Representation of the People Bill

Ashley Fox Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 2nd March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir James Cleverly]

I value the contribution of people in this country whether they are or are not able to vote, but again, that does not address the point. I am going to move on now, because it is clear that Labour Members either will not or cannot address it. They do not seem to know whether they are giving votes to children or stripping childhood from 16 and 17-year-olds.

[Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) (Con)]

rose—

[Sir James Cleverly]

I will give way, but then I will move on.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Ashley Fox]

Does my right hon. Friend notice the inconsistency in the Government’s plans? They propose to lower the voting age to 16, but they do not propose to allow those same 16 and 17-year-olds to stand for Parliament, presumably because they are children.

[Sir James Cleverly]

I have tried on a number of occasions, but I have not received an answer either the Benches opposite or from the Benches to my left.

Representation of the People Bill

Ashley Fox Excerpts

Report stage & 3rd reading
Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

Developer donations to the same political parties that are writing the rules of national planning policy create the powerful perception that our housing crisis and all the damage being done to our country by speculative, profiteering development is the direct result of a system moulded by those who are getting rich from it. Frankly, that is a perception that it is difficult to dispute. What confidence can the British people have of a fighting chance to protect the landscapes they love and that are their home if the developers who seek to concrete them over are paying for the election campaigns of their politicians? What confidence can the British people have that national policies supposed to reduce the traffic congestion that is blighting their lives and choking the lungs of their children will actually be kept to, if the politicians who should be responsible for enforcing them are being funded by developers whose profit margins improve the more obligations they wriggle out of?

[Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) (Con)]

What consideration did the hon. Member give to extending his proposed amendment to trade unions, which—a neutral observer might conclude—gave very large sums of money to the Labour party precisely to influence the Employment Rights Bill that it has now turned into law?

[Chris Hinchliff]

As we have heard many times in today’s debate, there is a vast difference between trade unions—which are made up of millions of members making small contributions that are collectively donated to the Labour party, which they support—and corporations and rich individuals seeking influence and to further their own vested interests.

To continue where I left off, what confidence can the British people have that the houses that will be built in their area will meet the actual needs of local families and enhance the beauty of their communities, when the developers throwing up sprawling, characterless, rip-off estates across the country are able to buy seats for a quiet chat with Ministers, during which they can lobby them? It is time to ban developers from donating to political parties, to wash away the stain of undue influence, and to deliver a housing and planning system that puts people before profit.