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1. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Daniel Francis

   Topical Questions

   Reform-led Kent county council wrote to Transport for London asking it to consider a number of options for bus route 96, with its preferred option being that it should terminate in Dartford town centre from now on. I will continue to fight for my constituents in Bexleyheath and Crayford to ensure that the route can serve Dartford, Bluewater shopping centre and Darent Valley hospital. Does my right hon. Friend agree that section 173(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 is worded so that cross-boundary routes can operate in that way?

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2. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Dame Chi Onwurah

   Topical Questions

   Businesses and individuals are increasingly discovering the advantages of living and working in the north-east—and no doubt the north-west, too—but unreliable train wi-fi means that journeys to the regions are too often dead time. I know that the Government are investing in technology to improve wi-fi services, but can the Minister tell me when we will see reliable wi-fi on LNER services, so that the whole nation’s productivity can be improved?

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3. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Claire Hazelgrove

   Business of the House

   Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. The summer is a great time for families to create lasting memories, but it can also be an expensive time. Locally, I am hosting a free community advice drop-in event, bringing together local advice organisations. Fellow residents can come by to find out more about support that they may be entitled to around energy and water costs, debt advice and more. Will the Leader of the House join me in encouraging anyone who may need support across the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency to come by, and in thanking everybody involved in providing local support?

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4. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Kane

   Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment

   Much has rightly been said about Sir David Amess’s enthusiasm for using this occasion to celebrate the people and organisations that make our communities stronger. Many Members will recognise that some of the communities facing the greatest challenges often have the biggest hearts. In my constituency, that spirit has been embodied by Fallin Community Voice, which was set up in 2022 with a simple ambition: to bring life back to the heart of the village. In just a few years, its volunteers have created a thriving community garden, helped deliver the Grub Hub community food project, and brought Christmas lights back to Fallin. Their work has helped renew community pride, and it is no surprise that they have been recognised at this year’s Inspire Volunteering Awards. A few miles along the road, the Cowie Rural Action Group has spent many years quietly improving village life. From the Wee Club, which brings older residents together each week, to community projects including the village skate park, the Cowie Rural Action Group has shown what can be achieved when local people work together. One of the best and, dare I say, most out-of-the-box ideas in my constituency began when someone looked at an old red telephone box and refused to accept that it had reached the end of its useful life. The Balfron phone box food exchange has transformed that familiar landmark into a source of practical support for local people, while reducing food waste at the same time. It is a simple idea, but often the simplest ideas can be the most effective. In Strathallan, I want to recognise PKAVS in Auchterarder. I visited the charity last summer and was reminded of the extraordinary contribution that unpaid carers make every day. For more than 50 years, PKAVS has provided practical support, respite and, just as importantly, somewhere to listen. I want to recognise a campaign that shows why community action matters. Last year, after a determined seven-year campaign led by Sarah Heward, the Tyndrum Infrastructure Group and its partners, a Changing Places toilet opened at the Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum. It filled a significant gap in provision and is a lasting reminder that determined local campaigners really can change lives. That message was brought home to me by Quinns, a remarkable young constituent from Bridge of Allan who lives with a rare genetic condition. His mother wrote to me and said: “We are dependent on Changing Places toilets to give Quinns the same life experience as any other child his age.” Inspired by their own experiences, Quinns and his sister Anita have become proud advocates for more Changing Places toilets, and have helped other families by raising awareness of just how important these facilities are. Across my constituency, volunteers are quietly making life better every single day. The Friends of Plean Country Park care for one of our best-loved green spaces, while the Friends of Kings Park look after the historic park beneath Stirling castle. The volunteers at the Bannockburn and Eastern Villages Sports Hub have created a place where the community comes together. At the University of Stirling, volunteers organise a parkrun every Saturday morning, bringing hundreds of people together through exercise and encouragement. In Fintry, the community sports hub continues to transform village life, and local volunteers have opened a wonderful museum that celebrates the village’s history. In St Ninians, the Mayfield Centre and its much-loved library continue to bring people together through books and community events. In Strathblane, residents refused to put up with a dilapidated library and raised the money to build a new one. In Braehead, the Crawford hall has remained at the heart of the community for over 30 years, while Braehead community garden has helped people to reconnect with food growing for more than a decade. At the top of the town of Stirling, Cowane’s Trust has been helping those in need since 1637. In Riverside, Action in Mind provides life-changing mental health support, and in Causewayhead, Recyke-a-bike gives unwanted bicycles a second life, while helping people to gain access to affordable transport. Across the constituency, organisations such as Valley Renewables Group in Carron valley and the Callander Community Development Trust are generating renewable energy to provide a sustainable income that can be reinvested directly in local communities. I have mentioned some of the organisations in my constituency. I do not have time to mention them all, but it has been a privilege to place on record my thanks to a few of the volunteers, charities and community champions who make Stirling and Strathallan such a special place.

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5. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Hinchliff

   National Planning Policy Framework

   It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Desmond. I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on council and social housing. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wells and Mendip Hills (Tessa Munt) on securing this very important debate. On a personal basis, a debate on national planning policy feels like a very fitting bookend to the outgoing Administration. The issue of what gets built where defines our daily lives like no other issue, and I have found my first two years in this place defined by those debates. Without wanting to cast myself as a latter-day Cassandra, I shared early on my view that, try though Ministers might, there would be no appeasing the developer lobby—no amount of deregulation will ever satisfy them—and so it has proven, with the clamour for relaxed fire safety standards and the weakening of environmental policies, and for there to be less opportunity for ordinary people to influence decisions in the planning system, as loud as ever. However, my views on the subject have changed. Today, I am not joining this debate to raise a series of detailed concerns about the latest redrafting of the NPPF—although I do still have such concerns, especially in relation to possible changes to the sequential test on surface water flooding and limits being imposed on local authorities to pursue more ambitious policies on climate and nature restoration. The point I really want to make today is that I believe we have reached a point where national planning policy is completely broken and the NPPF is beyond reform. After decades of deregulation, the genius of Labour’s post-war democratic settlement has been degraded and reduced to a system of fiendishly complex processes, combined with overwhelmingly negative outcomes, which, for all the world, seems to have been designed by an evil genius to drive all those involved mad. When Lewis Silkin created the planning system that rebuilt this country from the ashes of world war two, he described the distinctly Labour vision for a policy that would meet “actual needs, democratically expressed.” Yet what the NPPF has achieved for years—I am afraid the latest iteration will be little different—is almost the precise opposite of Silkin’s idealism. Pretty much ever since the first version of the NPPF in 2012, what we have seen is the proliferation of speculative development across the country, with democratically produced local plans ridden roughshod over and housing built first and foremost for profit, not for people. In fact, a national planning policy framework is not even an accurate name for what we have. There can be no plan-led system when national policy introduces the overwhelming likelihood of caveats to local plans through an ever stronger and equally inaccurately named presumption in favour of sustainable development, which in reality functions as a passport to permission for all but the very worst speculative schemes. This is not planning in any reasonable sense of the word—it is merely reacting. Under the NPPF system, more and more of the initiative, the influence and the advantage lies with the vested interests of land promoters and major developers, whose private profit will never accord with the public good. And thus we have a national system in which the notion of affordable housing is a running joke, and in which the environment that politicians so often protest their love for is repeatedly trashed as a secondary matter compared to the unequally distributed benefits of growth. It is a national planning policy framework that overwhelmingly produces outcomes that lock us into car-dependent, unsustainable lifestyles, with polluted air that chokes the lungs of our children and costs the NHS billions, and utterly fails to secure public consent for the development we very desperately require to meet the needs of those stuck in temporary accommodation and in cramped, crowded and unsanitary conditions.

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6. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Hinchliff

   National Planning Policy Framework

   I agree with those concerns. As I understand it, many of the applications for grey belt are in fact on greenfield sites, and that needs to be addressed. For all its labyrinthine processes, the NPPF makes a mockery of local democracy, which breeds disillusion and contempt for politics in this country. The system we have created through the NPPF traps communities in a never-ending cycle of adversarial confrontations with corporations that see our local landscapes as easy pickings and cream off much of the wealth of new developments, while leaving the public to carry the majority of the costs. The section 106 mechanism they rely on is not only obscure, but demonstrably incapable of securing the investment in the infrastructure—GPs, schools, sports grounds and public transport—necessary to keep pace with population growth, when hundreds of new houses are bolted on to towns that have already seen almost all their facilities closed. The housing the NPPF produces is often both miserabilist and identikit. It is seemingly designed to erase local identity and shorn of local traditions, with no space for community and with a built environment that is best described as unhappiness given physical form. All in all, the damage that successive iterations of the NPPF have done to our country is difficult to forgive. Now is the time to consign the NPPF to the dustbin of history where it belongs and start afresh instead of making further amendments. The one positive note I can strike is that it is not difficult to imagine something far, far better. We need to return to Labour’s democratic principles, stop treating the public as a problem to be silenced and embrace them as a source of optimistic solutions for meeting the needs of the future. It is time to replace the constant nonsense that traduces our constituents as nimbys, and to put power in their hands so that they can decide where and how to meet the housing needs of their communities in a way that expresses their hopes and priorities for the future. It is time to bring back architects in every local planning authority, working with each community to shape plans for future development on an appropriate scale for each settlement, and with a renaissance in the local vernacular that strengthens and reinvigorates the culture and identity of each unique town, village and city. In short, it is time to ditch the NPPF and build a new system that puts power in the hands of the people and allows planners to genuinely plan with communities.

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7. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Bloore

   Midlands Rail Hub

   6. What progress she has made on the midlands rail hub.

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8. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Bloore

   Midlands Rail Hub

   I thank the Secretary of State for her answer. Rail bottlenecks choke regional trade and hold back Redditch businesses. Delivering the midlands rail hub is fundamentally both pro-business and pro-worker. Will the Secretary of State update me on when she expects critical engineering upgrades to start to ensure that Redditch is fully connected to regional growth?

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9. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Bloore

   British Steel

   I congratulate the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mr Reynolds) on securing this urgent question, and the Minister on his answer and on the Government’s bold action. Redditch manufacturers rely on British Steel, and to be frank, want more and different grades of it to expand their own production. I fully support the measure taken today—or, rather, last night—but can the Minister explain to us what engagement is happening on the ground to reassure workers?

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10. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Bloore

    Business of the House

    Care Quality Commission guidelines state that to be a fit and proper person to be a care home director, a person has to be honest, trustworthy, reliable and respectable. Through numerous complaints from my constituents, including court cases, the director of Wayside care home—which serves my constituents—has repeatedly failed those tests, including by charging for services for deceased residents. Will the Leader of the House please make available Government time for us to debate why care home directors and owners found to be in breach of the stringent professional standards expected of people in their roles are able to continue in their positions, looking after the most vulnerable people in our society?

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11. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Chris Bloore

    Local Government Reorganisation

    I thank the Minister for his statement and for delivering the option supported by five out of seven councils in Worcestershire, including the Conservative leaders of Wychavon, Bromsgrove and my council, Redditch borough council. I am hopeful that the decision to create North and South Worcestershire unitaries will mean those two distinct communities will now be able to deliver more tailored local services and, in Redditch’s case, actually deliver a fit-for-purpose economic development plan, which we have not had for 20 years. This will not be an easy time for staff in those seven affected councils. Can the Minister assure me that the Government will provide the money and support needed to make this transition a success?

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12. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Brian Leishman

    Topical Questions

    Fuel is being transported hundreds of miles from Stanlow in Cheshire to Scottish airports, increasing emissions and undermining our local fuel distribution industry. What will the Department do, alongside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Business and Trade and the Scotland Office, to protect fuel security and Scottish jobs, including those of tanker drivers?

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13. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    I express regret and apologies, Mr Speaker, not only for the issue you just raised, but that we were not able to lay the regulations before Parliament before they came into force. After very careful consideration informed by the significant commercial and diplomatic sensitivities involved in the transfer, and to ensure operational continuity, the Government decided that it was necessary for the acquisition to take place outside of working hours. Following Royal Assent of the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act 2026, the Secretary of State has taken the decision that it is necessary, in the public interest, to exercise the powers in the Act to transfer British Steel into public ownership. We have not taken the decision lightly, but we consider that it is the only viable route forward in the circumstances. British Steel is among the UK’s largest steel producers and has an important capability in the production of several essential steel products that are integral to the construction and maintenance of our critical national infrastructure. I reiterate the Government’s thanks to parliamentarians on all sides for their constructive approach during passage of the Act. Today’s decisive action secures British Steel’s immediate future, secures steelmaking in support of our steel strategy, and supports the jobs and steelmaking communities that have underpinned the business for decades.

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14. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    British Steel is now owned by the people. We will appoint non-executive directors and a board to take forward the transformation of the company so that it becomes productive, profitable and resilient. Part of the conversation will, of course, be about how the company can act in support of the wider objectives of the steel strategy, including the issues the hon. Gentleman raised in respect of the availability of specialist grades of steel. The hon. Gentleman asked what compensation Jingye is asking for. We have been in discussions with the company, as we were looking for a commercial solution, but we did not feel we were going to get value for the taxpayer. The company has been running at a loss for some time. That said, in the autumn we will, through regulations, appoint an independent valuer to make a judgment on any compensation that is due, and that could be nil.

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15. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    My hon. Friend is quite right to say that steelmaking communities have been impacted by previous Governments standing by rather than intervening —we have seen it in community after community over decades. As a Community trade union member, I am very aware of that. On energy costs, he will be aware of the various interventions that we are making through the supercharger and the uplift in network charging compensation, and we also have the British industrial competitiveness scheme. A key priority for the new board will be looking at ways to reduce costs, and a huge part of that will be investing to help with energy costs.

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16. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    Let me begin with the hon. Lady’s question about relations with China. We have been very clear that this decision was made in the national interest, not because of the national identity of those who previously owned the site. We have been very clear in the steel strategy that we think the future of UK steel will be determined in partnership with the private sector and will require co-investment. That was the approach that we took with Tata and have taken elsewhere in the sector, and we have made significant resources available to encourage new private entrants into the sector. I slightly take issue with the hon. Lady’s “year zero” approach, which suggests that British steelmaking was in a fantastic state under her Government. Crude production has fallen by 50% over the last 10 years, and we have seen community after community abandoned. I simply do not accept the idea that we will all be wearing flares and kipper ties and going back to the 1970s because we have a Government who are willing to intervene, rather than standing by and letting people and communities fall on to the scrapheap.

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17. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    As my hon. Friend will be aware, the point of the steel strategy is to do exactly what he describes, which is to ensure that a far greater proportion of UK demand, including for specialist steels, is produced in the UK. That demand will increase significantly in the coming years, not least because of the industrial strategy. We have owned British Steel for all of 11 hours, and the board is being appointed, but it is fair to say that the issues he raises will be among those that the new board will want to address.

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18. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    I thank the Father of the House for the spirit in which he asks that question. The key moment for jobs was the intervention last year, which resulted in the cancellation of the consultation on about 2,700 redundancies. The blast furnaces on the site will continue for some time to come. We have said in our steel strategy that we believe the future of the industry is in modernised, cleaner technologies. I am sure that will be at the forefront of the minds of the new board members as they look to transform and modernise the site.

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19. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    This decision is of critical importance to the entire economy, our national security and our national infrastructure. However, as the Father of the House has said, it is also a matter of getting to the end of the month for thousands of people. This morning, the workers on the site have been briefed on the decision. We would expect the new board to remain deeply engaged with the workforce, who will be central to ensuring a revitalised and resilient future for British Steel.

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20. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman on that point. The Government are very clear today that we are seeking that partnership with the private sector across the steel industry. From our side, the partnership comes with significant resources on the table, through the National Wealth Fund, to help the steel industry become more competitive, particularly on energy efficiency.

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21. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    I could not agree more. On a day when many of us will be thinking about travelling back to our constituencies by rail for the summer, it is worth noting that 80% of the rails we will be travelling on are made by British Steel. My hon. Friend raises an important point about taking more steps to ensure, as taxpayers would expect, that when we engage in public procurement British Steel is firmly in the mix.

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22. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    As the steel strategy set out, we believe the most sustainable and competitive future across the industry in general is through technologies such as electric arc. The blast furnaces at Scunthorpe will be operational for the immediate term. We are now 11 hours and five minutes into the ownership of the site. The issues that the hon. Gentleman raises will be high on the to-do list of the new board, as we appoint them shortly.

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23. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the measures we took were necessary because of the ending of the steel safeguards. Without the measures we took, there was a real prospect of our becoming the global dumping ground for uncompetitively subsidised over-production. That being said, the Minister for Industry, the Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton North (Chris McDonald), has been meeting manufacturers and listening to those concerns. That is why we have the transitional arrangements and have ensured that they will be reviewed after 12 months. It is also, frankly, why we are working so hard with the EU to ensure we get mutual arrangements there as well.

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24. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    As the Minister for Industry has set out, on the issue of cost, it is our intention to continue with the practice under the previous Act of coming to Parliament on a quarterly basis with a written ministerial statement to set out the costs. As we appoint the new board, we will also be keen for the owners and operators of British Steel to be accountable to Select Committees.

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25. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    On the point about a competitive rate, I refer the hon. Gentleman to an answer I gave a moment ago on the investment the Government are putting in across the steel industry to ensure costs are reduced. On the orderbook, through the work we are doing on public procurement, we are ensuring that there is a clearer line of sight for British steel producers—both publicly owned British Steel and others—on all the coming work linked to investment in national infrastructure or the industrial strategy, so that they get a fair shake at those contracts.

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26. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    As Minister with responsibility for regulations, if there are any particular regulatory issues that the hon. Gentleman has in mind, I encourage him to bring them to me and I will pursue them across the system. In addition to the reviewed guidance that we have given to ensure British Steel is in the mix for procurement, the clean industry bonus scheme—for offshore wind, for example—will incentivise its use.

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27. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    I am disappointed in the hon. Gentleman’s lack of faith in my career prospects. I am sure that the Minister for Industry, who has deep expertise in steel and is an excellent Minister, intends to update the House on the strategic objectives of the new board.

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28. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    We did not take the decision lightly, and we would have preferred commercial options. We are now 11 hours and 12 minutes into ownership of the company. We are deeply committed and open to private sector partnerships to ensure the future of British Steel, and that is an essential and early part of the conversation.

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29. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Blair McDougall

    British Steel

    Having got through this urgent question without making any commitments on behalf of my hon. Friend the Minister for Industry, I will give one now and say that I am sure he would agree to the meetings the hon. Gentleman suggests. There are specific arrangements within the trade measures we have taken that are intended to ensure the flow of steel into Northern Ireland, and there is advice for GB companies taking steel products into Northern Ireland. The hon. Gentleman’s question again highlights the importance of having that ongoing conversation with the EU, because we are not the EU’s problem when it comes to steel, and it is not ours.

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30. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Andy MacNae

    Business of the House

    My right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) has made it clear that reindustrialisation will be a key priority for this Government, but in order to be meaningful this must be done with true ambition, delivering good jobs, hope and opportunity in every part of the country, including the small towns of Rossendale and Darwen. To achieve that, we need to move beyond city-centric economics and the outdated assumption that our future is simply as a service economy. We must recognise that national renewal and resilience come from making more things in more places. Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate in Government time on how we can achieve that?

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31. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Andy MacNae

    Local Government Reorganisation

    I have long been a proponent of the principles of LGR, which Lancashire and my constituents have desperately needed for a long time. It is a chance to reinvent local government. However, today, in respect of a decision made by the Secretary of State, I have to associate myself with the comments made by my parliamentary neighbours, my hon. Friends the Members for Burnley (Oliver Ryan) and for Hyndburn (Sarah Smith). I cannot accept the suggestion—the claim—that these boundaries match the natural economics of Lancashire. It will leave us with the most deprived local authority area in the country. We are good at making the best of things, so I ask the Secretary of State to work with me and us to bring in the much more significant capacity and capability funding that we need to reverse that deprivation and catch up with neighbouring places, such as Manchester. Will he meet me and east Lancashire colleagues to drive this forward with urgency?

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32. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Andrew Pakes

    Local Government Reorganisation

    My role as an MP is to speak up on behalf of my constituents in Peterborough. The mess of local government is not the reason for the announcement today; it is the decade of austerity, cuts and underfunding of places such as Peterborough that has left us in the sorry mess that local government finds itself in. Peterborough is the fastest-growing city in Cambridgeshire, yet we have already heard two Members who are part of our reorganisation not even talk about my city and instead just talk about Cambridgeshire as a whole. One of our troubles is that successive Government policies have sought to erase Peterborough from the map by talking just about development in Cambridgeshire and Cambridge, and forgetting that we are the biggest city in the county and an engine of growth. Will the Secretary of State reassure me that we will know the criteria soon, that economic growth will be part of that, and that economic growth will happen in all parts of our ceremonial county, not just in Cambridge?

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33. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Andrew Lewin

    Local Government Reorganisation

    I welcome the model proposed for Hertfordshire, with four unitary authorities. Very importantly for me and my constituency, it keeps Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City together, and I am looking forward to working even more closely with my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Kevin Bonavia). It makes sense because of the A1(M) corridor and our shared history of new towns and garden cities. Would my right hon. Friend agree that the single biggest benefit for residents is no longer having to navigate the complexity and confusion of a two-tier council system? We will have one council and one point of accountability for the delivery of services.

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34. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Andrew Cooper

    Topical Questions

    By making accessibility one of GBR’s core priorities, this Labour Government are finally putting the improvement of accessibility at the heart of the rail network. How will stations such as Northwich railway station be able to access accessibility improvement funding to deliver the accessible station that my constituents deserve?

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35. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Amanda Martin

    Bus Travel Affordability: Children and Young People

    10. What steps she has taken to help increase the affordability of bus travel for children and young people.

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36. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Amanda Martin

    Bus Travel Affordability: Children and Young People

    Last week, the all-party parliamentary group for tradespeople hosted a roundtable to discuss the barriers to young people taking up a career in the trades. Travel was raised as a particular issue. While I welcome the Government’s roll-out of new technical colleges, they are simply inaccessible to many young people, especially those in coastal communities, where transport links are poor. Once they qualify, tradespeople rely on their cars and vans to build their businesses and get to their place of work. What steps is the Minister taking, in conjunction with colleagues in the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions, to break down the barriers to opportunity for young people considering these skilled, well-paid careers, and will the Government consider offering driving lessons through apprenticeships?

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37. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Amanda Martin

    Business of the House

    I regularly hear from people in Portsmouth who are passionate about public service and keen to make a positive difference in their community. Politics should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background. At the end of August, I will be hosting a political summer school for 15 to 21-year-olds in Portsmouth to inspire the next generation of leaders, campaigners and community champions. Can the Leader of the House advise me on how Members across the House can work with the Government to encourage more young people to engage in politics and public service, and what message would he send to the young people taking part in my summer school?

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38. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Amanda Martin

    Local Government Reorganisation

    I am proud to represent Portsmouth, whose local people want their pride reflected in the name of the reorganised local council. Both Portsmouth MPs and, I believe, councils representing over 75% of residents, support including Portsmouth in the name. It would be laughable, if it was not so awful, that the new name being publicly criticised by the council is the one that was submitted by Portsmouth city council itself. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is time for the Liberal Democrat council to stop playing political games, stop scaremongering, stop wasting time and—I know it might be hard for them—be honest with residents about this process? Will he help me ensure that Portsmouth is indeed in the name of the new unitary council, because it is so important?

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39. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Amanda Martin

    Gibraltar: UK-EU Treaty

    I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Gibraltar, I warmly congratulate the Government on successfully securing this historic, landmark agreement. I thank the Minister and his team for engaging with the APPG and for his words today explaining the sheer emotion that this treaty brings to Gibraltarians. Having visited Gibraltar on a number of occasions, and having spoken and listened to its Government, businesses and people, I know that they are really proudly British and want to remain so. This agreement protects Gibraltar’s sovereignty and its sovereign military base, strengthens our relationship with Spain, improves co-operation with our European neighbours and delivers what Gibraltar has consistently asked for. It has been backed by the Gibraltarian Parliament and supported by every former Chief Minister —I thank them for their commitment, dedication and trust in us. Does the Minister agree that those criticising this agreement should spend less time speaking on what they believe is for Gibraltar and more time listening to the people of Gibraltar? They have consistently supported this agreement and, as I have heard today, joyfully welcomed it.

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40. 16 Jul 2026·Parliament·Labour·Amanda Martin

    Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment

    Sir David Amess understood what every Member of this House should remember: our greatest privilege is representing the people and places who send us here. He never missed an opportunity to celebrate Southend, and today I want to do the same for Portsmouth. This year is especially meaningful, because we are celebrating 100 years of city status. For a century our city has been shaped by courage, service, resilience and innovation. Portsmouth has defended our nation, openly welcomed people from around the world, built ships, driven industry and produced generations who have been fiercely proud to call themselves Pompey. Throughout this centenary year, our city has come together to celebrate, but Portsmouth 100 is about more than looking back; it is about recognising the people who make our city. Reading through the nominations for the 100 Pompey Belles award, recognising 100 local women, has been inspiring and humbling. They tell the stories of the extraordinary women who quietly make Portsmouth a better place every single day. The hardest part now lies ahead, because we have the impossible task of narrowing down these nominations to just 100. I have learned over the past two years that Portsmouth sometimes has a habit of talking about itself as though it ends at the guildhall. I have therefore made it my mission since being elected to remind everyone that there is another half of Portsmouth that is every bit as special, which is Portsmouth North. It is where so many of my own memories were made: the street parties on Mousehole Road; rolling down Portsdown hill, which I must confess I have done rather more recently than perhaps I should have; spending long summer days sitting on the concrete steps at Hilsea lido, and how wonderful to see this much-loved landmark restored for future generations to make memories, too; catching the bus as a kid into North End to go shopping, before treating ourselves to a burger at Uncle Sams; play dates with mates in the ball pit at the Sovereigns, and later on in the garden of the Rose in June; family picnics at Baffins park after a visit; and going shopping with my Nan in Cosham, or as my Aunty Irene likes to call it, “Cozam”. These moments may seem ordinary, but they are what makes a city extraordinary. As we celebrate 100 years, I want to encourage residents to follow the lion trail, which takes them to so many gems in my city, and to make their own memories. What next for year 101, and what will I strive to change? I will strive for building the homes that local families need, giving every child the opportunity to achieve and thrive, supporting our high streets, protecting our coastlines, backing our armed forces, speaking out for those who often do not feel they have a voice, and making sure every generation can build a good life in my city—the city that I and they love. I want to thank my family and my loved ones for their support, and my fantastic team of Harry, Helen, Lucy, Abbie, Matthew, Jemma, Oscar and Flora—who, with her partner, Neil, welcomed their beautiful baby boy, Sacha Henry, just two weeks ago. Before I finish, I want to pay tribute to our outgoing Prime Minister, and to thank him for his service to our country, and for his kindness, encouragement and friendship. I also want to warmly welcome our new Prime Minister. Around Greater Manchester, he is known as the king of the north. I gently remind him that there is another north that deserves attention, and that is Portsmouth North.

    Hansard source