Commons Chamber

Monday 21st July 2025

(began 4 hours, 51 minutes ago)

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None Portrait Q5. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that post-16 education provides the skills necessary to support the economy. (905289)
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Question number five.
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None Portrait Q16. What steps she is taking to increase security in schools against bomb threats. (905302)
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16, please, Mr Speaker.
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None Portrait Q19. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to education, health and care plans on children with SEND. (905305)
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Very happy to meet the honourable member.
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None Portrait Q21. What steps she is taking to support young people into apprenticeships. (905307)
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Question 21.
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None Portrait Topical questions: Education
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Number one.
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Bridget Phillipson Portrait Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, The Secretary of State for Education (Houghton and Sunderland South, Labour)
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Number one.

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Before I make my topical statement, I like to address last week's tragic accident in Minehead. week's tragic accident in Minehead. I'm sure all members will join me in support and prayers. Deeper sympathies and condolences go to all of those affected at the school and of those affected at the school and in the wider community. Particularly the family and friends of the 10- year-old boy who tragically lost his year-old boy who tragically lost his year-old boy who tragically lost his life.

Most of those injured have now been released from hospital. Support has been put in place for those affected and this will continue into the summer break and beyond. I extend my thanks to everyone involved in coordinating and delivering this vital help. I also delivering this vital help. I also want to pay tribute to the emergency services delivering an incredible response in challenging circumstances. This Labour circumstances. This Labour government believes that children growing up in our country deserve the very best start in life. That's the very best start in life.

That's why we are investing £1.5 billion over the next three years to transfer early years and family services. This will include 500 £1.5 billion over the next three years to transfer early years and family services. This will include £500 for services. This will include £500 for rolling out best at family homes in every local authority -- £500 every local authority -- £500 million. Labour is building up the crucial family services decimated by the Tories. Providing support for parents, children from pregnancy onward.

Were just getting started.
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Diana Johnson Portrait Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson MP, The Minister of State, Home Department (Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham, Labour)
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every effort must be made to catch, prosecute and punish those responsible. Let there be no doubt. Foreign nationals including the asylum seekers who break our laws should be expected to be removed from this country. In the first from this country. In the first year, this government has been in year, this government has been in office, 5079 were removed from the office, 5079 were removed from the UK. A 14% increase from the previous year. That is important progress but we want to go further.

We are changing the law and the border changing the law and the border security bill to ensure individuals convicted of any registered sexual offence are not granted asylum. We are legislating to allow for the are legislating to allow for the tagging of any migrant considered to pose a threat, to public safety or national security, as well as strengthening our crackdown on illegal working. We must go further to and hotel use. This Labour to and hotel use. This Labour government inherited an asylum system in chaos, with 400 hotels in system in chaos, with 400 hotels in use at their peak in 2023 at a cost use at their peak in 2023 at a cost of almost £9 million per day.

We are changing this. Clearing the asylum backlog and increasing returns to backlog and increasing returns to end the use of asylum hotels altogether by the end of this Parliament. Alongside these actions, we are mounting a comprehensive and wide-ranging effort to tackle small road crossings, including the intensified cooperation and pilot return scheme with the Home Secretary -- which the Home Secretary outlined last week -- small boat crossings. For the first time in years, there is now a serious and sensible plan to restore order and proper management to the asylum and in the system.

Let me state plainly to the house that we expect rules to be respected and enforced and we expect the law to be followed. When it is not, we expect those involved to phase the full force of the law. That is why we are taking every possible step to deliver strong border security this country needs because nothing matters more than the safety of the British people. British people.
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Chris Philp Portrait Rt Hon Chris Philp MP (Croydon South, Conservative)
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Thank you. The police minister was crowing about the government action on smallbore but the truth is this. So far this year the government has allowed 23,000 illegal immigrants across the channel -- small boats. This year has been by far the worst ever. Numbers in asylum hotels are now higher than at the time of the election. This is a border security crisis but it is also a public safety crisis, especially for women and girls. Many nationalities crossing, for example Afghans, commit up to 20 times more sex offences than average.

Louise Casey made that point in her report. Now we have press reporting on the huge scale of the crime committed by illegal immigrants housed in the government's loan asylum hotels. The Found 339 Charges in the Last Six Months Based on Only Have To Hotels -- based on only half of hotels. These included rape and sexual assault, violent assault and arson. Case referred to was a 38-year-old Ethiopian man charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

And other illegal immigrant has been accused of raping a woman in a churchyard. Sydney's man was convicted of trying to rape a woman in a nightclub toilet in Wakefield. The public are rightly sick of this illegal immigrant crimewave. It has to end. And her response, will she commit now to doing these things. Record and publish the immigration status of all offenders. Secondly, close that a silo hotel in Epping. There they, repeal the Human Rights Act for immigration matters and will she emulate Greece's new approach which started today and deport all illegal immigrants upon arrival from France without judicial process, either back to the country of origin or to a safe third country? Will she give the house in the country those commit 's?
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Diana Johnson Portrait Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson MP, The Minister of State, Home Department (Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham, Labour)
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Minister.

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Minister.

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Let me repeat to the house, any allegation of crime or sexual assault is incredibly serious, assault is incredibly serious, including by individuals in the asylum system and it is to be treated so by the authorities and by treated so by the authorities and by this government. I must say to the Shadow Home Secretary, I regret the Shadow Home Secretary, I regret the tone he is taking on such a serious and important matter. I would also gently remind him to look at his gently remind him to look at his record on this issue and that of the party opposite.

At their peak, over 400 asylum hotels were in operation. 400 asylum hotels were in operation. Will at a cost of almost £9 million a day. And first returns were down a day. And first returns were down 50% on 2010, returns of foreign national offenders had fallen by a thousand. Criminal smuggler gangs were able to exploit our week border were able to exploit our week border security. There was no proper

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management of public safety risks. Order.

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Order. There was no proper management of public safety risks posed by individual asylum seekers. Migrants could work illegally in the Greek economy with few sanctions for the companies responsible. This government is gripping the situation, turning the system around. We have removed 5179 foreign national offenders in our first year in office and just to put that in perspective for the benefit of the House, that is more foreign criminals then were removed in the entire 20 month that the right Honourable gentleman was the Minister for Immigration.

Excuse, excuse, excuse. I would say the same pattern is true of illegal working as well. Actually, it is even worse. In the first quarter of this year, we delivered more rates, more arrests and finds against illegal working than he managed in the entire time that he was the Immigration Minister. We did more in three months to crackdown on illegal working than he managed in 20 It is a fact, actually. Now we are trying to go further in all of these areas.

It is clear that the party opposite and their friends in Reform are the ones trying to stop us. We introduce counterterror measures at the border to smash the gangs responsible for the vile trade. They voted against the bill that delivers that. We introduced measures to ban sex offenders from getting asylum in the UK. They voted against the bill that delivers them. We introduced tagging for those arriving illegally who pose a risk to the public and to extend illegal working duties to cover the gig economy, once again, they voted against it.

14 years of inaction leaving our borders exposed and our communities fractured. And yet the shadow Home Secretary has the cheek to lecture us about

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keeping the country safe. Chris Murray.
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Diana Johnson Portrait Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson MP, The Minister of State, Home Department (Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham, Labour)
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That is a matter for each individual member opposite to explain to constituents. I know that this is an issue that people care about and they will have to explain the decision to constituents, including in Croydon. Speak like we have got the responsibility to deal in the truths and to counter the in the truths and to counter the narratives when they are false and the Minister talked about this crossing into mindless thuggery and every one of us should be saying to constituents or anyone who gets in that you are spreading rumours which that you are spreading rumours which have no basis in the truth, for have no basis in the truth, for example, an unfunded remark that had no basis in the truth in my constituency about asylum seekers hotels, this is a dog whistle fix.

What is the Minister doing to say to What is the Minister doing to say to people, actually, just like in any people, actually, just like in any community, there are reckless and it is not only in migrant hotels and we is not only in migrant hotels and we must make sure constituents are detected. detected. She raises an important point and over the last few years, the online space input to the has been used for misinformation, downright lies, and it is important that we all recognise that we should be very careful when we look at social media sites and we should use critical thinking as we teach children in schools to always ask about why this piece of information is being put out.

It's from a reliable source? Look for reliable sources to seek information about what is happening. It's important. Perhaps we have not always been as quick as we should be in recognising how social media has move things on in the way that we need to deal with. There are enormous amounts of work in DSIT and the Home Office to look at what we have to do in this space including social media. social media.
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Steve Reed Portrait Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Streatham and Croydon North, Labour )
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failing. Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted with record levels of sewage. Water pipes have been left sewage. Water pipes have been left to crumble into disrepair and I share customers fury at rising share customers fury at rising bills. There are hosepipe bans right now in place across the country now in place across the country because not a single new reservoir because not a single new reservoir has been built in over 30 years, and the lack of water infrastructure is blocking economic growth.

Water blocking economic growth. Water companies have been allowed to profit at the expense of the British profit at the expense of the British public. They have got away with this because of a broken regulatory because of a broken regulatory system that has failed customers and failed the environment. The public failed the environment. The public expressed their fury during last years general election and they voted for change. That change will voted for change. That change will now come. In just one year, we have put in place the building blocks for put in place the building blocks for change.

First, we restore accountability by giving regulators more teeth with a ban on unfair more teeth with a ban on unfair bonuses, severe and automatic penalties for the most serious offences. Second, we are investing £104 billion of private sector funding to rebuild the water network, upgrading crumbling pipes, repairing leaks, building new sewage treatment works and digging out new reservoirs. This is the single biggest investment in the water sector history and it allows me to make a new commitment to the country that this government will be halfway the end of this decade.

This is the most ambitious commitment ever made by any government about water pollution and it is just the start because over a decade of national renewal, we will restore our rivers lakes and seas to good health. The third building block for change is today's final report from Sir John, left independent water commission and I would like to express my thanks to Sir John, his officials, and all those who have contributed to this outstanding piece of work. I agree with Sir John that water regulation has been too weak, too complex, and ineffective.

Having four separate regulators with overlapping and conflicting remits has failed customers and the environment. Ofwat has failed to protect customers from water companies mismanagement of their hard earned money and failed to protect our waterways from record levels of pollution. Today, I can announce that this Labour government will abolish Ofwat. We will bring water functions from four different regulators into one, a single powerful superregulator responsible for the entire water sector, and with the teeth it needs to enforce the high standards the public rightly demand.

The new regulator will stand firmly on the side of customers, investors and the environment, and it will prevent the abuses of the past. For customers, it will oversee investment and upgrade work so hard working British families are never again hit by the shocking bill hikes we saw last year as customers were left to pay the price of failure by the previous government. For investors, it will provide the clarity and direction required for a strong partnership between governments, the sector and investors, to attract billions of pounds of new funding.

For the environment, it will reduce all forms of pollution to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good. We will work closely with the Welsh government to devolve economic water to Wales. I will publish a White Paper this autumn giving the government's full response to the independent water Commissioner's final report and launch a consultation on it. Following that, I will bring forward a new water reform bill early during the lifetime of this Parliament. Ofwat will remain in place during the transition to the new regulator and I will ensure they provide the right leadership to oversee the current price review and investment plan during that time.

To provide clarity during this period, I will issue an interim strategic policy statement to Ofwat and give ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements. It will publish a transition plan as part of our full government response in the autumn. Today, we are immediately taking forward a number of surgeons recommendations. First, we will establish a new statutory water ombudsman, a single free service to help customers resolve complaints such as incorrect bills, leaking pipes or watersupply failures.

The new ombudsman will have the legal powers to protect customers and will bring this abuse and process in line with things like energy. It is part of the government's ambition to put customers at the heart of water regulation. Secondly, we will end the area of water companies marking their own homework. We will end self-monitoring and transition to open monitoring to increase transparency and help restore public trust. Water companies are already required to publish data on some sewage spills within one hour.

We will roll out real-time monitoring across the wastewater system. All this data will be made publicly available online. This will ensure the regulator, and importantly, also the public have the power to hold water companies fully accountable. Third, we commit to including a regional element within the new regulator to ensure greater local involvement in water planning. By moving to a catchment based model for water system planning, we can tackle all sources of pollution entering waterways so that they can be cleaned up more effectively and more quickly.

This will ensure, for the first time, the water infrastructure investment plans align with spatial planning to support faster regional economic growth. The lack of water infrastructure that held back development around Cambridge and Oxford for so long will not happen again. The new regulatory framework will recognise the risks investors take, and if they meet their obligations, they will see a fair stable return on their investment. Just last week, I signed the governments new water skills pledge to make sure the sector has the workforce it needs to deliver this vast investment.

This Labour government was elected to clean up water pollution and ensure unacceptable bill hikes can never happen again. We now have all the building blocks in place to make that happen. We are establishing a new partnership based on effective regulation where water companies, investors, communities and the government will work together to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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Robbie Moore Portrait Robbie Moore MP (Keighley and Ilkley, Conservative)
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I am grateful to the secretary of state for advanced site of his statement, and I will be responding on behalf of the Shadow Secretary of State while she meets with farmers today at the Royal Welsh show. Let me begin by recognising the scale and seriousness of the work undertaken by said John, left and his team. This review contains 460 pages, 88 recommendations, and represents one of the most detailed examinations of the water sector since privatisation. Indeed, there is much in it that we cautiously welcome on this side of the house, including the merger of the regulators.

Recommendations in more detail, we stand ready to support serious reform if it is done properly. But I am afraid to say that what we have seen and heard from the Secretary of State over the past year has not matched the seriousness of jerk Cunliffe's work, nor has it got anywhere near the radical reform that he sold to voters prior to the election. So I seek clarity from the Secretary of State on the following points. First, over the weekend, he announced that Labour would cut sewage bills by 50% by 5030, but what he wouldn't mention is that plan submitted in the previous Conservative government already set to cut those bills by even more than that amount.

The Times yesterday reported that the Secretary of State's new pledge would actually see an increase of an additional 20,000 discharges of sewage in our rivers compared to existing previously agreed plans so can the secretary of state explain why, after 88 recommendations and a year-long review into the sector, he has watered down sewage reduction targets, rather than massively ramping them up. Secondly, the secretary of state took to the airways at the weekend, telling the public that we need to go back the purity of our waters that we all remember.

But the uncomfortable truth Labour still refuses to take responsibility for is that when they left office, just 7% of storm over were monitored. Let me repeat that. Under Blair Brown, 93% of sewage discharges were happening with no oversight and no accountability whatsoever. The only reason that we can talk tough today is because the previous government pushed monitoring to 100% by 2023, so I asked the Secretary of State to clarify his statement. Third, the Secretary of State told the public that he had secured £104 billion of investment from the water sector to fund these reductions.

What he didn't mention is that 93%, 93 billion of that investment plan was already submitted by water companies in October by water companies in October 2023, nine months before he was even in office, and I would know this because I was the minister at the time and I literally have the letter here with it, so will he comment on this issue? And forth, the secretary state champions the 81 criminal investigations into water companies that have taken place and the election and his ban on water company bosses bonuses, but what it doesn't explain is that these criminal investigations are the direct result of the Conservative's policy of quadrupling the number of water company inspections, and it was our side of the house who launched the ban on water company bosses bonuses.

This is all available for the public to see, for the public to fact check for themselves. What this shows is that for all its bluster, no progress was made on this issue over the last year. They have sat on their hands for more than a year, waiting for this review, and there is no wonder the campaigners that the Secretary of State so shamelessly used for votes in there at the last general election are now, today, calling for his resignation.

Mr Speaker, we on this side of the house stand ready to work with the government on serious reform. We will support any action that genuinely holds water companies to account, delivers clean waters, and protects the public from paying the price of corporate failure. But we will not stand by while the Secretary of State rewrites history, watered-down ambition, and backtracks on the promises made to the public.
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Tim Farron Portrait Tim Farron MP (Westmorland and Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat)
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Thank you. I thank the Secretary of State for sight of the statement and indeed Sir Jon for his report and his work in producing it. The Liberal Democrats have long argued for the abolition of Ofwat and the creation of a new consolidated and powerful regulator. In fact put it to the Bill Committee and he was not -- it was not supported by the Conservative party or the Labour Party but the bill today seems to include just that so we strongly welcome the statement.

It is a reminder to volunteers and water campaigners across the country their work is absolutely worthwhile and has made a huge difference. My message to them is thank you so much and keep going because we still do not know the details of the nature of the regulator. And we still see no sign if this report of any plan to tackle the toxic nature of the ownership of the structure of the water industry. So why is there no plan to change the structure of the industry itself? Even the best regulator in the world will fail if water companies are still owned by those who care nothing for the quality of the lakes, rivers and seas and care only about making as much profit as possible in return for very little investment.

Is it really acceptable then to ask bill payers for a 30% rise when there is no guarantee the water companies will be siphoning off -- will not be siphoning off huge chunks of that in dividends, pay rises and bonuses? Why is there nothing in the statement that will truly empower the volunteers, citizens and scientists of water campaigners? Why are we not giving places on water company boards to the likes of the river trust 's, the clean river campaigns, Surfers Against Sewage and others? And why is there no mention of managing the volume of sewage spills as well as the numbers of incidents? And no number -- and no mention of legally binding pollution reduction targets.

This statement is welcome and we rightly celebrate the Liberal Democrat wins this campaigners for love, as an effective constructive opposition we must scrutinise detail and continue campaigning to clean up waterways and cleanable water industry too. That is what we shall do. -- Clean That is what we shall do. -- Clean up our water industry too. That is what we shall do. what we shall do.
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Steve Reed Portrait Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Streatham and Croydon North, Labour )
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I thank the honourable gentleman. I thank his comments about those who have carried out fantastic work to ensure this issue remains where it needs to be right at the top of the political agenda. I have -- I hope they will join with me and him in welcoming this report from Sir Jon. There will be a white paper and there will be a consultation alongside that. We will launch the white paper in the autumn giving detailed government responses to the 450 page report, 88 recommendations.

There is a lot to go through. There are proposals in there about ownership and that will be consulted on as well. Volunteers need citizens and scientists and they will indeed be able to engage for the first time through the proposed regional structures. We accept the proposal in principle. The detail of it will be worked through during the consultation. This is the first time we will have had A-level of engagement around the catchment, around the entire river systems. Citizens, local authorities, businesses will all have a voice in that as well, as will the farming community operating within those catchments.

I believe by reducing catchments. I believe by reducing the number of spills we will also reduce the volume of spills. He will be able to monitor that, he will be able to hold me to account as well the House and public. As we work towards the targets I have outlined today for reducing sewage spills today for reducing sewage spills from water companies by 50% by 2030. He of course is lucky enough to represent one of the most beautiful parts of the country which has Windermere up there and working with United Utilities to remove all source of pollution from that beautiful iconic lake.

So what became a story of decline can become a visible simple -- symbol of renewal with this government. renewal with this government.
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David Lammy Portrait Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Tottenham, Labour)
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With permission I would like to make a statement on the Middle East. I will begin on Syria. We have been horrified by the recent violence in the south, including civilian deaths. Clashes between groups have quickly escalated into intense fighting with involvement from government forces and further Israeli strikes on the Syrian militia. As I said directly to Foreign Minister Sri Barney we want to see the fighting ended so it is protected and the rights of all Syrians are upheld.

Violence must be investigated and those responsible held accountable. We want humanitarian access to be restored, aid to be delivered and Syrian sovereignty must be respected. The UK can be proud of our support to the Syrian people over many years. A stable Syria matters for the U.K.'s national interests for regular migration and regional stability. We must work to prevent extremism, sectarianism and Law & Order taking hold now the asset is gone. -- Al- Assad is gone.

That is why we are backing this and support an inclusive transition and it is why I visited recently to support and press new government to meet its commitments. I will now turn to the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is 2.5 months since Prime Minister Netanyahu started offensive operations. The IDF has driven Palestinians out of 80 -- 86% of Gaza. Leaving around 2 million people trapped in an area scarcely Whatever this Israeli government might claim, displacement of so many civilians is not keeping them safe, in fact, it is quite the reverse.

Mr Deputy Speakers, the new Israeli aid system is inhumane, dangerous, and it is depriving Gazans of human dignity for topic contradicts humanitarian principles, creates disorder that how mass is now exploiting, it forces desperate civilians, children among them, to scramble unsafely for the essentials of life. It is a grotesque spectacle, wrecking a terrible human cost. Most of thousands civilians have been killed since May seeking aid. Including 100 this weekend alone.

There are near daily reports of Israeli troops opening fire on people to access food. Israeli jets have hit women and children waiting for a health clinic to open. An Israeli drone has struck down children filling water containers which Israeli officials blamed on a technical error. Hamas is of course contributing to the chaos and taking advantage of it but I utterly condemn the killing of civilians seeking to meet their basic needs. The Israeli government must answer what possible military justification can there be for strikes that have killed desperate staffing children.

What immediate actions are they taking to stop this litany of horrors? And what will they do to horrors? And what will they do to hold those responsible to account? I have said before that I am a steadfast supporter of Israel security and its right to exist. I treasure the connections between our peoples and the horrors of October 7 must never be forgotten, but I firmly believe the Israeli government's action are doing untold damage to Israel's standing in the world.

And undermining Israel's long-term security. Netanyahu should listen to the Israeli people. 82% of whom desperately want a ceasefire. And to the hostage families because they know it offers the best chance to bring their loved ones home. Those hostages may be hidden in cramped tunnels under the ruins of Gaza but we will not forget them, or the despicable actions of Hamas, and we will continue to demand the unconditional release. This offensive puts them in grave danger but still, Minister Katz has gone further, proposing to drive Gaza's entire population into Rafa, imprisoning Palestinians unless persuaded to emigrate.

This is a cruel vision which must never come to pass. And I condemn it unequivocally. Permanent force displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law. Many Israelis themselves are appalled. A former Israeli prime minister said it marches us into an abyss. He was right. Today, I join the statement of 31 foreign ministers as signatures with a simple urgent message. The war in Gaza must and now. There is no military solution. Negotiations will secure the hostages stop further bloodshed serves no purpose.

Hamas and Israel must both commit to a ceasefire now and the next ceasefire must be the last one. I thank the US, Qatar and Egypt for their tireless efforts and I'm sure all members share my intense frustration that it has not happened. Until there is a breakthrough, we must keep doing all we can to relieve the suffering. UK aid has saved lives, reaching hundreds of thousands with food, water, hygiene and sanitation, and essential healthcare, and under the most appalling circumstances. Our aid is saving lives today.

That includes the almost £9 million the UK has provided to UK medicine since we entered office, reaching half a million patients inside Gaza, 24,000 in the past fight alone. Like three-year-old Roseanne, medics removed a bullet from her neck after three hours of surgery. These doctors and nurses work in the most extreme conditions who are truly heroes. They deserve the admiration of the entire house. We are also working multilaterally. 149 trucks of the World Food Programme and UNICEF entering Gaza in recent days included food supplies funded by the UK and thousands more trucks paid for by British taxpayers can enter the moment the Israeli government lets them in.

Today, I am announcing an extra £40 million worth for humanitarian assistance in Gaza this year, including 7/2 million for UK members to sustain their vital operations in Gaza to save more lives. Accompanying the horrors of Gaza, there is an Excel campaign to prevent further Palestinian state in the West Bank. It is embraced by Netanyahu, encouraged by ministers, driven by an extremist ideology that wants to suffocate the two state solution, the only route to a lasting peace and security.

We see it in the unprecedented pace of settlement expansion in the shocking levels of subtle violence and terrorism. For that is what the most egregious psychological attacks are, and it is the deliberate attempts to squeeze the Palestinian Authority, denying access to its own funds, and it harms Israel's long-term interest in the process. Now the Israeli government is reintroducing plans to construct new units in the E1 area of occupied Jerusalem. If built, this settlement would separate the West Bank north from its South and Palestinians in the West Bank for East Jerusalem.

These plans are wholly unacceptable. They are illegal and they must not happen. We are striving to keep open the prospects of a two state solution. UK assistance has been preserving the Palestinian Authority, contributing to essential Palestinian work and supporting them Palestinian work and supporting them Palestinian work and supporting them We are delivering the reform We are delivering the reform plans that the president has set out. I can also confirm that we are providing £20 million worth to support funds for Palestinian refugees.

Alongside the support, we are leading diplomatic efforts to show that there must be a viable pathway to a Palestinian state involving the Palestinian Authority in the governments of the area. Hamas can have no role in the governments of Gaza nor use it as a launchpad for terrorism. We support the Palestinian Authority not undermine the economy as ministers are doing. The UK is co-leading with humanitarian reconstruction tracks for the forthcoming two state solution conference, and we are pushing to agree plans for next stage in Gaza with the responsible reform PA at their core.

So we turn any temporary ceasefire into a lasting peace. The Labour government has acted to address this conflict and restored funding after the Tories frozen. We have suspended licenses from the Tories declining licenses from the Tories declining to act. We have almost 1/4 of a billion in assistance this year and next, getting medical treatment and food to hundreds of thousands in Gaza. We stood with hostages at every stage, worked with Jordan to fly medicines into Gaza with Egypt to treat civilians with Q8 and UNICEF to help children in Gaza.

We have delivered three sanction packages on violent settlers, suspended them with Israeli government and sanctioned far right ministers. We have defended the independent courts and signed a landmark agreement with authorities and hosted the Palestinian prime minister in London, pushing for the reform it needs. We have called for, worked for an immediate ceasefire and the result of hostages at every possible opportunity, and we will keep doing so until this war is over, Hamas releases are hostages and we finally have a pathway to a two state solution.

I commend the statement to the house.
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Priti Patel Portrait Rt Hon Priti Patel MP (Witham, Conservative)
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I am grateful to the Foreign Secretary for advanced site of the statement. The violence, loss of life and conflicts that continuing the Middle East shock us all. The events in the Middle East have a direct impact upon our national interest and to people living in our own country from the concerns about family member is in the regions to demonstrations on our street and from the threats from Iran to the rise of anti-Semitism. This side of house is clear that we want to see an end of the conflict in Gaza, return of the hostages, humanitarian support which is so desperately needed must get in, and an end to the terror inflicted by Hamas and Iran.

But the reality of peace and a sustainable end to the conflict in Gaza seems to be drifting further away. What is Britain's role when it comes to workable outcomes and practical solutions to advance an end to this conflict? And what diplomatic action is being taken with regional allies and the US? Where is Britain's voice of action when it comes to putting new pressure on Hamas to agree the most recent proposals to secure a ceasefire and release the hostages who have been in captivity for more than 650 days.

On the statement the foreign sector signed earlier today, can he confirm or explain what an unconditional and permanent ceasefire means for Hamas and the Palestinian Authority? Last week, I met with those who have been held in captivity by Hamas. I pay tribute to their incredible bravery and their resilience and dedication to securing the freedom of the securing the freedom of the remaining hostages. They are held in barbaric captivity. They must be returned to their loved ones. The hostages at night humanitarian access by Hamas.

What is the government doing about this and when was his last intervention on this particular issue? On aid to Gaza, the situation has deteriorated beyond all rational comprehension. The daily reports of casualties seeking aid are appalling and we utterly condemn these attacks but our words and vertical statements of condemnation are not saving lives so what practical solutions, posters and options has the Foreign Secretary and the British government discussed with Israel on aid supplies into Gaza? What dialogue is that a finding agreement of getting aid supplies and access that goes beyond the current dangerous approach that has been adopted? I remind the house the last Conservative government secured new age roots and better aid access to save lives.

Surely in light of the desperate urgency of the situation we all see calls for such options have to be considered once again. On settlement, I reiterate our long- standing position that these are not helpful to achieving long-term peace. Israel should not take steps that should make a two state solution more difficult and it must use its legal system to clamp down on settler violence. We wanted to state solution a guarantee security and stability for both Israeli and Palestinians and I'm sure that he agrees that it should only come at a time that is conducive to peace and that it cannot be at the start of a process and certainly not while Israeli hostages are still in captivity in Gaza.

Does the Foreign Secretary agree the need to be a clear plan and international measures to see the exit of Hamas from Gaza? On Syria, the barbaric violence we have witnessed in recent days cannot continue. All groups of minorities in Syria must be protected and the Foreign Secretary has measured his discussions recently with the transitional Syrian leadership. Did he convey to those in charge that they have a responsibility to end the outcome in their country and guarantee the protection of all minority groups in Syria before international communities remove sanctions and normalises relationships? What assurances has he received from the transitional government and have these commitments been met in anyway with measurable action? Will he update the house on whether any of the £64.5 million of money and dedicated to Syria announced by the government will be used to deal with the aftermath of these latest clashes and how will it be spent? Can the Foreign Secretary also confirm whether he deems sufficient action has been taken by the interim government on the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria? Does he believe the HTS government is capable of securing Syrians borders and can he also explain whether he intends to change the described status of HTS? On sanctions, can you give us his assessment on the effect of the sections already lifted and if they have had any unintended side-effects? Syria's future still hangs in the balance and we need to be holy evidence led in our approach.

The Foreign Secretary did not mention Iran but we understand that Iran, Britain France and Germany are due to hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday. Can he confirm the purpose of these talks? Is he coordinating actions with the US and what is the content of the deal the Foreign Secretary would deal the Foreign Secretary would
18:15
David Lammy Portrait Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Tottenham, Labour)
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I am very grateful to the shadow Foreign Secretary for the tone of her remarks on the cross-party consensus that exists in this House that this war must come to an end. And huge concern we all have not just in this House but also in the international community about the humanitarian suffering we continue to see. Just on that point, she raises what more can be done? And praises aid and work of the former Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron. She will recognise Lord Cameron and prior to that former Foreign Secretary Cleverley all raised with the Israelis the situation, the humanitarian situation.

It is got steadily worse. It is now down to 48 points -- for eight points and a new foundation offering aid and people are dying as they scramble for that aid. I note in her remarks she did not say that we should go back to the eight points we had in the past and she will note her government did not refund funding to UNRWA but we believe the UN and its system are best placed to deliver aid to Gaza. That is the position we continue to maintain.

She raises also against that backdrop what we are doing in terms of our multilateral and doing to work with others to bring this to an end. And I ask her to read the statement that landed. 31 countries have now signed up to that statement and of course we are pressing and working with colleagues. That is why I spoke to the Minister once again today, to urge him to do the right thing. To get a ceasefire but to look now clearly at this aid system that is not working.

On governance she will know we will participate in the two state conference that has been organised by France. In a couple of weeks time. She will know that conference is now dedicated to looking closely at the governance arrangements you have to put in place when Hamas leave and they must go and they cannot govern Gaza, how do we ensure this is not a 60 day pause but we bring an end to this and we moved to a two-state solution? She knows our commitment to recognition as set out in our manifesto and the conversations going on internationally in relation to recognition.

She rightly presses the case in Syria. Of course when I met with officials I was absolutely clear this government had to be inclusive. I pressed it because of his former background as a terrorist and the concerns that exist both within government and within this chamber but we must work together to ensure security as fundamental and she will understand we have much we need to do to support them in Counter-Terrorism Act this time. In a country where 90% of people are living in poverty to ensure people get the aid and the support they need and indeed the areas affected by the murders we saw over the last few days.
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Calum Miller Portrait Calum Miller MP (Bicester and Woodstock, Liberal Democrat)
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Thank you. I thank the Foreign Secretary for advanced sight of his statement. I welcome his commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Syria and to hold in the government of Syria and Israel accountable for protecting all civilians, especially minorities. The Foreign Secretary is right to say the situation in Gaza is inhumane and grotesque. He is right a ceasefire is desperately needed. I welcome the aid allocations he has announced. The problem is the situation is not new. The problem is repeated expressions of regret by this government have not prevented further carnage being brought by the Netanyahu government.

The whole house saw the passion with which the right honourable gentleman announced the British, French and Canadian joint position on 20 May and with which the Minister for the Middle East sanctioned Minister Smotrich in Ben-Gvir on 10 June. In that statement Minister said and I quote, we cannot stand by and they would respond with not just words but actions. I think they meant it. And yet two months later the Secretary of State has only words, not actions. His joint statement with other countries today says once again only quote, we are prepared to take further action.

And yet children are queueing for food and water still being killed every day as the Israeli cabinet maintained its grotesque blockade of humanitarian aid and now proposes an open-air prison for all Gazans which would amount to ethnic cleansing according to reports. I spoke to Oxfordshire doctors from NASA hospital in Gaza, they prescribed -- discussed the desperation facing the citizens after the latest Israeli attack. The death of patients wanting basic dressings and the IDF slightly -- idea flights directly into the hospital compound.

Settlers on the West Bank continue to illegally occupy Palestinian homes and land and the remaining hostages held in Gaza now for over 650 days at the hands of Hamas terrorists are no closer to release. I have written to the Foreign Secretary frequently to set out the steps the liberal Democrats believe we should take. I will simply ask does the Foreign Secretary truly believe his government is doing all it can to put an end to the terrible violence and starvation witnessed in Gaza in clear contravention of international law? Can he explain why there have been so many -- so few consequences since the Minister spoke so powerfully in the last few months.

Can he dispel the widespread view he is not setting the policy he would choose but instead being reamed in by Number 10's desire not to upset President Trump by acting more broadly?

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Can I say to the honourable
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David Lammy Portrait Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Tottenham, Labour)
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I want to associate my remarks with what the honourable lady has said, and to ensure her, not just on my behalf, but on behalf of everyone in this chamber, there will be no complicity in any acts that could be a breach of international humanitarian law.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Last week, I heard from someone who had been held hostage by Hamas. who had been held hostage by Hamas. It was a powerful reminder that until all hostages are released, now until all hostages are released, now hostages are released. It is true hostages are released. It is true for him and his family and all the others. It's the families of hostages who are some of the loudest voices calling for an end to this voices calling for an end to this war.

Can the Secretary of State outline what steps he is taking to ensure that the next ceasefire is ensure that the next ceasefire is permanent, scene hostages get out of

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Gaza and aid to get in? I'm grateful for his question. He is absolutely right to mention hostages. He knows that I have met hostages. He knows that I have met regularly with hostage families. He regularly with hostage families. He is absolutely right that the overwhelming majority of Israeli overwhelming majority of Israeli people, 83%, what the hostages to get out and they want a sustained get out and they want a sustained and enduring ceasefire, which is not the current position of Benjamin Netanyahu.
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