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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. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Katrina Murray

   Business of the House

   This year, 16 September marks the 89th anniversary of the Eastside bothy fire in Kirkintilloch, in which 10 young men from Achill in County Mayo lost their lives in what is widely considered to have been a deliberate fire in their accommodation. Like many thousands of Irish migrants before them, those young men came to Kirkintilloch to work as tattie howkers on the potato harvest. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to the committed local volunteers who have done so much to ensure that those young men are not forgotten, whether in Kirkintilloch or in Achill, and are doing what they can to have a permanent memorial in place in time for the 90th anniversary next year?

   Hansard source
2. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Katrina Murray

   Social Housing Bill [Lords]

   One of the issues that we discussed at my constituency women’s safety summit back in January was the gender debt gap and economic abuse, and particularly how it affects rent arrears. As a result of that, North Lanarkshire council, Aberlour Children’s Charity, the violence against women and girls sector and registered social landlords in North Lanarkshire are adopting an authority-wide common approach to supporting women. Does my hon. Friend agree that that is an excellent example of voluntary action for the Minister to take forward?

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3. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kanishka Narayan

   Jobs in AI

   I am working with colleagues right across Government to deliver good AI jobs in every part of this country. That means a focus on capabilities, the AI skills boost for individuals and BridgeAI for funds. It means a focus on compute with the AI growth zone programme and the AI research resource for British start-ups. It means a focus on capital through the British Business Bank and Sovereign AI. At the heart of it, it means a focus on culture, so that we are building AI for good in every part of the country.

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4. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kanishka Narayan

   Jobs in AI

   My hon. Friend has been a champion of AI in this place and has great experience of technology, given her previous career, which is a source of insight for us all. On the question of AI support for small businesses, our AI skills boost programme has a particular focus on upskilling 2 million individuals in small and medium-sized enterprises—the biggest targeted training programme since Harold Wilson’s Open University programme. Alongside that, my focus is on ensuring that the procurement programmes in AI support small businesses in every part of this country, including through an AI research and development scheme that is supporting those businesses.

   Hansard source
5. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kanishka Narayan

   Jobs in AI

   I thank my hon. Friend for her shared commitment to the fact that, unlike in the last wave of technology, everyone across this country must feel the opportunity that AI offers. For that reason, we are focused on both the AI skills boost programme and the AI upskilling challenge fund, so that local areas across the country can benefit from those resources. I am also looking very closely at introducing boot camp pilots so that young people not in employment, education or training can learn about AI, and I am working closely with trade unions through the Early Careers Jobs Alliance. We are thinking about the future of jobs so that Britain is best prepared for every community to make the most of AI.

   Hansard source
6. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kanishka Narayan

   Technology and Innovation

   It is my core belief that technology should not be the preserve of the privileged few; instead, it should be a great leveller, supporting dignity in our public services and opportunity for British businesses. That is why I am focused on redesigning the way that Government use AI and technology to support our brilliant public service professionals to achieve those ends.

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7. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kanishka Narayan

   Technology and Innovation

   I pay tribute to my hon. Friend; there is only one thing faster than the pace of technology, and that is the pace at which he keeps up with technology, and, in particular, online engagement. I will flag two areas of particular focus for my efforts on this question: first, ensuring that we are creating examples of swift procurement support for British businesses, not least through the sovereign AI research and development procurement scheme; secondly, a more systematic focus on bringing the best package of AI tools to support procurement professionals to move faster.

   Hansard source
8. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Juliet Campbell

   Vascular Sector Reform

   It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this debate. The publication of the 2026 cardiovascular disease modern service framework is a welcome step towards realising our commitment to a more preventative, community-focused health service. It rightly seeks to move care away from expensive and reactive hospital treatment towards earlier diagnosis and joined-up cardiovascular care in our communities. As we consider the future of vascular services, we should take this opportunity to go further and give attention to heart failure, where many of these conditions end. Heart failure places a significant burden on patients, families and the NHS. It affects more than 1 million people in the UK, and is the most common cause of hospital admissions among those over 65. The number of people living with heart failure is set to double by 2040. Early intervention on a cardiovascular journey can do more than treat established diseases and the associated life-changing impacts that the hon. Member spoke about; it can also prevent more people from reaching heart failure. Evidence-based treatment can relieve symptoms, extend life and reduce hospital admissions, but patients can benefit only if the condition is recognised, diagnosed and treated without delay. In my constituency, in towns such as Eastwood and areas such as Inham Nook, rates of heart failure are more than double the national average. People there are four times more likely to die from heart failure than those elsewhere. Access to diagnosis and specialist care varies from area to area, but no one’s postcode should determine how quickly they are diagnosed, when they see a specialist or when they receive treatment that could keep them well and out of hospital. The modern service framework must establish consistent national standards, with targeted support for deprived, rural and high-risk communities. More than 1 million people are living with heart failure in the UK, with around 200,000 diagnosed each year. In England, 80% of diagnoses are made in hospital, despite 40% of the patients having previously experienced symptoms. That clearly demonstrates the urgent need to move from crisis-driven care to early diagnosis and planned treatment. The modern service framework acknowledges that NHS health checks do not include the NT-proBNP blood test, which identifies whether the walls of the heart are stretched or there is a pressure overload on the heart. Although the framework proposes new testing models, valuable opportunities for early diagnosis such as that test can be missed. Heart failure must be explicitly mentioned in the modern service framework, and supporting measures must be clear, funded and measurable. We also need stronger links between primary care, community services, hospitals and specialist centres. Those pathways need to be supported by a specialist workforce, as reform cannot simply mean reorganising structures. We need diagnostic capacity, specialist staff and community services; otherwise, pressure will just move from one part of the NHS to another. I ask the Minister to make heart failure an explicit and measurable national priority within the modern service framework. That should include guaranteed access to testing, diagnosis, evidence-based treatment and multidisciplinary heart failure care, supported by investment in specialist staff, increased diagnostic capacity and community services. I hope the Minister will ensure that he goes further than considering reform of the vascular services and makes heart failure a national priority.

   Hansard source
9. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Julia Buckley

   Severe Weather Incidents

   Water privatisation and climate change have left us with the twin resilience challenges of water scarcity and flooding. To reduce demand on our drinking water supply, is the Cabinet Office looking at the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s landmark report from March, which sets out a governance framework for rainwater harvesting? Could we look at installing rainwater collection for toilet flushing in our publicly owned buildings? We could cut our costs, increase our resilience and make steps towards sustainability.

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10. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Julia Buckley

    Water Management

    Does the Minister agree that much progress has been made in regard to rainwater harvesting, not just by MHCLG but by the Minister’s Department—not least the landmark report, published this March, by the Drinking Water Inspectorate? The report exactly explored a potential governance framework that sets out standards for non-potable water in domestic settings, and talks about accreditation and standards, to ensure that these systems, when we are ready to bring them in, are safe and will be properly maintained.

    Hansard source
11. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Josh Newbury

    Fathers and Positive Male Role Models

    It is a pleasure to speak under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) for leading this debate so brilliantly, and of course for securing it. I am sure every dad in this room has at some point been asked, “Are you so-and-so’s dad?” I have, and it is one of my favourite things to hear. I am immensely proud when I am asked whether I am the father of my daughter or son—it even beats being asked, “Are you the MP?” There are two core aspects of this conversation: the practical side, which is about supporting fathers to be active parents; and the cultural side, which is about the role models and the pride that we instil in young men. Starting with the practical, we recently welcomed a new member of my team who is just coming back from maternity leave. Her partner, who is self-employed, had to work six or even seven-day weeks for months before the birth of their daughter to build up enough of a financial buffer to simply be able to spend time with his partner and their newborn. She told me that, in situations like that, resentment can creep in as you begin to feel almost like a single parent. That is awful for both parents; the lack of support that others take for granted throws up so many financial and emotional challenges. It is hardly surprising that many fathers feel that they do not have a choice. Currently, as we have heard, we have two weeks of paternity leave on less than £200 a week for employees. Meanwhile, Spanish dads get 16 weeks’ leave on full pay. Rights for employed British parents are miles behind our European neighbours, and self-employed dads do not even get those two weeks. As my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland said, the Dad Shift campaign for six weeks of paternity leave for all dads makes sense not only for families but for our economy. That takes me on to what happens when families separate. The fathers I have spoken to want to support their children. Most want more time with their kids, but feel that the system still views them, first and foremost, as a financial provider, rather than as an equal parent. Take my constituent Matthew, who had heart surgery in June and was signed off sick for a month. When sending over his child maintenance, he underpaid by 5p due to a typo. That resulted in him being moved on to collect and pay, where a 20% collection charge is added to his payments. Matthew is not alone; many constituents have described stress and anxiety linked to Child Maintenance Service disputes and separation from their children. Fathers have a responsibility to provide, but the current system seems out of step with where we are now at as a society. We have rightly moved on from the outdated concept that mothers’ contributions are confined to childcare and homemaking. Our systems must therefore dare to imagine that fathers are capable of more than just breadwinning. That brings me to my second point: role models for boys and young men. In decades gone by, our role models were often fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, teachers, coaches and scout leaders. Those influences mattered, but the world is now a much larger place. The number of voices reaching or even targeting young men has exploded. The stories we tell about men matter. They shape how young people see themselves. In a world bristling with thousands of narratives, young men are all too often bombarded with negativity, whether it is about their role in society or about the whole concept of masculinity. We hear a lot about so-called “toxic masculinity”. I do not think any of us doubt that there are behaviours that must be challenged, but rather than leaving a void, we need positivity—around what it means to be a man and a dad—to rush in. I want my son to grow up knowing that being a man means looking after the people you love, being a dependable friend, showing courage and treating others with respect. The answer, of course is not to abandon masculinity, but to reclaim the best parts of it. That means giving boys somewhere to go and something to work towards. If a teenager sees no apprenticeship, no sports provision and no trusted adult—if, like in Staffordshire, there is a total lack of youth provision—we should not be surprised if young men look elsewhere for belonging. I am short for time, so I will finish where I started: one day my children will be old enough that people will not stop me in the street and say, “Are you so-and-so’s dad?” That is something I will profoundly miss when I get to that point. I want more fathers to have the chance to feel the immense pride of being at the centre of their children’s world, and more men and boys to feel proud of their masculinity in all its complexity. Let us make sure that that is the message that radiates out from this House.

    Hansard source
12. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Josh Newbury

    Business of the House

    Wildfire after wildfire throughout this incredibly dry summer have been devastating for Cannock Chase and elsewhere in Staffordshire. Crops were destroyed, animals perished, heathland rarer than rainforest was scorched, and six firefighters were taken to hospital. I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to hold a wildfire summit, but will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on wildfire resilience and preparedness, so that Members from affected parts of the country can discuss prevention, equipment, staffing and funding to ensure that we are in a much stronger position for next summer?

    Hansard source
13. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Josh Fenton-Glynn

    Government Contracts: Small Businesses

    21. What steps she is taking to help ensure small businesses have improved access to Government contracts.

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14. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Josh Fenton-Glynn

    Government Contracts: Small Businesses

    I welcome the Government’s commitment to helping SMEs to access public contracts. In Calder Valley—or valve valley, as we often call it— small manufacturing firms contribute to nationally significant projects through supply chains, but are often left out of the conversation about national procurement. How can we ensure that these smaller manufacturers have the opportunities created by Governments to create a new generation of skilled manufacturing jobs?

    Hansard source
15. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Josh Dean

    Topical Questions

    T3. One of my constituents contacted me about her mother, who had worked for the Department for Work and Pensions since the age of 18 but sadly died before Capita released the pension she had earned through a lifetime of public service. Given the distress caused to families like hers by such delays, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that civil servants receive their pension payments promptly upon retirement?

    Hansard source
16. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Water Management

    One thing that will benefit farmers in my constituency is the £50 million through the sustainable farming incentive to allow farms to build more water storage on their land. That is going to be of huge benefit, because their food stocks are down going into winter after the hot summer. We also have an issue with flooding. Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act has not been enacted, meaning that every development has a right to be connected to the drainage system, which increases the amount of flooding. If the Minister could take that forward with colleagues at MHCLG, I would be very grateful indeed.

    Hansard source
17. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jon Trickett

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    I was disappointed by the Opposition spokesperson, the hon. Member for Orpington (Gareth Bacon), who sounded complacent when he talked about the aspiration to buy a house. Of course, there is that aspiration, but does he not understand the aspiration of people on the waiting list? Millions of people, including 170,000 children in temporary accommodation, aspire just to have a key for a council house. Has he ever seen the gleam in a family’s eyes when they get that key and manage to get a secure home, knowing it is there for the future? It is not good enough to simply say that the aspiration to buy a house is more important than the aspiration to have a home, and one that is warm and secure. Also, there was no sense of contrition that the right to buy legislation resulted in 2 million council houses being sold, whereas only 250,000 new houses were built in that period. Of those 2 million that were sold, 800,000 now belong to private landlords. That is quite shocking because the rents that private landlords charge are a multiple of what a council or social landlord would charge. In my constituency, 6,000 homes have gone to private landlords. The council received about £140 million in capital receipts for those 6,000 houses. They are now worth £1.1 billion. This has been a racket; it has been like the gold rush in the Klondike, a race for money. In the meantime, rent levels in the remaining social housing are only 61% of the rents charged by the private landlords. It is totally anomalous that for two or three houses on the same street in the same estate a higher rent will be charged by a private landlord than that for the people next door who are still renting from a social landlord. The Government need to move fast. We cannot allow so many children and families to be left in that perilous situation—55,000 individuals are struggling in the district of Wakefield. Let me make one final point. The Treasury’s dead hand of economic orthodoxy prioritises house building by housing associations over house building by councils, which is a mistake. The Bill does not address that, but I wonder whether the Minister could respond on that in some way. A council can borrow money to build an asset worth more than what it has borrowed and receive an income from it through rent, yet that counts towards the national debt; for a housing association, it is different. I think those rules explains councils’ retreat from committing to build more housing rather than social landlords.

    Hansard source
18. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jon Pearce

    Fathers and Positive Male Role Models

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) for securing this important debate. There are so many positive male role models in my constituency and across the country that I could talk about, but I want to focus on one hugely important group: dads. I was lucky with my first child that the job I had then allowed me to be present—not just to lend a hand or spend time with my baby, but to co-parent. In this job, I have noticed the difference. I am often back too late for school and nursery pick-ups; indeed, I will be today. When I get home, I find myself asking, “What do they like to eat? What is the toy that they should be playing with in the bath? What bedtime story are they into at the moment?” Little things—but parenthood is all about the little things. Miss those moments, and we risk missing the bigger picture. For most children, their first, most important male role model is not an influencer or a celebrity; it is dad. The alternative—the toxic masculinity offered by the likes of the brothers Tate—is not worth thinking about. That is not the society I want my girls to grow up in. Real strength is having the character to step up for those who need us—not standing alone, flexing our muscles in front of the mirror. Real resilience is getting up, tired, night after night, rocking a baby with no end in sight; I can tell Members that it does more for the biceps than going to the gym. We should do everything we can to support dads to be there, but we have a real socioeconomic divide in Britain. Some 90% of claimed paternity leave goes to the highest earners. A right that people cannot afford is no right at all. If people are self-employed—our farmers, plumbers and delivery drivers—they have no right to paternity leave at all. What message are we sending to the dads who keep Britain working? That matters particularly in rural constituencies such as mine in High Peak. After a caesarean section, which my wife had, mothers are advised not to drive for six weeks. In rural constituencies, not being able to drive can mean isolation. If dad goes back to work after two weeks, who picks the other children up from school? Who takes them to nursery? Who nips to the supermarket to get nappies when they run out? In those first few weeks, just being there is priceless. The economic evidence is compelling. New research from the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership shows that six weeks of paternity leave, paid at 90% of earnings, could deliver a £2.6 billion net boost to the UK economy every year. That is because, when fathers have proper paid leave, mothers are better able to remain in work and increase their hours. There is also good evidence that better paternity leave reduces relationship breakdowns, keeping more male role models in the home, which means huge savings for the state in housing and benefits. Extending paternity leave should not be seen as a cost. It is an investment in Britain. We have the worst paternity leave in Europe, and it is time we called time on it, by offering six weeks at 90% of earnings reserved for fathers and second parents, with the equivalent entitlement for self-employed and insecure workers. If we want boys to see caring, responsibility and kindness as strengths, we need to help the men in their lives to be there. I have been the father who was there for the little things, but I have also been the father who has missed them. I can tell you, Mrs Hobhouse, that a little change to paternity leave can make a big difference to the lives of men and women and their children.

    Hansard source
19. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jon Pearce

    Business of the House

    By the time I was 18, I had already had five years’ work experience stacking shelves in the local supermarket and making Big Macs in McDonald’s. Sadly, too many young people today do not have access to work experience. On 25 September, I will hold the fourth of my hugely successful job fairs, and I am encouraging all the exhibitors to offer work experience to local young people so that we can break down that barrier. Will the Leader of the House arrange a debate in Government time on the importance of work experience for our young people and for our economy?

    Hansard source
20. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·John Slinger

    Business of the House

    Sixty constituents from all across my constituency of Rugby have contacted me to complain about what is often a totally unsatisfactory service from Royal Mail, with no, slow or bulk deliveries. That has a real human impact. If I may, I draw attention to Rugby Talking Newspaper, whose customers are not receiving this vital service that they rely on. I believe that Royal Mail may well be in breach of its statutory obligation to deliver articles to blind people free of charge. Will the Leader of the House consider granting a debate in Government time on how we can exert more public control over this vital public service?

    Hansard source
21. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·John Slinger

    Ukraine and Russia

    Ukrainians living in my constituency of Rugby contacted me ahead of this statement to inform me of the devastating attacks in the Sumy region overnight, including on a shopping centre and on trains. I asked one of them what they thought was missing from the debate here, and, if you will allow me, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to read out what they said: “The constant psychological pressure. When you live inside it, everything feels incredibly urgent. If drones are flying towards your city, every minute matters and then you look at the outside world, where decisions naturally take weeks or months, and it can feel painfully slow and very far away. Sometimes you feel almost alone in it. There is also the information war. After years of this, people are exhausted, and of course there is anger. Why was this not stopped? Why is there not more protection? Russia tries to use exactly that exhaustion, fear and frustration to deepen mistrust. At the same time, it pushes another message outside Ukraine: that Ukrainians are tired of fighting, that Ukraine cannot win, and that continued support is pointless. But that is not what I hear from the people I know. They are exhausted, yes. They are frightened and angry. But they do not want to surrender. They want the opposite—the chance to live their normal lives again without Russia deciding whether they can sleep, travel, work, keep warm or see their family.” Will my right hon. Friend just reiterate once again that this House is united with Ukraine, and will help it militarily, diplomatically, economically and in the psychological battle?

    Hansard source
22. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·John McDonnell

    Air Traffic Control Disruption

    I thank the Minister for his statement. NATS used to be in my constituency and then moved down to Swanwick. Of course, with Heathrow in my constituency, I receive—as I mentioned yesterday—a large amount of correspondence from a whole range of other MPs’ constituents, who think I am responsible for Heathrow airport.

    Hansard source
23. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·John McDonnell

    Air Traffic Control Disruption

    It is not a laughing matter—I am sorry for interrupting the flow of the discussion. It would be useful if the review looked at NATS’s long-term investment plans, particularly since its partial privatisation in 2001, which I opposed. I thank the Minister for meeting Unite this morning and thanking the workers, who have worked so hard. From my experience, when things go wrong at NATS, the Public and Commercial Services Union members—the technical members—scramble and work incredibly hard to put them right. I hope that we can thank them as well. The Opposition spokesperson never made any reference to the workers themselves. They have worked incredibly hard and, as the Minister said, some of them have experienced horrendous abuse. We should congratulate them and support them in their work.

    Hansard source
24. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·John McDonnell

    Business of the House

    On a number of occasions, I have raised the case of Lee Cheuk-yan, who many Labour Members will remember was the general secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and founder of the Labour party in Hong Kong. He was detained during the democracy movement five years ago. In the last 48 hours, we have heard that he will be before the courts again on Friday. Having served a five-year sentence, he is now being tried for subversion, and faces the threat of a 30-year sentence. Will the Leader of the House liaise with the Foreign Secretary to see whether we can get a statement on behalf of Lee, urging clemency, and hopefully secure his release?

    Hansard source
25. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Johanna Baxter

    Business of the House

    Offences under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 have skyrocketed 81% since July 2022—a stark sign that violence against women and girls in Scotland has reached crisis point. That fact was rammed home to me last week, as I listened to a woman in my constituency advice surgery describe the abuse she has been experiencing at the hands of her partner. This Labour Government are working hard to halve violence against women and girls, but to deliver that for the whole United Kingdom, we must tackle the root causes and demand urgent action from Holyrood. Will the Leader of the House outline what he thinks the Scottish Government might learn from the work of this Labour Government?

    Hansard source
26. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Johanna Baxter

    Ukraine and Russia

    I welcome my right hon. Friend to his place. I am very pleased that he has now seen for himself, as I have, the reality of Russia’s illegal war on the ground in Ukraine. I know he will share my concerns about the deeply troubling reports in The Daily Telegraph yesterday that SAS veterans are training Russians to fight Ukraine. It states: “An assessment compiled for Five Eyes intelligence agencies found, with ‘strong confidence’, that Western military veterans had been recruited to train Russian citizens as well as ‘active duty military’ personnel.” Will he investigate, as a matter of urgency, those reports and report back to the House?

    Hansard source
27. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Joe Powell

    Lobbying: Ethics and Integrity Commission Report

    1. What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Ethics and Integrity Commission’s report into lobbying, published on 9 July 2026.

    Hansard source
28. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Joe Powell

    Lobbying: Ethics and Integrity Commission Report

    I strongly welcome the Government’s efforts to rewire the state and create more accountability for decisions made by the Government. As part of that effort, cleaning up our politics is so important, as we have seen from the summer of scandals on the funding of the Reform party. The Ethics and Integrity Commission has laid out how lobbying can be reformed to make it more open, rational and accountable. Can the Minister outline what immediate steps might be taken, and can he assure us that he will keep an open mind to the commission’s central recommendation, which is legislation for a unified digital open lobbying register?

    Hansard source
29. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Joe Powell

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    The housing crisis in Kensington and Bayswater is one of the biggest drivers of inequality in our community, with overcrowding, damp and mould, families stuck in temporary accommodation, and a lack of options for people with accessibility issues. It is a huge drag on life chances and opportunity, including for children. The issue is not helped by Conservative-run Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea receiving a C3 rating from the Regulator of Social Housing—a staggering failure nearly 10 years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, in which the inquiry found major failings at the council. It certainly would not be helped either by an entirely arbitrary £4 billion cut in housing benefit, which would dramatically increase homelessness, require the local authority to spend more on temporary accommodation and dramatically change the socioeconomic make-up of communities such as mine. It is a truly shameful policy. I will happily take an intervention from Conservative Front Benchers if they want to defend it, but it certainly would not address any of the issues we are talking about today.

    Hansard source
30. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Joe Powell

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    I completely agree with my hon. Friend. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, that policy would increase homelessness and would be entirely self-defeating, because it would just shift the bill to local authorities that would then have to deal with the problem, rather than tackling the problem, as we are doing today through this Bill. What we actually need is more social and genuinely affordable housing, and I welcome the steps this Bill takes to address the issue, because there is no doubt that unchecked right to buy has contributed to the problem. The measures in the Bill are sensible and will make a difference. They build on policy changes that the Government have already made, including making permanent the retention of 100% of right-to-buy receipts. However, the implementation of these measures in communities such as mine will obviously be vital. In many of our council estates and buildings, the current owners of right-to-buy properties are actually open to selling. That is partly because of estate regeneration costs and concerns about service charges and quality, and because unlike other private leaseholders, those leaseholders may not necessarily benefit to the full extent from the easier path to commonhold and resident-run buildings that the Government will be bringing in for leaseholders in general. I would welcome further information about how local authorities can be supported to buy back properties in blocks where the council is already the freeholder. I fully understand that this is an admission of the failure of the historical right-to-buy policy, and the situation certainly would not be helped by retaining the three-year eligibility requirement that the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Orpington (Gareth Bacon), supported in his speech. Changing the requirement to 10 years makes much more strategic sense for councils, because it incentivises both those buy-backs and investment in new council housing.

    Hansard source
31. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Joe Powell

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    I do agree. We have to increase supply in any way we can, and my point about buy-backs is that they demonstrate the false economics of the system. Councils are buying back at a premium, and often they have to buy back only for temporary accommodation—because that is where the costs are so high—rather than for lifetime secure tenancies, which is what we need. We also have a real challenge on housing association disposals, which I know other Members will speak to. The classic examples are Victorian-era street properties in North Kensington and Notting Hill. I am hearing of accelerated sell-offs as housing associations raise revenue to deal with their recent challenging financial situation, given remediation costs and the requirements to improve standards. Given that the Government have now backed the sector with access to the building safety fund, a 10-year rent settlement, low cost loans and more, I hope that those disposal numbers will drop. I know from experience that those homes in my constituency are unlikely to be replaced in the same community. The new four-week period for housing associations to notify the council is therefore extremely welcome, but it must lead to more purchases by local authorities of these properties. I would therefore welcome further information from the Minister on what impact he expects these notification periods to have. What guidance can be provided to housing providers, given their independence, to make it clear that private sector sales should be a plan B? What support will local authorities have to purchase these properties? Moving briefly on to shared ownership, I welcome the Minister’s close attention to the operation and effectiveness of shared ownership. Ministers will know about the case of Shaftesbury Place, because I have raised that building near Earls Court before. It has approximately 30 shared ownership flats that have experienced a twenty-onefold increase in building insurance due to a disputed fire risk assessment. The shared ownership leaseholders have consistently raised issues—broken security gates, cleaning, unauthorised access requests and late accounts—with the management of the building by Notting Hill Genesis,. In many ways, these residents are experiencing the same challenges that many leaseholders have with managing agents in the private sector, for which I hope the Government will introduce a new independent regulator. Can the Minister assure me that how housing associations manage shared ownership properties will be considered not only under forthcoming leasehold reforms, but in the Department’s work to review the challenges of shared ownership? I welcome the new measures in this Bill to keep victims of domestic abuse safer, and I look forward to seeing those powers used by landlords. Clearly, there is no one solution to the housing crisis in a community like mine in Kensington and Bayswater, but today’s Bill is an important step forward, and I strongly welcome it.

    Hansard source
32. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Joe Morris

    Topical Questions

    T8. I welcomed the announcement that the First Secretary of State and the Prime Minister made over the summer on reforming procurement to benefit British businesses. On my summer tour of my constituency, I met large groups of local farmers, who have seen previous procurement reforms not quite benefit farmers as they would have liked. I visit farms in Northumberland, unlike my predecessors, so will the Minister join me on a visit to a local farm to discuss how procurement can benefit British farmers?

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33. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jessica Toale

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    My area is probably like my hon. Friend’s, in that local housing allowance does not nearly meet market rates. Market rates are well above the national average, and wages in my area are below it, so does he agree that the Conservative policy of capping local housing allowance and the lack of social housing building over the past decade have exacerbated the issues we are now seeing in our constituencies?

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34. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jess Phillips

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    It is very good to hear the Minister commit to checking whether guidance is enough. Many of us who have tried to rehouse victims of domestic abuse, even after great laws have been written into legislation in this place, will know that getting them the priority need status under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 still takes a huge amount of advocacy. I therefore really welcome the commitment that, if guidance alone does not work, the Government will look at legislation. I offer to work with the Department to ensure that we assess whether the policy is working not from Whitehall but from the frontline.

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35. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jess Phillips

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    As somebody who, I would wager, has rehoused more victims of domestic abuse than almost anybody in this House, I just want to say on behalf of victims of domestic abuse that building more council housing and ensuring that more council housing is in the system is literally the thing that almost every victim in the country would ask us to do. With that, I commend the ideology of the Bill and suggest on the hon. Gentleman’s point about “wedging it together” that they are the same issue.

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36. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jayne Kirkham

    Fathers and Positive Male Role Models

    Does my hon. Friend recognise that it can be particularly difficult for men in the armed forces, who are often away? Even were there a willingness to provide paternity leave at 90% of pay, sometimes they simply cannot get the time. That is another thing that we need to consider when we are talking about male role models—men who work away.

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37. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jayne Kirkham

    Fathers and Positive Male Role Models

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) on securing this debate; it has been fascinating so far. The Centre for Social Justice’s recent report, which a number of people have talked about, revealed that 76% of people surveyed believed that teenagers today lack proper role models in popular culture. The opportunity for young men to find positive male role models is limited. We have talked about there being 1,000 fewer youth clubs today than there were 15 years ago, and the number of youth workers has fallen by over a third. When young men feel disconnected and lack representations of positive masculinity, an empty space can open up, and unfortunately some of the loudest and most harmful voices are all too keen to fill it. That disconnection can carry real-world consequences. Between April and June 2026, 530,000 young men aged 16 to 24—13.7%—were not in education, employment or training, compared with 12.3% of young women. The CSJ highlights that the proportion of young men who are NEET is climbing. That can snowball into strain on health and relationships or tip over into the criminal justice system; when it gets really bad, we see very high suicide rates, as we have in Cornwall, particularly for men. However, there are examples of community-led interventions that help young men to find positive male role models. I see them across my constituency. We have a Men Walking and Talking Group, which brings men together to walk, talk openly and support each other. It is often much easier to talk walking side by side than face to face. That group has been meeting for over 75 weeks, with good turnout. We also have ABandOfBrothers, which mentors young men aged 18 to 25 who are caught up in or at risk of getting into the criminal justice system. They are paired with older men who volunteer to act as mentors. They get outside, talk to each other and offer a community-based opportunity to strengthen cohesion and support young men who have often had chaotic lives and are trying to navigate the complexities of growing up. Having a supportive foundation is really important when young men become dads themselves. That was the goal of DadPad, created in 2012 by Julian Bose from Truro. Having personal experience of the lack of guidance for expectant fathers, he developed a guide himself to support men navigating that transition. We need to reach boys far earlier to avoid the formation of the empty space in the first place. Across Cornwall, we have holiday and sports programmes, such as football camps run by Plymouth Argyle’s community trust, that give young people healthy environments and men to look up to outside of home and school. Those community-led initiatives are important, but they cannot fill the gap on their own. The men’s health strategy published by the Government last November provides a policy framework to tackle the empty space. By addressing early on the physical and mental health inequalities that boys and men face, we create the structural conditions whereby young men can succeed. For the last three years, I have tried to be both dad and mum. Obviously, I cannot, but I am very lucky that there are uncles, teachers, sportspeople, godparents, grandparents and cousins who can all provide effective examples for my son and other young men. In Cornwall, we have great examples of groups providing those opportunities. When the national policy and local initiatives align, we can ensure that young men have many positive examples so that they can build their aspirations, grow into their masculinity and benefit themselves, their future families and society as a whole.

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38. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jayne Kirkham

    Severe Weather Incidents

    Returning to the topic of Cornwall, the Minister mentioned the possibility that Cornwall could be a pilot area for storm resilience measures, so it would be good to hear more about that. Measures to raise awareness would be very welcome, and guidelines for how people in Cornwall should act—on an individual, a local emergency plan, a council and a unitary level—would be useful going forward. Could the Minister say more about that?

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39. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jayne Kirkham

    Topical Questions

    I very much welcome the procurement changes that this Government have brought in. In the summer, the docks in my constituency lost a UK Research and Innovation contract on the RRS Sir David Attenborough to a Danish dockyard. Can the Minister assure me that the new rules will refer to agencies across government, rather than just procurements within Government?

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40. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jayne Kirkham

    Business of the House

    The Home Office’s revocation of health and social care visas linked to single employers has disproportionately increased recently. That is concerning, because it leaves 40,000 social care workers displaced, and only a small number are getting alternative employment. I am worried that people are slipping into the grey market. Can the Leader of the House ascertain with Home Office colleagues what steps the Home Office takes to track outcomes for those workers?

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