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12,832 spoken contributions under 12 words (interjections such as “Will the hon. Member give way?”) are hidden. Show them

1. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Paul Holmes

   Retirement of the Clerk of the House

   It is a genuine pleasure to speak on behalf of the official Opposition to support the motion on the Order Paper and offer the warmest of tributes to Tom Goldsmith as he retires after 30 years of distinguished service to this House. There are many people who contribute to the work of Parliament, but there are relatively few whose work underpins everything that we do. I have seen that contribution by Tom in my role in the Government Whips Office, the Opposition Whips Office and now in my short tenure—hopefully longer—as joint Opposition Deputy Chief Whip. For Members of Parliament, the House of Commons is where we come to debate, scrutinise the Government and, ultimately, represent the people who sent us here. It is a place of passion and, occasionally, a little theatricality, but behind all of that stands an institution whose authority depends on its procedures, traditions and the integrity of those who uphold them. Tom has devoted his professional life to ensuring that those foundations remain strong. Since joining the House service in 1996, when I was eight—[Interruption.] I know, I do not look it. Since 1996, Tom has served Parliament in a variety of important roles, including as Secretary to the House of Commons Commission, Head of the Committee Office, and Principal Clerk of the Table Office, before becoming Clerk of the House in 2023. He was also Clerk to the Foreign Affairs Committee, and if anyone can keep my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge (Tom Tugendhat) in check, they are a very special man. That is a remarkable record of service and one that delivers the gratitude of Members on both sides of the Chamber. The office of Clerk of the House is not an ordinary job. It requires an extraordinary command of parliamentary procedure, a deep understanding of our constitution and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to provide clear, impartial advice when the political temperature in this place is rising—and we all know that the political temperature in this place can rise rather quickly. The Clerk must serve every Member equally, regardless of party, political persuasion or the strength of the argument being advanced at the Dispatch Box. That impartiality is fundamental to our democracy. No tribute to a Clerk of the House would be complete without recognising the qualities that can sometimes be taken for granted: patience, discretion, courtesy and the ability to offer advice with calm authority, even when the circumstances are anything but calm. Those qualities matter enormously in an institution where strong disagreements are not simply inevitable but essential to our democracy and the running of this House. Thirty years is a considerable period of service, and much has changed in that time, in Parliament, in the wider world and in our country. Through that period, the need for impartial, effective and trusted parliamentary administration has remained constant. Retirement from Parliament today will undoubtedly give Tom the opportunity to pursue new challenges and spend more time away from the demands of this place. His love of playing jazz piano has been mentioned. Like the Leader of the House, I am not somebody who would necessarily see him play—I much prefer musical theatre in the west end—but I look forward maybe to seeing him at my 40th birthday party in two years’ time. May I also suggest a career in professional poker? If he manages to keep that exact straight face as he does when I tell him my own interpretation of the Standing Orders, he really will go far. On a more serious note, I hope that Tom’s retirement brings him considerable happiness, good health and the freedom to enjoy those pursuits that a career of such commitment may not always have allowed him time to pursue. I hope that the whole House—I know that they will—will join me in wishing Tom every happiness in his retirement and thanking him for his outstanding service to the House of Commons. On behalf of all MPs and those wider House staff who serve in this unique and special community, thank you, Tom, and we wish you every best for the future.

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2. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Ms Nusrat Ghani

   Black History Month

   We have a musical accompaniment to the hon. Member’s intervention, which will no doubt be coming to an end because it should not be a speech. Unfortunately, that sounded like a Christmas-themed accompaniment, although it is far too early, for the record. Does the hon. Member wish to continue the intervention, or is the point made?

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3. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Ms Nusrat Ghani

   Black History Month

   As so many colleagues have mentioned the Mother of the House, it is only appropriate for me to say that I was able recently to step in for Mr Speaker at his Black History Month reception, where I was lucky enough to be joined by the Mother of the House, the right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott), and the newest Member of the House, the hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Sagal Abdi-Wali). It was fantastic to be in the room with them both; the energy was fantastic. There was a huge backlash on social media. As the shadow Minister just said, we need to take a lesson from the Mother of the House, and ignore it and just keep going—which, no doubt, we will all do.

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4. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Ms Nusrat Ghani

   Black History Month

   As Members have already mentioned the late Jason Arday, I have taken some advice from the Clerk. The Jason Arday case is sub judice, because the inquest has been opened and adjourned. Hon. Members should not refer to that specific case. If they want some more advice, we are here to provide it. I call Abena Oppong-Asare.

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5. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Ms Nusrat Ghani

   Black History Month

   I have just noticed that the Serjeant at Arms has entered the Chamber, and I think we all want to notice him. I believe he is our first black Serjeant at Arms, appointed in October 2019—he is hating me saying this, so let us stare at him a little bit longer.

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6. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Ms Nusrat Ghani

   Black History Month

   Order. Before the debate continues, it is etiquette when Members mention other Members in the Chamber to give them prior notice.

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7. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Ms Nusrat Ghani

   Black History Month

   I call Dawn Butler, who I believe was the first black female Minister. Is that correct?

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8. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Mr Mark Francois

   Business of the House

   Can we have an urgent debate on the crisis at Basildon hospital? It is rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, and it now appears that the CQC will prosecute the hospital early next year for the sad death of two patients from sepsis in 2022 and 2023. Just the other day, 20 ambulances were racked up in the car park outside the A&E department. To be clear, this is not the fault of the hard-pressed and increasingly demoralised staff; it is the fault of the wholly inadequate management of the hospital and, sadly, of the equally inadequate management of the trust of which it is part. We cannot let this situation deteriorate further. Can I ask the Leader of the House for an urgent debate, replied to by a Health Minister, so that we can address the problems at Basildon, and do our best to put them right for both the patients and the staff?

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9. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

   Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

   It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Barker. We support clause 22, and I rise in support of new clause 61, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Bedfordshire. Both address the same question: what happens when someone claiming our protection is a danger to this country? Clause 22 says that a person who falls within article 33(2) of the refugee convention is “not to be taken to be lawfully staying in the United Kingdom”. That covers two categories: someone whom there are reasonable grounds to regard as a danger to our national security and someone convicted of a particularly serious crime who is a danger to the community. Those are, by definition, the most serious cases our asylum system deals with. The public will understand why such a person should lose the rights that depend on lawful stay, such as the right to work and access to public funds, but they will ask a far simpler question: why are they still here? Clause 22 changes how we describe someone’s stay. It does not cancel their leave, make a deportation order or remove the human rights barriers to sending them home. In particular, article 3 of the European convention on human rights can still prevent removal, however grave the danger they pose, so the clause on its own does not give Ministers a clear route to removal. New clause 61 addresses that gap. For decisions to remove or require to leave anyone covered by proposed new section 37A of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, it would disapply section 6(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998 and prevent a court or tribunal from treating that decision as unlawful because it is incompatible with the convention right. It would apply only where the refugee convention already permits return. The measure is targeted squarely at the dangerous individuals identified by clause 22. The Minister may say that the new clause would not change our obligations under the convention and that cases could still go to Strasbourg. That is true and is precisely why we believe this country should leave the ECHR.

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10. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    If you believe that we are deporting everyone we should be deporting, and if you do not believe that the European convention on human rights has got in the way of us removing people, you start from a very different place from me. People I represent are very concerned about our immigration system. They are very concerned that the laws we are making in this place are not acting to control that immigration system. I think we start from very different perspectives.

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11. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    The hon. Member makes a fair point. We have had lots of things to say about the past. It is that experience that has led us to the point where we believe that some of the human rights framework that is in place gets in the way of deportations. Clause 22 actually concedes that point. It says that these people should not be able to exercise some of those rights, but it does not remove them. New clause 61 is the step that actually solves that problem. This system is not working. I would be celebrating if we were a bit further forwards than we are. Actually, 7,042 people arrived from Eritrea in the year to March—how many went back? Two. There were 4,490 who arrived from Afghanistan—how many went back? One. And 4,389 arrived from Eritrea—how many went back? Zero. The system is not functioning. Progress is progress. We would welcome progress. The opportunity with this Bill is to make much further progress and remove the people who should be removed.

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12. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    We welcome deportations of people with no right to be here, but when we start going back through the records to see who arrived and who left without us even knowing, we have the Home Office scratching numbers together to work out who has gone. It is a positive that we can improve deportations, but in recent times, we have gone from the point where we said that somebody who arrives in this country illegally cannot claim citizenship—there was legislation in place—to a point where that has been unpicked by this Government. We sat through the debates on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 on that subject. This is an opportunity to improve things. We are determined to get among it. We are determined to improve it. Whatever the deportations are, they need to be significantly higher for my constituents to be happy. I will correct the record—7,042 arrivals from Eritrea, two were removed; 4,490 from Afghanistan, one was removed; 4,389 from Sudan, zero removed. That is not a satisfactory system. That is not working. This is the opportunity to improve that.

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13. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    We are talking about people who pose a threat to our national security and are, categorically, a danger to our community. I think that the rights of the people in my community should trump the rights of people who pose a threat to our national security and are a danger to that community—[Interruption.] I will try to make a bit of progress, or we might be here for quite a while. New clause 61 would remove the domestic legal barrier that too often leaves Ministers unable to act. It is a concrete step that the Committee could take today. If the Government reject that approach, what is the answer? Where removal is lawful, how quickly will it happen? Where return home is barred, will Ministers seek agreements with safe third countries? While the person remains here, what measures will manage the risk, and who is accountable for making sure that they work? Government amendment 133 removes the transitional provision from clause 22. As introduced, the clause applies only to decisions made after it comes into force. The Minister’s explanatory statement says that amendment 135 “would provide for clause 22 to be commenced by regulations,” which means that the transitional provision can be dealt with in those regulations rather than in the Bill. That means that the question of who this clause applies to and whether it reaches existing cases or only future decisions will be settled by Ministers, not by this Committee. I ask the Minister directly: will existing cases be reassessed, or will this apply only to future decisions? When will the regulations be published, and when will this clause actually take effect? Until Ministers commence clause 22, neither it nor new clause 61 can apply to a single person. We also need to know who will decide that someone falls within article 33(2) of the refugee convention, what evidence will be required and how challenges will be handled. Those decisions must be robust, otherwise we risk years of litigation while the person concerned stays put. We will support clause 22 because it tightens the position of these individuals, but our support should not be mistaken for confidence that it solves the problem. Declaring someone dangerous is not the same as protecting the public from them. New clause 61 confronts the gap between the two, and we will press it to a Division at the appropriate point. If Ministers will not support it, they must explain what they will do instead to keep this country safe.

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14. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    The Minister talked about Winston Churchill. Does she think that Winston Churchill would have desired legislation that allows people who are categorically a threat to our national security, or a danger to the community, to stay in this country?

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15. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    The clause relates to people who are too dangerous to lawfully stay in the country. It is not giving us a perspective by which to remove those people. Those people are a danger to our community—you are saying that they are a danger to our community and a threat to our national security—yet we are not going far enough to remove them. It undermines the entire clause.

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16. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    This new clause sets out that we would remove people under the mechanism only where doing so complied with the refugee convention. It is there in black and white: we are complying with our obligations under the convention on refugees.

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17. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Ninth sitting)

    Disapplying the Human Rights Act is about disapplying our domestic legislation—our domestic barriers. That is entirely compliant with the international refugee convention. This is not about international barriers; it is about our domestic barrier, the Human Rights Act.

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18. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Matt Vickers

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Tenth sitting)

    The Home Office confirmed that it spent £22,000 on its “don’t rape women” guide for asylum seekers. Can the Minister confirm that clause 23 restricts the sums that are recoverable purely to accommodation and subsistence, rather than to the Home Office’s comms budget?

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19. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Martin Vickers

    Business of the House

    A number of constituents recently contacted me about a pilot scheme to fit air filters in classrooms, which they tell me has shown considerable health benefits to pupils and students—it could also perhaps relieve school budgets of the cost of supply teachers. Will the Leader of the House find time either for a debate or for an Education Minister to come to the House to give the Government’s position?

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20. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Lewis Cocking

    Business of the House

    Last week, Liberal Democrat-run Hertfordshire county council moved to become a county of sanctuary, essentially making it the council’s policy to welcome illegal asylum seekers. This is an out-of-touch policy that was not in the Liberal Democrat manifesto, and there has been no consultation with Hertfordshire residents. Will the Leader of the House offer some guidance on whether the Government think that such initiatives are an appropriate use of council resources?

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21. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joy Morrissey

    Black History Month

    It is a great pleasure to follow the Minister in this Black History Month debate. I pay tribute to her for all the work she has done across parties and across this House. She has been a champion for all communities but has particularly raised issues for people in the black community, such as knife crime, single parents, and stop and search in classrooms. She did all those things as a Back Bencher, reaching across the divide and caring about the community, regardless of who they were or where they were from. It felt as if she was just trying to represent all her constituents and raise the issues that mattered to them. Everyone across this House can connect with that. We in this House come from very different backgrounds and places, but there are Members of Parliament from every party who put their constituents and communities and the issues that matter to them first. The Minister is one of those, so I pay tribute to her and thank her for that. Every October we celebrate Black History Month, and this year marks its 39th year in the UK. It was a tradition started in 1987 by a Ghanaian activist who believed that black Britons deserved to have their history told, taught and celebrated. Black history is, of course, British history. Madam Deputy Speaker, please act surprised when you hear that my speech is very similar to the Minister’s. This will probably be a rare moment when we are in agreement and saying very similar things. The theme of Black History Month this year is “Honouring Our Communities”. It focuses on recognising the everyday contributions of black people across Britain. For me, this is a moment for important reflection. I came to this country with basically nothing and knowing no one, and the first community that opened their hearts and their doors to me were my friends in the West Indian Caribbean community in west London. They welcomed me and taught me what it was to be British. They brought me into their community groups and their church groups. They even allowed my mum to come to some of the events. I certainly knew about jerk chicken before I got to the House of Commons. I pay special tribute to the Acton Vale estate community, and to Grace and Chaney. Grace became one of my closest friends, and Chaney is her daughter, who I mentored and is now incredibly successful. They taught me what it was to be British and to care about the community. Grace was one of the first people who said, “You should think about being a Member of Parliament.” I had never thought about that before. I see the hon. Member for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan); she knows the Acton Vale estate. It was a transformative moment for me to feel that anyone could come to this country and be British and part of British society. We could have British values and be proud to be British—it did not matter where we came from. I learned that hope and that care for our community from my friends, and I am here today as a result. They probably unleashed more than they bargained for, but they were the first to encourage me— they probably deeply regret that now, but that is where it started. They showed me the very best of this country. I also pay tribute to the other local groups that I worked with, and to Bishara and Adam Matan, who have done tremendous work at the Anti-Tribalism Movement, which helped to tackle tribalism in the Somalian community in west London.

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22. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joy Morrissey

    Black History Month

    I see the hon. Member for Ealing Southall nodding, because they are well known across west London for the incredible work they have done for years with all the communities and local mosques. They taught me so much about celebrating all the different communities, and I pay tribute to them today. Black history in Britain has always been community history. When the Windrush arrived in 1948, the men and women on board did not just come to work; they built churches and social clubs that welcomed people when Britain often did not.

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23. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joy Morrissey

    Black History Month

    The Christmas holiday arrives! That was my summons to the Chamber, but the debate started earlier than I anticipated. Old age comes to us at many levels, and having to put an alarm on our phone is one of them. Happy Christmas to everyone. I thank the hon. Member for Croydon East (Natasha Irons) for her intervention. This is about the community. All of us have wonderful constituents who represent our communities and raise their concerns. Those community leaders have enlightened us and allowed us to speak with knowledge, and I pay tribute to all of them today.

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24. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joy Morrissey

    Black History Month

    I will indeed. I organised the first Somalian community day on the South Acton estate, though we then had to change the name to the wider “South Acton community day”, to be inclusive. That is wonderful, and I congratulate the new mayor. As a fun fact, I used to ride the 207 bus from Acton all the way to Southall and back—for anyone who has not been to Ealing, it is a fun journey. Like the Minister, I started as a councillor. It was a wonderful way of meeting the community and understanding it from the grassroots up. I will never forget that, and I believe it makes us better parliamentarians when we have had that experience on the ground. In 1963, Bristol’s black community, led by young people like Paul Stephenson, refused to accept a bus company’s ban on black workers. Their boycott helped to pave the way for Britain’s first race relations laws. Today, black people continue to play a key role in communities across our country, helping to bring people together. One of the reasons why black history is British history is that our black communities show that we can be an integrated, cohesive and multiracial Britain. We can celebrate the same values and be proud of who we are together. There will be black Britons who play a vital role in all our constituencies, offices and community groups. I pay special tribute to a family in my constituency, Rotimi, Marylene and Naomi Isaiah, for being my right hand in everything in Beaconsfield. I could not do my job without their incredible community support, and I thank them for everything they have done; I am sure that all Members across the Chamber could pay similar tributes. They do so much to support and encourage me personally in my work as a Member of Parliament. I was going to have them here today, but it will have to be next time. Turning to my work on women and equalities, I also want to recognise Nimco Ali, a survivor of female genital mutilation who has done so much to highlight that vital issue, to try to make sure that no other girls experience what she did. This year, the aim of Black History Month is to look beyond famous people and reflect on the contributions of everyday black Britons, but given that this is the first time I have spoken at the Dispatch Box in Black History Month, it feels only right that I should recognise someone famous—just one person, but a genuine role model for black female Britons. In 1987, the very same year that Black History Month began here, a young woman from Paddington walked into the House of Commons as Britain’s first black female MP. Today, she is the Mother of the House. When she arrived, there were only 41 women in the entire Commons. She was told in a hundred ways that she did not belong. She stayed anyway. For nearly four decades, she has represented the people of Hackney, championed black children in London schools and chaired the West Indian and sickle cell disease parliamentary groups. She has faced more abuse than almost any politician of her generation—and she has never stopped turning up. We do not have to share her politics to recognise what her presence meant. For millions of black Britons, especially black girls, she was proof that the doors of power could open and that someone who looked like them could walk through. Black history is not one month; it is being forged every day by people who see themselves first as proud Britons—I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for North West Essex (Mrs Badenoch), who I am very proud to have leading my party, for leading the way and opening opportunities for us all. It is British history that they, including those across this House, are writing, and it is a privilege to recognise all of them today.

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25. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·John Glen

    Fly-tipping

    A constituent got in touch with me last week to point out that farmers are often the ones who are left to deal with fly-tipping, but I note in the Government’s response on Tuesday that insurance is one option that could be available. What progress is the Minister making in talking to insurance companies about making fly-tipping part of a routine farm policy that farmers could take out against this scourge?

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26. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·John Glen

    Business of the House

    This week in London, the British Argentine Chamber of Commerce is promoting investment opportunities in Argentina, at a time when companies linked to the Falklands Sea Lion project are being pursued by Argentina with sanctions and criminal proceedings. Could we urgently have a statement from the relevant Trade Minister on what the British Government are doing to protect legitimate British businesses operating in the Falkland Islands?

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27. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·John Cooper

    UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement

    6. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement on the farming sector.

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28. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·John Cooper

    UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement

    CropLife UK warns that the heedless rush to align with the EU could cost British farming £810 million. That is £810 million off bottom lines, which are already very marginal. Further, it could also hit production in this country, so we cannot export what we are not even growing. What assessment is the Government making of CropLife UK’s report that says this EU alignment could be dangerous for farming?

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29. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·John Cooper

    Business of the House

    One of the great sports in this place is who has the best constituency. Well, National Geographic magazine’s verdict is in and the only place in the UK to get a mention in its “Best Places in the World to Travel to in 2027” is Dumfries and Galloway. This news is absolutely delightful. VisitScotland has already picked up on it and promoted it on its website. Can the Leader of the House advise me on how I can get VisitBritain, which is financed from this place, to follow suit?

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30. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joe Robertson

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Tenth sitting)

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I will speak briefly about two of the exemptions to requiring someone to make a payment for their asylum support. They have been referred to already; they are in clause 23(6)(a) and (b). Subsection (6)(a) states a person is exempt for the purposes of this section if they “were under 18 at all times at which they received asylum support”. I accept that if someone was a child throughout the entire period they received asylum support, they would be fully exempt, but I think I disagree with the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on an interpretation point. That is the problem with the Bill; it is badly drafted and unclear in places. If someone under the age of 18 was receiving asylum support, then turned 18 and sought it afterwards, they would not be exempt—of course not, because they also received asylum support as an adult—but one would assume that they would not be charged for the portion of time that they had received asylum support while under 18. The Minister needs to clarify that point, but giving clarity in Committee is not sufficient when it is unclear in the legislation. She would do better to clarify it in the legislation. The second exemption I want to briefly refer to, as the shadow Minister has, is subsection (6)(b). It gives an exemption to someone who “started to receive asylum support before the day on which this section comes fully into force”. As a counterpoint to what I just said, I do not understand why, if someone received asylum support for a year—let us say; typically it is a lot longer—and day one was before this section came into force, but day two and 364 of the 365 days were after it came into force, they would be exempt from making contributions for their asylum support. They would receive the vast majority of that support after the legislation comes into force, so I would have thought it a fairly obvious pro rata exercise to say that they do not pay for the portion of time they spent receiving support before the law was in place— I take the point that we do not have retrospective law in this country—but they do thereafter. It makes me wonder whether my understanding of the child-becoming-an-adult element is wrong. The Government need to be clear about whether a pro rata approach is being taken when a child becomes an adult. If so, why is that not being applied when someone starts receiving support before the Bill comes into play and continues to receive support after? I hope the Minister can give us some clarity.

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31. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joe Robertson

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Tenth sitting)

    It sounds like the Minister is saying that when a child becomes an adult and is still receiving support, they will then be liable to pay for the support they received as a child and it is their choice whether to continue with their asylum application.

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32. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Joe Robertson

    Immigration and Asylum Bill (Tenth sitting)

    I take the point that the scheme should not be applied retrospectively, but let us take the example of student loans: students take out loans on terms that are then changed in the future. If UK students have to deal with that, why should it be any different for asylum provisions?

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33. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Jesse Norman

    Business of the House

    Will the Leader of the House give the House the forthcoming business?

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34. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Jesse Norman

    Business of the House

    I thank the Leader of the House very much for that business. As the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and others said yesterday, in this week of the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, let us never forget its victims, including 116 children, and its terrible cost to their families and their community. On a far happier note, the House will shortly come together in celebration of the Clerk on his retirement, but let me pay a personal tribute to Tom now for his unfailing genius, sense of service and courtesy to the House, and the assistance he has given us all as Members over 30 years. As a jobbing trumpeter, coming very much from the opposite end of the quality spectrum, I can testify that Tom is a superb jazz pianist. Like any great jazzer, he has a remarkable ability to improvise under pressure while never losing sight of the underlying material—as in the gig, so at the Table. That is no small achievement with 650 would-be Miles Davises all playing in different keys.

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35. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Jesse Norman

    Business of the House

    Some are more in tune than others, Mr Speaker. Among Tom’s heroes is Art Tatum, who was famous for taking a familiar tune and turning it into something almost unrecognisable. Tom has often performed the reverse feat with Members’ legislative amendments: taking something almost unrecognisable and turning it into something more familiar. Mr Speaker, I hope that you and the Leader of the House will forgive another toot from me on my constituency trumpet. This week has seen the publication of a brilliantly positive new report by Policy Exchange on our new engineering university in Hereford, NMITE—the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering. Among other things, the report highlights that, thanks to the university’s accelerated degrees, it offers at least 20% better value for money for students than elsewhere. For local students, it is almost half the cost of an equivalent chartered engineering degree anywhere else. The report goes further—I think this is a matter of general interest to the House—by identifying 57 suitable towns and cities across the UK, including Hartlepool, Grimsby, Barnsley, Burnley and Scunthorpe in the north alone, in which the model could be rolled out across the country. I would be delighted to discuss with colleagues how we could do so with any areas and constituencies that may be interested. I end, if I may, on a more serious note. In May 2024, Lord Walney’s report, “Protecting our Democracy from Coercion”, made more than 40 recommendations to tackle political intimidation and disruptive extremism. More than two years into their term of office, this Government have yet to respond fully; indeed, Ministers abolished Lord Walney’s position last year. When they did so, they promised that his report would continue to shape the Government’s approach to political violence, yet they rejected key recommendations in passing the Crime and Policing Act 2026, including stronger powers to prevent particularly harmful marches. They did that despite very strong appeals from Jewish community groups facing the present rising tide of antisemitism—groups that are still more concerned, be it said, after the Green party’s appalling resolution that Zionism is racism. The threat is clear, and I know that this is an issue of particular concern to you, Mr Speaker, on behalf of all of us. Ninety-six per cent of Members of Parliament responding to the Speaker’s Conference in 2025 reported harassment, intimidation or abuse. It is a matter of public record that, last September, arson destroyed the constituency office of one of our colleagues, and that another and their son received death threats. Peaceful protest is fundamental to democracy, of course, but so is the right of every person to live free from intimidation, and the right of every elected representative and their staff to be able to serve without intimidation, abuse or coercion. Will the Leader of the House ask the Home Secretary to publish a full, recommendation-by-recommendation, response to Lord Walney’s report, and will he arrange a debate in Government time on that response so that the House can collectively scrutinise what the Government are doing and propose to do to meet these dreadful threats?

    Hansard source
36. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·James Wild

    Saudi Arabia: RAF Support

    In April last year, the RAF joined the US’s Operation Rough Rider to degrade Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks. At the time, I asked the then Secretary of State to ensure that that was sustained action, rather than ad hoc action. Does the Minister regret that it was not sustained? If defensive action does not include striking potential launch sites, how will it make any difference at all?

    Hansard source
37. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Dame Karen Bradley

    Business of the House

    Mr Speaker, may I join the Leader of the House in his comments about Helen Haines, who is a close personal friend of our mutual friend, Speaker Milton Dick? I am in touch with Milton for progress on her condition, and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. Mr Speaker, I know how important it is to you that Ministers are scrutinised properly by this House, so I am sure that you will join in my disappointment at learning that the Home Secretary’s diary office claim that there is not a single moment between now and Christmas when the Home Secretary can come in front of the Home Affairs Committee. If that is the case, then since her appointment in October 2025, she will have appeared only twice in the period up to the end of the year. The Liaison Committee wrote to the Leader of the House about this matter and I know that he has responded to those comments, but will he use his good office to sit down with the Home Secretary’s diary secretary to see whether he can find a space for her to come and see the Home Affairs Committee? We will be very flexible—we can find a time and date that suits her—but we would really like to see her before Christmas, and I hope that the Leader of the House can help us facilitate that.

    Hansard source
38. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Charlie Dewhirst

    UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement

    4. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement on the farming sector.

    Hansard source
39. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Charlie Dewhirst

    UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement

    England has become a world leader in gene editing and precision breeding. That has increased crop yields and eradicated diseases, and it helps to protect domestic, and potentially global, food security. But much of this technology is banned in the European Union, and dynamic alignment will mean that we cannot use it. What representations has the Minister made to the Cabinet Office and to Ministers in negotiations with the European Union to ensure that gene editing and our world-leading technologies are protected?

    Hansard source
40. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Charlie Dewhirst

    Saudi Arabia: RAF Support

    I support the decision to stand alongside our allies in Saudi Arabia, but additional deployment requires sufficient resourcing. Will the Minister confirm that despite the former Secretary of State, now the Chancellor, saying in his resignation letter that the Ministry of Defence needs 3% by 2030, the MOD spokesman’s comments yesterday state that that commitment will not be met by that date?

    Hansard source