Oral Answers to Questions

Wednesday 11th November 2026 Commons Chamber

The Minister for Women and Equalities was asked—

[Michelle Welsh (Sherwood Forest) (Lab)]

1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help remove children from poverty.

[Chris Murray (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help remove children from poverty.

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

The Government are taking decisive action to tackle child poverty, for instance by removing the two-child limit, expanding free school meals and rolling out Best Start family hubs. Measures in the child poverty strategy are expected to lift more than half a million children out of poverty in 2029-30. That is what Labour Governments do: they make the choices that lift children out of poverty.

[Michelle Welsh]

I am proud of what the previous Labour Government did in rolling out Sure Start services, and of the role that I played in Nottingham and Derby in that connection. Does the Minister agree that where people are born should not determine their future, and that connecting Sure Start to maternity services delivers hope and opportunity and pulls many children out of poverty, including those living in former coalfield communities in my constituency such as Ollerton, Blidworth, Rainworth and Clipstone?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I strongly agree with my hon. Friend. Sure Start was one of the proudest achievements of the last Labour Government. We are now bringing it to life for a new generation of children with Best Start family hubs, and I am delighted that from April next year we are expanding healthy babies funding to every local authority in England, giving every family access to trusted, practical support during those critical 1,001 days. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has spoken so powerfully about what needs to change in maternity services so that all women receive care and support at that vulnerable period in their lives.

[Chris Murray]

Child poverty haunts Edinburgh. In Scotland’s capital there are more homeless children than there are in the whole of Wales, which is a shameful legacy of 20 years of Scottish National party rule. Worryingly, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warned last month that we are set to miss our child poverty targets by a significant margin; one in five Scottish children are still in poverty. What conversations has the Minister had with Scottish Ministers about tackling child poverty, and will she press them to use some of the extra £18 billion that this Government have given the Scottish Government for Scotland’s poorest children?

[Bridget Phillipson]

Again, I strongly agree with my hon. Friend. Tackling child poverty is not just a moral imperative; it is an investment in our country’s future and our children’s future. The fact that so many children in my hon. Friend’s community grow up in poverty is a scar on their life chances and a scar on all of us, but this Labour Government are taking decisive action in lifting the two child-limit, which will benefit an estimated 94,000 children in Scotland. In England, we are also expanding Government-funded childcare for children under two, and I am sure that many Scottish families hope the SNP Government will do the same.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)]

The Secretary of State recently announced the closure of the independent Social Mobility Commission and its replacement with a Government-run class unit. The commission existed to pose independent challenges to Ministers, whereas the new unit will report to Ministers. Many will conclude that abolishing an independent commission and replacing it with an internal Government body amounts to weakening scrutiny, at precisely the moment when the Government claim to be serious about tackling inequality and child poverty. How can we have confidence in the Government’s assessment of their own performance when the independent body established to provide that assessment has been abolished?

[Bridget Phillipson]

We have been squeamish about class for too long as a country, and we need to tackle the deep inequalities that hold back too many people. I do not believe that that should be outsourced. It should be central to the work of every single Government Department, which is why I have decided to establish a new class unit in Government that will focus on everything that holds people back in our country. The difference between our party and that of the hon. Lady is that we are serious about tackling child poverty, and during this Parliament we will lift more children out of poverty than any other Parliament on record.

[Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle period poverty.

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

This Government are focused on giving people more breathing space. We are tackling the root causes of poverty through measures to make work pay, and are boosting the living wage so that no one has to go without the essentials. We are working with businesses to ensure that women are supported at work, and we support women’s health needs through our action plans too. We are ensuring that those with the greatest needs can access period products, with schemes that are already operating in schools and health settings.

[Mr Brash]

Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to my constituent Lyndsay Hogg for her tireless campaign to persuade businesses to provide free sanitary products in their public toilets? Lyndsay believes that we should go further and make that a legal requirement for businesses, ensuring that no woman or girl is ever prevented from participating fully in society because she has no access to essential sanitary products. Does the Minister agree that that could be a huge step forward in tackling period poverty, and will she agree to meet Lyndsay and me to explore how we can make this ambition a reality?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I pay tribute to Lyndsay, and I would be delighted to meet her and my hon. Friend to discuss what more we can do. It is good to see businesses and public services already opting to provide products, but it is right that, in parallel, we make sure that women have more money in their pockets and are lifted out of poverty. We are doing that by making work pay, cutting energy bills and scrapping the two-child limit, but I look forward to discussing this issue further with Lyndsay and my hon. Friend.

[Christine Jardine (Edinburgh West) (LD)]

Period poverty is a huge issue. The measures that the Minister has outlined are welcome, but it is a much wider issue. It has been estimated that women spend 20% more than men in their lifetimes on essential products—not cosmetics, but essential hygiene products. For a family with two or three children who are girls, that has a massive impact on their budget. Will the Government consider something that I have suggested often: looking at the pink tax—the extra money that women are charged—and doing something about it?

[Bridget Phillipson]

The hon. Lady raises a fair point and a fair challenge. No one should pay more for essential products, including health or hygiene-related products. I will pick up the issue with colleagues across Government, and I will come back to her with a full response.

[Josh Newbury (Cannock Chase) (Lab)]

3. What assessment she has made of the impact on trans people of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s updated services code of practice.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)]

The code is explicit that trans people must remain protected under the Equality Act 2010, must have access to vital services and must not be subject to discrimination. This Government will always treat everyone with dignity and respect. As an independent regulator, it will be for the EHRC to monitor and review the impact of its guidance.

[Josh Newbury]

In the three months since the revised code of practice came into force, trans people have reported being forced out of all single-sex spaces, such as toilets for either gender, and they feel that the clock has been turned back to a time when their very existence was policed. That is clearly incompatible with their ongoing protections under the Equality Act, and I hope that it is not in the spirt of what the EHRC hopes to achieve. Will the Minister keep listening to the real-world experiences of trans people and, if necessary, tell the EHRC to look again at the code?

[Simon Lightwood]

The EHRC will keep the impact of its guidance under review. The code is clear that trans people should not be left without facilities to use. Where single-sex services are provided, service providers should consider alternative options, such as gender-neutral or individual self-contained facilities, to ensure that trans people are included. We expect service providers to take proportionate approaches that protect safety and privacy for everyone.

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

5. What steps she is taking to help disabled people with the cost of transport.

[The Minister for Social Security and Disability (Sir Stephen Timms)]

The Government are committed to travel being accessible to all. The English national concessionary travel scheme, for example, provides free off-peak bus travel throughout England for eligible older and disabled people. From 1 April, disabled passholders will be able to travel free of charge, at any time of day, across England.

[Noah Law]

I welcome the recent revision to the way the Motability changes are set to be delivered, which will ensure that people can apply for a mileage allowance if they are making journeys for healthcare, education, employment or other essential needs. There is also an automatic increase of up to 3,000 miles for rural users, which will go some way towards reducing the otherwise unfair impact of the changes on those living in rural areas. I am grateful for the representations of Labour Rural Research Group colleagues on this issue, and I am grateful to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for his nuanced approach, but what further steps are Ministers taking to support disabled travellers in rural areas?

[Sir Stephen Timms]

My hon. Friend makes a very important point, and I join him in welcoming the announcement by Motability, particularly to help drivers in rural areas. He will have heard what I said about the extension of the time at which the free bus pass can be used, starting from 1 April. Let me also point him to the fact that the Department for Transport is providing £10.5 million in 2026-27, including an additional £1.9 million this year, to support mobility centres around the country, which help disabled drivers, including those in rural areas, to stay mobile.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

I warmly welcome the extension of the travel hours for those with disabled bus passes, but there is one further step that is still necessary for disabled people who cannot travel on a bus without a companion. At the moment, whether a council allows the disabled bus pass to cover a companion is still discretionary. That needs to be made mandatory, because there is not much point in a disabled person having a free bus pass if the person who has to be with them has to pay the full fare.

[Sir Stephen Timms]

The right hon. Gentleman raises an interesting point, which I know my hon. Friends will be aware of. The Bus Services Act 2025 includes strengthened requirements for disability training for drivers and for customer-facing staff working for bus companies, but I will certainly reflect on his point.

[Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.

[John Milne (Horsham) (LD)]

12. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.

[The Minister for Equalities (Satvir Kaur)]

Violence against women and girls is one of the biggest challenges of our time, which is why this Government have committed to halving it in a decade. Progress towards achieving that includes rolling out dedicated specialist teams in every police force, providing specialist rape and serious sex offence courtrooms, and introducing domestic abuse protection orders. We have launched a new taskforce to tackle misogyny, we are teaching children about healthy relationships in school and we are preparing legislation to make it impossible for children to take, share and view nude images.

[Richard Quigley]

Members will have heard me speak many times about the injustice of victims of sexual assault and rape on the Isle of Wight having to travel by ferry for evidence gathering and treatment, because of the lack of a sexual assault referral centre, yet these traumatic journeys continue and many victims tell me how they feel badly let down. Will the Minister meet me to discuss a way forward so that no one has to leave the island to access that essential service?

[Satvir Kaur]

I thank my hon. Friend for the work he does in supporting victims and survivors in his constituency. Victims and survivors of sexual violence should be able to access timely, sensitive and appropriate specialist support wherever they live. He is right to raise the gaps on the Isle of Wight, and I would of course be happy to meet him to see how together we can address that.

[John Milne]

Chart Way is a major pedestrian route into central Horsham, but its street lighting is operated by the owner of an adjacent office block that was recently purchased by a venture capital company. Unfortunately, the company in question has refused to turn on the lights or respond to any inquiry from councillors or my office, despite the fear felt by women and girls—and, indeed, the danger it creates—as the nights draw in. What avenues do we have to address this problem; can the Minister offer any assistance? We just do not seem to have any powers.

[Satvir Kaur]

The hon. Member is absolutely right that women and girls need to feel safe in public spaces. We are going further on this, with a cross-Government ministerial board—both the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport are part of it—and I would be happy to work with him and other Departments to ensure that we get this right.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.

[Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire) (Lab)]

Time and again, powerful men are abusing women and then trying to silence them. Every woman must be protected, so will Ministers ban the misuse of non-disclosure agreements for harassment and misconduct—for everyone, not just employees?

[Satvir Kaur]

We are clear that NDAs must never be used to cover up workplace harassment or discrimination. Reports this week have shown how important that is and the horrific consequences of imbalances of power. The Employment Rights Act 2025 will stop employers using NDAs to silence workers about harassment or discrimination in the workplace, and there is a consultation on going further and analysis of which groups will be included. We are also looking at what we can do about injunctions. I am sure that my hon. Friend the Minister for the Future of Work will be happy to write to her on this issue.

[Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)]

Thousands of prisoners are being released early on condition that they wear a security tag. Is the Minister aware of media reports that hundreds of prisoners are currently simply refusing, once released, to wear a tag? That must be deeply disturbing to the victims of their crime. Would she work with the Ministry of Justice to sort this out?

[Satvir Kaur]

We work incredibly closely with the Ministry of Justice. The truth is that we inherited a broken system, which we are fixing. What is important is that serious sexual offences are excluded, and we are supporting victims by introducing the toughest ever range of tools, including world first restriction zones.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)]

Female genital mutilation is one of the most serious forms of violence against women and girls, yet the Government’s understanding of its prevalence is still based on figures from 2011, estimating that 137,000 women were living with FGM in this country. We cannot tackle what we do not measure, so if Ministers genuinely regard violence against women and girls as a national priority, will they stop relying on 15-year-old estimates and commission an urgent, comprehensive study to establish the true prevalence of FGM in Britain?

[Satvir Kaur]

We are going further than ever before to deal with honour-based abuse. On data, FGM is an under-reported crime and there is definitely work that we can all be doing to ensure that we are raising awareness. A campaign to raise awareness is about to be launched, so that we can get victims to come forward and support them.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Marie Goldman (Chelmsford) (LD)]

Yesterday, ITV News and The Guardian reported disturbing allegations, only possible thanks to the courage of the women who came forward, of grooming and sexual misconduct made against the celebrity David Walliams. Among the disgusting allegations of sexual advances to girls as young as 15, the years-long investigation also describes how one of the women received a threatening letter from Walliams’s lawyers demanding a written promise that she never speak about her experiences. Will the Minister meet me and my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller) to discuss, cross-party, how we work to end the manipulation of the justice system by rich and powerful men who try to silence their victims?

[Satvir Kaur]

If this week has shown us anything, it is that no one is above the law. We have heard a lot about rich, powerful men using their positions to use and hurt women and girls, but these are also stories of strong women, both the victims and those in the media who expose perpetrators in positions of power. I pay tribute to their bravery and courage in coming forward to speak about deeply personal experiences so that justice can be served. We all have a responsibility to root out abuse wherever it is found. The Government are working tirelessly to ensure that offenders are held to account and victims are supported. I will, of course, be happy to meet and to work cross-party.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

7. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that disabled people receive appropriate reasonable adjustments to allow them to access public services.

[The Minister for Equalities (Sir Stephen Timms)]

The Equality Act 2010 places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.

[Jim Shannon]

I thank the Minister very much for that answer, but he will know that in Northern Ireland the disability employment gap remains, at 40.3%, the largest in the whole of the United Kingdom. Persistently low employment rates are particularly concerning following the loss of the European social fund financial support, which previously aided many employment services and disabled people in Northern Ireland. What discussions will the Minister have with the relevant Minister back home in Northern Ireland to secure sustainable replacement funding for those services, and to ensure that disabled people have the support and opportunities they need to access public services in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland?

[Sir Stephen Timms]

The hon. Gentleman raises an extremely important point. The disability employment gap has been stuck at the same level across the UK pretty much since 2010. We have committed an extra £3.5 billion over this Parliament to improve employment support for disabled people and others out of work who have complex barriers. We are rolling out Connect to Work across England and Wales. I very much hope that that funding and the Barnett consequentials will enable similar improvements in Northern Ireland.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I recently met a resident in my constituency who is blind and relies on an assistance dog to get about in his local area of Nazeing. One of the biggest challenges we face across Harlow is the problem of pavement parking and how that affects people who are partially sighted. What conversations has the Minister had with the Department for Transport to tackle pavement parking to make it easier for those who are partially sighted or blind to get around?

[Sir Stephen Timms]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that issue. There are serious concerns for people who are partially sighted or have a sight impairment. I am in conversation on that and hope we can make some progress.

[Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

Women and girls should never have to shrink our lives or ambitions because of outdated misogynistic attitudes. The appalling testimonies we have heard in recent days underline how much further we have to go. I pay tribute to all the women who have shown such bravery in coming forward and sharing their experiences. The misogyny taskforce will help to tackle misogyny in workplaces, communities and online. It is backed by £15 million, which we are working with businesses and philanthropists to grow. The Government are clear that misogyny has no place in our society and it is time to consign those attitudes to history.

[Paula Barker]

A report in July by the Women and Equalities Committee found that black people are four times more likely to experience homelessness than people who are white. In 2025-26, black people made up 2% of households in Liverpool, with 12% of those recorded homeless, or at risk of being so. Despite the Government’s welcome commitment to end rough sleeping, they are still to respond to the Committee’s report. Will the Minister chase that urgently and set out what steps the Office for Equality and Opportunity is taking to ensure that the rough sleeping programme addresses the specific challenges facing black people experiencing homelessness?

[Bridget Phillipson]

The Committee’s report provides important evidence on the experiences of black people facing homelessness, and I can assure my hon. Friend that the Government will respond shortly. Last month, I visited Liverpool with Baroness Lawrence and the race equality engagement group, and we heard about how real efforts are being made to build stronger communities and tackle racism, and how important it is that there is safe and secure housing for ethnic minority communities across our country.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)]

The Secretary of State has made class a central theme of her equalities agenda, but before she can tackle class-based disadvantage, she must surely be able to define it, so what is her definition of class and how will her Department identify who is and who is not working class?

[Bridget Phillipson]

It is important that we take action on the disadvantage that holds people back by virtue of family background and income. We intend to enact the socioeconomic duty, which will ensure that all public authorities take seriously their responsibility in how they design and deliver public services. I am grateful for the shadow Minister’s interest in this area and look forward to working with her to ensure that we finally take class seriously as a country.

[Josh Newbury (Cannock Chase) (Lab)]

T3. There is a clear distinction between discussion and disagreement, and harmful conversion practices. The Government’s draft Bill is clear in using the existing definition of abusive conduct in criminal law. Does the Minister agree with me that the protections in the Bill are urgently needed, and that before the end of this Session we should pass the comprehensive, trans-inclusive conversion practices ban that our manifesto called for?

[Bridget Phillipson]

Abusive conversion practices have no place in our country, and no one should face abuse because of who they are or who they love. We have brought forward a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny because we want to get it right. I look forward to the Joint Committee’s recommendations and to working across the House to finally deliver that long-overdue ban.

[Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst (Solihull West and Shirley) (Con)]

T5. Will the Minister set out what steps she is taking to ensure compliance with the legal framework around single-sex spaces for all public bodies?

[Bridget Phillipson]

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for ensuring that public bodies honour their responsibilities and provide appropriate single-sex spaces, as well as ensuring that we have services available for everyone in our country. Government Departments have also published guidance so that we can be clear about how we will deliver on our responsibilities, but we recognise and will uphold the ruling of the Supreme Court.

[Graeme Downie (Dunfermline and Dollar) (Lab)]

T4. For nearly a decade, Dunfermline Athletic football club has made Samaritans its main charity partner. Through matchday messages, pitch-side advertising and an annual awareness day at East End Park, the Pars tell fans that it is always good to talk, reaching people who might never walk into a GP surgery. Will the Minister join me in congratulating the Pars on the work they do, and will she ensure that the Government’s own work on mental health learns from such community partnerships?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I commend Dunfermline Athletic for a powerful example of what can be achieved in that kind of partnership with Samaritans. It is important that we are all able to seek help when we are experiencing mental health challenges. Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men in our country, which is why the work that the Minister for men and boys, my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Jake Richards), is leading is incredibly important in ensuring that everyone can access timely support, so that we do not see a single person lost to suicide wherever we can prevent it.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

T6. The Prime Minister has said that it is important that rape and sexual assault victims do not feel like they are the ones being put on trial in cases, yet the mother of a rape victim who came to see me last week said that her daughter felt exactly that way when her abuser was put on trial. Does the Minister agree with the Victims’ Commissioner that juries in those cases need to be directed in the myths and misconceptions around rape?

[Bridget Phillipson]

As the Prime Minister has set out, we believe that it is important that that recognition is there. I am very sorry to hear about the experiences of the hon. Lady’s constituent, and if she would like to discuss that further with a Minister, I can certainly ensure that takes place. In recent times we have seen shameful comments that trivialise the experiences of women, and we must all be clear, right across society, that violence against women and girls is abhorrent, there can be no excuses and those who commit acts of violence and sexual violence against women should face the full force of the law.

[Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker—[Interruption.] On behalf of menopausal women around the world, I thank the House for that warm welcome. According to the big Menopause Mandate 2026 survey, 90% of working women say that symptoms affect them at work, yet only 39% of their employers have a menopause policy. How will the Government ensure that the menopause action plans set to be introduced next year will be implemented and monitored to support women through that very important stage of their life?

[Bridget Phillipson]

My hon. Friend has been an incredible campaigner on this issue and has done so much to help women across our country. We are taking action as a Government, ensuring that big employers have to produce action plans to say how they will support women going through the menopause, which many already do, because they know it is an incredible waste of talent to see women leaving brilliant jobs and careers just when they are getting into their stride.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

T7. In November last year, the former Prime Minister pledged to hold a national summit on men and boys by the end of 2026. Could the Government provide an update on exactly where we are with that, given that we are now in November this year?

[Bridget Phillipson]

We will be holding a summit, because we recognise that there is more to do to support men and boys in our country, especially around issues like mental health, as I touched on earlier. I will ensure that the relevant Minister gives the hon. Gentleman an update on the date for that.

[Mr Speaker]

Before we come to Prime Minister’s questions, I welcome to the Gallery the President of the Massachusetts State Senate and her delegation.

The Prime Minister was asked—

[Claire Hanna (Belfast South and Mid Down) (SDLP)]

Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 11 November.

[The Prime Minister (Andy Burnham)]

As we have just done in the past hour, we remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. We honour the courage and bravery of all our armed forces. No one who has served our country should ever sleep rough on our streets. I have today written to all English councils, as part of our drive on rough sleeping, to ask that an offer of accommodation be made to all ex-forces ahead of the winter break. I hope that Members across the House will work with their councils to ensure that happens.

Over the weekend, a British national was sadly killed and another injured in the terrible shooting in Krakow. Our thoughts are with the families, who we will support in whatever way we can. Of course, the UK stands with the people of Poland, as I have assured Prime Minister Tusk.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

[Claire Hanna]

Humour me for a moment and imagine that one party in this Parliament could, if it did not like the way the political winds were blowing, refuse to take part and bring Westminster to a standstill. That would be unthinkable here, but in Stormont the abnormal has become routine. We have watched parties taking turns at collapsing government for years at a time. We have watched policies blocked not by the strength of an argument, but by vetoes that were designed for inclusion. It seems like dysfunction is easier than actually doing the work, and ordinary people are paying the price. Wherever you want to go constitutionally, the path is through making a fist of things and offering people a decent life. It is worth saying that every poll shows that more people are working towards a new Ireland. Stormont is in its dying days if urgent steps are not taken to make it more productive and stable. Will the Prime Minister commit to working with us and others on a politics for the common good to end the cycle of dysfunction and despair?

[The Prime Minister]

Can I say to my hon. Friend that I know exactly where she is coming from? We all want to see Stormont up and running and delivering for the people of Northern Ireland, particularly as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. My right hon. Friend the Northern Ireland Secretary is working hard with colleagues across all parties in Northern Ireland to settle a budget for this year and to consider further ideas for reform of Stormont. We will continue to do whatever we can to bring the parties together. It is incumbent on us all to get Stormont up and running as soon as possible.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Leader of the Opposition.

[Mrs Kemi Badenoch (North West Essex) (Con)]

On this Armistice Day, we remember the courage and sacrifice of those who served our country and those who gave their lives for us. We owe them and their families an enduring debt of gratitude.

The Prime Minister entered Downing Street promising a 10-year plan to reverse 40 years of neoliberalism. Is it really true that he has so little vision for this country that he needs the Boston Consulting Group to write it for him?

[The Prime Minister]

I did walk into Downing Street promising a 10-year plan for this country, because I am determined to give this country the stability that the Conservatives failed to provide, and I am determined to give the leadership that this country needs. I can say to the right hon. Lady that we will present our plan for Britain to this House before it rises for the Christmas recess.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I am not surprised that the Prime Minister has asked management consultants to help him write his 10-year plan—he needs all the help he can get. We have heard one thing that will be in it: he is merging the DVLA with the DVSA. [Hon. Members: “Ooh!”] Exciting stuff, Mr Speaker. It is no wonder that Labour MPs are already telling The Guardian that it is a “tragic joke”. This Government are adrift. Two weeks ago we had a “do nothing” Budget. It pushed all the big decisions, like funding our defence, into the spending review, but we have no idea when that will be. He has talked about the 10-year plan. Can he assure the House that the spending review will come before next summer?

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Lady mentions the Budget—the most popular Budget for a number of years, I have to say—which helped people with the cost of living crisis. Can she explain why the Conservatives voted against a bank levy that will deliver a council tax cut for 20 million households in January? It was a big decision to oppose that, and she needs to explain why she took that decision.

There will be a proposal for a national care service in the 10-year plan. The covid inquiry recently said that social care was an “afterthought” for the Conservative party. We will also present the Milburn report to this House next week. We will put forward a plan to this House and the country for a safe and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down and get young people into work.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I think it was popular compared to the former Chancellor’s Budget. I asked the Prime Minister to confirm when the spending review will be, and we did not get an answer. All the waffle he gave us there was kicking everything into the long grass. Meanwhile, the Iranians are threatening our bases today, but he cannot tell us when his Government will properly fund our defence. But he has so much time on his hands that last night he attended a speech by the head of the civil service. He is supposed to be telling her his plan, not sitting in the audience while she tells him hers.

There was one worthwhile thing in the Budget: the Rosebank oilfield. The Chancellor has already banked the tax revenue, but there is just one problem: Rosebank has not been approved. If it is not going to be approved, why was it in the Budget?

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Lady knows that the Rosebank decision is a quasi-legal decision and it will be taken in due course. She stood at the Dispatch Box a moment ago and said that this Government are not taking big decisions. We did approve the Jackdaw gasfield. Today £12 billion is going into renewable energy. These are big decisions. Yesterday she put forward what she considers a big decision: £36 billion of cuts. Does she accept that so many of the people affected by what she announced are working people—people whose incomes will be hit hard in a cost of living crisis? I think the right hon. Lady needs to answer why she would make the cost of living crisis harder for people through the cuts she has just announced?

[Mrs Badenoch]

I asked the Prime Minister about Rosebank. He says that it is a quasi-judicial decision. It is a political decision. Why else did it take the Labour Government two years to approve Jackdaw while the Foreign Secretary was in charge, but now he is gone it happened just like that? This is the real reason they did not do it: the Foreign Secretary instructed Government lawyers not to fight the court case. He called Rosebank “climate vandalism”—but then he also thought that cosying up to Russell Brand would make him Prime Minister, so I do not think we need to trust his judgment. [Interruption.] Labour Members are saying “Shame”—they are right, the Foreign Secretary should be ashamed. Meanwhile, the Chancellor is already banking the tax revenue from Rosebank in his calculations. Why will the Prime Minister not just approve Rosebank?

[The Prime Minister]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the Jackdaw decision that the last Government tried to take was struck down, because they made it overtly political—that was why they could not take that decision. The right hon. Lady comes to the House handing out lectures week after week, but maybe she needs to look a little closer to home as to why the last Government failed to take that decision. We will take a further decision on Rosebank in due course, as well as building a renewable energy future, which is what we are also announcing today. We are facing the big issues and we will lay that out in the 10-year plan. This country was going backwards under the Conservative party. We are leading it forward. We are bringing people back together. We are giving people hope. She is voting against the help that we just announced in the Budget. When will she directly address the cost of living crisis in this House?

[Mrs Badenoch]

I ask the questions here and I am asking about Rosebank—it was literally in the Budget. The reason why the Prime Minister will not approve it is because Government Members are all squabbling, or maybe he does not want it hanging over his head at COP. It is not just the Foreign Secretary, because 50 of his MPs do not want it either, led by the current Energy Secretary, and she is only in the job because the Culture Secretary turned it down.

Today the Government are in court defending our right to drill oil and gas off the Falklands. At the same time, they are passing legislation to ban drilling off Scotland. This is ludicrous. Why is it acceptable to drill oil and gas in the Falklands but not in the North sea?

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Lady has not been paying attention. We recently approved the Jackdaw gasfield in the North sea—something that she failed to do when she was in government—and through the energy wealth fund created by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor, we are using the proceeds to accelerate the delivery of renewables. Today we are announcing two offshore wind projects—off the coast of East Anglia and off the east coast of Scotland—in part funded by the National Wealth Fund.

If the right hon. Lady wants to address energy policy, perhaps we can talk about why energy bills went up and up under the Conservatives. Perhaps we can discuss how they lost public control, lost control of people’s bills and left people paying more and more. We are removing standing charges from gas bills, which will bring people’s bills down, and we are going to do the same by looking at reforming standing charges on electricity bills. We have taken VAT off electricity bills. Also, through all those efforts, we will speed up the delinking of gas and electricity prices, getting bills down over the long term. That is an energy policy, and the Conservative party could have done with one when they were in office.

[Mrs Badenoch]

There was a lot of waffle there, but I did not hear why it is all right to allow oil and gas drilling in the Falklands but not in the North sea. The Prime Minister sounds confused: he did not seem to know that he is legislating to ban oil and gas drilling. The Government are totally adrift—they need consultants to tell them what to think and civil servants to tell them what to do—so we are left with a “do nothing” Budget, a spending review delayed and a 10-year plan outsourced. Meanwhile, the whole country is in limbo. Labour MPs want to pretend that Keir Starmer simply walked off into the sunset, but in reality this man knifed him in the back and now does not know what to do. Is not the truth that they are all sat there shaking their heads, wondering whether it was all worth it?

[The Prime Minister]

I have told the right hon. Lady today what I am doing. Whether she was listening or not, people at home will have heard that I am bringing forward a national care service, when the Conservatives ignored social care for years and years. I am acting to get people’s energy bills down, when the Conservatives did not. I listen to her talking at the Dispatch Box as though they got everything right. A quarter of a million young people became NEETs—not in education, employment or training—between 2021 and 2024, when she was in the Cabinet. The welfare bill rose by £33 billion in her last year in office, when she was in the Cabinet. When will she come to this House with real proposals to address those things, rather than repeating more of the same? Next month, she will see our plan for Britain presented to this House. It will lay a new path for this country to go forward, breaking with the failed policies of the Conservative party. She is going to have to come up with better than that if she is going to take on what we are putting forward.

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

Q4. As the Prime Minister knows, Heywood is the largest town in Greater Manchester without an express bus service to Manchester city centre. I have pushed for such a service since my election, because I know that it would transform the lives of people in my constituency and transform the economy there. What will the Government do to support Transport for Greater Manchester in delivering that service, and to make sure that people in Heywood have the benefits of buses being brought back under public control?

[The Prime Minister]

The Leader of the Opposition began by talking about the biggest changes in 40 years. We all remember when the Conservative party deregulated buses across this country, and the bus fares that left people paying. This is still happening in many parts of the country, because services are still deregulated. People can pay £3 or £4 for a single journey in many Conservative Members’ constituencies. We will put a £2 cap on those bus fares next year. Because we put the buses under public control in Greater Manchester, and because we reversed 40 years of deregulation, we can introduce the service that my hon. Friend is calling for. I used to support that in my previous job; I cannot speak for the current Mayor of Greater Manchester, but I hope she does the same.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

[Ed Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)]

As we mark Armistice Day, may I join the Prime Minister in honouring the incredible sacrifices made by all those who paid the ultimate price as they served our country? We will remember them. May I also welcome the announcement of new offshore wind farms, and remind the Prime Minister that they are coming in through a Liberal Democrat policy that we brought in when in government?

Our politics has been affected by poisonous ideas, such as the idea that people born and raised in England cannot be English because they are not white. Shamefully, even some in this House have argued for that racist ideology. We must reject it, as the Conservative leader, to her great credit, has done. We should start with the census; when it asks about ethnicity, the only English option is “White English”. My hon. Friend the Member for Eastbourne (Josh Babarinde), a proud Englishman, introduced a Bill yesterday to change that, and to create new options such as “Black English” and “Asian English”. Will the Prime Minister support his Bill?

[The Prime Minister]

I echo the right hon. Gentleman’s comments at the start. We all pay tribute to our armed forces today. I also echo him in praising the Leader of the Opposition, as I did from this Dispatch Box a few weeks ago. On some issues, we should rise above party politics; we should recognise when things are completely unacceptable and make common cause against them. I have not looked at the detail of the Bill, but I stand here thinking that I would want to support it, to directly take on the poisonous politics that we have seen from some in this House who are seeking to divide us. We must move on from a decade of division and drift in this country. We must bring people back together. I am interested in working with anyone in this House who shares that aim.

[Ed Davey]

I thank the Prime Minister for that reply, and I hope it means that he is inviting my hon. Friend for a meeting to discuss his Bill. Turning to welfare, we cannot leave young people without the dignity of work and the chance to get on, and we need to bring the welfare bill down, but the blame does not lie with young people. It primarily lies with the Conservatives, who tanked the economy and sent the welfare bill soaring—and Labour has made things worse with its jobs tax. Businesses cannot hire young people in the UK while they are battling unfair taxes and tied up in Brexit red tape, so will the Prime Minister do the single biggest thing to cut welfare and help young people into work: grow the economy by joining the single market?

[The Prime Minister]

No is the answer to that, today. We are honouring our manifesto pledge to have deeper ties. There is the prospect of a deal with Europe that could add up to 0.4% to GDP—[Interruption.] The Opposition laugh at growth in our economy. This is the Conservative party! Any growth on that scale is worth taking, and we will take it. We will seek that deal. On young people, I agree with what the right hon. Gentleman has said. Young people need support to get into work. To cut their benefits without that support is wrong. I mentioned a statistic a moment ago: a quarter of a million young people were NEET in the last three years of the last Conservative Government. That is because that Government rejected the report from Sir Kevan Collins that would have given young people better mental health support and other support. That is why we saw the huge rise in the number of young people not in education, employment or training. We need to grow our economy. We need to rethink the support we give to our young people. We need an education system that is both academic and technical—that is balanced between the two—and my right hon. Friend the Work and Pensions Secretary will set out those reforms as we embark on our response to the Milburn report next week.

[Alan Strickland (Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor) (Lab)]

Q5. The north-east has a wealth of innovative defence businesses but receives less than 1% of Ministry of Defence industry funding. That is why there is so much interest in the decision on the Skynet satellite programme, which could bring 500 jobs to my constituency and thousands to the supply chain, and help to reindustrialise the north-east. Can the Prime Minister give an update on when we can expect this important decision and, more broadly, will he meet north-east MPs to discuss how we can put north-east industry at the heart of our national defence?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is a champion for the north-east, and particularly for reindustrialisation, which we are completely committed to in his region. The issue he raises is a live process, and I have to say to him that no final decisions have yet been made, but we are determined that our decision will drive good jobs in his region and reindustrialisation across the country, as well as building the defence and the security of the United Kingdom.

[Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Your Party)]

The whole world is appalled and disgusted at what is now happening in Gaza, where people are dying for want of food and medicine and because of the lack of aid and the terrible flood there. Will the Prime Minister ensure that aid gets to Gaza? And if Israel will not deliver that aid, will he ensure that Britain and other countries deliver aid directly, given the desperation of the people of Gaza, 100,000 of whom have already died? Will he also support an inquiry on our participation in the bombardment of Gaza through the supply of weapons and security information to Israel, so that the truth can be told about the horror that the Palestinian people have faced, and continue to face?

[The Prime Minister]

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains heartbreaking, and we are doing everything that we can to put pressure on the Israeli Government to allow the necessary aid into Gaza and to lift the restrictions on it. We have also taken further steps on sanctions, particularly in relation to the settlements on the west bank, to make sure that we preserve the viability of a two-state solution. We await the outcome of the negotiations following the Israeli general election, but the right hon. Member can be certain that we will continue to pursue the path that we have set out.

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

Q8. University hospital of North Durham has been mired in a number of controversies in recent years, including the ongoing scandal in breast services. The latest disappointment for my constituents is the withdrawal of plans for A&E expansion, which the trust can no longer fund without external capital support. I commend the efforts of the new leadership team to build public confidence, but it is clear that they alone cannot cure the decline of our hospital. Does the Prime Minister agree that everyone should have access to quality healthcare, free at the point of use, in state-of-the-art facilities, and will he meet me to discuss the urgently needed improvement to our hospital provision in the City of Durham?

[The Prime Minister]

I know there are thousands of women in the north-east affected by the breast surgery scandal that my hon. Friend mentions, and I will ensure that my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary provides all the support that they need to get the help and the answers that they must have. I am also prepared to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the situation regarding hospital services in the north-east, and I will make sure that happens soon.

[Ian Sollom (St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire) (LD)]

Q2. My constituent Maxwell has spinal muscular atrophy, has used a wheelchair since he was two, and relies on carers every single day. He has a first-class degree and a good job, and like many young people, he wants to save a deposit for a home, but under the social care capital limit, every pound he saves above £23,250 goes directly on his care. The Prime Minister has rightly made social care a priority of this Government, so will he meet Maxwell and me to discuss how we can remove the capital limit, and stop placing a limit on the aspirations of young people like Maxwell?

[The Prime Minister]

It is a very powerful case that the hon. Member makes, and it is unfair—there is no other way of putting it. We are not waiting to make improvements; we are increasing the minimum income guarantee for 150,000 disabled adults. I realise that does not answer the question that he has raised on behalf of Maxwell today, but I am sure he is also speaking for many people across the country. Baroness Casey is conducting her review, and I urge him to put that point to the review. We will have cross-party talks on adult social care before the end of the year.

[Martin Rhodes (Glasgow North) (Lab)]

Q11. My constituents in Glasgow North regularly raise with me the increase in illegally modified e-bikes travelling at dangerous speeds on our roads and pavements. Online marketplaces are selling unsafe e-bikes and conversion kits that take pedal cycles beyond the legal limits, leaving pedestrians, families and vulnerable people worried for their safety when going about their daily life. Will the Prime Minister set out what action the Government are taking to hold online sellers and marketplaces to account for selling these products?

[The Prime Minister]

We are considering tougher regulations for the sale of non-compliant e-bikes and conversion kits across the UK. We will, of course, work with the Scottish Government to ensure that they apply in Scotland, whatever we decide. I agree with my hon. Friend: the safety risks posed by e-bikes that are going at excess speeds need to be stopped.

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

Q3. The Prime Minister visited Watford general hospital last week, so he must understand the issues caused by the recent closure of the urgent care centre at Mount Vernon, and that his Government’s decision to delay the rebuild of Watford general hospital is an issue. I want to make sure that my constituents can access high-quality healthcare when they need it, so can the Prime Minister confirm that his Government will get on with the rebuild of Watford general hospital without further delay?

[The Prime Minister]

The Health Secretary and I did visit Watford general. We were very impressed with what is happening at the hospital to address corridor care, and with the improvements that it has made. I know Watford has been waiting a long time for its new hospital. I think we need to look both at Watford general and the Mount Vernon site together in considering what change is made, but I do believe Watford has waited long enough, and I will be working with the Health Secretary to make sure we move quickly on a new hospital for Watford as quickly as possible.

[Kirith Entwistle (Bolton North East) (Lab)]

Q12. When my right hon. Friend was the Mayor of Greater Manchester, he and I had many discussions about the state of public transport in Bolton. Now that he is the Prime Minister and spreading the message of hope, what hope and assurance can he give my constituents that we will finally get the tram in Bolton North East?

[The Prime Minister]

This is one for the Mayor of Greater Manchester rather than for me, but I am aware that a proposal was developed that would bring a tram-train service through Bolton North East. As I said before, I did favour that option in my previous job; I favour it in this job. We will see if we can make a business case to bring it forward.

[Dame Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

Q6. Recent small boat crossings in the direction of the Solent have been spectacularly mishandled. The Government’s failure to communicate with Gosport residents bred misinformation and led to violent protests. It also sent a clear message to the gangs that this is a viable new route. What message does the Prime Minister have for Gosport businesses and properties that were damaged, for residents trapped in their homes in fear, for Hampshire police and for taxpayers left with a bill for over £800,000? Recent events have shown that Gosport is not a suitable place to disembark these boats. Can he reassure my constituents that it will not be used again?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Lady asks me what message I have for her constituents. The message is that we will work with their Member of Parliament to hold to account those who caused the damage to those properties and businesses, but also to provide the support they need in the situation they are in. I understand she is meeting the Border Security Minister later today to discuss those issues further. Because the Government have been successful in stopping small boat crossings, the gangs are changing their tactics, but we will continue to chase them down. As we do, we will ensure that we learn from what happened and improve the arrangements going forward.

[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

Q13. Four years after the Down Syndrome Act 2022 was passed, we are still awaiting publication of the statutory guidance that will bring the Act to life. This guidance is essential to improve life chances for people with Down’s syndrome and to guarantee they will receive the support they need and deserve so that they can thrive. Can the Prime Minister confirm when the guidance will be published, and will he agree to meet me so that we can deliver on a long overdue promise made to the Down’s syndrome community?

[The Prime Minister]

I understand that there is a legal challenge to the guidance, but notwithstanding that, we will ensure that it is finalised as soon as possible. I will arrange for the relevant Minister to meet my hon. Friend to give him a full update.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

Q7. On Armistice Day, I joined the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in paying tribute to all those who laid down their lives in the service of this country. We all wear our poppies with pride, but what is often forgotten is those millions of men and women who came from across the Commonwealth to serve this country, so I wear the marigold to commemorate the 3.2 million Indians who were the largest volunteer army in both the great war and the second world war and who risked their lives in the service of this country. On Sunday, the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women will parade at the Cenotaph. I will have the honour of laying a wreath together with a renowned Holocaust survivor, Susan Pollack, remembering those who were murdered by the Nazis. Will the Prime Minister join me in commemorating and praising all those who give their service to this country?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to say what he has just said, and we honour the service of everybody who fought alongside British service personnel fighting Nazism in the second world war. It was uplifting to see the representation of all those communities at the Cenotaph on Sunday. I was there with the right hon. Lady the Leader of the Opposition, and it is always the most moving of moments. But we must never forget the contribution, as he rightly says, of people across the Commonwealth supporting and standing alongside Britain and the people in those countries who made the ultimate sacrifice, too.

[Feryal Clark (Enfield North) (Lab)]

Q14. The Prime Minister has rightly made it a priority to ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities can learn alongside their friends and siblings in mainstream schools, so he will be pleased to hear that Suffolks primary, a pioneering school in my constituency, is already delivering the inclusive education model, championing the Government’s White Paper. Will he join me in congratulating Suffolks on its outstanding work? I know the Prime Minister has one or two things in his diary, but will he consider visiting the school to see for himself this excellent example of inclusive education?

[The Prime Minister]

I would love to do so, when my diary allows. SEND reform is coming through. It is part of what we need to do in response to the Milburn report, to rethink how we support young people growing up, and how we have the right experts on site in our schools to give children the speech and language therapy, and other support that they need, so that they do not fall behind and they do not miss out. I would love to come to see the school at some point, as a beacon of best practice in supporting young people with additional needs.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Q9. The price of heating oil has doubled in the last year, and more than 9,000 households in the Scottish borders rely on it to heat their homes. Many are vulnerable people; many are pensioners, like Kate from Cockburnspath who told me that she will be sitting at home freezing this winter because she cannot afford to heat her home. She says that support from the Government does not go far enough to help her, so what more will the Prime Minister do to help people who are struggling to pay their heating bills because they are relying on heating oil this winter?

[The Prime Minister]

We have provided extra funding to local authorities to help with precisely the situation that the hon. Gentleman’s constituent is in. We have also provided funding through the Barnett consequentials in relation to VAT on electricity—[Interruption.] If I could just finish the point. We have given extra support to the devolved Administrations—sorry, not in relation to VAT, but in relation to the support we have provided in the Budget. There is extra help that the Scottish Government can use alongside what we have already done, and we will ensure everybody is supported this winter.

[Ms Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington) (Lab)]

There has been a lot of talk recently about immigrants and the need to frame legislation to ensure they make a contribution. My parents were immigrants, and my mother was a nurse. She was one of the wave that helped to build the NHS after the war. To this day, immigrants make a very important contribution to the NHS and the care system. Does the Prime Minister agree that we should never forget to honour the contribution of generations of immigrants to this society?

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend speaks very powerfully on this issue from personal experience. I can also share mine as I saw people from around the world caring for my dad. She is absolutely right that we must celebrate their contribution, as I did in my speech at the party conference. We must take on a politics that seeks to say to those people that they have no place here, because they do.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

Q10. Whether the level of military threat from Russia faced by the UK is currently as great as that during the cold war years.

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman asks about the Russian threat that we face today compared with the cold war. With rapid changes in technology, including AI, cyber-warfare and autonomous systems, we face new complex threats, which is why we are fully funding the defence investment plan and investing in the modern capabilities needed for the future.

[Sir Julian Lewis]

I think that answer suggests that the Prime Minister accepts that the threat we face today is comparable in dangerous intensity to that we faced during the cold war years. If that is the case, may I urge him to try to persuade his fellow Ministers to stop using the standard line that the Government have made the greatest increase in defence spending “since the end of the cold war”? At the end of the cold war, the threat largely declined, but we have to look at the level of spending during the cold war, which was regularly at 4.5% to 5% or more during the 1980s. As someone who has criticised successive Governments for cuts I am not trying to make a partisan point, but please stop making a comparison between the post-cold war years and now. The threat we face now is similar to that of the cold war years, and our defence investment has to match that level.

[The Prime Minister]

I assure the right hon. Gentleman that there is no complacency here. I understand the seriousness of the points that he is making, but, in the two years that this Government have been in office, we have seen the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the cold war period. That is important, and that will continue. The Chancellor set out a path to increased defence spending as we go through the next decade to honour our NATO commitments, but we have to recognise that the threat is different; it is multifaceted, and we will address it on every level.

[Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)]

The Prime Minister has rightly championed reindustrialisation. That is a powerful vision that resonates in Rossendale and Darwen and across the country; through it, people see the opportunity for good jobs in the places that need them the most. The Budget lay out the framework for reindustrialisation as an engine for growth and national resilience. Does he agree that the next step is to embed a truly ambitious reindustrialisation strategy in his 10-year plan? Will he meet me and members of the 90-strong Reindustrialisation Research Group to discuss how we can achieve that together?

[The Prime Minister]

I will meet the group, and I agree with my hon. Friend. The 10-year plan must lay out a compelling vision for the reindustrialisation of Britain.

[Graham Leadbitter (Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey) (SNP)]

Q15. The Chancellor has acknowledged that Scotland could have had a £1 trillion wealth fund from oil and gas, but instead we have seen no fund and 1,000 jobs lost every month. Before the Prime Minister jets off to COP31, will he commit to a Scottish wealth fund to ringfence revenues from Scotland’s waters for Scotland’s renewables future, or is he content to continue Labour’s deindustrialisation of Scotland, just like Thatcher in the ’80s?

[The Prime Minister]

That is a very unfair comment, if I may say so, on the very day that the National Wealth Fund has committed £1 billion of funding to support offshore wind off the east coast of Scotland. I would have thought that the hon. Gentleman would stand up and welcome that announcement.