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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 recognise my hon. Friend’s service in the police. It was made clear to me by lots of colleagues and in conversations that I had that the policing family were looking closely at our actions in this regard. I hope they have got the message from the changes in the law that have happened, and the changes that we have now been able to make, and that they will measure us by the work we do with them to improve the criminal justice system going forward.
The right hon. Lady will know of the significant increase in funding to our police that we have already made. Through the National Police Chiefs’ Council, representations have been made about police resourcing and the support we can give to policing. We are still having those conversations.
I hope that my hon. Friend takes comfort from what both the Prime Minister and I have said about ensuring that the right support is in place for those who are paroled to stay out of prison, and for those who have not yet passed that stage to get to it and pass it. That has to be done with public safety in mind. Whether it is my hon. Friend’s insights or insights from colleagues across the Chamber, we are up for that dialogue because we are resolute in our intention.
The hon. Lady hits on an important point: what are we using our facilities for if not to rehabilitate people, particularly our young people? That is a symptom of what happens when the estate runs as hot as it does. It is a big factor in the reoffending of young people and, frankly, all people. That is why we are taking pressure off. She has heard what I said about the investment that we are putting in to get to what we want, which is a system that prepares people properly for release.
First, I recognise my hon. Friend’s work in the Department, which we are building out from, particularly on the hotline. That is why we have brought it forward. I am pleased that she has given me the chance to talk about restriction zones, because they are world leading and we are introducing them for the first time. I received an email literally as I was about to stand at the Dispatch Box about how they could operate. The commitment I have made to campaigners is that we will bring into the room those who are interested in ensuring that the zones work in order to challenge us on what we are doing and to make sure we are going as far as we can to make them effective. It is going to take time to build up, and it has to be done in the right way, but the zones have high potential. My commitment from the Dispatch Box is that we will have maximum engagement, so that people know what we are doing and can help us do it well.
The hon. Lady will have heard what I said about who we have taken out of the scope of the progression model, but I will undertake to look at that specific case and get back to her as soon as possible.
As my hon. Friend knows, we have taken death by dangerous driving out of scope of the progression model, so anybody whose sentence was being reduced from two thirds to a half under the model and was in prison for death by dangerous driving is now not in scope. I will get full clarity on the release date for the case my hon. Friend raises.
Again, I say to the hon. Gentleman that rape has been excluded from the progression model, but I will look at that case as a matter of urgency and come back to him. The important thing to say to all colleagues is that the victim-survivor should engage with their victim liaison officer, so that they can answer some of the questions. I will do anything I can to speed up that process.
The answer to that question is no. When the system is running as hot as it is, it becomes a self-defeating cycle of a system that runs hot and therefore does not do those things. I hope my hon. Friend will take, as I do, a lot of comfort from what the Prime Minister said in his statement earlier about addressing housing, so that people have a stable base from which to rebuild their lives.
The hon. Gentleman is right, and I hope that he has heard me accept that. I hope that there will be a degree of recognition that it was done in the noble cause of wanting to go further, but I still recognise everything he says. On correspondence, particularly correspondence that is more general and may go out more widely, our commitment is to ensure that it is trauma informed.
My hon. Friend has made an important point. I hope she heard what I said about our enthusiasm for those things that prevent reoffending. The Prisons Minister is looking closely at that in our estate plans, because we know that those areas help prepare people for release and keep them from reoffending.
I do not think there has to be a binary choice between those two things. I want to recognise the good work that the Parole Board does. I think there is definitely a challenge, as the hon. Gentleman will have heard me say, around support for those who have been in prison for a decade longer than they were sentenced to. As I say, people in those circumstances might struggle to adapt to life on the outside. It is incumbent on us to work across Government; our Probation Service does so much, and other wraparound things can help us to go further. I think that the hon. Gentleman would accept, as I do, that these sentences have more than had their time—let us work together to bring them to an end.
I totally agree. It is sad that this needs to be stated, but there must always be places for people to go to prison when they have committed serious offences; the worst-case scenario would be either trials collapsing or people being rebailed back to the situation in which they were offending. That is why we have made the changes we have made.
I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s question. The remand population is very much a material part of this consideration. There is an important place for remand in public protection, but, as she will know, court delays are often a factor in the size of the remand population. There is important legislation on that making its way through this House; we will no doubt have important exchanges on that shortly.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I recognise his service; he knows of what he speaks in this area. As I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean, I am well aware that the eyes of the policing family are on us. I ask them, as I ask my hon. Friend, to judge us by our actions. We want to get to the same place as them, which is a criminal justice system that is not running so hot, which means they will not have to be dragged away in all sorts of places, particularly on recall. We have lots of work to do, but my commitment is to do it with them.
I always enjoy a thorough debate on the statistics. The hon. Gentleman will know that the MOJ produces a wide range of statistics quarterly, and it will continue to do so. I will, of course, have a look at the important suggestion that he makes. It is really important that the public have the fullest amount of information in order to have the best public conversation.
I recognise the vigour and spirit with which my hon. Friend asked her question, and indeed the voice that she gives to a sector that is very concerned about these changes. I want to recognise that we wanted to go further than this. In being unable to do so, our commitment—what we are doing to close that gap—is to bring more support forward to ensure that there is direct support, whether through the victims hotline or the important work that the local sector does at a community level. It seems to me that the test for us to pass in order to prove that to victims is the process of engagement, getting quality information to people at the right time, and then designing the controls on perpetrators. That is the best thing we can do to seek to close that gap. Again, I appreciate that the burden of proof falls on us to demonstrate that we are doing that.
Like pretty much every Lord Chancellor for a number of years now, the first thing in my inbox on day one was a note saying, “By the way, we are going to run out of prison places”—my note said in November. I am pleased to say that as a result of changes made by my two immediate predecessors, the Sentencing Act improves on that saturation date, moving it comfortably into the future. Where we are on that will be set out when we publish our capacity report later this year, but my commitment is to go much further. Colleagues will have heard the Prime Minister say that he wants us to take a 10-year arc on these things, and the same is true for prison capacity.
Tagging is exceptionally important. The technology is improving, as is compliance with the contract. Similarly, we are making changes as part of this process. The presumption of tagging eliminates a point of failure, and tagging in prisons—a pilot that is developing—also reduces failure at that point. However, I appreciate the substance of the right hon. Lady’s point: we have to demonstrate to those who are interested in this space that this big commitment will be impactful. That is why I have made the commitment to do challenge work with those who care about this issue to demonstrate what we are doing.
I totally agree. It is worth pausing and reflecting on what my hon. Friend has just said: someone who went to prison for a one-and-a-half-year sentence is still there 18 and a half years later. All of us should feel discomfort about that. It is right that we put the best possible support in place for those who are on that journey and passing Parole Board processes in order to attain their release from prison. For those who are not, we have to look at a way to bring IPP to a close. I am committed to working with colleagues to do so.
The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point about vetting. I heard from probation frontline leaders about cases that have taken them the thick end of a year, and the attrition rates as people go and get other jobs. We do not want to see that happen. Vetting must be done properly, and my hon. Friend the Prisons Minister and I are working with the Cabinet Office to improve it. On the specific point about Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, I will revert directly to him.
My hon. Friend makes a really important point. I think we could say unanimously across this place that if an individual out on licence contacted their victim, that would be a significant transgression, and it would have the most significant response, as would breaching their conditions flagrantly and clearly deliberately. There is an element around non-compliance that is more technical—I have to say, I do not think that this is happening widely, but I want to recognise it in the spirit of my hon. Friend’s question. I would defend strongly the principle that people must turn up to the meetings that they are expected to attend, but as my hon. Friend has asked me to look at that issue, we will of course do that, because we want the recall system to be effective.
I absolutely agree. I have been having conversations with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education very recently on that point. I always took very seriously as a local councillor the role of corporate parent. For those children in care, we were their parents in law and in substance; we had to give them all the opportunities to thrive, and, as my hon. Friend says, when they were challenged to help them get out of that and build a more positive path. She is exactly right to raise that.
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. I look forward to having these conversations with the leadership of the POA and its members, who do such a great job. I am very aware of the attrition rates and retention challenges among people working in our prison system because the estate runs hot. What we are doing is exactly in the service of making it a better place to work, so that they are not having to administer a system that is tense and running at its margins all the time. Deflating it in the ways that I have talked about will help us to build a more stable regime and a better place to work.
I am grateful for the question. As I have said to other colleagues, I think that this is an important thing to demonstrate. My hon. Friend will have heard what I said about bringing the helpline forward and about support for local organisations to help support survivors through difficult periods, but the critical thing is high-quality engagement with victim liaison officers so that those individuals have certainty about what is happening and can help design controls around their perpetrator.
I am grateful for the chance to address that. That system is coming to an end because it is 15 years old. It is right that we address that. I want there to be much better tech enablement across the Probation Service. I met staff and heard about the importance of AI transcription, which is able to reduce their paperwork load. We of course want to have effective workload management tools in place. That is what myself and my hon. Friend the Prisons Minister are working closely on as we move to the new model.
That is an excellent suggestion by my right hon. Friend; I will be in touch with Bob. We do not intend for this to be a long, drawn-out process. We want to build from the best evidence that is available from those who have been active in this space. I certainly will make sure that I contact Bob to see how he can help us in this process. I remember him very fondly from his time in this place.
My hon. Friend raised directly with me and colleagues that appalling case, which when it came to public attention rightly sickened everybody who saw it. I am pleased that we have been able to make the changes that we have, but I again recognise the impact of the uncertainty across the summer. On the point about victim support, it is about high-quality engagement through victim liaison officers as well as access to local support services. We are augmenting our funding for that and the victims helpline.
It is a really significant change. What I am about to say is not just about restriction zones, but it is really important that I say it. Traditionally, victims and survivors have lived their lives around the licence conditions of their perpetrator. We need to flip that, and restriction zones give us that chance. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is here on the Front Bench, which is very helpful, because she built this system out. That is the change that we want to see to ensure that victims are living full lives.
The technology is rapidly improving, as is compliance. There are other points of failure, such as people not getting tags. That is why that presumption helps, as does tagging in prison. I was with staff on Friday and I was tagged, as colleagues may have seen. I have to say it worked very effectively in that case. We are absolutely resolute that it must work. That is why we are putting this effort and investment in.
I really recognise the importance of that question, and indeed the anxiety caused for survivors of domestic abuse as a result of the changes. We need clearer, earlier flagging. That is something that has been lacking, and we are resolute in addressing that. As I say, it is important that extra support is brought forward sooner and more investment is put into it. We also need really good engagement with victim liaison officers so that the victim or survivor knows exactly what will happen with their perpetrator and can shape the controls on them.
I thank the Lord Chancellor for the focus on victims in his statement. Some of the most harrowing conversations I have had as an MP have been with victims and survivors. The failures in the tagging system have had a great impact on them, retraumatising them again and again. Can he explain to my constituents what the impact of the new restriction zones will have on them and their experience of the criminal justice system going forward?
As the MP for Aldershot, I was really pleased to hear that the Prime Minister has held bilateral talks with Prime Ministers Carney and Frieden, who are leading the founding of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. For the past 18 months, I have pushed for the UK to join this multilateral bank, because I believe that we must work internationally to fund defence. Will the Prime Minister commit the UK to standing with our allies and joining this world bank for defence? It could unlock millions in investment for our British defence industry.
I welcome the Prime Minister to his place. In this short time in government, we have done a fantastic job of changing the lives of young people—I always say that the next generation is our greatest legacy. The number of people not in education, employment or training is now below 1 million for the first time. Will the Prime Minister lay out what the strategy will be for people not in education, employment or training, and make it a national mission to give them the opportunity that they deserve?
We have all seen the corrosive impact of the Chinese Government’s policies in Africa, in the south Pacific and throughout the Commonwealth. That is as important for our national interest as it is for the countries affected. What are we doing about it?
I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require local authorities in England to prepare and publish a road safety plan in respect of each school in their area; and for connected purposes. It is good to be back. The reasons behind my bringing the Road Safety Plans Bill to the House are the events of December 2025 in Madeley Heath in the northern part of my constituency. A local dad was walking his daughter to Meadows primary school not far from their home and, on this fateful day, was struck down by a reckless and speeding driver. That is what this Bill is about. We are here to demand action and to ensure that those responsible—in our case, Staffordshire county council—get on with actually doing something rather than more warm, weasel words, on occasion, about understanding the problems. Newcastle-under-Lyme is home to many brilliant schools, from Meadows primary school to St Wulstan’s in Wolstanton to Hassell primary school—which I was outside yesterday with Labour’s candidate in the town by-election scheduled for 8 October, Andrew Fox-Hewitt, who went to that school back in the day—up to Churchfields in Chesterton, St Mary’s on Silverdale Road and, of course, May Bank infants school. They are all excellent schools, all returning this week, and all would be safer if the provisions of my Bill became law. This is important, because no child, no parent, no carer—nobody—in Newcastle-under-Lyme or anywhere else in England should be at risk of injury, serious injury or, indeed, death when on the journey to school in the morning or from school in the afternoon. While we would all agree that no one should be at risk of losing a loved one, forced to push a child out of harm’s way or, indeed, at risk themselves on that journey, we have seen far too many close calls in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Since my election to this place, I have heard countless reports from local people back home of serious incidents on our roads, whether that is the continued speeding on Hanbridge Avenue that has seen near misses for humans and family pets killed by reckless drivers, or concerns from a number of local people about speeding along Basford Park Road and Silverdale Road—not to mention the disgraceful boy racers who wreak havoc up and down the A34 and in the car parks of neighbouring hotels, or the junction at Bowsey Wood Road, where there was a recent fatality, and, of course, the incident at Meadows primary school back in December 2025. Dangerous driving, boy racers and the associated impact are the very worst forms of antisocial behaviour. My constituents have had enough of this antisocial behaviour, and they want it sorted. Just a few days ago, I was copied into an email from a constituent of mine that was sent to Staffordshire county council. I want to share a few sentences from that email with the House: “The community has established a Community Speed Watch Group, with volunteers dedicating their own time to conduct numerous monitoring sessions. More than 10,000 vehicles have been observed. Police presence was recommended by the council as the primary and short-term solution; however, it has not proved to be a readily available option. Nevertheless, as previously stated, police presence cannot be considered a suitable substitute for a permanent solution, such as the provision of a pedestrian crossing. In light of the above, we would be grateful for a clear update (from Staffordshire County Council) on the current position and, in particular, whether any specific road safety measures have now been identified for the A525/A531 junction. The local community remains committed to working constructively with Staffordshire County Council and relevant partners to find a lasting solution.” I could not have put that better myself, and I am grateful to my constituent Zsuzsanna for her tenacity and to Carol, Rebecca, Louise and another of my constituents, Jill Whitmore, who has been a lollypop lady outside Meadows primary school for many years and sits on the borough council. These brilliant campaigners had me out on a cold wet morning earlier this year. It was raining cats and dogs, although I think I used other words at the time, and it was clear from being with them that morning that the junction at Meadows primary school is not safe, nor is it fit for purpose. They have together, in all weathers, campaigned hard and demanded action from the county council and the police to do more to stop speeding drivers and to keep our community safe. That is why this Bill is so important and so timely, not just in my community back in Newcastle-under-Lyme but right across England. I have repeatedly called out Staffordshire county council for falling short and failing on its duty to get a grip of the situation and finally install the necessary traffic-calming measures. While we wait for the county council and its leadership to wake up, there continue to be what feel like near misses every day. This Bill would mean that the council has no excuse. I know that members of the county council like to watch my speeches, so I hope that they watch this one and then get up from behind their desks and get on with doing whatever is needed to make our roads safe. That starts with ensuring that journeys to and from school are made safe, but it does not stop at that. At one of my coffee mornings in the summer, I met a constituent of mine, a 97-year-old man who is in very good shape, who came along to the church hall at St Werburgh’s in Clayton. He noted the speeding along Dartmouth Avenue outside the library, and outside the medical centre on Kingsbridge Avenue. My constituent told me that he has almost been knocked down several times and has seen families with small children in similar situations. While my Bill starts with schools and making the school journey a better experience for all those concerned, let it be a catalyst for safer roads in Newcastle-under-Lyme and right across the country. There were 160 casualties in Newcastle-under-Lyme alone last year, including two fatalities. The case for my Bill is made by those statistics and the many, many families impacted by dangerous driving, speeding and criminality—this is a crime, and we need to tackle it. I am proud that this Labour Government have made vital progress on road safety since the election in July 2024, and I welcome the publication of the first road safety strategy in over a decade earlier this year. I am particularly grateful to the excellent former Minister for Road Safety, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood), for her engagement with me on issues of road safety in Newcastle-under-Lyme and for speaking to me about my Bill before the summer recess. Staffordshire county council could learn a thing or two from the Minister, because I am sick and tired of receiving responses that tell me that the councillor for the division will look at my request for action. To date, no county councillor has properly stepped up to be counted. Reviews, investigations, empty words and broken promises are all well and good, but they are boring. We need action and a comprehensive approach, not a ward by ward attempt at a solution. My Bill will help to make that so: it forces those who dither and delay to fix up and look sharp. I know that that applies to councils across the nation. While accidents outside our schools often result from small, careless mistakes, the very worst consequences are felt by those impacted for the rest of their lives. As I bring this Bill before the House today, my thoughts are with all those in Newcastle-under-Lyme and beyond who have lost a loved one or suffered an injury on one of our roads. By backing this Bill, we can make our road networks, specifically those surrounding our schools, safer for pupils, parents and teachers. School entrances should be among the safest crossing points for pedestrians in our communities. My Bill is about ensuring that everyone in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across England feels safe on their journey to school and back home by mandating all local authorities to develop and implement a bespoke road safety plan for every school in England. What a good idea! Like people in my community and across the country, I know exactly where the problems lie, as do those who walk these journeys every day. Listening to those who share those experiences is important if we want to ensure that every child can make the journey between their home and their school safely, but we should not have to rely on the hard work of local campaigners to fight for change or wait around for another serious accident before action is taken. As each and every school in England is nestled in different communities with different road networks, the existing macro approach to school road safety just has not worked. It has missed the concerns and challenges that children, parents and teachers face in different locations. One size clearly does not fit all, and that is why my Bill will provide local authorities with a mandate to take action to address specific problem areas. Dangerous crossings, speeding vehicles and blind spots all contribute to near misses, and they need to be targeted on a case-by-case basis by proactive local authorities. My Bill sets out a local-first approach, designing plans that respond to the concerns and experiences of local people who know their areas best. Every child and every parent and carer deserves to walk to school safety, without living in fear that they may not make it to the school gates, and the same goes for the end of the school day. Every teacher should also be able to expect their pupils to arrive safely for a full day of learning and to come back the next morning. And no Member of the House should be forced to come to the House with a Bill like this again. I hope that the road safety plans Bill and its aims find swift and productive support. I look forward to working with one and all to keep people safe on the way to and from school. It is not difficult or controversial but it is vital, so let us get on with it because our children and their families in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across England deserve nothing less. Question put and agreed to. Ordered, That Anna Dixon, Callum Anderson, Dame Karen Bradley, Mrs Elsie Blundell, Sarah Russell, Dr Al Pinkerton, Leigh Ingham, Simon Hoare, Dr Allison Gardner, Jacob Collier, Anna Gelderd and Adam Jogee present the Bill. Adam Jogee accordingly presented the Bill. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 16 October, and to be printed (Bill 136).
I warmly welcome the Prime Minister to his place and commend him for the direction and spirit of his statement. Small and independent businesses are the lifeblood of my constituency. I hear regularly from owners such as Colin and Jack, who own two Feast coffee shops in Sheffield, that they are facing an onslaught of financial pressure. On my way here this morning, Jack told me how rising VAT and electricity prices have meant that there is very little left at the end of the month to pay himself. I know that this is the case for many other owners, and that it goes beyond the normal ups and downs of businesses. I welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to cut VAT on energy bills from October, but is he willing to explore how else we might be able to help small and independent businesses?
Order. As everyone can see from looking around the Chamber, this is an exceptionally heavily subscribed debate. We will have to move straight to a two-minute time limit. We shall start with Dr Peter Prinsley.
Before I call the Lib Dem spokesperson, I thank colleagues for their assistance and restraint. We have had 25 Back Benchers in for this debate.
I will now call Alison Hume to move the motion. I hope that anybody seeking to speak has already asked permission from the hon. Member in charge of this debate, as is the convention. There will then be an opportunity for the Minister to respond.