Oral Answers to Questions

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Wednesday 20th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab)]

12. What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the work of the anti-Muslim hatred working group.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Felicity Buchan)]

We will not tolerate anti-Muslim hatred in any form, and we will seek to stamp it out wherever it occurs. We are appointing an independent adviser to tackle the scourge of anti-Muslim hatred, to join our independent adviser on antisemitism. We have a programme for tackling anti-Muslim hatred, which includes the consideration of definitions. It also includes £117 million of funding to protect Muslim places of worship and faith schools until 2028.

[Debbie Abrahams]

Despite what the Minister says, many believe that the Government’s two-year delay in coming up with a definition on Islamophobia—the Conservatives are the only political party in the UK to have taken so long—reflects their indifference to the fear, discrimination and hatred that thousands of Muslims experience. Why has it taken so long?

[Felicity Buchan]

We do not agree with the all-party group on British Muslims’ definition of Islamophobia; we believe the most appropriate term is “anti-Muslim hatred”. Let me explain why. In this country, there is freedom of religion, and also freedom to criticise a religion. What someone cannot do is discriminate against or show hatred to me because of my religion.

[Mr Speaker]

Alex Cunningham is not here. I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Anneliese Dodds (Oxford East) (Lab/Co-op)]

A senior Conservative who went on to become Prime Minister said that Muslim women “look like letter boxes”. A Conservative candidate for London Mayor said that she wants to defeat her Muslim opponent to make things safer “for our Jewish community”. A former Conservative deputy chairman said that Islamists have “got control” of the Mayor of London. Are those incidents of anti-Muslim hatred the kind of incidents that the Minister just said will not be tolerated?

[Felicity Buchan]

We have made it very clear that a number of these comments we just do not accept—we think they are wrong—but before the hon. Lady throws abuse at Conservative Members, she should take a look at what is happening on the Labour Benches. Hers is the only party that has been sanctioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutional racism. Her party has now given the Whip back to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Andy McDonald), even though the Labour party said that his comments were deeply offensive. The right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) has also had the Whip suspended because of antisemitism.

[Anneliese Dodds]

It is important that we do not trade abuse about these very serious issues. [Interruption.] With respect, that was the tone that I adopted. Where there are issues with political parties, rather than laughing about them, we should take action. That is what the Labour party did after the EHRC investigation. Sadly, the Conservatives have not acted to develop a definition of anti-Muslim hatred. We have changed, but the Conservatives have not. A definition was promised, and an adviser was appointed to develop one five years ago—perhaps the Minister is unaware of that—but today there is still no definition. There is no adviser now, no active anti-Muslim hate crime working group, no hate crime strategy, and minimal action on tackling online hate. When are the Government going to wake up to this problem?

[Felicity Buchan]

As I said, this Government are completely committed to supporting our Muslim communities. We have said that we will appoint an independent adviser. We have made more money available to protect mosques and Muslim faith schools. I am visiting my local mosque, al-Manaar, this afternoon/early evening to attend an Iftar. If one looks at the composition of the Conservative Front Bench and at how diverse the people there are, one can see clearly that our party is committed to diversity and equality.

[Peter Gibson (Darlington) (Con)]

2. What recent steps the Government have taken to implement the HIV action plan.

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[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Felicity Buchan)]

All forms of religious hatred have absolutely no place in our communities, and we work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it. We are taking a broad approach to tackling religious hatred, and are engaging extensively with experts to explore how religious hatred is experienced by British communities and how it affects different faiths and individuals.

[Fleur Anderson]

There has been an appalling surge of antisemitism and Islamophobia in recent months, but the anti-Muslim hatred working group has been suspended since March 2020, and the hate crime strategy is four years old; we clearly need a new one to tackle the hate crime in our communities. Will the Minister commit to restarting the anti-Muslim hatred working group and bringing forward a new hate crime strategy?

[Felicity Buchan]

As I said in answer to previous questions, we will appoint a new adviser on anti-Muslim hatred. We are engaging with the Muslim community at senior levels. The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have recently met Tell MAMA, which plays a very important role in tackling hate crime. This Government are completely behind our Muslim communities, and we will absolutely do the right thing for them.

[Sir David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con)]

I welcome the Minister’s comments. We are all behind her, and endorse what she said, but can she give me some idea of recent progress she has made on delivering the Inclusive Britain action plan?

[Felicity Buchan]

We have been doing lots of work on that, and will releasing the report today.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the SNP spokesperson.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

With permission, Mr Speaker, I will briefly pay tribute to my constituent Henry Wuga, whose funeral took place earlier today. Henry, who came to Glasgow on the Kindertransport, was a truly remarkable man. He and his late wife Ingrid made an enormous contribution to Scotland and the world through their work as holocaust educators. His legacy is truly immense, and I am sure that the House will join me in sending our thoughts to Henry’s family. May his memory be a blessing.

The increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia is eye-watering. It should be of serious concern to us all. Urgent action is needed on both fronts, and community cohesion and dialogue must be a priority. In recent months, there has been a 335% increase in Islamophobic hate cases in the UK. None the less, and despite our just having had the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the UK Government have not convened the anti-Muslim hatred working group in more than four years. Now that the next anti-Muslim hatred adviser has quit over extremist threats, we need concrete answers. When will the Government take tackling Islamophobia seriously?

[Felicity Buchan]

On behalf of the Government, I pass on my condolences. We have made it incredibly clear that the Government are completely committed to tackling anti-Muslim hatred. We have upped the amount of money going towards the protection of mosques and Muslim faith schools. We are about to appoint a new anti-Muslim hatred adviser. This is an effort across Government. I completely agree that the levels of both anti-Muslim hatred and antisemitism that we see at the moment are not acceptable. That is why we are dealing with it.

[Marco Longhi (Dudley North) (Con)]

7. What steps she is taking to help increase inclusivity and accessibility at work for disabled people.

Tributes to Her Late Majesty The Queen

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Friday 9th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

On behalf of the residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington, I pay the deepest tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen, who served our country and the Commonwealth with the most remarkable and selfless devotion.

The Queen’s life was interwoven with the Royal Borough of Kensington. Indeed, her coronation robes were actually woven in Kensington, at the Royal School of Needlework, which was then in South Kensington. Many of the late Queen’s family have lived in Kensington, at Kensington Palace, including her late sister Princess Margaret. Of course, it is currently the official residence of the new Prince and Princess of Wales. The Queen also sent her son, His Majesty the King, to his first school in Kensington: Hill House on Pont Street. We are delighted to have those associations with Her late Majesty and His Majesty the King.

There are so many things that I could talk about in the exceptional reign of Her late Majesty, but I will focus on two things: the length of that reign and her incredible empathy with her people. Her first official visit to the Science Museum was in 1938 at the age of 11, when she visited with her sister and grandmother. Her last visit to the Science Museum was in 2019. That is a relationship with one institution that spanned a remarkable 81 years. She had those relationships with my constituency, including with the V&A, the Natural History Museum, and the Commonwealth Institute, which she was so passionate about, when it was on Kensington High Street. Remarkably, someone said to me yesterday that the Queen’s reign of 70 years is 30% of the existence of the United States of America; that is remarkable.

Secondly, I want to talk about her empathy with her people. During the course of the last 25 years, sadly my constituency has had two tragedies: the Grenfell Tower fire and the Ladbroke Grove rail crash. In both instances, the Queen visited very, very quickly, and she gave the most remarkable comfort and succour to the bereaved, the survivors and the residents. She was so humble and she only thought of those who were suffering, rather than of her own emotions. Thank you, your Majesty.

I send all the condolences of the Royal Borough of Kensington to His Majesty the King and his family, and I wish His Majesty the King a long and healthy reign. God save the King.

UK Energy Costs

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Thursday 8th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

I warmly welcome this bold, decisive and comprehensive measure, which is exactly the right thing to do. I particularly welcome the measures on communal heating networks, which are huge in my constituency with all my mansion blocks.

I like that we are focused on self-reliance. I tried to intervene on the Leader of the Opposition, because he rightly talked about self-reliance when it comes to energy, but part of the reason why we are not self-reliant is because, between 1997 and 2010, the Labour party failed to invest in renewables and other sources of energy, so our dependence on gas went from 32% to 46%.

All the measures announced today are welcome. I welcome the commitment to net zero, and I welcome the investment in renewables.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)]

I call the shadow Secretary of State, Edward Miliband.

Oral Answers to Questions

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Wednesday 20th July 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Polonius—that’s who the right hon. Gentleman is; he needs more matter with less art. The only thing we need to know is that if there were to be a general election, the Liberal Democrats would rightly get thrashed, because that would be the moment when the public looked with horror at what the Liberal Democrats’ policies really are and all those rural voters would discover the massive green taxes that they would like to apply. The only risk is that there could be some kind of crackpot coalition between those guys on the Labour Benches, the Lib Dems and the Scottish nationalists to put that into effect. That is what we must prevent.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

Q11. My constituents feel very let down by the Mayor of London: he is consulting on cutting 18% of London’s buses; the Met is in special measures; he is looking to sell Notting Hill police station to the highest bidder; and he is looking to push through a completely unwanted overdevelopment of South Kensington tube station. Does my right hon. Friend agree that Londoners deserve way, way better?

[The Prime Minister]

London once had a Mayor who cut crime by 25%, cut the murder rate by 30% and built twice as many affordable homes as the current incumbent. What London needs is another Conservative Mayor.

Oral Answers to Questions

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Thursday 14th July 2022 Commons Chamber

[Marco Longhi (Dudley North) (Con)]

5. What progress his Department has made on reducing the cost of Government projects to help ensure value for money in public spending.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

8. What progress his Department has made on reducing the cost of Government projects to help ensure value for money in public spending.

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

15. What progress his Department has made on reducing the cost of Government projects to help ensure value for money in public spending.

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[Mr Rees-Mogg]

My hon. Friend is wise to raise these important points, because taxpayers’ money must always be dealt with carefully. The Department for Transport is closely monitoring the rate of increase of potential contingency spend on HS2, together with any opportunities to realise cost savings through the monthly ministerial taskforce meetings. The £1.7 billion of potential future cost pressures reported in March is manageable within the phase 1 target cost of £40.3 billion given the level of remaining contingency, noting that that represents less than 4% of the overall budget.

[Felicity Buchan]

We need to cut the cost of the state and ensure that Government Departments spend our money—taxpayers’ money—in a prudent and commercial way. Will my right hon. Friend undertake to conduct a review of all major Government projects to ensure that we are doing that?

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I am entirely in agreement with my hon. Friend. It is so important that with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and the Treasury we ensure that Departments spend money well. You and I, Mr Speaker, managed together to lay the framework for stopping potentially £20 billion, or whatever the ridiculous figure ended up as, being spent on restoration and renewal here when it all got completely out of control. It is so important that all public expenditure is kept under control, and we all have a duty to share in that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Wednesday 13th July 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

May I say to the hon. Gentleman that after three years of listening to this delirium of monotony from the Scottish nationalists, I really think they need to change the record? What the people of this country want is a focus on the cost of living, on the economy, on schools and on standards in schools—those are the things he should fix, and that is to say nothing of the tragedy of drug deaths in Scotland, which the SNP still has not done anything to address. Everything I have seen has taught me that whether it is Ukraine, covid or furlough, there is absolutely no doubt that we are better off working together.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

On behalf of the Ukrainian community that is at the heart of Kensington, I send huge thanks to the Prime Minister for his support for Ukraine.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the devastating flooding that affected more than 1,000 homes in my constituency. People in basement flats lost all their belongings and many people are still in temporary accommodation. Will my right hon. Friend back my fight to ensure that we get serious investment in infrastructure in west London from Thames Water?

[The Prime Minister]

I know the problem of which my hon. Friend speaks very well. There is no single solution to tackling surface water flooding, but she is absolutely right in wanting to put more pressure on Thames Water to try to come up with sustainable solutions. That has to be done working with partners and councils, and with developers as well.

Cabinet Office

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Thursday 16th June 2022 Ministerial Corrections

The following is an extract from Cabinet Office topical questions on 9 June 2022.

[Felicity Buchan]

Many of my constituents are frustrated that, while there are delays in getting passports and driving licences renewed, many civil servants continue to work from home. Will the Minister update the House on his progress in getting civil servants back behind their desks?

[Michael Ellis]

Since the pandemic began, civil servants have been delivering the Government’s priorities both from the workplace and occasionally from home. I have written to all Secretaries of State outlining their abilities to ensure that Departments return to pre-pandemic occupancy levels, and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency has done so, too.

[Official Report, 9 June 2022, Vol. 715, c. 937.]

Letter of correction from the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General:

An error has been identified in my response to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington (Felicity Buchan).

The correct response should have been:

Oral Answers to Questions

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Wednesday 15th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Alok Sharma]

I think we should all be welcoming the fact that the UK leads the world when it comes to clean energy transition.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

If all the forest pledges made at COP26 are delivered, we will have achieved 10% of the emissions reductions that we need to stay within 1.5°, so nature is critical to achieving net zero. Will my right hon. Friend update the House on his ambitions for biodiversity at the COP15 summit?

[Alok Sharma]

We are working very closely on the issue. We want to ensure that there is a new framework for biodiversity. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that COP26 had a big focus on reversing deforestation and supporting biodiversity; we are continuing to press forward on that issue.

Oral Answers to Questions

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Thursday 9th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Steve Barclay]

Let me take that question on directly. First, the situation has got better, and the response has been addressed in Prime Minister’s questions and in other questions today. To be specific about how we are dealing with this, we are looking at business and the scope of machine learning and technology. At the moment, only a very small proportion of the passport application process is automated. If the photo is taken in a booth as opposed to at home, that significantly increases the level of automation that can be delivered and that, in turn, reduces the number of staff who are manually required. It is such a luddite approach from Opposition Members to suggest, when businesses such as Amazon are showing exactly what technology can deliver, that the Government who are there to serve the taxpayer and the public should not embrace the same technology that we see in our best companies.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

T3. Many of my constituents are frustrated that, while there are delays in getting passports and driving licences renewed, many civil servants continue to work from home. Will the Minister update the House on his progress in getting civil servants back behind their desks?

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Michael Ellis)]

Since the pandemic began, civil servants have been delivering the Government’s priorities both from the workplace and occasionally from home. I have written to all Secretaries of State outlining their abilities to ensure that Departments return to pre-pandemic occupancy levels, and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency has done so, too. We are willing to assist in any way we can. I add, by the way, that the vast majority of passport applications continue to be processed well within 10 weeks.

Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges

Felicity Buchan Excerpts

Thursday 21st April 2022 Commons Chamber

[Keir Starmer]

I will in a minute; I have given way a lot and I want to make some progress, but I will try to come back to the hon. Member.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

Will the right hon. and learned Member give way?

[Keir Starmer]

I will make some progress and try to come back to hon. Members when I can.

The conventions and the traditions that we are debating are not an accident. They have been handed down to us as the tools that protect Britain from malaise, extremism and decline. That is important, because the case against the Prime Minister is that he has abused those tools, that he has used them to protect himself rather than our democracy, and that he has turned them against all that they are supposed to support. Government Members know that the Prime Minister has stood before the House and said things that are not true, safe in the knowledge that he will not be accused of lying because he cannot be. He stood at the Dispatch Box and point-blank denied that rule breaking took place when it did, and as he did so he was hoping to gain extra protection from our good faith that no Prime Minister would ever deliberately mislead this House. He has used our faith and our conventions to cover up his misdeeds.

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[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

I want to put on the record that many of my constituents are angry, upset and hurt by the activities in Downing Street. I have heard many harrowing tales of the sacrifices my constituents have made.

I want to address one point. The Leader of the Opposition refused to take my intervention; I want to say what I was going to say. He implied that he wanted to rise above party politics. That is a noble sentiment, but I dispute that that was what was happening, for two reasons. First, I understand that last night a Labour party spokesman was briefing that Conservative MPs who did not vote for the option in the motion would “pay a price”, and have individual campaigns launched against them in their constituency. That is threatening, bullying, toxic talk, and I sincerely hope that that does not happen. The second reason why I think that this is not entirely above party politics is that the hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting) trailed the studios today, talking about local elections and the superior leadership shown by the Leader of the Opposition. I remind the House that the Leader of the Opposition twice campaigned for the right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) to be put into the highest office in the land—a man who was later censured by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for antisemitism. Think what would have happened had he been leader when the situation in Ukraine arose. Let me tell you: that is leadership that I can do without.