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Showing every spoken contribution, including 12,832 under 12 words. Hide short remarks
I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. I would be very happy to discuss those requests in person. I also pay tribute to the families of Wilson and Vicky. The impact of more and more defibs being available is incredibly important, and I am very happy to speak in more detail on that issue.
I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention; I hope I will cover and do justice to those important points. NHS pathways also give providers call-level CPR data to support local reviews and improve quality, as well as reviewing data and emerging evidence to see where we must do better. They send quarterly reports to the national clinical assurance group, which is made up of senior clinicians drawn from royal colleges, professional bodies and urgent and emergency care services. These professionals can and often do submit constructive feedback on the way that pathways are run. At present, NHS clinical staff are trained in CPR, but from April 2027, this will be extended to all NHS staff, including those in A&E. The roll-out of this training will take time, but it will hugely increase the number of people in the country with valuable lifesaving knowledge. Finally, when it comes to recognising cardiac arrest, I can confirm that the Care Quality Commission does assess call handlers’ skill as part of its inspections. We know that no human system is perfect, and I am all too aware that a list or accounts like this can risk sounding defensive, so let me repeat my openness to sitting with the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire, Adam’s parents and other colleagues to see how and where we can do better and go further. Turning to the hon. Member’s points about genetics, I am hugely optimistic about the potential of genomics and life sciences over the next 10 years. The NHS clinical genetics services deliver a comprehensive clinical genetics and genetic counselling service for individuals with a family history of genetic conditions, including cardiac conditions. They provide a detailed review of family history that can direct the diagnosis, risk assessment and lifelong clinical management of patients of all ages and their families who have, or are at risk of having, a genomic condition. The current specification for the clinical genetics services was published more than a decade go under the previous Government and is no longer fit for purpose, not least because this is one of the most innovative fields in healthcare. Today, specialist clinical services simply do not have the capacity or infrastructure to contact family members proactively, except where a particularly high risk has already been identified. For me and my work, it is a clear example of why innovation must help connect our public services. NHS England’s genomics programme, working with the genomics clinical reference group, has done a review of the 17 regional NHS clinical genetics services. This has shone a light on the challenges to be addressed for this service to match the Government’s expectations. I am unable to confirm a specific date for the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire, but suffice to say, there is much more to be done before expectations are met by service. On his point about the UK National Screening Committee, it is true that the draft recommendations, which have been consulted on, did not find that the current scientific evidence—
There is no British security without Europe and no European security without Britain. The EU is one of our closest partners on foreign and security policy. That is why I was in Austria yesterday meeting a number of our European counterparts, and it is why the Foreign Secretary will travel to Ireland later to meet EU Foreign Ministers. The ambitious security and defence partnership agreed with the EU is boosting co-operation and—as my excellent predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Nick Thomas-Symonds), noted already—we recently struck a deal to join the EU’s $90 billion Ukraine loan initiative.
The Foreign Secretary and I have discussed many of these questions, and he will of course be discussing Ukraine. We have made a signal contribution to European security through our efforts in Ukraine; we will continue to do so, and it will be a top priority in our discussions in the weeks ahead.
I can reassure my hon. Friend’s constituents that, after many years of neglect, we are getting back to the table: I was at the table yesterday and the Foreign Secretary will be at the table this evening. We are pressing British interests in relation to steel made in Europe and on a whole range of really important questions. We have applied considerable pressure. Young people and research and development institutions will have access to a closer relationship with Europe, and we will push ahead in the coming weeks and months.
The hon. Gentleman knows how diplomacy works: we do not announce a summit until it has been agreed with our partners. I turn to his substantive question. Are we ambitious to go further and faster? Yes, we are. I said that in Europe yesterday and we have said it repeatedly. We are making every effort that we can make to ensure that there is a partnership that works for both the UK and the EU, and that we are advancing quickly towards it.
I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Armed Forces (Service Complaints Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. The purpose of the draft regulations, which were laid before the House on 29 June 2026, is to make consequential amendments to the Armed Forces (Service Complaints Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2015, following amendments introduced through the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025. The draft regulations ensure that the service complaints system remains aligned with primary legislation and continues to operate effectively. The draft regulations introduce two principal amendments. First, they amend the Armed Forces (Service Complaints Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2015 to replace references to the “appropriate officer” with references to the “appropriate person”. That reflects amendments made by the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025 to section 340N of the Armed Forces Act 2006. It clarifies that suitably qualified civilians as well as military personnel may carry out specified administrative functions within the service complaints system. The draft regulations also include a transitional provision to ensure that existing cases continue smoothly when the changes come into force. Overall, the amendments provide greater flexibility and efficiency in the administration of the system, while maintaining existing safeguards and preserving service personnel’s rights. Secondly, the draft regulations amend the list of matters that may not be the subject of a service complaint. Specifically, they provide that decisions relating to whether an appeal has been brought on valid grounds cannot themselves be challenged through the service complaints system. That will ensure that the system is not burdened with complaints concerning procedural admissibility decisions and will support the efficient operation of the service complaints process. Together, these amendments ensure that the service complaints regulations remain consistent with the Armed Forces Act 2006, as amended by the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025, while improving administrative flexibility and supporting the efficient operation of the service complaints system. The draft regulations are made under the powers contained in the Armed Forces Act 2006. They make consequential amendments to the Armed Forces (Service Complaints Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2015, following changes to primary legislation made by the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025. The amendments contained in the draft regulations are technical and consequential in nature. The amendment permitting suitably qualified civilians to undertake specific administrative functions within the service complaints system was requested by the single services to provide greater flexibility in administrating the system. The amendments will be implemented through existing service complaints processes and procedures, and any necessary guidance and administrative instructions will be updated to reflect the changes made by the draft regulations. In summary, the draft regulations make two technical and consequential amendments to the service complaints system. They improve administrative flexibility, support the efficient operation of the service complaints process and ensure consistency between the service complaints regulations and the Armed Forces Act 2006, as amended by the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025. Importantly, these amendments do not alter service personnel’s rights, the grounds on which service complaints may be made or the protections available within the service complaints system. I therefore commend the draft regulations to the Committee.
It has been a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine, and I thank Members for their contributions. I welcome the statement from the hon. and gallant Member for Exmouth and Exeter East and the questions from the right hon. Member for Melton and Syston, who is a passionate advocate for service-related matters and for his constituents who have served. It would only be fair for me to write to him with some clarity on the two points he raised, because they are slightly more technical than the actual substance of the draft regulations, which are quite straightforward. As I have set out, the draft regulations make two very simple but consequential amendments to the service complaints system. The first provides greater flexibility, which the hon. and gallant Member for Exmouth and Exeter East spoke about, by allowing suitably qualified civilians as well as military personnel to carry out the specified administrative functions within the service complaints system. The second amendment clarifies that decisions on whether an appeal has been brought on valid grounds cannot themselves be challenged through the service complaints process, supporting the efficient operation of the service complaints system. Together, those amendments ensure that the service complaints regulations remain consistent with the Armed Forces Act 2006, as amended by the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025. Importantly, as we have heard, the amendments do not alter service personnel’s rights, the grounds on which service complaints may be made, or the protections available within the service complaints system. I therefore commend the draft regulations to the Committee. Question put and agreed to.
I am grateful for the opportunity to intervene during this important debate. This is an issue that I care about deeply, both because of the impact on young people in Barrow and Furness, and because I have the privilege of serving as chair for the APPG on cardiac risk in the young. I came to be chair of the APPG after learning about the tragic loss of two Barrow and Furness residents, Wilson Shepherd and Vicky Parker. Wilson and Vicky died only two weeks apart and a few miles away from each other in 2023, and both deaths should have been preventable. I pay tribute to their mums, Lesley Mease and Donna Parker, for their tireless campaigning. Will the Government commit to developing a national strategy for the prevention of sudden cardiac death in young people in places like Barrow and Furness and across the country, bringing together screening with experts on cardiac pathology and inherited cardiac conditions and on the identification and investigation of blackouts?
11. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of international action on climate change on national security.
The Humber generates 20% of our electricity and is critical to delivering UK energy security. We have to work with our international allies to build a stronger framework of the friendly to protect all our critical infrastructure. The memorandum of understanding between Humber Marine and Renewables and Norwegian Offshore Wind is a really good example of collaboration that will keep the turbines turning. Has the Foreign Secretary had any discussions with allied partners to protect and grow clean energy projects, to improve collaboration and to better support global energy security?
I welcome the Prime Minister to his place and associate myself with all his comments about the two police officers sadly killed up in Cleveland. I speak with first-hand experience when I say that any police officer will start a shift not expecting to be able to go home at the end of it. It is really important that we recognise that. In that spirit, I ask the Prime Minister to give the commitment that the Government will always have our police officers’ backs, and to ensure that police forces are properly funded, so that my former colleagues can look after communities up and down this country.
I welcome the Government’s decision to end early release for certain serious offenders, including those responsible for the appalling killing of PC Harper, as we have heard. My former police colleagues and other emergency workers put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep us safe, and they must be able to have confidence in our system. Does the Justice Secretary agree with me that this decision sends them and others a clear and unequivocal message that this Government value their service, stand firmly with them and their families, and will ensure that those who commit the most serious crimes against them face the consequences of their actions?
I welcome the Lord Chancellor to his place and congratulate him on the steps he has taken this summer to reduce prison populations while excluding the most dangerous offenders. We must never again be in the position of having more prisoners than prison places. Can he reassure the House that, as he looks at the use of prison capacity and spare places, he will not remove the workshops and training areas in prisons, in which our brilliant prison staff do so much work to reduce the cycle of reoffending?
17. What steps his Department is taking to help oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank.
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his answer and for his condemnation of the Israeli Government’s policies in the west bank. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that action against these illegal settlements must include banning the trade in services—as well as goods—such as mortgages, financial support and legal services from UK companies to illegal settlement builders?
I welcome the Prime Minister back to this place and thank him for his statement. We have rightly reset our relationship with the European Union, and now is the time to build on that progress and redouble our efforts to strengthen UK-EU co-operation. With the upcoming summit next month, can the Prime Minister reassure me and my constituents in Battersea that he will be bold and ambitious in seizing that opportunity, going further and faster to boost economic growth, remove unnecessary trade barriers and strengthen our economic relationship with Europe, as well as creating opportunities for young people in my constituency and across the country?
When debating this issue, I crudely used to think of Greenpeace activists taking on multinationals or journalists writing books about oligarchs—Erin Brockovich-style figures exposing injustice—but, as has already been raised, SLAPPs are far more relevant to ordinary people than these cases indicate. Those people include my constituent Jeff Thomson. Jeff moved to Penrith to enjoy his retirement. What he did not expect was the Penrith pong, a foul odour that periodically hangs over the town. Many residents believe the smell is linked to the Omega Proteins rendering plant operated by Leo Group. The company disputes that it is the only source of the odour. Jeff set up a Facebook group called Fresh AIR for Penrith—a place for residents to moan about the pong, share information and learn how to make complaints to the Environment Agency. For running a Facebook page, Jeff received his first legal letter in February 2023 and found himself living under the threat of a defamation claim, with all the stress and fear of legal costs that that brings, all because he spoke up on an issue that he and his neighbours cared about. When I was elected, I said publicly that I wanted to tackle the pong. I grew up in Cumbria and people have talked about the smell for decades, so I was genuinely surprised by how many people warned me not to get involved. People said I might be sued, but until I learned about Jeff’s case and the basis of the action against him, I dismissed those warnings as absurd. I will be honest: when I was first elected, Jeff got right under my skin. Every MP has someone in their inbox with legitimate concerns who is awkward, and some who are extremely awkward. Jeff is one of them. He is very demanding and good at irritating people, but over time I have come to see Jeff in a different light. I now cast Jeff in the tradition of awkward people: the people who pester, who prod and who refuse to let things go. The truth is that without people like Jeff—and there is at least one in every town in my patch—nothing changes. Communities rely on them to keep pushing until someone listens. Jeff also had the courage to fight back, and in June 2026, more than three years after the first legal letter, Omega Proteins and Leo Group finally issued a notice of discontinuance. They agreed to pay Jeff’s legal costs, and he is now free to speak about what he describes as a living hell. But for every Jeff, there will be many out there now who are simply gagged, and their stories will not be told as part of this debate. That is why his story matters. His case shows exactly why we need an anti-SLAPP law. The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition and Index on Censorship helped my constituent in ways I never could, but they need us to act now. They have set out one crucial step that would have protected Jeff: a simple early dismissal mechanism based on objective signs of abuse—not a subjective test about what was in the claimant’s mind, not years of litigation; just a clear, fast filter that lets a judge say, “This is a public interest issue. This is a citizen speaking about their community. This case should not proceed.” If that mechanism had existed, Jeff would not have spent three years under threat, he would not have faced the stress, cost or fear, and the company would not have been able to use litigation as a tool of intimidation. No constituent should fear being sued simply for speaking about an issue that they believe is wrong. We must ensure that our legal system protects public participation rather than punishes it.
The Prime Minister’s commitment to regulate the funeral industry was extremely welcome. It was especially welcomed by those families who have been victims of rogue funeral operators, and I commend him for it. They are now asking when regulation will be brought into effect. Is this still a priority for the Prime Minister, and if so, when will the funeral industry finally be regulated?
I thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for giving way. I am immensely proud to represent Boulby, which sits on the cusp of our two constituencies, and to have joined her on the incredible visit to that facility a few months ago. As she says, it is the UK’s only deep underground science laboratory, providing skilled jobs in a region that desperately needs them, yet it faces a 40% cut to its operating budget. That is not equitable with cuts across the country. Does she agree that, where STFC needs to make savings, it needs to do so in an equitable way, to ensure that we are not cutting from the regions that have already suffered the most?
The Minister knows that I am a supporter of her work to champion the north in the Department. Given that the team from Boulby have travelled all this way, will she take a couple of seconds out of her day to meet them after the debate and discuss the challenges they are experiencing? I know she is not the Minister directly responsible, but I am sure they would appreciate it.
The whole of Teesside has been shaken by the tragic deaths of PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades last week, and the real Teesside—the one not depicted in the media—is the one that filled up the Riverside with a standing ovation for those two brave officers on Saturday, that has raised over £1 million for their families and that stands with our emergency services every single day. However, those services need their Government to stand with them, too. I am grateful for the £2 million extra funding that has been announced today, and for the 300 extra officers who have been deployed from across the country to keep our streets safe in the short term, but what we need in the long term is funding formula reform, so will the Home Secretary bring that forward at pace and ensure that we get the fair funding settlement that Cleveland so desperately needs?
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Wishart. I am very grateful to the hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) for securing this debate. I recognise that she has been a consistent advocate for her constituency on this matter. I was going to make the point that access to banking attracts considerable interest from across the House. However, I hardly need to say that, given the number of hon. Members who have attended today, or who have personally raised this issue with me while I have been in this role—or indeed who raised it with the former Prime Minister at the Dispatch Box, as the hon. Member for South Devon did recently. I shall endeavour to respond to all the points that have been raised today. I am, I fear, under pressure to do so in a dynamic fashion—following the remarks of the right hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart)—so I will do my best. I am particularly grateful to all those Members who have shared the practical and, in some cases, very personal circumstances of their constituents—that is especially important. I recognise that in rural communities—the subject matter of this debate—the loss of a branch can make everyday banking much harder. That was recognised by the hon. Member for South Devon, as well as my hon. Friends the Members for Clwyd East (Becky Gittins), for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Dr Prinsley) and for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Lizzi Collinge), and the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone), and plenty more besides—too many to name. It is right to acknowledge, as many hon. Members have, that the way people bank has changed significantly in recent years. Many customers now benefit from the convenience and flexibility of online and mobile banking. For many people, those changes have made managing their finances easier, more convenient and also more accessible. However, it is important that we recognise that while digital services work well for many customers, many people still need to access banking services in person—a point that has been set out thoughtfully and, in some cases, very movingly by hon. Members today. Those include some members of our communities who are older or may be more vulnerable, and those who face barriers to digital banking, not least because of connectivity—a point well made by the hon. Members for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) and for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth). Many small businesses also continue to rely on face-to-face support and cash services. Around 3.3 million current account holders did not bank online or through a mobile app in 2024. That is a significant number. As has been detailed in this debate, branch closures can have a significant impact on communities, especially where transport links are limited—even on a good run, as the hon. Member for South Devon put it—and where towns provide essential services for a much wider rural area. That is exactly why access to banking services remains important. As a Government, we are committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services. As the hon. Member for Havant (Alan Mak)—who is no longer here—recognised, access to cash is protected by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, but access to banking services is currently not. That is why in May the Government announced an independent review into access to banking services chaired by Richard Lloyd. That review will assess whether changes in access to in-person banking services are causing detriment. It will gather evidence on the extent of that detriment, and look into which groups are affected and which of those are most affected. As hon. Members know, that review has been gathering evidence from consumers, businesses, charities, community organisations, local authorities and industry right across the UK. It will consider whether current arrangements are meeting the needs of customers and communities. That includes banking hubs and other alternative banking services. I know that many Members—not least those in this Chamber—would like immediate answers to these questions, but it is important that interventions in this space are based on robust data and evidence, and a clear understanding of where the problems are and who they affect. That is why the Government’s review matters. I am not making a case for it to be a substitute for action; it is the evidence base that will enable the Government to act in the right way. Importantly, as Members have said, the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which is currently in the other place, includes a power that will allow the Government to take action to protect access to banking services. Together, the review and the Bill will enable the Government to respond swiftly and proportionately to the results and evidence from the review.
I do not want to prejudge the way that we will deal with the conclusions of the review. In response to one of the questions that I was asked, I can say that the Lloyd review’s results and report will be published next month. We can expect it in that timeframe. The Government’s commitment is further reflected in our support for the roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. I am pleased to report that we continue to make real progress against that target. More than 280 banking hubs have been announced, and 240 are already open. As hon. Members know, they provide assisted cash services and allow customers to receive face-to-face support from community bankers representing individual banks. I very much welcome the progress that has been made on the roll-out and on expanding the services available via the hubs. Community banker services now more closely resemble those of traditional branches.
We are considering the entirety of the geography of the United Kingdom, as my hon. Friend would want us to. His point relates to not just access to cash but access to banking services, and it is important that the Government take action in that area. Let me go back to the services now available via banking hubs. Customers can now get help not only with account opening and changes of address, complaints and powers of attorney, but with things such as bereavement support and concerns about fraud and scams, which have been raised in the debate. They can also get help with digital banking. We and the industry recognise that digital banking services are not always completely intuitive, so some people may need assistance to use them. Many hubs are piloting further improvements, including Saturday opening hours and customer liaison officers. A number of hon. Members raised concerns about how decisions are made about the location of banking hubs under the existing legislation, and whether the current arrangements adequately reflect the circumstances of rural communities in particular. Decisions about the location of banking hubs are made independently by Link, following an access to cash assessment. Link assesses a range of criteria and factors, including population size, vulnerability, transport links, the local retail environment and post office facilities. There is a real strength of feeling across the House about how those criteria are applied, and many feel that there should be a wider consideration of access to face-to-face banking services, beyond access to cash alone— Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 10(6)).
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Twigg. I am not sure either of my descendants wants to serve in this Chamber yet—to the point made by the shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury, the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier)—but there we are. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley (Callum Anderson) for securing this debate and for his consistent advocacy for the importance of financial services to the United Kingdom. While I am not sure I needed any convincing, even in the short time since returning to this brief I have seen that importance at first hand: in Leeds, home to an incredibly vibrant financial services cluster; in conversations that I have had with debt advice organisations about the difference that timely support can make to those in difficulty; and in Bournemouth, where I met degree apprentices and those at the beginning of their careers who are building the sector’s future. Those few engagements have reinforced for me just how much a thriving financial services sector matters to communities right across this country. I wholly appreciate the contributions of all hon. Members to this debate, whether they wear their financial services experience on their sleeve or seek to hide it—whatever experience they have, it has been a very informed debate. My right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West and Pudsey (Rachel Reeves), to whom I pay tribute, put financial services at the heart of this Government’s growth agenda and launched our 10-year strategy for the sector. The new Chancellor has been equally clear about its importance. Within days of taking office, he went to Bloomberg, reiterating his support for the central importance of our financial services sector. I think that that answers, at least in large part, one of the questions put to me by the right hon. Member for Godalming and Ash (Sir Jeremy Hunt); the remainder of his questions I shall seek to answer as well. I look forward to supporting the Chancellor as we continue to deliver on the Government’s financial services strategy. In doing so, I recognise the challenges, but also the opportunities, in the five areas that my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley has identified as central to the future of financial services. I will take each of those themes in turn. I thank him for his continued advocacy for strengthening UK capital markets and ensuring that those long-standing strengths support long-term investment in the British economy. He is right to recognise the progress that has already been made. Through the financial services strategy, the Government have taken decisive action to increase investment, to improve outcomes for savers and to support growing British businesses. We have delivered the Pension Schemes Act 2026, established a framework to monitor delivery of the Mansion House accord, enabled targeted support for consumers and launched measures to help to build a stronger retail investment culture, a point I will come back to. Mobilising more domestic capital must go hand in hand with ensuring that firms can access the right finance at the right time. Innovative businesses need clear funding pathways, from start-up right the way through to scale-up and into public markets, if they are to invest, expand, create jobs and, of course, remain headquartered in the UK. That is exactly why we are strengthening funding pathways at every stage of business growth. The expanded British Business Bank is helping to address market gaps and crowd in investment, while the National Wealth Fund is mobilising investment into the sectors and infrastructure that will drive long-term economic growth. We also recognise the particular challenge of later-stage funding. Our reforms are intended to support a more diverse range of funding sources and connect high-growth firms with the capital that they need to scale domestically and internationally. Strong capital markets are central to that objective. The UK has deep markets, global expertise and a position as Europe’s leading investment hub. There is no complacency, to answer my hon. Friend’s point, in my saying that we must ensure that our markets consistently deliver what companies need and make the UK the best place for firms to start, scale, list and stay. PISCES—the private intermittent securities and capital exchange system—provides a stepping stone from private to public markets. Hon. Members may have recently taken note of its first major auctions, which saw Wayve and Moneybox sell more than £100 million of shares between them. We have removed barriers to secondary fundraisings, improved market liquidity and eased accounting and reporting requirements for the smallest companies, because listing must be the beginning of a company’s growth story, not the end. Alongside these reforms, we are encouraging pension funds to diversify—I acknowledge the passionate case made by the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean)—supporting investment in private markets and helping savers to access better information and guidance. Trustees and fund managers must, of course, remain responsible for decisions made in the best interests of their members and customers. Sustainable success will come from making UK assets an attractive investment proposition. On retail investment, I share the view of my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley that too much capital remains in low-yield savings when it could be working harder for individuals and the wider economy. We are therefore helping people to understand the opportunities and risks of investing, and giving them access to appropriate guidance and support. We have also been working closely with the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee to increase the financial system’s ability to support economic growth, which relates to another of the questions put to me by the right hon. Member for Godalming and Ash on financing for SMEs. Taken together, those measures join up the full investment chain: mobilising more domestic savings, directing capital towards productive assets, widening access to finance for growing businesses and ensuring that UK capital markets help business to build and grow global companies here. Secondly, I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley for pointing out the opportunities presented by the digitalisation of financial markets. That is something I am particularly passionate about. The shadow EST, the hon. Member for Wyre Forest, talked about the importance of innovation to financial services—something that I talk about almost on an hourly basis in this job. The UK is a global leader in financial services because we have consistently embraced innovation; I will not go through the coffee houses that were set up on the banks of the Thames decade by decade. I should say at this point that it is fantastic to have leaders in the insurance industry listening to this debate from the Public Gallery. Innovation is important. We must consistently innovate, because it is key to our global competitiveness and the future of our financial services industry. Our ambition is to digitalise the UK’s financial markets and make the UK a world leader in tokenised finance. It is reassuring and encouraging to hear the right hon. Member for Godalming and Ash indicate that he thinks that is a sensible ambition. We are moving from experimentation to adoption at scale, as set out in our wholesale financial market digital strategy. We appointed Chris Woolard as the Government’s wholesale digital markets champion, and he published his first report in July. We are enabling firms to adopt tokenised securities through the digital securities sandbox, where the first firm recently received permission to conduct live activity. The regulators have committed to publishing a full cross-authority road map on tokenisation of wholesale markets later in 2026. We have committed to issuing DIGIT, a digital sovereign debt instrument, no later than quarter 1 2027. Alongside that, we are modernising and optimising the foundations of our markets, moving to a T+1 settlement cycle from quarter 4 2027 to reduce risk and improve efficiency. The hon. Member for Witney (Charlie Maynard) talked about the importance of stablecoins, and I think he welcomed the innovation objective that we are giving to the Bank of England. Stablecoins are important because they can enable faster and more efficient transactions, which means that money that would otherwise be held up can be spent by businesses on other things—they free up capital by being an efficient means of payment. The Government want to see Great British pound denominated systemic stablecoins and, as he is aware, we have established the regulatory regime. There really is no shortage of ambition from the Government when it comes to stablecoins—[Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman is gesturing as if I have forgotten something; I think that means he wants me to address the matter of a central digital bank currency. Work in that regard is ongoing among the Government, the Treasury and the Bank, and we will set out the next steps very shortly. Many Members mentioned AI, which is already delivering benefits across financial services, from improved customer services to tackling fraud, enhancing productivity and supporting decision making. We now have an AI adoption plan; I will not rehearse that, but I want to pick up on the hon. Gentleman’s points, since he rightly highlighted the extreme importance of resilience in our financial system—as he pointed out, the Governor has been speaking about that recently. Work is going on across Government, including with the regulators and in international fora. I hope I can reassure him that the Government are taking the issue about as seriously as it is possible to take it. The third area that my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley mentioned was clean energy. The UK is playing a leading role in supporting and financing the global net zero transition, which my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) has spoken passionately about in this place on many occasions. As my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley will be aware, the UK is already one of the world’s leading sustainable finance centres, and the Government’s focus is on how we can evolve and expand that leadership. We are delivering a number of targeted initiatives and prioritising changes that will have the greatest impact, such as UK sustainability reporting standards. We are also focused on making the UK a global hub for transition finance, which is not only essential to meeting our global net zero goals, but a major opportunity for UK growth and investment. I will speed up, but I want to mention financial inclusion as another aspect of my brief that I am particularly passionate about. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his recognition of the financial inclusion strategy; I intend to make it a step change in how easily all our constituents can access the financial services they need. He rightly recognised that the ability to open a bank account, to build a modest savings buffer, to access safe and affordable credit, to secure insurance and to protect against life’s shocks is fundamental to participation in our economy and, therefore, to participation in our society. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) spoke passionately about the importance of ensuring that financial services are available to all who need them. For all those reasons, those areas are the focus of our financial inclusion strategy, with actions ranging from supporting those without a fixed address to open a bank account, to supporting our credit union sector through a £30 million transformation fund. You are indicating, Mr Twigg, that I should draw my speech to a close. Before I do so, let me again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley for securing the debate and all Members for their contributions.
May I figuratively raise a glass to the Prime Minister’s much-needed 20% cut to business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues? That really is a win for our high streets, but other hospitality businesses—the hundreds of hotels, cafés, restaurants, fish and chip shops and takeaways right across my constituency—need support with the cost of business rates. These are family-owned businesses, and they are the backbone of our high streets. Ahead of the Budget, will the Prime Minister look closely at widening the support so that other hospitality businesses can benefit?
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart. We all know that there has been a marked decline in the number of bank branches across the UK over many decades. The main message I want to get to the Minister is that the response to bank closures has focused too much on access to cash—important though that is—and not enough on the loss of face-to-face services, as my constituents know all too well. We have had bank closures in Sedbergh, and the NatWest branch in Kirkby Lonsdale closed earlier this year. It had not even been noticed that the ATM was closing, so it took far more effort than it should have done to ensure that access to cash was retained. Face-to-face banking services offer a lifeline for vulnerable people and protection against fraud and digital exclusion. Some things are simply too complex to do over the phone or through an app. Setting up powers of attorney and delegated authority has been mentioned. Anyone who has lost a partner or a parent knows the complexity of dealing with grief—there might be a mortgage to deal with, money to transfer out of a joint account or bills to continue paying from the estate. Those processes are complicated and upsetting enough without having to explain the situation over and over again to different call centre staff or spending 20 minutes listening to hold music—sometimes people just need to sit down with a member of staff. Of course, rural inequalities compound that problem; people are told to travel to another branch, and anyone who has tried to get around Morecambe and Lunesdale on the bus will know how challenging that is.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I also know that other Members present struggle with broadband access. We are blessed in Morecambe and Lunesdale with Broadband for the Rural North, but that interplay of complex situations can make life so hard for people when they lose their bank branch. In Morecambe, which is a town, we did get a banking hub—I helped to secure it after the shutdown of the Halifax. I think it is working well, but, again, even in a town it cannot provide everything that is needed, although I really do appreciate it. Online banking is convenient for many people, but it does not work for everyone and everything; people still need face-to-face services like hubs or mobile banks. Services need to be reliable. The people of Sedbergh could tell us what an unreliable bank bus does to a town. I encourage the Minister to continue working closely with rural MPs on the issue, and I say gently that access to cash is not the be all and end all.
I am extremely proud to have seen the huge expansion of clean energy over the last two years—a key way in which we are tackling the horrendous climate change that we have seen this summer. In fact, my constituency is the biggest clean energy generator in the whole country, with Heysham 1 and 2 nuclear power stations. Will the Prime Minister confirm that the clean energy revolution will continue under his Government and will continue to be a top priority?
9. What steps his Department is taking with international partners to help tackle climate change.
My constituents in Blaydon and Consett have suffered through a summer of extreme heat, seeing trains cancelled, signal interruptions and wildfires. Climate change affects every single one of us—not only in the UK but globally, as we have heard today—so how is climate change resilience being embedded directly into our core diplomatic and security strategy?
The Secretary of State will be aware of my constituents Gemma Chappell and Rachel Walls, the great-aunts of baby Maya, who died at the hands of her mother’s partner. I thank the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister for reviewing the early release scheme so that Maya’s mother, who was scheduled for early release this month, will not now be included in this scheme. I commend him for the proposals that he has explained to increase accommodation. Can he say how victims will be supported in the future?
I welcome the Prime Minister to his post. My constituency of Amber Valley is made up of three small manufacturing towns with surrounding villages, but it has been overlooked for far too long, so I am pleased to hear the Prime Minister speak of growth in every postcode. My constituents will be particularly pleased to hear about reindustrialisation after our largest employer, Denby Pottery, recently closed its doors for the last time after 217 years. Can the Prime Minister advise how we can prioritise constituencies like mine, which are still experiencing the effects of deindustrialisation?
The deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough have, of course, been felt acutely in Cleveland, but they have also been felt more widely across the whole north-east and the policing family. I pay tribute to colleagues across the House, including my right hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Anna Turley), who has spoken with dignity as a local representative in the light of those terrible events. As the Home Secretary said, some of the officers stepping forward to provide mutual aid are from neighbouring forces, such as Northumbria, Durham and others. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that three of the four forces that have had the highest fallen officer numbers from 2015 are north-east forces. That makes the Home Secretary’s point about the need for fundamental change in the funding formula. Those officers are, despite the cuts, putting themselves back into duty and providing mutual aid at enormous personal cost. As she reviews the funding formula, will she ensure that officers have ongoing access to wellbeing and mental health support to help them respond to communities as they have been?
This summer I did a rural tour in my constituency of Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages. Interestingly, a resident said to me that they had been directed to Stafford, where we are also getting bank closures. That is not a rural area; it is a town—quite urban. The issue they had is that their nearest bus stop was three miles away and they did not have good mobility. Where there are these interconnecting complex issues, rural communities in particular are being poorly served. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must consider access to proper local transport when making these recommendations?
I welcome the Prime Minister to his place. According to the Office for National Statistics, manufacturing directly contributes 15% to the economy of Staffordshire—double the national average—so I really welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to reindustrialisation, which is vital for towns like Stafford. Will he meet me and other interested MPs, particularly those who are members of the Reindustrialisation Research Group, so we can speak about this issue, specifically as it relates to towns? We know that towns have more manufacturing employment than cities, so to have growth in every postcode, with manufacturing booming again in towns, is going to make such a difference.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I raised with the last Prime Minister the case of Max Hall. During our summer recess, Max passed away. He will forever be 14. Will the Prime Minister commit in his direction of Government to prioritise brain cancer—the biggest cancer killer of those under 40—and get his Ministers to meet with Max’s family and the organisations that support families, such as Brain Tumour Research and Brain Cancer Justice?
I welcome the Prime Minister to his place. He is right to say that we need more power and more ownership back in the hands of our communities. My constituency of Aylesbury is in a relatively wealthy part of the country, but if he were to talk to people at the Vineyard food bank or the Youth Concern drop-in he would not know it, because that overall wealth masks significant inequalities within Buckinghamshire. In fact, people in parts of Aylesbury live on average 11 years less than people in the wealthier parts in the south of the county. What does more control and more ownership look like for my residents, particularly those at the sharp end of the inequalities that I have described?
I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Inter-American Investment Corporation (Further Payments to Capital Stock) (Amendment) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. The draft order was laid before the House on 16 June. It will permit the UK Government to make financial contributions to the Inter-American Investment Corporation, up to the stated values. Allow me briefly to take the Committee through the background and purpose of the draft order. The draft order permits the UK Government to make further payments to the Inter-American Investment Corporation, also known as IDB Invest, which is the private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, also known as the IDB. The IDB is the largest source of development finance for Latin America and the Caribbean, with the group’s overall financing reaching about $35 billion in 2025 alone. The IDB is a trusted UK partner and is instrumental to the achievement of regional objectives on sustainable development, action on climate change, biodiversity protection and pandemic and disaster preparedness. The G20 has called on multilateral development banks to adopt new business models to stretch balance sheets, increase lending and take on more risk to support smaller businesses. In response, IDB Invest has committed to implementing a new business model. IDB Invest will shift to an originate-to-share approach to transfer its investments to the private sector, recycling funds and enabling greater impact through increased scale. IDB Invest’s innovative approach to development is why, together with other shareholders, the UK agreed to a $3.5 billion capitalisation package, to allow IDB Invest to more than double the support it provides the region from about $8 billion to more than $20 billion annually. The UK is a strong proponent of this new model, and of the leadership and innovation showcased by IDB Invest. In 2025, the UK authorised an increase in its shareholding in the corporation from 0.22% to 1.5%, subject to shares being available, for a total value of up to $106 million. When the IDB Invest share subscription period closed in March 2026, more shares became available than initially anticipated. This presents the UK with a strategic opportunity to further increase our shareholding in IDB Invest beyond the level previously authorised. By investing an additional $25 million, the UK can deepen its influence with the institution and strengthen its overall position. Let me highlight a few outcomes that IDB Invest has committed to delivering by 2030 through its new business model and capital increase. It will finance 2.5 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which will in turn support 9.5 million jobs. It will directly support more than 300,000 women in gaining access to finance, jobs, training and entrepreneurship opportunities. It will support 1.6 million of the region’s poor and vulnerable people in gaining access to services, opportunities and resources. It will improve access to agricultural services and investments for 44,000 farmers. It will dedicate at least 60% of its investments to climate and green finance. It will reduce 3.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and generate 1,400 MW from renewable resources for new clean energy projects. In addition, IDB Invest will continue to share lessons learned on the implementation of its business model with other development finance institutions to encourage more investment into the private sector globally. This represents excellent value for money. For every £1 that the UK invests, £5 of development-related assets are generated, taking us a step closer to achieving the region’s sustainable development goals. IDB Invest is instrumental in achieving UK objectives in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it is among our closest and most important development partners. The financial contributions covered by this draft order will support the UK’s development and foreign policy objectives in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting private sector development and sustainable economic growth. I commend the draft order to the Committee.