Oral Answers to Questions

Blake Stephenson Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his work on the all-party parliamentary group on arbitrary detention and hostage affairs, championing the plight of British nationals facing the most difficult circumstances overseas? We routinely raise these cases with international counterparts, as he would expect, and we are deeply committed to getting them home and united with their loved ones. As part of our work to strengthen support for British nationals overseas, we are working at pace to get the envoy role set up, and I will make sure that he is kept updated about that.

[Blake Stephenson (Mid Bedfordshire) (Con)]

Q7. Government plans for English devolution and NHS reform suggest that integrated care boards should align with new strategic authorities. The Government’s plan for Bedfordshire will not currently achieve that, so what assurances can the Prime Minister provide that local NHS reorganisation will be good value for money, improve local accountability and deliver the healthcare services that are needed to serve my constituents in rural Mid Bedfordshire, including the much-needed GP surgery in Wixams?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman’s points about good value for money and accountability are really important. They are embedded in the work we are doing with the NHS at the moment, which is improving on our watch—not only the waiting lists, but in other respects. The 10-year plan for the NHS, which is intended to ensure that the NHS is fit for the future, has a number of principles, including the principle of local accountability.

Oral Answers to Questions

Blake Stephenson Excerpts

Wednesday 29th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)]

1. Whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the proposed visitor levy on the economy in Wales.

[Blake Stephenson (Mid Bedfordshire) (Con)]

10. Whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the proposed visitor levy on the economy in Wales.

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

12. Whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the proposed visitor levy on the economy in Wales.

--- Later in debate ---

[Blake Stephenson]

I welcome the Government’s ambition to welcome 50 million visitors per year to the UK by 2030, but does the Secretary of State share my concern that a visitor levy, combined with ever more expensive electronic travel authorisations, will make it much more expensive for people to visit Wales, and indeed my constituency of Mid Bedfordshire, starving hard-working people of income at a time when they have to pay Labour’s jobs tax?

[Jo Stevens]

As far as I am aware, Mid Bedfordshire is not in Wales. The hon. Member raises objections to the Welsh Government’s policy, but he should perhaps check his own ranks first, because Conservative-run Great Yarmouth borough council has supported a form of tourist levy for years.

Oral Answers to Questions

Blake Stephenson Excerpts

Wednesday 11th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

In the King’s Speech, we confirmed that we intended to introduce legislation in this Session so that courts would have the power to order the most serious offenders to attend their sentencing hearings. This is really important, and I know that that is felt across the House, because to deprive victims and their families of seeing the sentencing exercise is to deprive them of justice. I will meet Cheryl; indeed, I have already met Cheryl, and I gave her a commitment last August that we would do this. I repeat that commitment today, and I pay tribute to the campaign that she has led.

[Blake Stephenson (Mid Bedfordshire) (Con)]

Q10. If the Prime Minister were a pensioner earning £11,350 this year and receiving no winter fuel payment, what would he prioritise this Christmas—heating or eating?

[The Prime Minister]

We have to be clear about why this decision is being made: there is a £22 billion black hole. The last Government would walk past these tough decisions and pretend they were not there—they would kick them into the long grass—but we are not prepared to do that. Because we are taking tough decisions, we can commit ourselves to the triple lock, and that means that the state pension will increase by more than any loss of the winter fuel payment. But I will just say this: the biggest impact on pensioners in recent years was when the Conservative Government lost control of inflation and allowed energy prices to go through the roof, and we went through a cost of living crisis. We are stabilising the economy to make sure that pensioners never, ever have to live through that again.