Energy Security

Debate between Bob Blackman and Jim Shannon

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Cramlington and Killingworth (Emma Foody).

As a scientist by background, I welcome the cross-party agreement on nuclear power forming a key part of our energy supply for the future. That was not always the case. There was certainly opposition to nuclear power previously on the Labour Benches, as indeed there was among Liberal Democrat Back Benchers, so I am delighted that we have agreement on this positive way forward.

The key is ensuring a mixed economy in energy supply. I welcomed the use of solar power on the roof of the Aspire leisure centre adjacent to the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital, which was granted by the previous Conservative Government. The centre and the hospital are supplied by that solar energy, which also contributes towards the grid. That is welcome news, but I cannot understand why the Government will not agree to exploit the North sea to a further extent. That would not come on stream straight away, but surely we must think about it for the future.

Let me cover one or two other areas. The Vagrancy Act 1824 is coming to an end, but we still require from the Government the necessary statutory instrument to make that happen—there was no commitment in the King’s Speech. Can we see that? On the social housing renewal Bill, the Government’s ambition is huge but timid. We must go faster and further to provide the much-needed social housing required in this country, which has not been built for more than 30 years.

We live in a dangerous world. With the war in Ukraine causing energy price hikes, we must think about what that has done to the windfall from the petrol pumps going to the Treasury. At the same time, we have a fragile truce in the middle east, the civil war in Sudan, in which more people are being killed than in any other conflict, and half a million Christians in Nigeria have been massacred by Islamists.

This is the sad reality. I was absolutely appalled that on 7 October 2023, after the attempt by Hamas to commit genocide against the people of Israel, we saw people celebrating on our streets. We have subsequently turned a blind eye to the hate marches that have assembled 100 yards away from a synagogue in London at midday, just as the Shabbat services were coming to an end. That has continued for week after week, and the congregation have been intimidated while going about their lawful business.

The Prime Minister has quite rightly talked about combating antisemitism, but words are not enough; we need action now. A blind eye was turned to the Hamas and Hezbollah flags in those marches. A deaf ear was cocked to the phrase, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which means the destruction of the state of Israel. Equally, a deaf ear was cocked to the phrase, “Globalise the intifada”. What have we seen as a result? Jewish businesses and restaurants have been attacked, synagogues have been attacked, and we now see Jewish people on the streets being attacked purely because of their religion. That is absolutely unacceptable.

We have to start somewhere, so I welcome the decision by the Government to bring forward legislation on proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is long overdue. I have led the campaign for that in Parliament for many years, but we must go further. Why is the Iranian ambassador still here? He should be kicked out. The embassy should be closed down, and all the so-called diplomats should be refused entry to this country. Iran is the head of the snake that controls all the terrorism in the middle east, and we must recognise that.

[Jim Shannon]

There is one thing the Government have not done that they could do, which I know the hon. Gentleman would like to happen, as would I and many others in this House. There are assets in London owned by the Iranian Government, and it is well known where they all are. Does he feel, as I do, that here in London, where we have some control, it is time that those assets were taken away from Iran?

[Bob Blackman]

The assets of the IRGC and the despotic regime in Iran must be sequestrated and brought into use for the people of this country. There are 11 well-known properties—detached houses—owned by this despotic regime that are not used at the moment. They could be used for homeless families and Brits who need somewhere to live, but we do not take the necessary action. As I have raised previously, we have 13 charities that get their funding from Iran. They have their headquarters in the UK, and they are banned in Arab countries. Why are they allowed to exist and spread their poison?

We must also go further on university campuses. Vice-chancellors have a duty to protect Jewish students, but they do not carry out that duty. Perhaps we could start in our schools by teaching our children the true history of the middle east. In 1948, the Arab countries tried to prevent Israel from being set up and encouraged and almost forced the Arabs to leave the state of Israel so that they could go in and kill everyone. Israel won that war, and no one has forgiven it since. We can also look to 1967 and 1973, when Israel fought wars once again to protect itself. The sad fact is that that is not taught in our schools. We need to understand that if we do not educate our children in the right way, propaganda will unfortunately be allowed to grow.

Why was one of our Labour colleagues banned from going into a school in his constituency solely because he is Jewish? That cannot be acceptable. Words are not enough; we need prompt, firm action to root out antisemitism and anti-Jewish hatred once and for all.

15th Anniversary

Debate between Bob Blackman and Jim Shannon

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman]

The reality is that it is for the Petitions Committee to come forward with those debates. Of course I would strongly support the Petitions Committee having time in the Chamber—as long as it does not detract from the Backbench Business time that is available. Equally, if the right hon. Member and colleagues wish to come forward with an application on the subject that he raises, I am sure that our Committee would look at it very sympathetically, particularly as it was such a well-attended debate.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee and all the Committee members for what they do to ensure that the debates are held and heard. The Chair has referred to the number of Backbench Business applications. I understand that it is absolutely ginormous, and that the debates will take us right through to next April or May. The Chair of the Committee has often tried to ensure that extra time is available in the Chamber. Since there is no time available whatsoever in Westminster Hall for all the debates that are presently sought, what can be done to ensure that the main Chamber can be made available for the Backbench Business debates that have been requested?

[Bob Blackman]

I am grateful for the question from our honorary season ticket holder at the Backbench Business Committee. As is stated in the report, prior to the 2019 general election, the hon. Member appeared before the Committee no less than 44 times with applications. He has continued to do that, and of course he is the top Member for number of applications before the Committee, and we are always pleased to grant appropriate ones.

I am encouraged that large numbers of MPs, including new ones who have never been before the Committee, come with an application that is well supported across the House. I think the message has got out that this is the one of the best ways that Members can get a debate on an issue that affects them.

Easter Adjournment

Debate between Bob Blackman and Jim Shannon

Tuesday 8th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered matters to be raised before the forthcoming Adjournment.

The first quarter of this year has flown by, and it seems as though it was only yesterday that we were preparing for Christmas and the new year. I am pleased that the weather has finally indicated that spring has sprung, and with the clocks going forward, the days are getting longer, and everyone is a little chirpier. I apologise in advance because I have a bit of a cold, so I hope I do not develop a meldrop during this speech.

It has been a busy few months, both in Parliament and across my constituency. I have been speaking in the Chamber, hosting resident tours and events, visiting schools, preparing for local elections, piloting a Presentation Bill and chairing the Backbench Business Committee; and we have celebrated Lent, Ramadan, Navaratri, and Holi—but still no trophy for Tottenham Hotspur. Maybe if we played more like Bodrumspor, we would finally win something. That is an in-joke for my team. For colleagues it has been an exhausting time, and many of us may be feeling like a bit of a “wabbit” by the time we get to the vacation.

I am delighted that I have assumed the chairmanship of the Backbench Business Committee, following in the footsteps of the former Member for Gateshead, who stood down having served nine years as Chair of the Committee. It is encouraging that so many Members are keen to get in on this debate, and I hope to hear some topical and important issues being raised. However, if any colleague is applying for a Backbench Business debate, they will probably have to wait until the end of November or December before they will get a debate in the Chamber, because we have such a long waiting list. I thank the Leader of the House for making time to meet me to discuss the Committee and ensure that Back Benchers have adequate time to discuss matters that they wish to raise.

Let me mention Transport for London. Regular attendees of these debates will know that I regularly bang the drum for lifts in tube stations in my constituency. I am sorry to say that I am still banging the drum, and we still do not have any lifts. However, we recently had an excellent report from the Transport Committee on disabled access to public transport, and a subsequent statement in the House on that issue. It is clear from the report, and the experiences of my constituents, that we need a tighter definition of “step-free”, and that that may require a change in the law. My calls for a lift at Stanmore station are just, as are the calls of the many Members of this House who are campaigning to make their stations step-free. The station may be officially classified as step-free, but that is a very broad definition. At Stanmore station, to get from the gateline to the street, people have to either go up 71 stairs, or go up a ramp so steep that even Baroness Grey-Thompson could not manage it. They then have to wheel themselves through a car park with no pavement for nearly 400 yards. We think that we need legislative change. If that is what we need, we want it, as well as lifts at Canons Park and Queensbury stations. I note that a lift is being planned for Eastcote station, in my neighbouring constituency, although that station gets far fewer passengers than Stanmore, according to the latest data. Clearly, Transport for London considers a lift at Stanmore to be inconsequential. I see no option but to make legislative changes to remove Stanmore’s supposed step-free status, in order to get some movement from TfL.

As chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on UK-Israel, I know that Members of the House are all conscious of the escalating situation in the middle east. There is a clear and present danger that if terrorists remain in Gaza, the conflict cannot have a long-term resolution, and that Hezbollah, Iran and extreme forces in the middle east could be dragged into a full-scale war with Israel, which none of us wants.

The events that have unfolded in the middle east since 7 October 2023 have been unbearable to witness. Israel suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history, at the hands of the Iranian-backed terrorists Hamas. Innocent civilians were brutally murdered and hundreds were taken hostage, including babies, children and the elderly. The hostages have been held in appalling conditions, and the accounts given by those who have been released have been distressing and harrowing.

As a direct consequence of the actions of Hamas on 7 October, and the use of civilian infrastructure to undertake terrorist actions, Palestinian civilians are facing a devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. My thoughts are with the families of those still held hostage, and every innocent life that has been lost or impacted by the conflict. I firmly support Israel’s right to defend itself against security threats, but we must continue to press the Government to work with international partners to support a ceasefire in Gaza, to release all hostages, to provide aid, and to work towards a lasting and sustainable end to the conflict. In the longer term, I continue to support a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, with both nations, and the wider region, living side by side in peace and security.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee for obliging me with all these debates over the year. There are a couple more coming up, which will keep us busy in a few weeks’ time. On the future of Gaza and Israel, I support the two-state solution as the way forward, but does the hon. Gentleman share my view that peace can happen only if Hamas are not there? Hamas are trying to restrict freedom and liberty. Does the hon. Gentleman believe that they cannot be part of a future in which everyone can be at peace?

[Bob Blackman]

I thank the Backbench Business Committee season ticket holder for his intervention, but I assure him that it will not get him any favours in his applications for further debates. I was saddened to hear that on Sunday night, Hamas yet again fired 10 rockets into Israel in an attempt to cause further harm and destruction, despite the civilians of Gaza being in desperate need of a ceasefire. If that does not show that they are a terrorist organisation, I do not know what would. They are focused solely on the destruction of not only Israel, but their own people. It is an outrage that they are still in position. With Passover coming, I pray that we can reach a true settlement, restore peace in the region, and ensure that no more life is lost in the war against terrorism.

Having just celebrated the Persian new year, Nowruz, we need a free and democratic Iran. In Iran, people continue to be supressed by the undemocratic regime, and are silenced and imprisoned for showing any opposition to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The regime is becoming increasingly brutal, with at least 230 people executed in Iran during the first three months of this year—double the number of people who were executed in the same period last year. The IRGC is a threat to global prosperity and security. It continues to fund external militia groups across the middle east. It is particularly concerning that Iran, Russia and China have been engaged in talks about their nuclear programmes. I hope that President Trump’s firm approach to their actions will make them think twice before causing further disruption in the area. Once again, I urge the Government to turn their promise into action and to proscribe the IRGC in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.

I am the chairman of the APPG on ending homelessness. We face a rising cost of living, increasing unemployment and, more recently, rises in council tax. Many more people are being forced to live in poverty, and are struggling to afford their rent. Rents have risen by 9% this year, taking them out of reach, and forcing many people into temporary accommodation—or, worse, on to the streets, where they have to sleep rough. In Harrow East alone, according to a recent report from Crisis, a mere 1.9% of housing is deemed to be affordable. That is unsustainable and exerts considerable pressure on local authorities.

In more positive news, I am pleased that my third private Member’s Bill, on homelessness and tackling rough sleeping, recently passed its Second Reading unopposed. The Homelessness Prevention Bill focuses on using prevention at the core of solving the rough sleeping problem, as it is often too late, much harder and much more expensive to help people once they are already on the streets. The Bill would increase the effectiveness of the current duty on local housing authorities in England to take reasonable steps to help an applicant threatened with homelessness to secure accommodation so that it does not cease to be available to them. I look forward to the next steps in securing Government support to achieve Royal Assent.

I am also pleased that we soared through the Third Reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. I welcome the Government’s ambition to inherit the goals of the previous Conservative Administration to eradicate smoking from society and tackle youth vaping. I hope that the other place will be just as favourable to ensure that we can swiftly protect future generations from this harm. I look forward to working on the Bill further, scrutinising it and ensuring that all appropriate amendments are adopted so that we can achieve a smoke-free society in our lifetimes. I pay particular tribute to my friends at Action on Smoking and Health, who have been tireless in providing briefings and meetings and hosting events for colleagues and myself.

In the first quarter alone, I visited nine schools in my constituency, with many more in the pipeline over the next term. I find it enriching and important to engage with tomorrow’s generation, as many MPs will, and to hear the views and ideas of students on improving the way in which the country is run. I am constantly astounded by the very high level of education in Harrow, the standards provided and the thoughtful questions I am posed by students of all ages.

Every visit has been extremely valuable in different ways. Some of my most notable visits include a visit to Shaftesbury high school, which is a special educational needs school. When we think of people with disabilities and special needs, it is important that we focus not on what they cannot do, but on what they can do. At Shaftesbury high school, they have created a coffee hut on site where students learn the skills to be a barista. Having tasted one of their brews, I can confirm that they will give Starbucks a run for its money.

I look forward to another SEND school, which was newly approved by the previous Administration, being created in Harrow. We have the land, the opportunity and the support of the headteachers; we now need Government support to make it happen. Another notable visit—mostly for my staff, who were watching me—was to Glebe primary school, where we had the Holi festival. I was literally covered in colourful powder by the students. It was a particularly joyous occasion, celebrating spring, new life and love.

While the Easter recess provides a well-deserved break for all Members and their staff, I will be hosting one of my three annual work experience programmes. I will be welcoming 19 eager and willing students to my constituency, teaching them what it is like to be an MP and how they can get involved in politics. Over the years, I have welcomed hundreds of young people on to the programme, with many going on to work either in my office or elsewhere on the parliamentary estate. It is a great way to engage with constituents and the younger generation, inspiring them to get involved and learn more about parliamentary processes.

As I come to the end of my remarks, I pay tribute to our great friend Sir David Amess, who so loved participating in these debates. May he rest in peace and remain in our thoughts. I wish everyone a very happy Easter and Passover. I hope that everyone can enjoy some rest and a well-deserved break, enjoying good food, chocolate and good company with loved ones.