First elected: 4th July 2024
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Blake Stephenson, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Blake Stephenson has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Blake Stephenson has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Blake Stephenson has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidelines for referral for patients who present with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-women/management/recurrent-uti-no-haematuria-not-pregnant-or-catheterized/
There are specific referral criteria for women compared to men, and children. There are also guidelines in place for those who present to pharmacy first. If the patient has had a history of UTIs, they are asked to see their GP surgery, rather than being prescribed antibiotics by the pharmacy.
Patients with recurrent UTIs should be referred to secondary care to exclude other causes perhaps by ultrasound scan or cystoscopy. Once cleared, patients may be prescribed prophylactic antibiotics.
The number of clinics for urinary tract issues is locally managed and commissioned by each Integrated Care Boards (ICB), in accordance with the local population’s needs.
While there are no current plans to train GPs and urologists on better recognising the symptoms of chronic UTIs, NHS England’s UTI reduction workstream was established as part of delivery of the ‘UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’. This workstream aims to enhance prevention, support early and accurate diagnosis and improve the treatment of UTIs through identifying and adopting best practice and interventions for different populations.
More widely, NHSE has also been working with other public bodies, including the UK Health Security Agency, to strengthen the guidance about the appropriate use of diagnostics including dipsticks. GPs can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories.
Churches, cathedrals and other historic sites are at the heart of England's cultural and spiritual heritage, attracting millions of visitors annually.
The Church of England operates 16,000 churches and 42 cathedrals. Cathedrals alone add over 6,000 jobs to the economy, and contribute over £230m to their local economies. Over 9.35 million people visited a cathedral in 2023, a 17% increase on 2022. Cathedrals also benefit from over 15,000 volunteers who contribute over a million hours a year to the welcome, services and special events taking place. Further information is available at:
https://www.ecorys.com/case-studies/the-economic-and-social-impacts-of-englands-cathedrals/#:~:text=Significant%20impacts%20were%20also%20generated,of%20this%20visitor%2Drelated%20spend
The Church of England has developed the Church Heritage Record: https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org/churches, which provides geo-located data on every Church of England church, including information on the history of the building where it is available. Local congregations are encouraged to add details of their church to this. The National Church Institutions are partnered with local churches to develop ‘A Church Near You’: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/, which provides online space for every church in the country to have a website for the public to find out about services, events and the history of the buildings
Churches and cathedrals will often contain great artworks and architecture, and will support artists and musicians by commissioning new works and special installations. Recent examples include the successful Luxmuralis light shows, the Peterborough Cathedral Catherine of Aragon festival, and nationally important commemorative memorials such as the Covid19 ‘Remember Me’ memorial in St Pauls Cathedral https://www.stpauls.co.uk/remember-me-memorial
In the St Albans Diocese, which covers Mid Bedfordshire, the Cathedral is currently hosting the Museum of the Moon. More information about the Cathedral events programme can be found here: https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/Pages/Events/Category/events?Take=12
Cathedrals and churches form a network across the country for pilgrimages and walking tours, which are growing in popularity. The Church has reestablished several ancient walkways, such as St Cuthbert's Way, the Canterbury Pilgrimage, and St Albans Pilgrimage. Details of the many walkways can be found here: https://www.britishpilgrimage.org/routes
Cathedrals and churches will often host their own choirs, but also provide space for local choirs, orchestras, and theatre groups to put on performances. Notable examples include The Three Choirs Festival (involving Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester Cathedrals) and the International Organ Festival in St Albans. In addition, churches play host to many fairs, markets, and seasonal festivals and exhibitions, all of which boost local tourism
Many churchyards are biodiversity hotspots and churches are looking at how to better engage with growing trends towards sustainable and eco-tourism.
Visit England also works with churches to promote them as key parts of the national heritage network. Many churches, cathedrals, palaces and vicarages also open their doors for the National Garden Scheme and other open house days, raising money for local charities, initiatives and events.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th May is attached.
The review will cover all arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), including proposals for new ALBs.
The UK will not compromise on economic security and will continue to prioritise national security and resilience.
We will continue to cooperate with China on trade and investment, recognising there will also be areas where we need to challenge non-market policies and protect sensitive sectors of the economy.
We will continue to support UK business to engage with the second largest economy in the world, while being clear-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience.
The National Technical Authorities (National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority) provide advice to critical national infrastructure (CNI) industry on best practice for CNI security and resilience.
The Government recognises the importance of engagement with MPs when making policy decisions. Honorable Members already have a variety of levers in Parliament by which they can engage Ministers on policies affecting their constituencies. There are no plans to change these existing arrangements. .
The review will cover all existing arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), and includes proposals for new ALBs.
Since 2011, the GREAT campaign has developed a robust approach to evaluation, which has been validated by multiple external organisations, and consistently reported strong returns to the UK economy. The methodologies used continue to be reviewed and refined to support regular reporting, ensuring the campaign consistently drives good impact and value for money for the taxpayer.
The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign remains an effective tool in driving economic growth and we will continue to work closely with partners to optimise the campaign’s resources to deliver growth across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.
The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign remains an effective tool in driving economic growth and we will continue to work closely with partners to optimise the campaign’s resources to deliver growth across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.
The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign remains an effective tool in driving economic growth and we will continue to work closely with partners to optimise the campaign’s resources to deliver growth across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.
The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign remains an effective tool in driving economic growth and we will continue to work closely with partners to optimise the campaign’s resources to deliver growth across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has overall responsibility for resilience policy across government. He is supported by a number of ministerial colleagues with resilience responsibilities in their departments. The full List of Ministerial Responsibilities is available on GOV.UK here.
The Cabinet Office does not centrally collect data nor monitor consultations across Government. The Cabinet Office provides high level advice on the Consultation Principles to help departments consider how they should manage their consultations. Each department is legally responsible for how they run their consultations.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response from the Director General for Office for Statistics Regulation to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 24 January is attached.
I, in my capacity as Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations, speak regularly with my counterpart Maroš Šefčovič on a range of issues relating to the EU-UK relationship. In addition, HMG officials engage regularly with counterparts across the EU and EU Member States to ensure they are kept abreast of any changes regarding UK travel policy. This includes engaging on ETA.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 15 January is attached.
In 2024, 132,000 people were employed in automotive manufacturing in the UK, and 3,570 businesses were operating across the sector. While the government does not hold data on how the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate has affected automotive employment in Bedfordshire or the UK more widely, we speak regularly to all the major UK automotive stakeholders to understand the health of the sector and factors impacting competitiveness. Government is committed to ensuring the transition to zero emissions works for industry. That is why we introduced significant changes to the Mandate, allowing for greater flexibility in meeting ZEV targets and extending the sale of hybrid vehicles.
The Secretary of State and I regularly meet stakeholders from the Auto sector to discuss net zero related issues, including imports of electric vehicles from China. China has rapidly become a major automotive manufacturer and brings competitive challenges for the sector. Government is closely monitoring the monthly data and analysing how this impacts the UK automotive sector, especially given our ambitious policies on Zero Emission Vehicles.
To ease the transition to Electric Vehicles, we announced significant changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate on 7 April, allowing for greater flexibility in meeting ZEV targets and extending the sale of hybrid vehicles.
On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This package provides analysis of the potential sectoral impacts of the Bill.
It shows the majority of employees will benefit from new protections in the Bill and our assessment finds that workers in low-paying sectors, including social care, hospitality, retail, transport, and some manufacturing sectors will benefit the most.
The Bill will also deliver wider benefits for the business environment by improving wellbeing, incentivising higher productivity, and creating a more level playing field for good employers. This could have a positive knock-on impact on productivity and growth.
We have concluded a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to get an agreement with President Trump.
This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors – sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains. The US has committed to further negotiations, including on the 10% tariffs introduced on 2nd April across our economy.
Stellantis’ decision to close its diesel van plant in Luton was a commercial decision taken as part of its response to wider challenges. Regrettably, despite active engagement from Government, we were unable to reverse the company’s decision. My Department has regular engagement with automotive manufacturers around the transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). Having heard from industry and other stakeholders, in April the Government announced changes to the ZEV Mandate by significantly increasing flexibilities for manufacturers up to 2030. This allows them to comply with requirements in the way most suitable to their business and consumer demand, avoid fines and not need to buy credits from competitors.
Steel is one of the Government’s top priorities. We are continuing to develop our upcoming steel strategy which will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment.
We remain committed to providing up to £2.5bn for the steel sector, which will be delivered though the National Wealth Fund and other routes. We are developing our thinking on how this funding will be aligned with the steel strategy.
The National Wealth Fund is operationally independent, and financing is already accessible to projects that meet the investment principles.
The domestic tourism sector is of great value to the UK. It provides meaningful employment and supports holiday makers to explore and enjoy the UK’s diverse and plentiful attractions.
By removing obstacles and red tape that unnecessarily hinder businesses, especially smaller firms, the proposed reforms seek to open-up the sector to offer consumers better choice and better value options.
The proposals will support business collaboration and innovation across all areas of the UK. An Impact Assessment will be published as part of the process.
We encourage comment on the consultation ahead of its close on 30 June 2025.
The funding required to maintain iron and steel production at Scunthorpe will be drawn from the £2.5bn funding for steel, which is available through the National Wealth Fund and other routes. The National Wealth Fund is operationally independent, and financing is already accessible to projects that meet the investment principles. Companies across the UK are already engaging with them on projects within the steel sector.
The Department for Business and Trade's accounts for 2025/26 will reflect the financial support that the department has given to British Steel.
Our unique and unprecedented action was related to an individual company no longer acting in good faith. No decisions have yet been made about British Steel's long-term future - that will come at a later date.
More broadly, the UK remains open to Chinese investment. At the same time, this Government will always prioritise our own security and resilience. We recognise the importance of the UK's powers through the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise and intervene in investments and other acquisitions to protect national security where necessary.
A landmark economic deal with the US, announced on 8 May, protects jobs in key sectors including automotive, directly supporting over 320,000 jobs across the UK. The Government also continues to support van manufacturing through the Automotive Transformation Fund, aiming to build a competitive electric vehicle supply chain. The 2024 Autumn Budget allocated over £2 billion for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and supply chains, including £120 million to extend the Plug-in Van Grant (PIVG) until 2025/26. In addition, following the recent ZEV support consultation, fine levels for vans will also decrease by £3,000 to £15,000, and a bidirectional mechanism will be implemented for credit exchange between car and van schemes.
The UK has a strong and balanced trading relationship with the US worth £315 billion. Investment supports around 2.5 million jobs across both countries. Trade is second only to the EU where our trading relationship is worth £813 billion. The level of tariff applied to any country, including the UK, by the US is determined by the US government.
On 8 May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the US, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
The vast majority of firms in the construction sector are small or microbusinesses, which will see no change overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs this year.
The full package of support for workers facing redundancy was agreed directly between Stellantis and Unite the Union as the recognised trade union; as such Government cannot publish these details as it was not party to the negotiations.
In addition to the support being provided by Stellantis, Government is ensuring workers are fully aware of the options available to them, including through the Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service – further information on this service is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights/get-help-finding-a-new-job
The vast majority of firms in the construction sector are small or microbusinesses, which will see no gain or change overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs in 2025-26. Eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
The vast majority of firms in the construction sector are small or microbusinesses, which will see no gain or change overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs in 2025-26. Eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Ministers have engaged closely with Stellantis on the future of its operations in the UK.
Regrettably, Stellantis confirmed on 5 February that it will be closing the plant in April of this year. We have a longstanding partnership with Stellantis and will continue to work closely with them, as well as trade unions and local partners on the next steps of their proposals.
We are supporting affected workers at Stellantis’ Luton plant by making sure they are fully aware of the options available to them and have access to services they need to assist them in taking forward these options e.g. the Job Centre Plus Rapid Response Service.
We have been engaging with the company, trade unions, Luton council and across government throughout the process to ensure that a package of measures is being put in place to support all workers at Luton facing redundancy. This includes tools and services to find new employment.
Ministers have engaged closely with Stellantis on the future of its operations in the UK, with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade most recently meeting the Chair of the Stellantis board on 1 February to discuss how the Luton plant could be kept open as well as ensuring appropriate support for affected workers should a closure proceed.
Prior to the Government’s recent announcement on the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, a Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November.
We have protected small businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, meaning that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs next year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
We are considering ways to drive business growth and build on our world-leading strengths in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis includes consideration of impacts on economic growth. This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts, including on economic growth, given the current stage of policy development. We expect that the majority of reforms will take effect no earlier than 2026. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.
More than half of employers, including small businesses in the construction sector will see no change or gain overall. The Government has protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs next year. Eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Meeting the Government’s commitments to build the infrastructure we need, and deliver 1.5m homes over this Parliament, will need an increased workforce. We are committed to working with industry to do that.
Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff on its plans to consolidate its two UK manufacturing sites into one plant at Ellesmere Port.
The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including for the future for the site.
We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council on the next steps of their proposals.
Stellantis announced on 26 November that it was starting a consultation with staff at its Luton plant on its plans for the future of its manufacturing there.
The Department is actively engaging with the company and has asked them to share the full details of its plans, including the site.
We will continue to work closely with Stellantis, trade unions and Luton Borough Council to understand the impact of their proposals on the economy of Luton and Bedfordshire.
The Secretary of State has been in contact with Stellantis since July to discuss the pressures in their UK and global business and the future of the Luton plant.
He met them again on 26 November where they regrettably shared their proposals to consult on the closure Luton and consolidation at Ellesmere Port.
We know this will be a concerning time for the families of employees at Luton who may be affected, and we will continue to work closely with Stellantis, as well as trade unions and Luton Borough Council on the next steps of their proposals and how the impact on employees affected and the local area.
The third statutory review of the Pubs Code will commence following the end of the current three-year review period on 31 March 2025. It will consider the extent to which the Code is consistent with the principles of fair and lawful dealing of tied pub tenants by pub-owning businesses and that those tenants should not be worse off than they would be if they were not subject to any product or service tie.
The review will consider a range of evidence and notes that the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the Campaign for Real Ale raised the issue of guest beers in their responses to the last statutory review. The Government also notes that the Pubs Code in Scotland will not come into force until March 2025.
The third statutory review of the Pubs Code will commence following the end of the current three-year review period on 31 March 2025. It will consider the extent to which the Code is consistent with the principles of fair and lawful dealing of tied pub tenants by pub-owning businesses and that those tenants should not be worse off than they would be if they were not subject to any product or service tie.
The review will consider a range of evidence and notes that the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the Campaign for Real Ale raised the issue of guest beers in their responses to the last statutory review. The Government also notes that the Pubs Code in Scotland will not come into force until March 2025.
The third statutory review of the Pubs Code will commence following the end of the current three-year review period on 31 March 2025. It will consider the extent to which the Code is consistent with the principles of fair and lawful dealing of tied pub tenants by pub-owning businesses and that those tenants should not be worse off than they would be if they were not subject to any product or service tie.
The review will consider a range of evidence and notes that the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the Campaign for Real Ale raised the issue of guest beers in their responses to the last statutory review. The Government also notes that the Pubs Code in Scotland will not come into force until March 2025.
The UK follows the agreed international approach for estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, which is for countries to report emissions produced within their territories.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publishes consumption-based emissions statistics, including emissions from imported goods and services, which can be found here: Carbon footprint for the UK and England to 2022 - GOV.UK. The latest data show that emissions associated with goods and services imported from China were 85 MtCO2e in 2022, however this is not broken down by product type.
The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.
It remains our ambition to cut energy bills by up to £300 by 2030.
The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.
We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we are delivering the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households this winter. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The consultation has now closed and the Department is evaluating the responses.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero intends to publish information on campaign spend within the DESNZ annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, which is expected to be published later this year on GOV.UK.
We will conduct a full evaluation of the Department’s activities to promote heat pumps and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in due course. Control of advertising, marketing and communications (AMC) expenditure ensures that, where taxpayer money is being spent on government communications, it is cost-effective, coordinated and reflects functional standards and professional best practices.