Sir Alan Campbell

Party affiliation

Parliament's party history for this member: Labour (1 May 1997 – present).

Register of interests

Register on Parliament's site

Latest on this tracker 1,992

1. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   The business for the week commencing 2 November is as follows: Monday 2 November—Continuation of the Budget debate. Tuesday 3 November—Conclusion of the Budget debate. Wednesday 4 November—Remaining stages of the Sporting Events Bill [<em>Lords</em>], followed by consideration of a carry-over motion relating to the Railways Bill, followed by consideration of a carry-over motion relating to the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill. The House will rise for the November recess at the conclusion of business on Wednesday 4 November and return on Tuesday 10 November. The business for the week commencing 10 November is as follows: Tuesday 10 November—Second Reading of the Financial Services and Markets Bill [<em>Lords</em>]. Wednesday 11 November—Opposition day (fifth allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition. Subject to be announced. Thursday 12 November—General debate on the 110th anniversary of the battle of the Somme, followed by a general debate on the Nolan principles. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 13 November—Private Members’ Bills.

   Hansard source
2. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   I join the shadow Leader of the House in sending our deepest condolences to the people of Spain in the aftermath of yesterday’s horrendous train crash, taking the lives of 68 people and injuring many others. As he said, I am sure the thoughts of the whole House are with all those affected. Last week, we saw some very severe and stormy weather across the UK. I send condolences to the families of those loved ones who lost their lives, and I thank all the emergency service workers who have been working hard to mitigate the effect of the storms. <span id="441" class="column-number" data-column-number="441"></span> I am saddened to hear about the passing of Sue Holt. She was a much respected member of staff in the Interparliamentary Relations Office, and I know the whole House will want to send condolences to her family and friends at this time. Further to the tributes made last week and your words this morning, Mr Speaker, I would like to add my best wishes again to Tom Goldsmith who, after 30 years of outstanding service to the House, is retiring from the office of Clerk of the House today. I would also like to pay tribute to Ceri King who, after 43 years in the civil service and 19 years as Head of Secretariat and Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council, is leaving her role this week. Ceri was appointed a lieutenant in the Royal Victorian Order in the 2023 new year honours in recognition of her services to the Privy Council. I have greatly valued her advice and guidance in my role as Lord President of the Council and I wish her well. On an entirely different matter, I congratulate Harry Kane, who this week became the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. As the shadow Leader of the House said, I am sure that Members from across the House will join me in sending congratulations on that well-deserved win and that they found, as I did, his acceptance speech very moving. Young people looking at Harry Kane will see someone entirely committed not just to the sport, but to family and everything else—he really is a hero to many people and I wish him well. There will be no business questions next week, so I want to mention Remembrance Sunday, which is on 8 November. As we take pause to honour those who gave their lives in defence of our freedoms, let us remember the extraordinary debt that can never fully be repaid. Let me turn to the comments of the shadow Leader of the House. The Chancellor set out a very clear plan yesterday in the Budget that gives families and businesses some breathing space from rising costs and supports Britain’s economic growth, not least in the £100 payment to 20 million households in council tax bands A to D in England. It also provides support for businesses, taking around 70,000 more retail, hospitality and leisure businesses out of business rates altogether. At the same time, the Budget supports the housing market, with measures for first-time buyers and social housing and on cutting unnecessary costs and delays for house builders. We have also reaffirmed our commitment to ending homelessness for good. I have to say that I found the right hon. Gentleman to be uncharacteristically unfair about yesterday’s events. On the question of pre-briefing, in the light of what we have said over a period of time, I was struck and pleased by how little pre-briefing there was about the Budget and how disciplined the Chancellor, his team and everybody else was in ensuring that this House was first to hear the contents of the Budget. The right hon. Gentleman mentions household incomes. The Government are not complacent about the challenges we will face. I listen very carefully to what is being said about potential changes in household incomes, but I gently remind him and other Opposition Members that we had 14 years of Conservative government, and people were worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. <span id="442" class="column-number" data-column-number="442"></span>That is the first time in history that that has happened, so we will not take any lessons from him or anyone else. He will know—because it is true—that this Government face international pressures. There are headwinds that we need to face, and a little more understanding of that would be appreciated. Despite all that, the projection is still that the economy will grow. It will not grow as fast as we want it to grow, which is why the measures in the Budget are there to try to ensure that in getting the foundations right, we can then get on with growth as quickly as possible. We will do all that we can. I also gently point out, without being complacent, that the predictions about growth this year were lower than has turned out to be the case, but we will see what happens, not least in the middle east. It is noticeable that when a number of very credible organisations talk about the state of the economy, not least the Office for Budget Responsibility, the International Monetary Fund and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, one of the things they pick out is not a lack of political stability, but the fact that the Government have a majority and a Prime Minister with a very clear vision of where he wants to take this country. That is done by ensuring not just that we in this place do everything that we can to boost the economy, but that no regions, towns or cities are left behind. That is why devolution is so important. The right hon. Gentleman talks about defence. We are spending £14 billion more on defence than the previous Administration; during their time in office, they spent the lowest amount on it since the end of the cold war. The Prime Minister set out a very clear timeline yesterday in which he again committed the Government to spending 3% of GDP on defence and said that we will meet our NATO commitments. What happened yesterday was a recommitment to those things, and we are on track to deliver all of them. Finally, the right hon. Gentleman talks about an election. The Prime Minister was very clear in what he said in the last few hours about how he sees the possibility of an election. If the Conservatives are looking for a general election, they should be very careful what they ask for.

   Hansard source
3. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   Not only do I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Connor on completing such an extraordinary adventure; I thank him for doing so for such a good cause. Many people who will never meet Connor will benefit from what he has done, but I am sure they will be hugely impressed when they learn of <span id="443" class="column-number" data-column-number="443"></span>his achievements. I wish him every success for the remainder of his adventure and safe travels on his journey home.

   Hansard source
4. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   I always find the hon. Gentleman’s comments both honest and brave, and admitting that he is a Tottenham Hotspur fan is characteristic of him. <em>[</em><em>Laughter.</em><em>]</em> I understand his frustration and the frustration of others about the postponement of the AI debate, but as he said, the first debate attracted a huge amount of attention, and there were two important statements to put before the House. We try to make sure that the number of statements is balanced, but we have to balance that with ensuring that the House is kept updated. I am committed to finding as much time as possible for the Backbench Business Committee, and I am sure the Chair of that Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman)—who is in his place—will have heard the hon. Gentleman’s desire for a debate. The hon. Gentleman made some relevant wider points about the way we use time in this place, and he will know that the Modernisation Committee is looking at how best we can use our time. The hon. Gentleman raised the issue of AI safety; the Budget delivers the Government’s most ambitious AI package yet, investing £700 million to tackle the risks of <span id="444" class="column-number" data-column-number="444"></span>AI. We will put AI centre stage during our G20 presidency, and I expect the House will be given ample time to debate those issues before that happens. At the summit, we will work towards hopefully agreeing a single set of global principles and standards on AI, and the Government are clear that where further work is necessary, we will do it. As for making time for a debate, I have just announced a further three days of debate on the Budget. The hon. Gentleman made an important point about the link between AI and growth, and I am sure that with a bit of ingenuity, he or other Members could speak to that issue during that debate.

   Hansard source
5. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   I join my hon. Friend in condemning the appalling incident in Wakefield and reaffirming that all forms of hatred and division have no place in our society. Attacks like these must never be tolerated; we need to send that message out in a united, clear and loud way from this place. I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) and for Ossett and Denby Dale (Jade Botterill) for the support that they have provided for their constituents. The Government take this matter very seriously. We will certainly try to find time for a debate at some point in the future about social cohesion and what more can be done, because we are doing a lot.

   Hansard source
6. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   As ever, I thank the hon. Gentleman for the hard work he does as Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, and indeed the rest of the Committee for the work they do. I join him in paying tribute to Sir John Hannam, who was a distinguished Member of this House. We send our condolences to his friends and family. I thank the hon. Gentleman for what he said about future Back-Bench business and about the AI debate. The hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean) should not underestimate the influence that he has in this place, because he has got half an answer—if not the whole answer—on exactly when it will be. I will look at allocating time. As the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) knows, I will do my very best to do that. I send my best wishes to the Hindu community for Diwali. As ever, the hon. Gentleman raises very important concerns about social cohesion and faith groups, not just in this country but abroad. I put on the record my thanks to the Hindu community for everything that they do in our local communities and across the country. I will also raise the hon. Gentleman’s concerns with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has raised these matters before. The Government take the treatment of minority communities, and particularly faith communities, very seriously indeed. I will raise it with FCDO colleagues and see whether, at some point, we can get the statement that he seeks.

   Hansard source
7. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that we should all take pride in the success of the Lionesses. We are committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport, with Sport England committing £60,000 to support the FA in developing a bespoke women’s football workforce strategy, so I am very concerned to hear of her specific concern. I hope that the FA has heard what she has said here today, but she asks how best she might be able to take this forward. I am happy to facilitate a meeting with Sport Ministers to see if we can get the answer that my hon. Friend wants and take this matter forward.

   Hansard source
8. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   I understand the right hon. Gentleman’s concerns about these matters and the way that announcements are made. I will take away his point, and I will do my very best to make sure that the announcement is made in the appropriate way.

   Hansard source
9. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

   Business of the House

   As ever, my hon. Friend raises an issue of great importance to his constituents, and I pay tribute to him for doing so. I understand that he has a meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office in his diary, and I hope that meeting will address his concerns. If it does not, I am sure that my hon. Friend, who is a doughty fighter for his constituents, will raise it once again on the Floor of the House, and we will have to see what else is necessary to move this forward.

   Hansard source
10. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Sir Alan Campbell

    Business of the House

    The right hon. Gentleman will know how difficult these decisions can be, and I know the concern that such matters raise in constituencies like his—let us be absolutely clear and honest about that. I will raise his concerns with the Home Secretary, because even where there are difficult decisions, it is important that we take local communities with us and get the right outcome in the end.

    Hansard source

2024 General Election: Tynemouth

Election result on Parliament's site

Parliamentary career

Career on Parliament's site

Published contact details

Only the details Parliament publishes for this member. Contact page on Parliament's site