Oral Answers to Questions

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Kate Osamor (Edmonton and Winchmore Hill) (Lab/Co-op)]

7. What recent progress the child poverty taskforce has made on publishing a child poverty strategy.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Tackling child poverty is a moral mission for the Labour party, because we believe that someone’s background should not determine what they go on to achieve in life. Scrapping the two-child limit will mean that we can deliver the largest reduction in child poverty in a single Parliament, and we will publish the child poverty strategy in the coming weeks.

[Jim Dickson]

The Government’s very welcome decision to end the two-child cap on benefits will, alongside free school meals and breakfast clubs, transform the lives of 2,500 children living in my Dartford constituency, and contribute to our manifesto goal of tackling child poverty. Will the Secretary of State tell the House when more schools in Dartford will be eligible to join the roll-out of free breakfast clubs to primary schools across the country?

[Bridget Phillipson]

Labour’s free breakfast clubs have already served 5 million meals, including in Knockhall primary school and Sedley’s primary school in Dartford. Applications are now open to join the next wave from April, with 2,000 more schools set to join in the next financial year, making the clubs available to half a million more children. I encourage eligible schools to get their applications in by the end of the week, so that we can give children in Dartford, and across our country, the best start to their day.

[Kate Osamor]

I welcome the announcement that the two-child benefit cap will be scrapped, lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. However, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research and Praxis, there are an estimated 382,000 children in poverty whose families are subject to no recourse to public funds and who will not be helped by that measure. Will the Secretary of State promise me that the child poverty strategy will include extra assistance for migrant households?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising her concern. We are working with the Home Office and with colleagues across Government in developing the child poverty strategy. We will focus on ensuring that vulnerable children are protected and their welfare is safeguarded, and that vulnerable migrant children receive the support they require.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Rural areas have deep pockets of deprivation, and nearly 18% of children in Glastonbury and Somerton live in poverty. How will the Minister ensure that the child poverty strategy sufficiently focuses on child poverty in rural areas?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I recognise the particular challenges faced by many rural communities, and I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising them. We have been considering such matters through the development of the strategy. The taskforce has been working across Government, including with colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to understand some of the challenges. We are expanding childcare and new free breakfast clubs, and the lifting of the two-child limit will make a big difference to children and their life chances in every corner of our country.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Teachers across Leicester South, where, in some areas, child poverty is unfortunately near 70%, tell me that student anxiety and poor health are rising, partly driven by insecure, damp and cold housing. Schools are unfortunately being forced to act as frontline welfare services, absorbing pressures that should never fall on teachers alone, such as helping people to fill in forms. Will the Minister reassure them that the child poverty strategy, which is to be published this week, will address the link between child poverty and poor health?

[Bridget Phillipson]

Yes, we are looking at that question and at the issue of temporary accommodation that the hon. Member raises. This is a cross-Government strategy and not for the Department for Education to solve alone, although the lifting of the two-child limit is an investment not just in our children and their life chances but in our schools and education. I have heard too many stories of teachers and staff across the country having to pick up the pieces because of wider societal failure. Ending the two-child limit rights that wrong, and invests in our young people.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Gavin Williamson (Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge) (Con)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to help prevent Chinese influence in universities.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

The UK wants a consistent and mutually beneficial relationship with China. We should be frank about where we disagree, but also find targeted opportunities to collaborate. We are clear that any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate and coerce universities in the UK will not be tolerated. My Department is working with vice-chancellors to further our resilience.

[Sir Gavin Williamson]

I thank the Secretary of State for her answer; I know that she takes the issue of Chinese influence incredibly seriously. The free speech legislation brought forward by the previous Government required the monitoring of bodies that are supported by the Chinese or funded and supported by the Government of China. That was dropped. Will the Secretary of State look at bringing it back?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s long-standing interest in this area. Our national security is of the utmost importance, and the Office for Students already has extensive powers to require information from providers to investigate any breaches. If we are to introduce new reporting requirements, we must ensure that they add value without being overly burdensome, but I can be absolutely clear to the right hon. Gentleman and to this House that we expect universities to be alert to risks and to take action.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) (Con)]

We know that academics at British universities have been harassed by Chinese agents and pressured by their own administrators to censor their work. Sheffield Hallam, for example, blocked research by Professor Laura Murphy into the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Ministers make noises, but we have not yet had any action. Following on from the question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson), when will the free speech legislation be enacted? Will Ministers commit to closing down every single Confucius institute in the country?

[Bridget Phillipson]

The hon. Gentleman references a particular institution, and the House will appreciate that I am not in a position to comment, given the ongoing investigations in that area. I can be clear to this House that any attempt to intimidate and coerce universities will not be tolerated. I should also be clear that as a country, we welcome Chinese students. Chinese students enrich our campuses and our communities. They will always be welcome, but where there is evidence of concerning behaviour or attempts to intimidate, universities can and must take action.

[Jessica Toale (Bournemouth West) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking to reform the national curriculum.

--- Later in debate ---

[Damian Hinds (East Hampshire) (Con)]

21. What discussions she has had with the chair of the curriculum and assessment review on her proposals to change the progress 8 measure.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Last month, the independent curriculum and assessment review published its final report, and I would like to reiterate my thanks to Professor Becky Francis and the panel for all their work. We will reform progress 8 to balance a strong academic core with breadth and student choice, so that every child can both achieve academically and thrive personally, and we will consult on this shortly.

[Damian Hinds]

Professor Francis was clear that the EBacc grouping should be kept in the progress 8 measure under the heading “Academic Breadth”. The Government have overruled the review, which is quite a big thing to do. The Secretary of State herself used to be a student of modern languages. Have they learned nothing from their terrible error in 2004, or what does she have today against modern languages and humanities?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I do love modern languages, and I was a very keen student of them myself, but I am afraid that, as the right hon. Gentleman will know, the EBacc did not drive improved access to modern foreign languages. He knows that—he will have looked at the data. I do not think that the system as it stands provides the right balance: it unnecessarily constrains student choice, it affects students’ engagement, and it has hampered progress in subjects that strengthen our economy and society. I believe in high standards, strong foundations and academic achievement, but I also believe that access to music, sport and vocational subjects should be the right of every child, not just the lucky few.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

22. What steps she plans to take to provide new specialist schools for children with SEND.

--- Later in debate ---

[Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) (Con)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Labour believes that background should not determine what people go on to achieve in life. We see child poverty as a moral scar on our country. When last in government, we lifted 600,000 children out of poverty. During their time in government, the Tories plunged 900,000 children into poverty. The seismic decision taken at last week’s Budget to remove the appalling two-child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, and that will rise to 550,000 children along with other measures such as the expansion of free school meals. This will drive the largest expected reduction in child poverty in a Parliament, transforming life chances, investing in our children and delivering for schools.

[Joe Robertson]

The Government have taken responsibility for SEND funding away from local authorities such as the Isle of Wight council, but they cannot explain where the money is coming from. Surely the Secretary of State understands how concerned parents are up and down the country. She can reassure them right now and explain where the money is coming from, or is she, in fact, planning cuts?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I recognise the very real worry that parents across the country have about the system of support for children with SEND, which the hon. Gentleman and the Conservative party left on its knees. He would do well to reassure parents, not to scaremonger. I suggest that he goes away from here, reads the Budget document and what the OBR has to say, and does not listen to those on his Front Bench.

[Dan Carden (Liverpool Walton) (Lab)]

T2. Archbishop Beck Catholic college in my constituency has lost £700 per pupil since 2011, while the number of disadvantaged pupils has risen from 38% to 52%. It is an excellent school with strong leadership, creating great outcomes for pupils. Will the Minister look specifically at the funding calculation for Archbishop Beck and say a little bit about how she is getting resources into deprived areas?

--- Later in debate ---

[Laura Trott (Sevenoaks) (Con)]

There is a good reason why we have an independent economic forecaster in this country. That is because, thankfully, it does not let the Government get away with saying that £6 billion can be absorbed across Government at a time when the spending review has already allocated all the money. So let us have no more of this nonsense: where is the £6 billion coming out of? Is it SEND or is it schools?

[Bridget Phillipson]

Let me be absolutely clear: these are council deficits. They will not be coming from school budgets. Over the course of this Parliament, we are investing more in SEND. We are picking up the pieces of a system on its knees left behind by the party opposite. Either the right hon. Lady has not read what the OBR has to say, or she is wilfully seeking to mislead parents and to scaremonger. It was not a priority for her in her conference speech; it is not a priority for her now.

[Mr Speaker]

Sorry, but we cannot get away with “mislead”—that is like “lying”. I am sure that the Secretary of State will wish to withdraw the comment.

[Bridget Phillipson]

Of course, Mr Speaker.

[Laura Trott]

The right hon. Lady can rail against the forecasts, the Tories, her own leaky Back Benchers and probably, privately, the Treasury all she likes, but the spending review has set departmental budgets for the year in question. There is not £6 billion down the back of the sofa, so unless she can say where else the £6 billion is coming from out of Government resource departmental expenditure limits—clearly, she just failed to do so—it must be coming out of schools or SEND. So let us try again: will she be straight with teachers, parents and her own Back Benchers, and tell us what is being cut? Is it SEND or is it schools?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I do not know whether the right hon. Lady listened to what I just said. It is not coming out of school budgets. [Interruption.] We are investing—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Please—[Interruption.] Order. It is not helpful for the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott) to speak back at me either—that is completely wrong. And if we are setting educational standards, I do not think this is a good way of doing it.

[Bridget Phillipson]

The OBR published projections about SEND costs alongside the Budget. They were hypothetical illustrations, which the right hon. Lady would know if she went away and read the OBR document. The Treasury has been clear that the cost will be covered across overall budgets, but we are investing more in SEND and more in capital. We are delivering for our children and will be setting out further plans for reform next year. If she wants to work with us to get this right, I would be grateful—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Please, we need to get more people in. I call Lauren Edwards.

--- Later in debate ---

[Ian Sollom (St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire) (LD)]

We found out last week that the international student levy will raise £445 million from our universities, but only 1% of that will go to the maintenance grants that Ministers have claimed to justify this damaging tax on our universities. Worse still, the flat fee design hits hardest the universities doing the most to serve students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Can the Secretary of State tell us whether more or fewer disadvantaged students will access university as a result of this policy?

[Bridget Phillipson]

We are investing the international student levy into support around skills and access to high-quality further and higher education colleges targeted at students who most need that support in subjects most closely aligned to our industrial strategy and Government priorities. That will make a huge difference to young people from not very well-off backgrounds, allowing them to access university. We are backing our universities with the measures that we have set out on tuition fee increases, which will give our institutions stability.

[Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Lab)]

T7. Under the Conservatives, too many children’s life chances were scarred by poverty, but thanks to the choices made by this Labour Government last week, nearly 1,300 children in East Worthing and Shoreham are set to have their futures brightened. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is only under a Labour Government that all children will get the best start in life?

[Bridget Phillipson]

The Conservatives might not be serious about tackling child poverty, but the Labour party is and always has been. This Government will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, alongside other measures such as Best Start family hubs, expanding childcare and new free breakfast clubs—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think I have heard enough; I do not need a running commentary on whether somebody might or might not be a turkey. Okay, let us move on.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Roger Gale (Herne Bay and Sandwich) (Con)]

T6. I think I must have missed something in the answers the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) and the shadow Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott). Schools in my constituency do not have enough money to pay for SEND pupils. It is no good the Secretary of State talking about capital expenditure with more on this and more on that—we need to know where the money is coming from to pay the revenue costs incurred by SEND pupils.

[Bridget Phillipson]

That is why we have put an extra £1 billion into high needs budgets this year. The capital the right hon. Gentleman so casually dismisses is in order to deliver more specialist places for children closer to home, including in mainstream schools. He must surely recognise that the system we have at the moment just is not working; I have heard from too many parents and too many schools that change is needed. If the Conservatives want to get serious about that change and work constructively on a big challenge we face, I would really welcome that. Sadly, however, we just get these cheap shots all the time.

[Baggy Shanker (Derby South) (Lab/Co-op)]

T8. Earlier this year I met brilliant Derby apprentices at Alstom, who are building their futures as they build the future of our rail. However, persistently low start rates in the east midlands have left too many of our young people missing out on the opportunities that apprenticeships give. What steps is the Secretary of State taking so that young people can start the apprenticeships they need?

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

A game of strategy, tactics and sometimes outright brinkmanship might sound familiar to the Cabinet at the moment, but I am actually talking about chess. Meadow View primary school in my constituency has qualified for the London chess classic, which takes place tomorrow. Will the Education Secretary join me in congratulating the pupils on getting so far and wishing them luck?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I absolutely join the right hon. Lady in wishing those pupils the very best. It is a wonderful opportunity for all the young people taking part.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

Despite the Secretary of State’s robust answer on Chinese influence on academia, dare I set her a little homework? If she would like to take a look at the relevant section of the non-partisan Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on China, published in July 2023, she would find a lot of interesting and worrying information in it.

[Bridget Phillipson]

I recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s expertise and interest in this area, and I would be very happy to look at that report.

[Callum Anderson (Buckingham and Bletchley) (Lab)]

I was pleased to see that the forthcoming curriculum reforms acknowledge the importance of financial capability for young people, but there is the immediate challenge of the scant financial education that exists now, which must be addressed. Can the Minister update the House on how the Department is working with civil society and the financial sector to ensure that young people are getting quality financial education now?

--- Later in debate ---

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

City of York council has gone from “requires improvement” to “outstanding” in all areas due to the innovation it is driving. In particular, it has been working on halving the number of children in social care, ending the use of agency workers and setting up a SEND hub. The director of children’s social care would like the Secretary of State to visit. Will she come to York and see what we are doing?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I was recently in York with our hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Mr Charters), but I would be delighted to return and to talk about the brilliant progress that the council has been making in those important areas.

[Blake Stephenson (Mid Bedfordshire) (Con)]

My constituents want politicians to work on a cross-party basis to improve SEND education. Is the Secretary of State committed to working cross-party, and if so, what steps is she taking to do that?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I would love to do that, but sadly what we have heard from the Conservatives this afternoon demonstrates the challenge we face as a Government in engaging seriously on these big and deep questions. We will always engage with Members of Parliament from across the House as we bring forward reforms, but I suggest that the hon. Member asks his hon. Friends to get serious about making change happen.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

The NSPCC revealed that in 2022-23 some 9,000 sexual abuse offences that were recorded by police involved an online element. What has been done in schools to improve children’s safety online and to ensure that whatever changes need to be made are made now?

[Damian Hinds (East Hampshire) (Con)]

There is nowhere in the DFE budget from which £6 billion could possibly come other than the core schools budget, so either SEN funding is being cut, the core schools budget is being cut—that implies 5% per head—or the Secretary of State has an explicit agreement with the Chancellor for the money to come from somewhere else, or from new taxes. Which is it?

[Bridget Phillipson]

It is not coming from the core schools budget—I could not be more clear. It will come from across Government budgets, and it is a matter for the next spending review. [Interruption.] It is! Alongside that, we will set out reforms in the new year to improve outcomes for children with SEND—something that the right hon. Member and the Conservative party failed to do over 14 years. They should hang their heads in shame at what they left behind.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Given that the following statement arrived late, Front-Bench Members need extra time to read it, so we will suspend the House until 3.42 pm.