Jon Pearce

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Parliament's party history for this member: Labour (4 Jul 2024 – present).

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Latest on this tracker 139

1. 27 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Topical Questions

   About 13 million people have been displaced in Sudan, but they are far from safe. Earlier this month, a drone strike near one of the displacement centres in Blue Nile killed 31 people, mostly women and children. This is the world’s biggest humanitarian disaster. Where are the protests on the streets? Where is the round-the-clock media reporting? Where is the online coverage? Will the Minister set out what the Government are doing to raise awareness of that catastrophe and how we can galvanise international action?

   Hansard source
2. 21 Oct 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Antisemitism in Schools and Colleges

   I thank Sir David Bell for his report, which is as depressing as it is unsurprising. Its finding is that antisemitism in our schools is on the <span id="1155" class="column-number" data-column-number="1155"></span>rise, but we know it is rising not just in our schools, but across societies and across the world. What is perhaps most depressing is that it suggests that, if we do not take forward the recommendations, antisemitism will be embedded for generations. As the UK’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, I particularly welcome the recommendations on Holocaust education and on the adoption of the IHRA definition. I would like to say that it is a working definition of antisemitism. It cannot just be put on a shelf; it needs to be used. And in order for it to be effective there needs to be training for all those in our schools who are using it. Will the Secretary of State commit to supporting schools to make sure that training is provided?

   Hansard source
3. 14 Sep 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Israel and Palestine

   My hon. Friend is making a hugely powerful and, I think, intelligent speech. He may well come on to this, but will he join me in asking the Government to redouble their efforts to secure the international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which would give those communities a chance to build peace up from the bottom when the political leadership is failing from the top?

   Hansard source
4. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Fathers and Positive Male Role Models

   It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) for securing this important debate. There are so many positive male role models in my constituency and across the country that I could talk about, but I want to focus on one hugely important group: dads. I was lucky with my first child that the job I had then allowed me to be present—not just to lend a hand or spend time with my baby, but to co-parent. In this job, I have noticed the difference. I am often back too late for school and nursery pick-ups; indeed, I will be today. When I get home, I find myself asking, “What do they like to eat? What is the toy that they should be playing with in the bath? What bedtime story are they into at the moment?” Little things—but parenthood is all about the little things. Miss those moments, and we risk missing the bigger picture. For most children, their first, most important male role model is not an influencer or a celebrity; it is dad. The alternative—the toxic masculinity offered by the likes of the brothers Tate—is not worth thinking about. That is not the society I want my girls to grow up in. Real strength is having the character to step up for those who need us—not standing alone, flexing our muscles in front of the mirror. Real resilience is getting up, tired, night after night, rocking a baby with no end in sight; I can tell Members that it does more for the biceps than going to the gym.<span id="443WH" class="column-number" data-column-number="443WH"></span> We should do everything we can to support dads to be there, but we have a real socioeconomic divide in Britain. Some 90% of claimed paternity leave goes to the highest earners. A right that people cannot afford is no right at all. If people are self-employed—our farmers, plumbers and delivery drivers—they have no right to paternity leave at all. What message are we sending to the dads who keep Britain working? That matters particularly in rural constituencies such as mine in High Peak. After a caesarean section, which my wife had, mothers are advised not to drive for six weeks. In rural constituencies, not being able to drive can mean isolation. If dad goes back to work after two weeks, who picks the other children up from school? Who takes them to nursery? Who nips to the supermarket to get nappies when they run out? In those first few weeks, just being there is priceless. The economic evidence is compelling. New research from the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership shows that six weeks of paternity leave, paid at 90% of earnings, could deliver a £2.6 billion net boost to the UK economy every year. That is because, when fathers have proper paid leave, mothers are better able to remain in work and increase their hours. There is also good evidence that better paternity leave reduces relationship breakdowns, keeping more male role models in the home, which means huge savings for the state in housing and benefits. Extending paternity leave should not be seen as a cost. It is an investment in Britain. We have the worst paternity leave in Europe, and it is time we called time on it, by offering six weeks at 90% of earnings reserved for fathers and second parents, with the equivalent entitlement for self-employed and insecure workers. If we want boys to see caring, responsibility and kindness as strengths, we need to help the men in their lives to be there. I have been the father who was there for the little things, but I have also been the father who has missed them. I can tell you, Mrs Hobhouse, that a little change to paternity leave can make a big difference to the lives of men and women and their children.

   Hansard source
5. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Business of the House

   By the time I was 18, I had already had five years’ work experience stacking shelves in the local supermarket and making Big Macs in McDonald’s. Sadly, too many young people today do not have access to work experience. On 25 September, I will hold the fourth of my hugely successful job fairs, and I am encouraging all the exhibitors to offer work <span id="1216" class="column-number" data-column-number="1216"></span>experience to local young people so that we can break down that barrier. Will the Leader of the House arrange a debate in Government time on the importance of work experience for our young people and for our economy?

   Hansard source
6. 3 Sep 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Business of the House

   This Saturday marks International Day of Charity. In High Peak, we are incredibly lucky to have so many charities and volunteers supporting our communities, from Connex Community Support in Buxton and the New Mills volunteer centre to Little Cherubs Community in Chapel-en-le-Frith. On Friday, I will be hosting an event to say thank you to all those amazing charities. Will the Leader of the House allow for a debate in Government time on valuing volunteering and charities and how we can better support them?

   Hansard source
7. 2 Sep 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Engagements

   In my constituency and across the country, we suffered devastating wildfires this summer. I am grateful to the Prime Minister for the action that he took, including the temporary ban on disposable barbecues, but we must face the fact that our climate is changing and communities such as mine are suffering the consequences. What more will the Prime Minister do to ensure that we are better prepared to prevent and tackle wildfires next summer, and will that include making the ban on disposable barbecues permanent?

   Hansard source
8. 1 Sep 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Face-to-Face Banking: Rural Areas

   It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart. I thank the hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) for securing this debate. I will also start with some good news. When Lloyds closed the last bank in Glossop, and Halifax closed in Buxton, Link was very good, and we were able to secure banking hubs for both those major towns. Both those hubs are looking for permanent homes, which we expect to see later this year. Across the middle of my constituency, the story is very different. In New Mills, there is a community bank that is open for only five and a half hours on a Monday, and there is no access to banking for the rest of that belt. There are post offices in Chinley and Whaley Bridge, but both have been under threat and have nearly closed. We have only recently managed—touch wood—to secure their long-term futures. It is vital that my constituents have access not only to cash, which was the original impetus for this, but to face-to-face banking. That was a big issue for those who came along to hear about the banking hubs in Glossop and Buxton. The ability to talk to someone about savings, to take hard-copy documents and to talk things through makes such a massive difference for so many people. I very much welcome the Minister’s announcement of the review into access to banking, and I look forward to the outcome. I encourage the Government to consider changing the rules applying to Link, to move away from access to cash alone and towards face-to-face services. That is, as we have heard, what our communities are desperate for.

   Hansard source
9. 24 Jun 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

   Farming Road Map and Profitability Review

   I very much welcome the fact that this farming road map recognises the importance of upland farmers like mine in High Peak. Will the Secretary of State set out what support will be put in place to support my farmers, and will she meet me to discuss access to the SFI for those farming on common land?

   Hansard source
10. 19 Mar 2026·Parliament·Jon Pearce

    Business of the House

    This week in Parliament, I hosted Mummy’s Star, a charity that supports mums with cancer in and around pregnancy. The charity was set up by my constituent Pete Wallroth in honour of his wife, Mair, who tragically died just after their son was born. Mummy’s Star is campaigning for a change in the law to allow women who are diagnosed with cancer to defer or pause their maternity leave while they receive cancer treatment, so that they can spend their maternity leave doing what it should be for: developing the bond with their child. Will the Leader of the House grant Government time for a debate on the impact of cancer during pregnancy?

    Hansard source

2024 General Election: High Peak

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