partytracker.uk — a sourced record of what Britain's political parties say and do, party by party, with every entry linked to a primary source

Showing every spoken contribution, including 12,942 under 12 words. Hide short remarks

1. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   I thank my right hon. Friend for her question; she has campaigned tirelessly on this. The model in Australia that we plan to use captures user-to-user platforms that have enabling social interaction as their sole purpose, or a significant purpose, and that allow users to post material, alongside algorithms and recommender actions. The model that we plan to follow is precisely about saying that children cannot access social media platforms that can be defined in that way. I think that is a big step forward. I know that she would like us to look at this further, and I am always open to discussion, because as I have said, I am very aware of all the other issues, and we want to take action where we can.

   Hansard source
2. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   We have a brilliant, fantastic, world-leading gaming industry in this country. That is why we are not including games under the blanket ban. However, I have been really concerned by issues raised not just by hon. Members, but by the police and others, who have shown that a real, substantial risk is posed by strangers who are not playing with but directly communicating with and messaging children, and then taking them on to WhatsApp and grooming them. We are narrowly focusing on that issue.

   Hansard source
3. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   Absolutely. I have been very clear throughout this statement that the responsibility is on the social media platforms, not on parents or children, and that it is up to them to take the action they need to take.

   Hansard source
4. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   The hon. Lady is right to raise the issue of enforcement. That is why I have specifically asked the new incoming chair of Ofcom to hold an urgent review of its capabilities, to ensure that it focuses rigorously on enforcement—including on riskier sites, in case children go off the main platforms and go further underground—and to publish a clear strategy and a proper report to Parliament on how that enforcement is going. In the end, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

   Hansard source
5. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have made great strides, with the £500 million in our Youth Matters national youth strategy, on rejuvenating our youth services and giving more access to sport and the arts. The Department for Education has a new enrichment framework that will help schools and colleges. It will be backed by a £22 million enrichment programme—there will be details soon—to help 400 schools in England create an excellent offer on enrichment. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also investing an additional £130 million in activities such as arts and culture, sport and physical activities, adventure and life skills, and much more besides.

   Hansard source
6. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   Yes, absolutely. The Department has already published new help and guidance for parents on how to talk to children about their life online. That will need to be done differently at different ages, and it is sometimes difficult to talk to children about this. The ban will support parents in doing the right thing, but I recognise that this will be a big change for many children and young people, and of course we want to do everything we can to support them through it.

   Hansard source
7. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   We want to provide the very best advice and support, based on the evidence, to parents, and also through schools.

   Hansard source
8. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   The Online Safety Act 2023 requirements remain. This is not an either/or; the companies have to make sure that they remove illegal content for everybody and remove harmful content for children. I have personally introduced a whole series of priority offences under the Act, including those to do with self-harm and suicide. The companies have to not just take this stuff down but actively look for it, and those requirements will remain.

   Hansard source
9. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   Yes. I have had detailed conversations with the Culture Secretary and the Education Secretary about all these issues. There is much more to do, but we are determined to give children the very best start in life, and the freedom to be children again.

   Hansard source
10. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments. There is obviously overwhelming support among parents, teachers, the police and others for an outright ban; then there are those who say that we just need to restrict certain features and functions. The truth is if that if we dealt only with the features and functions, the tech companies would come up with another feature and another function, and then another one—and another one, and another one. We are saying, “No, this is the line in the sand. No one under 16 on these.” If there are specific features and functions that go beyond social media, such as in gaming or on other sites, we want to restrict those, too. I hope that the new powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 will allow us to be more agile, but if they do not, I will always look again, because we have to keep up with how technology is changing.

    Hansard source
11. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    As I said in response to an earlier question, this was the issue that I wanted to grapple with the most. People want to find people who love in the same way, or who like the same things, and they may be worried about doing so where they live with their friends. This is hugely important. There is potential for a life online that still enables those things to happen, but just not on the social media platforms. I want to continue working with my hon. Friend, for whom I have the greatest respect, and the Department for Education to ensure that the chances that social media offered to some are still in place for people who want to experience and believe in different things. We want to give everybody the freedom to express who they are.

    Hansard source
12. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    I am so sorry to hear about what happened to Leo. I heard what my hon. Friend describes so many times during the course of the consultation, and many of the representations we had—from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of General Practitioners and others—raised precisely the issues that she talks about. One of the reasons why the ban is so important is that we must protect children from those serious harms. Two thirds of GPs and two thirds of hospital clinicians say that every single week they see something that they think is a direct consequence of social media. That is a wake-up call to us all.

    Hansard source
13. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    There are already requirements under the Online Safety Act for companies to remove illegal content, and those deal with the issue of foreign interference, particularly during elections. As I said, I am looking again at some of what the Science and Technology Committee recommended on this issue, because of exactly the concerns that my hon. Friend raises.

    Hansard source
14. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liz Kendall

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    Absolutely. This is about the social media companies putting their house in order. Lots of people have said, “Won’t you bow to pressure? You’ll cave under it.” I hope that today, we are showing our intention: we want a better life for children; we want to put power into parents’ hands; and we want to reset social norms. That is what this Government are absolutely determined to do.

    Hansard source
15. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liam Conlon

    Brain Cancer

    I join the Minister in paying tribute to the many brain cancer patients and their families who have campaigned for change. They include Joanna and Dennis from Beckenham and Penge, who lost their son Ollie at just 29 years old, and Tessa Jowell, who brought national attention to brain cancer nearly 10 years ago when she was diagnosed. I had the honour of working for her, and she would have been my neighbouring MP. I do a lot of work with the Tessa Jowell Foundation; tomorrow is their gala dinner in the Olympic Park, another legacy of Tessa’s. Will the Minister support the foundation’s calls for faster access to trials, including the right to try, precision medicine, equitable care regardless of postcode and—as Tessa would say—patient-centred care, helping people to live well with cancer and not simply die of it?

    Hansard source
16. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lee Barron

    Brain Cancer

    I will use my time today to share the words of Jackie Hall, mum of 14-year-old Max Hall. She says: “Dear Members of Parliament, Max should be worrying about school, football, friends, and what he wants to be when he grows up. Instead, our family is living with the reality that he has a high-grade brain tumour and that there is no cure available to him. We have discovered that many of the treatments currently offered to children with aggressive brain tumours have changed very little over decades. What makes this even harder is knowing that before Max’s diagnosis, he suffered headaches for around a year. Max is funny. He is kind. He is intelligent. He is brave beyond words. He is a child who deserves the same urgency, investment, innovation, and hope that would be demanded for any child standing in front of you today. Children with aggressive brain tumours cannot wait years for discussions, consultations, reports, and strategies. We need meaningful investment in brain tumour research. We need greater access to clinical trials. We need better awareness and earlier diagnosis. If this were your child, would you be satisfied with the options available? Please do not let another generation of children face the same future. Yours sincerely, Jackie Hall Mum to Max”. I will not stop until I get Jackie answers and get policies changed for young people like Max. Mandatory MRIs for long-term sufferers of headaches would be a good start, but after 12 years of warm words and broken promises, the motto of my constituency is deeds, not words. In the name of Max, Jackie and their family, and for the sake of all the people who are suffering, now is the time for this Government to be the one who finally deliver.

    Hansard source
17. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lauren Edwards

    Acoustic Design Planning Requirements: Workplaces

    7. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of acoustic design requirements for workplaces in the planning system.

    Hansard source
18. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lauren Edwards

    Acoustic Design Planning Requirements: Workplaces

    Sownd Certification is the UK’s first accreditation for spaces that are audio-inclusive and comfortable for neurodivergent people, spaces such as Oscar Acoustics innovation centre in my constituency. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the benefits of incorporating measurable acoustic performance and audio-inclusivity standards into building regulations or guidance to support more inclusive spaces?

    Hansard source
19. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lauren Edwards

    Topical Questions

    T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

    Hansard source
20. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lauren Edwards

    Topical Questions

    I thank the Minister for his comments about Grenfell. I welcome the legislation that the Government have introduced to lower the voting age to 16, and to make it easier for people to register to vote, but has he considered the benefits for increased participation in elections of adding a “none of the above” option on all ballot papers? This change could be made without primary legislation.

    Hansard source
21. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Justin Madders

    Leasehold Reform

    15. What steps his Department is taking to reform the leasehold sector.

    Hansard source
22. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Justin Madders

    Leasehold Reform

    I thank the Minister for coming to speak to the all-party parliamentary group on leasehold and commonhold reform and setting out so comprehensively his vision for ending fleecehold for good. He has explained many of the things that need to be done to get us to that place, including fixing some of the flaws in the 2024 Act, which will enable enfranchisement to proceed. There is a great deal of interest in this issue, so can he set out when we will see the long-awaited consultation on valuation rates for enfranchisement?

    Hansard source
23. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Justin Madders

    Carbon Capture Pipeline Projects: Cheshire

    The hon. Member is giving a very balanced presentation of the differing views and arguments, and she hits on a really important point: a number of residents feel that this consultation is not really a consultation, and that the decisions have already been made. We should all be united in urging Peak Cluster to raise its game on this.

    Hansard source
24. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Justin Madders

    Carbon Capture Pipeline Projects: Cheshire

    I am grateful to the Minister for acknowledging that a number of colleagues have contacted him about this issue. In particular, I will speak on behalf of my Wirral colleagues, including my hon. Friends the Members for Wirral West (Matthew Patrick), for Birkenhead (Alison McGovern) and for Wallasey (Dame Angela Eagle). None of them are able to participate in the debate because of their Government positions, but they have been engaging, as the Minister says. One of the things they are quite keen to emphasise is the allegation that the Government have already made a decision on this matter because the National Wealth Fund has supported this particular project. Will the Minister address that?

    Hansard source
25. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Judith Cummins

    NHS Dentistry

    With an immediate four-minute time limit, I call Alison Hume.

    Hansard source
26. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Judith Cummins

    NHS Dentistry

    With an immediate three-minute time limit, I call Richard Foord.

    Hansard source
27. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Judith Cummins

    NHS Dentistry

    I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

    Hansard source
28. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Judith Cummins

    NHS Dentistry

    I call the shadow Minister.

    Hansard source
29. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Josh Dean

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    A decade ago, I marched with other young people to Parliament Square calling for votes at 16 to be introduced after the Brexit referendum, and I am proud that this Labour Government are doing that. However, how will we ensure that young people are well informed when they cast their first ballot, given that they are digital natives and get a lot of their information online?

    Hansard source
30. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Topical Questions

    National parks and natural landscapes provide huge benefits to people’s health and wellbeing, and to biodiversity and the economy. Can the Minister tell me what steps we can take through the next iteration of the national planning policy framework to ensure that the aforementioned benefits are not undermined when infrastructure projects must be progressed?

    Hansard source
31. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

    I was interested in what the right hon. Gentleman said about the pooling of money following resale through the hall’s box office. Would it not be palatable for the members of the hall to have an agreed price by which those tickets are resold? Instead of the money being pooled, they could receive their portion of the contribution that they make.

    Hansard source
32. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

    The Royal Albert Hall is undoubtedly one of our premier cultural institutions, and it does a great deal of public good. It hosts a great many events that simply could not be hosted elsewhere, particularly large-scale choral and classical music. It is worth noting that the hall was an early adopter of the ticket levy scheme and has put over £300,000 back into grassroots music venues around the country, which have historically been underfunded. Undoubtedly, the hall’s governance arrangements and business model are peculiar. If this was normal across the arts, I think we would rightly take issue with it, but it is not normal. I note that among OECD countries, the UK is 22nd out of 25 on how it funds the arts; in fact, we have seen a one-third cut in the amount that we spend on the arts since 2010. However, the central question before us tonight is: do we block this legislation, or do we seek to improve it through parliamentary process? I choose the latter. There may be ways in which we can improve the Bill, and we can certainly improve its transparency and ensure that those with a decision-making or governance role in the running of the hall do not use it as an opportunity to make huge and excess profits.

    Hansard source
33. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

    We undoubtedly have more work to do on this Bill, but we must continue to do it through the parliamentary process that we have.

    Hansard source
34. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

    That is a risk that they take on behalf of a venue whose future they seek to secure. I encourage the proposers of the Bill to work with this House and the other place to make sure that we get it over the line, because I want to see the Albert Hall thrive.

    Hansard source
35. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

    I am not standing in the way of this Bill. I want to see it proceed tonight.

    Hansard source
36. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·Jonathan Davies

    Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

    I am not my right hon. Friend’s diary secretary, but perhaps the hall can get something moving soon. We should probably bring this debate to a close, but it opens a great many questions about how we fund the arts in this country. This model would not be acceptable for the Barbican, the Bridgewater Hall or other venues. We make an exception for the Royal Albert Hall, but we should not let it be the norm. We should look more carefully at the kinds of audiences that we create for the future through the National Centre for Arts and Music Education, so that places such as the Royal Albert Hall have an audience and do not become dependent on people having to pay huge amounts of money to see huge names. People come to events like the Proms because they want to hear classical music, for which we do not currently have an adequate audience at the moment, but we need the venue to be there for them to come.

    Hansard source
37. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·John Whitby

    Defence Investment Plan

    There has been a lot of talk for a very long time about additional money being needed for defence. What would the Minister do with more money that he cannot do now?

    Hansard source
38. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·John Whitby

    Carbon Capture Pipeline Projects: Cheshire

    The hon. Lady asks what is in it for the residents of Cheshire. The scheme—if it goes ahead, of course—will capture 3 million tonnes of carbon every year. That is the equivalent of a quarter of all the emissions from the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire every year, so that is a benefit for the residents of Cheshire, as it is for the residents of Derbyshire and everyone else’s constituencies in the country. Does she agree?

    Hansard source
39. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·John Slinger

    Brain Cancer

    I am very glad that my hon. Friend has brought this debate to us. The petition to which he refers was in memory of the son of my constituent; his name was Stephen Realf, and sadly he died in 2014. The petition calls for increased funding to reach parity with the funding for leukaemia and breast cancer. Stephen’s father Peter is in the Chamber today. Would my hon. Friend care to comment on the importance of the work done by Stephen Realf’s sister Maria back then in raising the profile of this vital issue?

    Hansard source
40. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Labour·John Slinger

    Russian Shadow Fleet

    I welcome my right hon. and gallant Friend to his place and his new position. Given that nearly three times as many Conservative Members were in the Chamber for the urgent question on the defence investment plan as are here for this statement, does he agree that while we are all tempted on occasion to politicise issues, we in this House are better when we speak with one voice, particularly on matters of national security?

    Hansard source