What Britain's parties say and do in public, recorded from the source.
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Labour Party
Latest entry 4 Nov 2026
Conservative and Unionist Party
Latest entry 4 Nov 2026
Liberal Democrats
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Reform UK
Latest entry 6 Nov 2026
Scottish National Party
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Green Party
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Plaid Cymru
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12,832 spoken contributions under 12 words (interjections such as “Will the hon. Member give way?”) are hidden. Show them
I am happy to congratulate everybody involved in the Newcastle-under-Lyme jazz festival—the organisers, businesses and everyone else. It is a great boost for towns and cities when festivals such as this are held. I look forward to it being a success in the future, and I will think about my hon. Friend’s invite very carefully.
I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point about where necessary house building happens, and the Government are aware of the importance of getting infrastructure in place—we made a recent welcome announcement about more diagnostic centres for local areas. There is a statement after this one and the Housing Minister will be there, so the hon. Gentleman may wish to raise those matters directly with him.
Let me pay tribute to my right hon. Friend’s work and the diligent way in which he stands up for his constituents. He raises a concerning matter, and I will get the relevant Minister to write to him.
I will indeed, because it is important that we recognise that not all of the country is covered by devolution in the way that the Prime Minister has set out. It is important that no area is left behind, and I will seek to arrange that meeting.
Let me pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who did a fantastic job as a Minister and is a great champion of her fine city. I join in with her excitement in welcoming the world town crier tournament. Her question is exceptionally timely given that one of the earliest surviving records of town criers in the UK is, in fact, part of the Bayeux tapestry, which was brought home yesterday to such fanfare. I wish all the contestants in her competition the very best of luck.
It seems like a timely opportunity for the hon. Member to seek a debate on those matters, given what is coming up. I pay tribute to her and her father for the initiative and the work that they are doing. It is so important that we have ways of tackling inclusion and loneliness, and I wish them all the very best in that. Let me remind her very gently that the new Prime Minister has confessed to being a poetry addict as well.
As I said to our hon. Friend before, the Government take this very seriously. Cabinet Office questions are next Thursday, so my hon. Friend might want to raise the matter there. I sense the feeling across the House. The Government have updated the House on developments, but let me go away and see if another update is required.
I hope that Openreach has heard what the hon. Lady has said. I agree absolutely on the importance of data in our modern lives. The Government take the matter very seriously, as they do the matter of resilience, and they are doing some in-depth work on how we can improve the situation. At the appropriate time, I am sure they will want to bring forward any further proposals to the House.
Yes, I do. On clean water, I will not rehearse all the arguments about how we have got to this situation, which has been a national disgrace, but I reassure my hon. Friend that water is a top priority for both the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary and the Prime Minister.
I congratulate the hon. Lady on her new role in the shadow Administration, and I reiterate how important transplants are. I hope that people listening to this have heard what the hon. Lady has said. I wish the England team all the very best and congratulate them on their success so far. I wish them luck in the upcoming games, and should they win the tournament, maybe there could some lessons for the England national team to learn from that.
As my hon. Friend points out, local authorities have planning powers to limit the proliferation of HMOs. He might want to raise the matter in a statement that is about to take place. Local authorities have powers, but I encourage them to use those powers. We keep regulations under review, but it is not always a case of more power being needed but rather of the powers that exist being used better by local authorities, including that of my hon. Friend. The matter concerns Members across the House, so it seems that a Westminster Hall debate would be an appropriate opportunity to discuss it further.
I agree with the hon. Lady about the importance of flower farmers and horticulture, not least because of the job opportunities, so I will help to arrange that meeting.
I certainly join my hon. Friend in celebrating the important work of local charities. As I have often said on these occasions, charities and community organisations are the golden thread that runs through our communities. I encourage him to seek a Westminster Hall debate so that he, other Members and, indeed, Ministers can say thank you to the local volunteers and charities who do such important work.
We have been clear that Royal Mail’s service is unacceptable, as the hon. Gentleman points out. Constituents expect a well-run postal service, and the Business and Trade Committee has called in Royal Mail to talk about its performance. I hope, because I know that Royal Mail listens to these sessions, that it has heard what he said, and the Government stand ready in future to ensure that we get the service from Royal Mail that the hon. Gentleman seeks.
There has been a £3 billion boost to bus services for millions of people across the country. The Government have capped bus fares at £2 from 2027, and the Buses Services Act 2025 will let local leaders take back control of those services. I hope that local leaders will take advantage of that because, as my hon. Friend knows, the Prime Minister is particularly interested in good bus services because he realises that interconnectivity is so important to people, particularly for getting to work.
It is good to see the hon. Gentleman back in his place and good to see him in these sessions, of which he is a consistent attendee, and I thank him for that. As ever, he raises a very serious issue. Last year, we launched our freedom of religion and belief strategy, focusing on our efforts to drive positive change. We continue to raise our concerns directly with countries where violations occur and work with international partners to defend this fundamental human right. I will ensure that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office hears his concerns and will see if he can get the update he seeks.
Given Mr Speaker’s introduction at the beginning of this session, I think that I may well be a candidate, either to be a commissioner for older persons or, indeed, the beneficiary of having such a commissioner. It is an interesting idea. There is an important campaign for a such a commissioner in England, and I encourage my hon. Friend to seek a Westminster Hall debate to further develop her arguments and hear directly from Ministers.
My hon. Friend will have heard from the murmurs behind me that that is not just a matter for her constituency; it is a matter for others, too. It is an important point, and she is right to raise it. The Government’s priority is to maintain the current size of the Post Office network and ensure that communities continue to have access to post office services. I will ensure that the relevant Minister hears what she has said and writes to her with an update on what further steps can be taken.
I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important matter. The Government have recruited almost 8,700 mental health workers and are dedicated to ensuring that communities can access mental health support when they need it. On the application for his constituency, all I can say is that I will raise the points he has raised today and highlight his campaign with the relevant Health Minister.
I certainly join my hon. Friend in commending the outstanding work of the Women and Families Resource Centre in Wolverhampton West, delivering essential items to support more than 1,000 vulnerable women and children. It is a testament to the extraordinary dedication of its staff and volunteers. He is entirely right about the critical importance of early intervention and preventive support, and I will be happy to raise these matters with Ministers on his behalf to remind them—though they do not need any reminding—of the importance of this issue.
I absolutely join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Wayne and Ian, and I offer the heartfelt condolences of the House to their families and loved ones. RNLI volunteers tirelessly provide a critical service in coastal towns and villages across the United Kingdom, including in my constituency. I will ask that Ministers write to my hon. Friend regarding resources for lifesaving services going forward.
I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Art Department team and their creative director, Steven Thomson, on what is clearly an extremely successful project. Should I find myself in Scotland, or indeed should we find ourselves in Scotland, Madam Deputy Speaker—I do not know why we would, but there we are—it would be my pleasure to see the incredible work at first hand.
Recess truly is an opportunity for all Members to engage even further with constituents and see the fantastic work that they do in local communities. The Government are committed to supporting local businesses and high streets. Later this year, we will bring forward the high streets strategy, and our Pride in Place programme is giving up to £5.8 billion over 10 years to support 284 towns. I join my hon. Friend in congratulating businesses in her community; I recognise the names and places very well since it was the land of my birth. I encourage her to apply for what I am sure would be a popular Westminster Hall debate, so that others can also praise the fantastic work of similar businesses and organisations in their constituencies.
The Government are committed to reforming the dental contract so that we can recruit more dentists and make sure that they work in the NHS for our communities, but I will reach out to the relevant Minister to help arrange a meeting with my hon. Friend on this important matter, particularly because there is a plan to see how these matters can be taken forward.
Functional neurological disorder can have a significant impact on the lives of those affected, as my hon. Friend says, and the Government recognise that access to appropriate support can vary between areas. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local populations and for ensuring that providers deliver services, but I will raise my hon. Friend’s specific concerns with Health Ministers. Perhaps she can meet the relevant Minister to see what further can be done.
As my hon. Friend points out, in England we have launched the places of worship renewal fund. I am pleased that the SNP has finally listened and opened its own scheme, but as my hon. Friend says, it is a rather disappointing scheme. I have already said today, and I have said it previously, that the Scottish Government have had the biggest funding settlement since devolution, and they should be using it for what matters most to the people of Scotland. Scotland’s heritage is of such importance to the nation, and I hope that the Scottish Government have heard what my hon. Friend has said today.
I am sure the whole House will join me in sending our most heartfelt thanks and best wishes to those six brave firefighters. I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Staffordshire fire and rescue service and all the community organisations that have come together to look out for one another. It really is the best of community in very challenging times.
My hon. Friend raises a very serious matter. The UK National Screening Committee has just run a public consultation on evidence relating to screening for cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in young people. It is important that we increase the number of people in the country with valuable lifesaving knowledge of CPR, and we are extending that to all NHS staff. I will make sure that the relevant Health Minister is aware of my hon. Friend’s concerns, and I wish her well in her efforts to raise not just funds but awareness.
I certainly join my hon. Friend in wishing all those taking part in Walk for Jock a safe journey in what must be a remarkably beautiful part of the country. Davie’s efforts to keep the memory of his brother John alive are truly admirable. I congratulate everyone involved on their incredible fundraising work and I wish them well.
My hon. Friend is right to raise this important matter, and I know that it will resonate across the House. We recognise that some parents’ experience of the Child Maintenance Service does not meet the standards that they and we expect, which is why we are committed to reforming the system. As she said, legislation will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows. In the meantime, we continue to take forward work on wider reform and improving outcomes for separated families.
We are committed to delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of the Parliament, with more than 3,000 neighbourhood police officers now in frontline positions. Devon and Cornwall police have been allocated over £8 million for 2026-27, but I recognise my hon. Friend’s concerns and the fact that many forces still face very challenging conditions. I am happy to take forward what she said about funding powers and also knives, but should she wish to have a meeting with the Minister for Policing and Crime to make that point herself, I will help her to arrange one.
My hon. Friend has been a relentless campaigner on the matter of ground rents, and I pay tribute to him for that. As the Prime Minister confirmed earlier this week, the Government intend to bring forward legislation to reform this unfair system. It is not right that Members are ignored by organisations when they raise matters of interest to their constituents; that is a discourtesy to them, and it is also a discourtesy to this House. I hope that Berkeley Homes has heard what he has said and will up its game.
I do not recognise all the names that will be going into the hall of fame, but I recognise some of them, and they were remarkable individuals and fantastic and pretty tough footballers. Their names are to be etched on a wall of fame, and rightly so. I pay tribute to all of them and to Scottish football—the organisers and the clubs but also the supporters, who are very much part of the success of football north of the border—and wish them well in the future.
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the importance of data centres, and it is important that they are in the right locations. I will raise his concerns with Ministers, but it seems to me that it would be appropriate for him to raise them directly with Ministers, through either an Adjournment debate or a Westminster Hall debate, so that he can speak up for his constituents.
I am honoured to do as my hon. Friend says. I am sure the House will join me in sending our condolences to the family and friends of Alan Knight. He will be fondly remembered not just for his exceptional charity work but also, of course, for his football career. Let me stray slightly more widely than that, Madam Deputy Speaker. The football community can be rightly proud of the way in which it has highlighted issues around prostate cancer. I want to pay tribute not just to Alan but to the wider football community.
It is important that the concerns of both my hon. Friend and local residents are heard, which is why the consultation took place. The 10-week consultation has now closed. We are looking at the responses, and I am sure that once those responses have been looked at and digested, there will be an opportunity for the Government to bring this matter forward for scrutiny and debate in the House. If she wishes to pre-empt that in any way, through an Adjournment or Westminster Hall debate, I am sure that she would find others who wanted to take part.
I thank my hon. Friend for that introduction to the Select Committee’s work. I have a particular concern, having met with the National Association of Child Contact Centres this week, about the ability of children in social care to continue to have supervised and appropriate contact with wider family members, particularly in the context of wanting children to see more of their siblings, which everyone would absolutely welcome. My concern is that contact centres have been closing at a huge rate. Is that something that we have tracking information on? Could we look at perhaps using family hubs as locations to resolve that issue?
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales) and for Worthing West (Dr Cooper) and the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran) for securing this debate on such an important issue. I will attempt to talk about three different vaccinations in less than three minutes, but before I do that, I would like to say a huge thank you to Congleton Rotary, which recently raised over £1,000 towards polio vaccination. That is such an important topic. First, it is completely unacceptable that the UK lost its measles-free status this year. We know that it can be a devastating disease for anyone who is unvaccinated, but it is especially dangerous for babies, young people, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system. We have relied on herd immunity for a very long time, and we no longer have the percentage required to have that. During the last major outbreak in central and eastern Cheshire, nearly a quarter of the cases were in the under-ones. Our babies depend on the rest of us having vaccinations, because otherwise they are profoundly vulnerable. We must work to get that rate back up again. Only 90% of children in Cheshire East had received both doses of the MMR vaccine by their fifth birthday. We must work harder on that, and I would welcome any progress that the Government can bring, including by addressing the legacy of missed appointments during the covid pandemic. The second vaccination that I want to talk about is cervical cancer. Every year, 3,300 women are still being diagnosed despite the take-up of the HPV vaccine among younger women, and around 685 women a year are losing their lives to the disease. The recent study mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Dr Prinsley) shows that the risk of cervical cancer death before the age of 30 has effectively reduced to zero—the HPV vaccine is amazing. Our goal as a Government is to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, which would be fantastic, and we have a 90% target vaccination rate for girls. In Cheshire East, the vaccination rate at the moment is 77.4% of girls but only 72% of boys. For some reason, we do not have a target for boys, but boys are also vulnerable to the equivalent cancers, and they absolutely need and deserve the same protection as girls. Why are we not making sure that they also have these targets? Lady Garden Foundation research found that over 45% of eligible girls who missed their school HPV vaccination did so because a consent form was not returned. Active parental refusal apparently accounts for just 12% of the failure rate. As a parent, I do not want vaccination to be forced on anybody, of course, but lifetime consent would make life so much easier. Why am I being asked every single time? Unless a child’s health status has changed, there is really no reason to withdraw vaccination consent. I believe we could make that much easier. Lastly, Cheshire has so many people in hospital with flu each year, so I remind everybody of the importance of vaccinating children against flu, to protect both them and their elderly relatives over Christmas. I thank the Minister and the Health and Social Care Committee, and I hope we can move this forward.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I congratulate the hon. Member for Waveney Valley (Adrian Ramsay) on securing this important debate. Among G7 nations, the UK has the lowest remaining levels of biodiversity, which reduces our environment’s ability to support our society. However, it is possible to combat biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. The UK is privileged to be home to many world-leading zoos and conservation organisations—including, in my constituency, the wonderful and world-renowned Chester zoo—which have the expertise and experience in species conservation and habitat restoration to propel large-scale ecological recovery projects. I was pleased to learn of Chester zoo’s programme to reintroduce more than 100,000 critically endangered greater Bermuda land snails to the wild, saving the species from extinction, after a small surviving population was discovered in an air conditioning unit. The efforts of such conservationists are essential to enriching ecosystems across the UK and the world, and we must strive to support them. Does the Minister agree that supporting our world-leading conservation sector is vital to ensure the UK’s long-term security and climate resilience?
I am beyond pleased that Chester North and Neston will be hosting this year’s world town crier tournament at the end of this month. I am sure that with the talent, showmanship and sheer vocal power of this year’s contestants, who hail from 15 UK towns and eight nations, audiences will be able to hear their cries of “Oyez!” from our city’s Roman walls and beyond. Will the Leader of the House join me in raising his voice to wish all 25 contestants the best of luck?