan Reynolds
I am sorry but, again, the right hon. Gentleman is wrong. I agree with part of his assessment, such as that a strong and thriving private sector is crucial to growth, but I find his analysis a little simplistic. Private firms will say that they also need skilled workers, and that they need a decent transport system so …
Sudan29 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am grateful to the Minister for updating us on her work. The violence continues in part because the warring parties have their sponsors in the region, including Iran and the Gulf. What efforts are the Government making to work with those regional sponsors to encourage de-escalation and secure a ceasefire?
Hansard · 29 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
AM
Andrew Mitchell
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Sudan.
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful to the right hon. Member for bringing this urgent question before the House and ensuring that we discuss the appalling situation that we currently see in Sudan. Since conflict erupted between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April last year, Sudan has witnessed one of the world’s …
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
AM
Andrew Mitchell
The war in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian crisis, hunger crisis and displacement crisis in the world, but it has been almost entirely neglected because of the crises in the middle east and Ukraine. In the 18 months since hostilities erupted, tens of thousands have been killed and more than 10 million people …
AD
Anneliese Dodds
The new Government are absolutely determined to not neglect this crisis. The right hon. Member has just used the word “hideous”; that truly is the case. I have spoken with some of those who came back into South Sudan from Sudan, including children—children who had effectively had to fend for themselves for many days, w…
Middle East28 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
On Saturday, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said: “The entire population of North Gaza is at risk of dying.” She also said: “ What Israeli forces are doing in besieged North Gaza cannot be allowed to continue.” Does the Foreign Secretary agree, and what representations has he made to the… Israeli Government to that effect?
Hansard · 28 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the middle east. After over a year of horrifying violence, civilian suffering has increased, the conflict has widened, the risks of a yet wider regional war have risen. Today, I want to address three elements of this crisis and outline the urgent steps that the Go…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
AM
Andrew Mitchell
May I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement, and may I also thank the Foreign Office for its significant help with my visit to Ukraine at the end of last week? Israel’s response to the attack launched by Iran earlier this month has rightly been described as proportionate. Israel has the right t…
DL
David Lammy
I thank the shadow Foreign Secretary for the tone of his remarks and for the cross-party support he gives to the Government in urging restraint and de-escalation in the region. I reassure him that I spoke with Secretary Blinken just two days ago about the context of the day after, as the right hon. Gentleman puts it; a…
MC
Marsha de Cordova
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement, but thousands of my constituents in Battersea want an end to this violence and to Israel’s siege in northern Gaza, not to mention the violence in the west bank. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives, no aid is getting in and hospitals are being targeted. Is it no…
International Engagement28 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
New International Rescue Committee analysis finds that just 16 climate-vulnerable and conflict-affected countries, including Sudan, Myanmar and Syria, represent 43% of all people living in extreme poverty and 79% of all people in humanitarian need. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that we address the underlying causes of fragility and get aid into… those 16 countries with the highest needs?
Hansard · 28 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
AD
Anneliese Dodds
With permission, I will make a statement on the latest action that we are taking to reconnect Britain to the world, for our security and prosperity. Following official visits that have spanned the globe, from South Sudan to Indonesia and the UN General Assembly in New York, in a speech at Chatham House last week I set …
HB
Harriett Baldwin
I have had a chance to read the Minister’s statement while I have been in the Chamber, and I declare an interest as an executive committee member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Assembly UK. This statement really should have been delivered by the Prime Minister. It was he, along with the Foreign Secretary, who travel…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am very grateful to the hon. Lady for her remarks and, above all, for her work with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Indeed, I commend all Members across the House who are engaged with that very important organisation, which brings parliamentarians together. The Prime Minister’s resolution to support the C…
BC
Bambos Charalambous
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. She touched on IDA. IDA needs a minimum of $27 billion from donor countries to help countries at higher risk of debt distress. Can she further elaborate on the discussions she had with international counterparts on IDA replenishment, ahead of IDA21 in early December this year…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this issue. IDA is a critical part of the World Bank’s architecture. It is the fund that is focused on the very poorest countries that are most in need of support, but also those which can grow very quickly when they receive that support economically. It is extremely goo…
Remembrance and Veterans28 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I want to share my deep gratitude for the people who make up the armed forces community in my constituency, including serving troops and service families, the cadets and reservists at the army reserve centre on Oxford Road and, of course, our veterans, of whom we have almost 3,000. Each and every one of them… makes an immense contribution to our country. In Aylesbury and the villages, remembrance is embedded in the community. In the heart of our town, the war memorial in Market Square commemorates 264 soldiers who died in the first world war and 106 soldiers who died in the second world war, as well as Simon J. Cockton, one of the crew of four in an Army helicopter that was shot down by friendly fire over the Falkland Islands in June 1982. Inscribed on the memorial are the prescient words, “Their memory lives for evermore”. Successive generations have lived up to those words and we will, too: we will never forget. Helping to preserve the memory is the Aylesbury branch of the Royal British Legion. I thank everyone for their work, including Philip Turner, Lorna Muir and Brian Morris, who serve as president, chairman and vice-chairman respectively. I attended the Aylesbury branch’s launch of the poppy appeal at Friars Square shopping centre. We watched a moving performance by Aylesbury School of Dance and there was a powerful two-minute silence. It was great to see the poppy selling get under way so quickly. I want to take a moment to recognise the contributions of Commonwealth and other personnel from across the world who have often been overlooked in commemorations, as others have said tonight, but who have played a vital role in protecting and defending the UK and deserve their rightful place in our national story. I welcome the fact that among the wreaths to be laid in Aylesbury on Remembrance Sunday will be a marigold wreath to remember the Indian troops who fought and died in the world wars. Finally, we must remember not just through words, but through deeds. I am
Hansard · 28 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
JH
John Healey
I beg to move, That this House has considered remembrance and the contribution of veterans. This is the first time in four years that the House has held a general debate on remembrance. Back then, I responded for the Opposition. It is a huge honour for me to open this debate as Secretary of State for Defence and, in th…
MF
Mark Francois
During the troubles in Northern Ireland, hundreds of thousands of British servicemen served on Operation Banner. Hundreds were killed and thousands were maimed by both republican and loyalist bombs. I respect the right hon. Gentleman, but how can his Government repeal the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconcili…
JH
John Healey
The legacy Act is without supporters in the communities in Northern Ireland, on any side. That is one of the reasons why it should be repealed. In the process of repeal, we will take fully into account the concerns and position of veterans, who have given such service, as the right hon. Gentleman rightly says, and thei…
JL
Julian Lewis
I am grateful to the Defence Secretary for giving way; he is always very courteous. When I was on a previous iteration of the Defence Committee, we produced an in-depth report on the best way forward after the troubles, called “Drawing a line: Protecting veterans by a Statute of Limitations”. It recommended ending pros…
JH
John Healey
For me, one of the great strengths of the House and Parliament is the work of the all-party Select Committees. The right hon. Gentleman’s Committee, during that time, did the House and the wider cause of peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland a service. We will take those points into account. I do not think that …
Agricultural Land: Protection28 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am so pleased to have the opportunity tonight to share my pride in the rural areas of my constituency of Aylesbury, to share my admiration for those who work on the land and care for it, and to set out how we can enable both our urban and rural communities, and our natural environment… to thrive. I am grateful to the Minister for being present. I bring forward this debate in part to reassure my constituents of my own and my Government’s commitment to protecting our natural environment and safeguarding our agricultural land. This is a subject of debate in my constituency, as this new Government take forward the planning reforms that are so necessary for our future growth. After 14 years of deep turbulence and decline, with damaging consequences for nature and for our communities, I will suggest a better way forward, rooted in clear principles, more predictability and a dose of pragmatism. First, let me turn to how we protect and enhance our natural environment, and give some context relating to my constituency. We are in a beautiful part of the country, which includes the Chiltern hills and historic woodlands and waterways, where 14% of the constituency is designated as green-belt land, but under the previous Government we were subject to extensive house building—more than 13,000 new homes in the past 10 years, and counting—which has led to great pressures on services and infrastructure and also on our natural environment. My constituents understand the urgency of addressing our national housing crisis. The statistics speak for themselves: nearly 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists, including 6,000 in Buckinghamshire, and young people under 30 today are less than half as likely to own a home as young adults in the 1990s. Equally, many of my constituents understand the need for investment in renewable energy, whether it is onshore wind or solar panels, to get us on track for clean, secure and more affordable power by 2030, but they and I are co
Hansard · 28 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
JS
Jim Shannon
May I commend the hon. Lady for bringing forward this matter? She is absolutely right to highlight the issues affecting farmers. She may not be aware that my constituency is one of the few areas of rich agricultural land that can produce three potato crops a year. It is essential that we ensure that farmers can and do …
NG
Nusrat Ghani
Order. It is highly unusual for other Members to contribute to an Adjournment debate, because it is a conversation between the lead Member and the Minister. I believe that you have sought permission, but it is still highly unusual, so I assume that the contribution will be short before the Minister responds.
PB
Polly Billington
Thank you very much for your permission to speak in this debate, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to support the representations from my hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Laura Kyrke-Smith) , because some of the things that she raises are also relevant to my constituency and those across the country. As my hon. Friend …
DZ
Daniel Zeichner
My thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Laura Kyrke-Smith) for securing today’s debate, delivering such an excellent and thoughtful speech and speaking so eloquently about her lovely constituency, and also—like my hon. Friend the Member for East Thanet (Ms Billington) —for teasing out some of the challeng…
TM
Tessa Munt
Would the Minister be keen to meet some of my constituents, who are threatened by the actions of EDF and Hinkley Point C, which wish to create salt marsh on land that is currently farmed in north Somerset? That is causing a huge amount of distress to people locally, including young Sophie Cole, whom I met this weekend …
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I agree that supporting smallholder farmers is absolutely essential. There is too much to say in the time we have available tonight, but I will pull out three particularly important ways to help set up our farmers for success. First and foremost, we have to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of British farmi…
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities24 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Many concerned parents wrote to me at the start of term because they had finally been given a school place for their children with special educational needs but had no transport to get their child to and from school. Will the Minister reassure my constituents that we will take measures to ensure that every child… with special educational needs has a reliable and safe means of getting to and from school?
Hansard · 24 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
MW
Munira Wilson
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
CM
Catherine McKinnell
Every child deserves the opportunity to achieve and thrive, but at the moment far from every child is being given that chance. Today’s report from the National Audit Office is, sadly, bang on the money: the system has totally lost the confidence of families. Families and children with special educational needs are bein…
MW
Munira Wilson
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question. Today’s National Audit Office report confirms what parents, carers, children and young people across the country have been telling us for years: that our system to support those with special educational needs and disabilities is in crisis and on the brink. The l…
CM
Catherine McKinnell
I thank the hon. Lady for raising the issue and bringing it to the House. She is absolutely right to draw attention to the National Audit Office report and its damning indictment of a system that has lost the confidence of families and is failing children with special educational needs and disabilities. She rightly cal…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the Chair of the Select Committee on Education.
Business of the House24 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last week, I joined Rabbi Neil Janes and Father Stuart Owen on a walk through my constituency to mark the Jewish festival of Sukkot, and to thank and raise funds for local organisations that support people in need of all faiths. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on how we can support… and encourage interfaith understanding, dialogue and action, of which this walk was a really powerful example?
Hansard · 24 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
CP
Chris Philp
Will the Leader of the House update the House on the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 28 October includes: Monday 28 October —General debate on remembrance and the contribution of veterans. Tuesday 29 October —Remaining stages of the Great British Energy Bill. Wednesday 30 October —My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver her Budget statement…
CP
Chris Philp
It is rather telling that only one Government Member appears to be excited about the prospect of the Budget next week. They obviously know what is coming. Let me start by congratulating Morgan Edwards on his appointment as director of customer experience and service delivery here in Parliament. He starts his role in De…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. Please, I do not need further comments. I am sure Members are trying to catch my eye, but that is not the best way to do it.
LP
Lucy Powell
I join the shadow Leader of the House in welcoming Morgan Edwards to this place. I am sure he brings great experience from Legoland that can be brought to bear in this Chamber. I send my condolences to the family of Geoff Capes. As a child of the ’80s, I remember what a legend he was, and I believe his shot put record …
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation22 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Hansard · 22 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
DC
Deirdre Costigan
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
WS
Will Stone
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
AD
Anna Dixon
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
ZA
Zubir Ahmed
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
NO
Neil O'Brien
What steps he is taking to help bring humanitarian relief to civilians in Gaza.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I declare an interest as a former board member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. I am delighted to see the British public’s generous response to its appeal. I know that its member agencies are doing everything in their power to get aid to those who need it, but one of those agencies, Islamic Relief, told me yesterd…
Business of the House17 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last week, Buckinghamshire council confirmed the demolition of the Gala Bingo hall, a former live music venue and cinema on Aylesbury High Street. Our town has a proud musical and cultural history and many residents are concerned that not enough effort was made to preserve this historic site. Will the Leader of the House allow… time to debate the importance of recognising and preserving our historical and cultural assets as we regenerate our town centres?
Hansard · 17 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
CP
Chris Philp
Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for next week is as follows: Monday 21 October —Second Reading of the Employment Rights Bill. Tuesday 22 October —Second Reading of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]. Wednesday 23 October —Motion to approve the Infected Blood Compe…
CP
Chris Philp
May I start by paying tribute to Alex Salmond, a substantial figure in our politics and personally always very popular across the House? We will all miss him. We also fondly remember Sir David Amess, whose crest is on the wall opposite me, and who was cruelly murdered three years ago this week. Sir David and his family…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. Shadow Leader of the House, you get five minutes. Please do not take advantage. If you have good points to make, please make them earlier.
LP
Lucy Powell
I join the shadow Leader of the House in paying tribute to Alex Salmond, a great parliamentarian who has sadly passed away. I also pay tribute to the late Sir David Amess, as this week marks three years since his awful murder. We still miss him greatly in this House. I also send condolences to the friends and family of…
Access to Primary Healthcare16 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I hear from many constituents in Aylesbury who are struggling to see their GP. For some, this is a frustration—a repeated one. For others, it is a tragedy. I sat with a constituent who shared a heartbreaking story about a missed cancer diagnosis because it was impossible to get an appointment. The reasons for the… challenges are clear, as the Minister set out. In Aylesbury, two additional factors are creating particular pressures. First, many new housing developments have been built in the last 14 years without the necessary services to accompany them—for example, the promised GP surgery in Kingsbrook that was never built, adding pressure to other surgeries, such as Poplar Grove. Secondly, there are high levels of deprivations in parts of Aylesbury. The well documented link between poverty and ill health leads to patients having increased and complex physical and mental health needs that GP surgeries are not funded or equipped to meet. Let us be clear about the cause of these challenges, which are not the fault of patients, who like all of us are just trying to stay in good health, or of GPs, who often work incredibly long hours in a system that lets them down and wears them down. The problem is the broken system that this Labour Government have inherited after 14 years of Conservative government. Let me turn to the solutions. The early steps that we have taken are a clear signal of our intent: the ending of the junior doctor strikes, the red tape challenge that the Secretary of State launched with NHS England, and the measures that we took within weeks of being elected, including finding £82 million of additional funding to enable the immediate recruitment of 1,000 more GPs. I know from the GPs I am in touch with that that has made a real difference. There is still much work to do. I will highlight three areas of necessary focus. First, we must expand the range of care available in the community. GP surgeries waste time referring patients to hospital-led community s
Hansard · 16 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
NG
Nusrat Ghani
I inform the House that I have selected amendment (a), tabled in the name of the Prime Minister. I call Helen Morgan.
HM
Helen Morgan
I beg to move, That this House regrets that the NHS has been plunged into crisis by years of neglect by the previous Government, leaving far too many people waiting weeks to see a GP or unable to find an NHS dentist, and children and adults waiting months or even years to receive the mental health care they need; belie…
AR
Adrian Ramsay
On pharmacies, a new report from Healthwatch England reveals a worrying picture of pharmacy closures and reduced hours hitting older people and rural communities the hardest. NHS Norfolk and Waveney integrated care board, which covers much of my constituency, has reported the highest number of hours lost per pharmacy. …
HM
Helen Morgan
That is an important point. In my constituency, carers who go to pick up prescription medicines are finding that the pharmacists are not there because they are relying on locums. The pharmacy funding problem needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency, and I will say more about that later. Growing the economy is so im…
TF
Tim Farron
My hon. Friend is making a brilliant introductory speech. Is she aware that perhaps only a third of those leaving medical school and seeking to go into general practice are able to find jobs, partly because the additional roles reimbursement scheme—which does exist—cannot be extended to enable some of those would-be GP…
Warm Homes Plan8 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to introduce his warm homes plan.
Hansard · 8 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
JM
Joe Morris
What steps he is taking to introduce his warm homes plan.
RH
Rupa Huq
What steps he is taking to introduce his warm homes plan.
MF
Miatta Fahnbulleh
We are running to deliver our warm homes plan, which will upgrade homes across the country to make them warmer and cheaper to run. We will set out the full plan in the spring, but at the heart of it will be an offer of grants and low-interest loans to support families to invest in insulation, low-carbon heating and hom…
JM
Joe Morris
I thank the Minister for her answer and for her commitment to the warm homes plan. I congratulate her on the announcement over the conference recess to end the scandal of cold, draughty homes in the rental sector, which particularly affects people in my constituency in towns such as Haltwhistle, Throckley, Newburn, Hex…
MF
Miatta Fahnbulleh
I agree. One in four households in the private rented sector is in fuel poverty. We need to bear down on bills. Our commitment to improve and boost minimum energy efficiency standards will lift 1 million renters out of fuel poverty. We are determined to do this alongside our bigger package to deliver clean power by 203…
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
People across my constituency are worried about how they will afford to heat their homes this winter. I was shocked to hear the former Energy Minister, now shadow Minister, admit that his Government should have gone “further and faster” on insulating homes, which will certainly help. Does the Minister agree that this i…
VAT: Independent Schools8 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Last week I had a meeting with a group of incredibly dedicated and determined women in my constituency, all of whom have children with special educational needs. We discussed the broken SEND system and what it will take to fix it. I would like to share their top three points. First, the women said that… when they chase for an assessment, diagnosis or school place, they are made to feel as if they and their children are a problem, when all they are doing is trying to ensure that their children get the same support and acceptance as any other child. One lady said she was treated like a criminal. This mentality towards SEND children and their parents has to change. Secondly, these parents want their children to be able to go to their local state schools, in their community, but they feel that schools have a very limited understanding of their children’s complex needs, let alone an ability to manage them. One mum told me about her child being excluded from school because their complex needs were treated like a behavioural problem. However, I know, for their part, that schools do not have enough staff or training to cope. Thirdly, these mums are sick and tired of the lack of accountability in the system. Schools are not being held to account for the way they manage and incorporate SEND children into school; local authorities are not being held to account for their services; and home-to-school transport providers are not being held to account for how they look after the children. The fact is that the support system for children with special educational needs and disabilities is broken. The answer lies in both funding and reform of the system. We have to make tough choices on where to find that funding—tough choices that the previous Government ducked. Rather than political point scoring, we owe it to all the SEND children and their parents, carers and teachers to work together and do everything in our power to fix this system as quickly as possible.
Hansard · 8 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
DH
Damian Hinds
I beg to move, That this House regrets that the Government has decided to impose VAT on independent school fees; believes that educational provision should not be taxed; regrets that the Government is rushing to implement this change part-way through an academic year; calls on the Government to exempt from the VAT char…
DH
Damian Hinds
I am spoilt for choice. I give way to my right hon. Friend.
GS
Graham Stuart
During the election, in the Monks Walk pub, I met a constituent who has stayed in his small home and has one car for the family, because they decided their bullied daughter needed to go to another school. They have sacrificed, with the support of wider family, so that that child with special educational needs can go to…
DH
Damian Hinds
My right hon. Friend is right to identify that many parents make great personal financial sacrifices to do what they believe is best for their children. Some parents whose children go to independent school are rich, and some are definitely not. I include in that latter bracket most of the parents sending their children…
JS
Jim Shannon
The shadow Minister has rightly underlined the issue for those who send their children to faith schools or independent schools. Many constituents in Strangford have told me that they have saved and persevered, have not been on holidays, have not bought a second car, or have even continued to use their old car longer th…
British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations7 Oct 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
When the former Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for Braintree (Mr Cleverly) , was leading negotiations with Mauritius, he said: “Our primary objective is to ensure the continued effective operation of our defence facility on Diego Garcia.”—[Official Report, 13 June 2023 ; Vol. 734, c. 151.] This Government have now delivered that. On that… basis, should the Conservatives not be welcoming the agreement?
Hansard · 7 Oct 2024 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Before we come to the next statement, I remind the Government that I understand, and the whole House understands, that the business of the Government continues during recess and that Ministers will always need to respond to events in the UK and around the world. However, it is frustrating for hon. Members on both sides…
DL
David Lammy
Mr Speaker, I am very grateful for your instructions at the beginning of this statement. With permission, I will make a statement on the conclusion of negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory. [Interruption.]
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. I have done the bidding. I do not need others to come in on the back of it.
DL
David Lammy
On Thursday 3 October , my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister and Mauritian Prime Minister Jugnauth made an historic announcement: after two years of negotiations and decades of disagreement, the United Kingdom and Mauritius have reached a political agreement on the future of the British Indian Ocean Terr…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. You will all be able to question the Secretary of State, so please just wait for that moment.
Business of the House5 Sep 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
My constituency has experienced extensive house building in the past decade. My constituents are very understanding of the need for new homes, but their patience has been tested again this week by horrible traffic—the result of the previous Government’s haphazard approach to house building. Will the Leader of the House allow a debate on our… future house building plans to ensure that they are accompanied by the necessary infrastructure and services?
Hansard · 5 Sep 2024 · parliament.uk
CP
Chris Philp
May I take this opportunity, Madam Deputy Speaker, to congratulate you on your elevation to the Chair and to welcome you to your place? Will the Leader of the House give us the business for next week?
LP
Lucy Powell
The business for the week commencing 9 September is as follows: Monday 9 September —Consideration of a motion to approve the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2024, followed by consideration of a motion to approve the Syria (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2024, followed …
CP
Chris Philp
A warm welcome back to everyone following the summer recess. I thank the Leader of the House for setting out those recess dates. That will make her popular with everybody across the House. She has just saved me from booking a flight that I would have had to cancel, so I am personally very grateful to her. I also thank …
LP
Lucy Powell
I, too, welcome everybody back for the new term. I knew that my announcing the recess dates would be the big news of this morning. I am pleased to be able to help everybody with their family and holiday arrangements. I thank the House staff who have worked away to ensure that many new colleagues now have their own offi…
KT
Karl Turner
I welcome my right hon. Friend to the Dispatch Box and congratulate her on the wonderful job she is doing in government. I am very concerned that Post Office Ltd plans to close the post office counter in Morrisons on Holderness Road in east Hull. Many constituents have contacted me, and a petition on the subject has ga…
Sudan3 Sep 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for dedicating time to this crisis. Given the challenges of getting international aid into Sudan, the humanitarian response is very dependent on local community-led emergency response routes. What measures are the Government taking to ensure that funding reaches frontline responders?
Hansard · 3 Sep 2024 · parliament.uk
HB
Harriett Baldwin
(Urgent Question): To ask the Foreign Secretary if he will make a statement on the humanitarian and political situation in Sudan.
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I would like first to welcome the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Dame Harriett Baldwin) to her place. She is a former Africa Minister, so I know she is deeply concerned about these issues. I am grateful for the fact that this urgent question has been granted; the situation could not be more urgent. Last month, I …
HB
Harriett Baldwin
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question. Yesterday, Parliament spent time on two terrible conflicts—that in Ukraine, and that in the middle east—but we must not allow this Parliament to forget about the increasingly dreadful situation in Sudan. I welcome the right hon. Minister for Development to her p…
AD
Anneliese Dodds
I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s commitment to the issue, and for her incredibly important questions. She gave the figures for those who have been displaced; indeed, Sudan is the world’s largest displacement crisis in absolute terms. Of course, some of those individuals have been displaced before. When I was in South …
DC
Dan Carden
This is one of the world’s worst conflicts and humanitarian disasters, but sadly it receives so little of our attention, so I welcome the urgent question and the Minister’s response. I praise the efforts of the British embassy in exile in Addis. It is clear that we need a long-term strategy to end the fighting and begi…
Middle East Update2 Sep 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s decision to suspend certain arms sales to Israel. I also appreciate his acknowledgment that Israel could do much more to allow aid to reach people in Gaza. What further conversations has he had with the Israeli Government to ask them to ensure that aid workers can do their vital work… safely and effectively, and that aid can get to those who desperately need it?
Hansard · 2 Sep 2024 · parliament.uk
DL
David Lammy
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the middle east. On taking office in July, I told the House that this Government’s priority in the region will be to advance the cause of peace. That continues to be our mission on every front: in Israel, in the west bank, in Lebanon, in the Red sea and, of course…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.
AM
Andrew Mitchell
I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement. Over the weekend, we were once again reminded of the tragic human toll of this conflict, with Israel recovering the bodies of six more innocent hostages murdered by Hamas. The only way this conflict will be brought to an end, and for the suffering to end…
DL
David Lammy
I am grateful to the shadow Foreign Secretary for the tone of his response. He will know as well as anyone that these are complex and sober questions, and it is right that the House can debate them in the appropriate tone and spirit this afternoon. I recall that Lord Cameron said that he was concerned that Israel had v…
DB
Dawn Butler
I thank the Secretary of State for his important statement. I agree with the shadow Secretary of State that it is clear that Hamas have no humanity and no shame. Some have said that there is only a pause to vaccinate children because polio may spread beyond Gaza. With so many children killed in this war, I understand w…
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation30 Jul 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Hansard · 30 Jul 2024 · parliament.uk
GM
Gordon McKee
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
RB
Richard Burgon
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
DC
Deirdre Costigan
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
BC
Bambos Charalambous
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
RC
Ruth Cadbury
What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
My constituents are appalled by the death and destruction in Gaza. They know, as we do, that only an immediate, permanent ceasefire in exchange for the return of the hostages will put an end to this unacceptable and unbearable suffering. In the meantime, despite the Israeli Government’s promise to flood Gaza with aid, …
Asylum Claims Backlog29 Jul 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
What steps her Department is taking to clear the asylum backlog.
Hansard · 29 Jul 2024 · parliament.uk
VS
Vikki Slade
What steps she is taking to tackle the asylum backlog.
AE
Angela Eagle
After 14 years of Conservative chaos, we inherited an asylum system that not only does not work but costs billions of pounds. We are determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. Additional caseworkers will be used to clear the backlog of claims and appeals while prope…
AE
Angela Eagle
The Government are aware of the need for a smooth transition between asylum accommodation and other accommodation for those asylum seekers who are granted leave to remain. We understand this issue, and we are considering it.
VS
Vikki Slade
According to a 2022 YouGov poll, 81% of people support a right of asylum seekers to work. Currently, successful asylum seekers have little choice but to present to their local authority as homeless, as they have no way of saving for a deposit or proving an income to a potential landlord. Some councils, such as Bournemo…
AE
Angela Eagle
No, the answer is to speed up the asylum system so that we can get proper results much faster, and swiftly remove those who do not have a right to be here, while ensuring that those who do can be integrated and begin to work.
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I appreciate the efforts that my hon. Friend has outlined. As the backlog is cleared, what steps will the Home Secretary take to ensure that newly recognised refugees do not face homelessness and destitution in the weeks after being granted status? Specifically, will she consider extending the move-on period to 56 days…
Parliamentary Debate24 Jul 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to address the House, and I congratulate you on your election to the Chair. I am sure that the House will want to join me in extending our deepest sympathies to my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr (Steve Witherden) . I am very sorry… and sad to learn of the death of his mother. I congratulate him on a wonderful maiden speech, and on speaking with such passion about our children and the potential of the next generation. I want to pay tribute to my predecessor, Rob Butler, who I know has great affection for Aylesbury, and who served the constituency with great loyalty and good will. It is a true honour to be here as the new Member of Parliament for Aylesbury. Given that my constituency houses the county town of Buckinghamshire and has returned a long line of Conservative Members to Parliament, as might be expected from that county, I am particularly proud to be here as Aylesbury’s first ever Labour MP, and its first female MP. My constituency is very diverse geographically; it covers the rapidly growing town of Aylesbury, many lovely villages, such as Whitchurch, Wing, Cheddington and Edlesborough, historic woodlands and farmlands, and the Chiltern hills. It also has very diverse communities, with people of Christian, Muslim, Hindu and other faiths, and people of Asian, African and Eastern European heritage, living alongside elderly residents and young people whose families have called my constituency home for many generations. We are a historic constituency, too. Britain’s oldest road, the Ridgeway, crosses through to Ivinghoe Beacon; the remains of an iron-age hill fort lie beneath Aylesbury town; and an Aylesbury constituency has existed in some form since 1554. It was from Aylesbury that John Hampden defended Parliament against Charles I in 1642, and his statue overlooking Market Square in the town centre still celebrates the parliamentary freedom that he championed. Perhaps I will not dwel
Hansard · 24 Jul 2024 · parliament.uk
CB
Calvin Bailey
I thank the shadow Minister for his speech. Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to speak. It appears that for once my sense of timing has been impeccable. Having completed 24 years and seven months of service in the Royal Air Force, I have arrived on time, uniquely placed as the only person w…
AB
Aphra Brandreth
I congratulate the hon. Member for Southampton Itchen (Darren Paffey) on his maiden speech. This is my maiden speech, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I must tell you that I arrive in this place fired with enthusiasm—so much so that my Whip has warned me that I need to be careful that that is not how I end up leaving this pla…
TV
Tony Vaughan
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make my maiden speech today. May I congratulate you on your election? It is a privilege to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Derby South (Baggy Shanker) . He spoke about his constituency with eloquence and passion, and I congratulate him on his speech. I pay tribut…
SC
Sam Carling
Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to make my first speech in this place today and in a debate on education, a subject that is very important to me. As this is my first contribution, I ought to start by thanking the people of North West Cambridgeshire for electing me to represent them in this Hou…
JB
Johanna Baxter
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I congratulate you on taking your place. I also congratulate all the Members who have made such eloquent maiden speeches this afternoon, particularly my hon. Friends the Members for North West Cambridgeshire (Sam Carling), for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) and for Montgomerys…
Education and Opportunity24 Jul 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to address the House, and I congratulate you on your election to the Chair. I am sure that the House will want to join me in extending our deepest sympathies to my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr (Steve Witherden) . I am very sorry… and sad to learn of the death of his mother. I congratulate him on a wonderful maiden speech, and on speaking with such passion about our children and the potential of the next generation. I want to pay tribute to my predecessor, Rob Butler, who I know has great affection for Aylesbury, and who served the constituency with great loyalty and good will. It is a true honour to be here as the new Member of Parliament for Aylesbury. Given that my constituency houses the county town of Buckinghamshire and has returned a long line of Conservative Members to Parliament, as might be expected from that county, I am particularly proud to be here as Aylesbury’s first ever Labour MP, and its first female MP. My constituency is very diverse geographically; it covers the rapidly growing town of Aylesbury, many lovely villages, such as Whitchurch, Wing, Cheddington and Edlesborough, historic woodlands and farmlands, and the Chiltern hills. It also has very diverse communities, with people of Christian, Muslim, Hindu and other faiths, and people of Asian, African and Eastern European heritage, living alongside elderly residents and young people whose families have called my constituency home for many generations. We are an historic constituency, too. Britain’s oldest road, the Ridgeway, crosses through to Ivinghoe Beacon; the remains of an iron-age hill fort lie beneath Aylesbury town; and an Aylesbury constituency has existed in some form since 1554. It was from Aylesbury that John Hampden defended Parliament against Charles I in 1642, and his statue overlooking Market Square in the town centre still celebrates the parliamentary freedom that he championed. Perhaps I will not dwe
Hansard · 24 Jul 2024 · parliament.uk
BP
Bridget Phillipson
I beg to move, That this House has considered education and opportunity. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I congratulate you on your election. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about the Labour Government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. We are bringing ch…
JB
Jonathan Brash
I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement; I know it will also be welcomed by colleges throughout the country. Teachers in my constituency, like teachers everywhere else, do an extraordinary job in supporting our young people, but it is vital for them to be paid properly for it. Can the Secretary of State update …
BP
Bridget Phillipson
We take the work of the pay review body extremely seriously, but the previous Government did not act responsibly in that regard. They sat on the report, and then they called an election. I understand the frustrations that school leaders and teachers are experiencing, but as my hon. Friend knows, we are moving as quickl…
DA
Debbie Abrahams
My right hon. Friend has mentioned the inequalities experienced by children with special educational needs and disabilities. What is she able to say about what we will do, and the difference that we will make to their lives?
BP
Bridget Phillipson
I recognise the concern expressed by my hon. Friend, and by Members throughout the House, about that important issue. I will say more about it later in my speech, but let me say now that not for a second do I underestimate the challenge that we face. I give my hon. Friend this commitment: I want to ensure that we deliv…
Border Security and Asylum22 Jul 2024
LK
Laura Kyrke-Smith
I am very pleased to see the Home Secretary take her place. My constituents in Aylesbury have two concerns: first, that we re-establish control of our borders; and secondly, that we remember the need for compassion for vulnerable people fleeing conflict and persecution. On that point, will she commit to ensuring that there are resettlement… routes for people fleeing desperate and dangerous circumstances, and what will she do to ensure that they are viable?
Hansard · 22 Jul 2024 · parliament.uk
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
Order. Before I call the Home Secretary, may I just say this to her? The statement did not arrive in my office in time; it was late, and I believe that it was also late for the Opposition. Quite rightly, the Home Secretary made a big thing of this when she was the shadow Home Secretary, so I remind her of her own words…
YC
Yvette Cooper
May I thank you, Mr Speaker, for standing up for the Opposition Front Benchers, as I know you have often done for me in the past? I apologise to the shadow Home Secretary for the delay in the arrival of the statement. Most people in the United Kingdom want to see strong border security, with a properly controlled and m…
LH
Lindsay Hoyle
This very important statement overran slightly, so I am more than happy for the Opposition spokespersons also to run over, if need be. I call the shadow Home Secretary.
JC
James Cleverly
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I welcome you back to your place, on my first opportunity to do so. In my time as Home Secretary and, before that, Foreign Secretary, you were very kind about my minor indiscretions at the Dispatch Box, my late deployment of statements and my slight overruns. You have always been very k…
YC
Yvette Cooper
I welcome the shadow Home Secretary’s words about the dedication of Home Office officials and about the importance of work on national security. As he knows, when I was shadow Secretary of State, I always worked with him and supported him around national security issues. I know he will do the same and I welcome him to …
