Sport: Team GB and ParalympicsGB

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Thursday 10th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jo Platt (Leigh and Atherton) (Lab/Co-op)]

It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor), who I know will be a great champion for inclusive and community sports. As a retread, this is not my maiden speech, but it is my first opportunity to address the Chamber in a debate since 2019. My time away from this House allowed me to engage deeply with the local community, listening and understanding the concerns, hope and resilience of constituents. I am therefore utterly delighted and profoundly grateful to the wonderful people of Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Lowton, Golborne and parts of Astley for entrusting me with the chance to serve them once again.

I rise to speak in today’s debate to highlight the positives that our constituency brings, especially in the realm of diversity in sport. Leigh and Atherton is a proud sporting town. Our beloved rugby league team, the Leigh Leopards, continue to inspire. While we faced a tough match against our main rivals, the Wigan Warriors, last Saturday— I reluctantly extend my congratulations to the Secretary of State, who is no longer in her place, on her team’s victory —let us not overlook the importance of sportsmanship and community pride that both borough teams embody. It is not just the big teams that we honour; our constituency is rich with inclusive grassroots sports, which form the bedrock of our sporting culture. From rugby league and union to football, cricket and even a very successful girls water polo club in Tyldesley, the diversity of our clubs ensures that there is something for everyone. Each club, regardless of size, plays a vital role in fostering talent and building community connections. We have Tom Aspinall, from Atherton, an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion, and the wonderful Ella Toone, from Tyldesley, our female superstar lioness, whose legacy continues to inspire the next generation of women football players.

I must also mention Leigh boxing club, a humble facility that has become one of the most decorated clubs in the country, producing champion after champion. One stand-out fighter, Paddy Hewitt, had the honour of supporting the Olympic boxing team in Paris in July. On a recent visit to the club, I was extremely encouraged to hear all the young boxers, male and female, express their wish to compete at the next Olympics.

Last but not least, we have our very own Olympic gold medallist, Keely Hodgkinson, who achieved a remarkable gold medal in the 800 metres event. I am sure that when she took to the track, this House and the whole country held their breath, knowing that we were witnessing a defining moment. Keely’s journey is awe-inspiring. Her incredible talent and aspiration were supported by her club, Leigh Harriers—a club that has been in existence since 1909 and forms part of the heritage of Leigh, and of which I am extremely proud.

But this debate is about celebrating not just our Olympic champions but our Paralympic superstars. I want to give a very special mention to Gregg Warburton from Leigh, who did Leigh, Atherton and our country proud with his exceptional performance in wheelchair basketball at the Paris 2024 games. Gregg’s journey is inspirational to watch; he showcases the importance of inclusivity in sport and emboldens the next generation of Paralympic athletes.

It is often joked that there must be something in the water in such a small constituency to have produced so many fantastic athletes, but I believe that there is something even bigger at play: the steadfast support of the community leaders who run our clubs, and the passion and commitment of the coaches, volunteers and supporters, which create an environment where young athletes from all backgrounds can thrive. Our schools also play a significant role in this success, and I highlight in particular Fred Longworth high school, where both Ella Toone and Keely Hodgkinson studied.

We admire Keely, Gregg, Paddy and all our athletes, but we are equally proud of all the young people who contribute to the rich sporting culture that exists in our towns. Their hard work, dedication and spirit exemplify the best of our community. I am pleased to support a Government that are dedicated to developing the inclusivity of the creative industries. I am sure that the Minister agrees that it is crucial that we have the same focus on the sports sector, so that we create an equal access guarantee for all sports in schools and community groups, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Steve Yemm to make his maiden speech.

--- Later in debate ---

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I do not want to put anybody on a time limit, so I will prioritise maiden speeches. Those who are not seeking to make maiden speeches might reflect on that for a short while. I call Chris Bloore to make his maiden speech.

[Chris Bloore (Redditch) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I pay tribute to those who have made their maiden speeches today. I have learned a lot—especially that we may have some excellent tennis doubles partnerships on the Labour Benches.

It is an enormous privilege to give my maiden speech in this debate as the representative for Redditch and the villages. During the summer, it was impossible not to be fixated and enthralled by the incredible achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes. To paraphrase Lord Coe, sport can unify us, and I know that this Government believe that sport can be an essential tool in improving our nation’s health and in opening new doors and breaking down barriers to opportunity for young people.

I must admit to having delayed my maiden speech. The incredible contributions by those from all sides of the House left me with much to ponder. I reached out to older—I mean more experienced—colleagues about what the blueprint for a maiden speech should look like. The advice was: “Don’t try to be funny; jokes won’t work. But don’t be too serious or plagiarise “The West Wing”. Be self-deprecating, but don’t write your opponent’s attack lines for them. Keep it short but not too short, and whatever you do, don’t go on for too long.” With that clear advice in mind, Madam Deputy Speaker, I shall try to make some progress.

Politics can be bruising, but I want to pay tribute to my immediate predecessor, Rachel Maclean. We did not often agree, but there can be no doubting her passion and dedication to our community. I also pay tribute to her caseworker team for their support in the handover period. Sadly, Karen Lumley, our Member of Parliament from 2010 to 2017, passed away last year aged just 59. Karen was a larger-than-life character who campaigned passionately on education and was greatly appreciated by her constituents. I thank her for her service and send my best wishes to her husband Richard.

Finally, I pay tribute to Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern. Jacqui was the Member of Parliament for our community for 13 years, and gave me my first experience of frontline politics, when I knocked on doors in Church Hill for her re-election in 2001. Appointed the first female Home Secretary, she was a trailblazer, and, as fate would have it, she was knocking on doors with me at 10 minutes to 10 in the very same part of town on the day of my election. Although I remain sad that her partnership with Iain Dale on the “For the Many” pod has been broken, higher education and the Government are stronger for her return.

It is customary to give a whistle-stop tour of one’s constituency at this point. I am sure many Members will know that Redditch is most famous for being a new town designated in 1964. Redditch was built as a bold flagship new town, utilising new planning methods. Thousands of houses were built, the population more than doubled, and our dual carriageways and roundabouts remain the envy of many town planners.

Redditch has been, and continues to be, the home of world-leading businesses. My first trip as a primary school child was to the historic Forge Mill needle museum, where I learned that Redditch was once responsible for making 90% of the world’s needles. Redditch is also the official home of Royal Enfield, and the Bullet motorcycle was made in the factory on Hewell Road, which was the town’s biggest employer from the 1900s until the 1960s. Today, exceptional firms such as Bee Lighting deliver cutting-edge technology to some of the world’s largest car manufacturers.

Redditch is an eclectic mix of urban and rural, with a vibrant urban centre and the beautiful Arrow Valley park, as well as Roundhill wood in the south of the constituency, which was the inspiration for the shire in Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. However, Redditch also has a rich cultural heritage. The late great John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin, was born in Redditch. Our beautiful Palace theatre brings us enjoyment and laughter. Reimagine Redditch is bringing creativity to our communities, and Radio 4’s “The Archers” is said to be based on landmarks in Hanbury and Inkberrow. Also, Harry Styles was born in Redditch, so today I am claiming him as our own.

In truth, my constituency is defined by our people—people who are shaping and defining our future. Before the recess, I spoke in this House to commend the work of local anti-knife crime campaigner Pete Martin, who has dedicated his life to educating young people about the dangers of knife crime in order to make our young people and our streets safer. Lee Mckenzie is the chief executive officer of the Sandycroft Centre, an award-winning community hub that offers domestic abuse and mental health support, and supports some of the most at-risk people in our communities. She has undoubtedly saved many lives.

Matt Ball arrived as the new headteacher at Ridgeway school facing challenging circumstances. Still, his staff delivered some of the most impressive and improved results nationwide over the summer. I think of Jo Bussey, the organiser of the Redditch carnival; the Batchley support group; Karen from Inspire Services; the Royal British Legion fundraisers Gethin Jones and Gerry Marsden; the disability support group; the Church Hill big local partnership, the staff and governors of Your Ideas, and many more. They are the best of our community, and we cherish their work.

However, in my constituency, we face many deep-seated challenges. I mentioned Harry Styles, and the Alexandra hospital, where he was born, has since lost its maternity services. Local parents are forced to travel to Worcester or Birmingham to give birth. During the election, when my son was struggling to breathe, I could not take him to the Alex because the paediatric services have also been lost. North Worcestershire needs more than one hospital to provide those critical services, and I make no apologies for my inevitably repetitive interventions on that in future. A decade ago, I stood for weeks outside supermarkets and on high streets collecting signatures against the loss of those services. Now, I will use this platform to restart the debate on health services for our community.

In my constituency, too many children with SEND requirements are going without the necessary provision that they deserve. Families are left in desperate states as they fight for the provision their children need. I have never felt more admiration, or anger, than when listening to parents such as Tracy Winchester and Karen Nokes, who are forced to fight so hard for so many children. Backlogs should not stop children having the opportunity to thrive in an education setting, and parents should not be pulled out of the workforce to ensure that that happens. We cannot leave this Parliament until the dreams and aspirations of those children are rekindled and family life rebuilt. As we once built a national health service in this country, we must again reaffirm our belief in cradle-to-grave healthcare by delivering a national care service that brings dignity to all. Those are big challenges, but the electorate sent us here to deliver them.

I may have the honour of sitting in this place, and I cannot repeat enough my gratitude to the voters who put their trust in me, but elections are not won by individuals: they are won by teams. After I horrifically failed to mention so many names during my victory speech in Redditch, I am afraid I am going to list many of them now: my victory was due to the dedication of Sharon, Mark, Joe, Bill, Andy, Monica, Juliet, David, Ian, Juma, Jamie, Jack, Rebecca, Hannah, Graham, Will, Sachin, Gary, Jane, Robin, Karen, Joanna, Gilly, James and Jack Fardoe, Carl, Rita, Jen, Phil, Andrea, and many others. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] They will love that. Those people worked so selflessly because they believed that Redditch deserved better.

My politics comes from my parents. My mother Marion dedicated her entire working life to the NHS as an occupational therapist, rising from a poor working-class family to become a lecturer in her profession. I saw what happened to the NHS in the 1980s and the impact it had on her and her colleagues. My dad Mike worked for the BBC, and was awarded a BAFTA in 1983 for editing “Boys from the Blackstuff”, a gritty representation of the impacts of the Thatcher Government. Incidentally, that was also the year I was born, although I have never asked my father what his highlight of 1983 was.

My parents taught me that their achievements were built on the support and encouragement of others. They also taught me that we have a responsibility to ensure that the same chances are available to everyone in society, that everyone has the right to live their dreams and fulfil their potential if they work hard, and that there is such a thing as society. It is now common for politics and political institutions to be routinely devalued. Many of those we represent feel that nothing can or will ever change for the better, but I retain the sense of optimism and belief that tomorrow can be better than today, and that the best days for my constituents lie ahead of us, if only we have the courage and vision to fight for them.

Finally, I thank my beautiful little boy for understanding why Daddy has to go on the train every Monday and disappear when he should really be playing with Hot Wheels. To return to the theme of this debate, my time in this place might be short, but I fully intend to leave everything out on the field.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Michael Wheeler to make his maiden speech.

[Michael Wheeler (Worsley and Eccles) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Part of me was worried that I might never be called to make my maiden speech in this Chamber, following my assertion to Mr Speaker that Eccles cakes were far superior to Chorley cakes. However, it is my sincerest hope that our mutual appreciation of Vimto will bridge any divide that exists. I am pleased to be following an excellent and educational maiden speech from my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Chris Bloore). I think he will find that some of the rules he was given for his maiden speech might be reflected in mine.

I must start by recording my thanks to my predecessor, Baroness Keeley of Worsley. Barbara served the people of Worsley and Eccles South and, before that, Worsley with commitment and in the true spirit of public service. She was never afraid to stand by those who put her in this place, an example that I intend to follow. I am sure she will be remembered for her steadfast and tenacious support for carers and their rights, work that I have no doubt she will continue in the other place.

I also pay tribute to my family: their contribution to my work in this House for my constituents might go unnoticed by the wider world, but it will never go unappreciated by me. Any success I achieve is because I am the man my mum and dad made, and because of the foundation of love my wife and son give me every single day.

I now turn to my constituency of Worsley and Eccles, a community that I am genuinely fortunate to represent. While it forms part of the wider urban area of Greater Manchester, the towns that make it up have proud histories all of their own. The industrial heritage of Worsley and Barton is on clear display to all who visit in the shape of our mills and canals, one of which is famously orange—when I was a child, I was convinced it was filled with Irn-Bru. Eccles gave the world the aforementioned Eccles cake, as well as the Eccles protector lamp, a proud symbol of our mining past that saved countless lives down in the dark on the coalface. Astley is home to the Lancashire Mining Museum, which houses the largest surviving functional winding engine in the world, and is entirely run by fantastic volunteers who make a mean cup of tea on top of everything else.

Irlam and Cadishead lie between the banks of the Manchester ship canal and our beautiful and precious mossland, bringing together the urban and rural—the industrial and agricultural—in a way that must be preserved and protected. Boothstown and Ellenbrook are home to the Royal Agricultural Society’s fifth garden, RHS Bridgewater, which is well worth a visit for anyone passing our way, and Swinton is the home of L. S. Lowry, who as an artist did so much to illustrate the lives of ordinary working people.

But while a community might be shaped by its place, it is formed of its people, and I truly represent the best: never afraid to tell you what they think, sometimes at length and sometimes at loud volumes, but often with a “thanks for listening” at the end of it all. More than anything, it is the generosity of spirit so often on display that sets me back and gives me pause for thought. I have been fortunate enough to meet and speak with so many people who give so much of themselves and their time for the benefit of others. They include the inspirational volunteers working on the Salford Families in Need Meals Project, who take the time to not only source, pack and distribute food, but provide recipes for families to go with it; Val and her team, who run a support group for their peers suffering from fibromyalgia; Anna Barrow and her husband Martyn, who have spoken out about the life-changing effect that motor neurone disease has had on her life, and whose indomitable spirit and humour will forever leave a mark on me; Barbara, who organises a supper club with bingo and a quiz for older residents and carers on her estate, from which I have been retired as the worst bingo caller in the world; the young people of Salford Youth Services Nerd Club, who happily accepted me as one of their own; and all those involved in grassroots sport right across my community. From Eccles rugby football club to Winton Wanderers and so many others, the good they do for our young people is immeasurable.

I am proud to call this community my home, and even prouder that its people have chosen me as their representative. I will always work to deliver for them and in their interests. However, should I fail in that duty, I hope it is a measure of reassurance for them to know that one among them will always be able to bring me to task: my mum. It is a particular kind of privilege and terror to have your own mum as your constituent.

Like a number of my hon. Friends, I have spent most of my working life fighting for working people as a trade unionist. I have worked for the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers trade union, campaigning on behalf of some of the lowest paid and least secure in our economy, and that experience has left an indelible mark on me. I have come to this place excited to be part of the change that those workers and my constituents voted for at the election—change that will deliver much-needed improvements to their lives, whether that is the new deal for working people that has been published today, making work pay and promoting work-life balance; real support for parents and children through action to provide available, affordable and accessible childcare; or the plan to support our communities and high streets, tackling antisocial behaviour and making us all feel safer at home. All those measures will improve lives and, when taken together and alongside everything else this new Labour Government will do, will be transformative for working people and our local communities.

Let me finish by saying that life is too short, and the scale of work we do as Members of the place is too big, to waste time on pettiness or games. I am a straightforward person and have even been described as “friendly”. I look forward to working with everyone in this House in the interests of our respective constituents and our shared country. I aim to be as generous as a properly filled Eccles cakes, as reassuring as the light of a protector lamp down in the dark, and as warm, forthright and straight-speaking as the people of my constituency. In the spirit of co-operation, for the good of us all and the work we do for those we represent, let me share with all hon. Members some advice my dad gave me: there is never any shame in learning from others; never cross a picket line; and, most importantly, always get your round in.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Lee Barron to make his maiden speech.

[Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

It is great to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Worsley and Eccles (Michael Wheeler). I congratulate everybody who has done their maiden speeches today, and this is the first time I have done it—I suppose that is why they are called maiden speeches. I am proud to speak here for the first time, especially in this debate, as facilities in Corby were used by athletes to train for the Olympics. Kieran Reilly, who lives in Corby, won silver at the BMX freestyle. Adrenaline Alley was the venue he used in the constituency, a terrific venue that many use.

I am delighted to be the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Corby and East Northamptonshire. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Tom Pursglove, who had the honour to represent Corby for nine years and became a Minister during that time. I know for a fact that he was very proud to serve his constituency, and I always found him extremely constructive and extremely cordial. I know that now, after Parliament, he is looking at doing work with disabled people and getting disabled people better access to work. I hope that I will be able to work with him, because I am now chairing an all-party parliamentary group on modernising employment. One area we are going to look at is how disabled people can access work, so I hope our paths will cross again.

I also thank Andy Sawford, the last Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency, who continues to be a good friend to our constituency. He is somebody I seek wise counsel from, and I am fortunate enough to say that I get that rather cheaply. He runs a political consultancy, so if hon. Members ever ask him for his opinion, it is going to cost them a lot of money, but whenever I do, I get it for free. Thanks, Andy, for being there for us as we move on.

Corby and East Northamptonshire is a large constituency that I have had many years of dealing with. I represented Corby’s postal workers for over a decade, and I can tell you now that a finer group of workers you will never be able to meet. My daughter Hannah was married at the wonderful venue at the Stanwick hotel, and my father was for a time a boot and shoe worker in the town of Raunds. Indeed, Raunds has its place in history for fighting for fair wages and good pay. Next year marks the 120th anniversary of the Raunds strike of 1905, which saw workers who made boots for the Army march to Parliament to demand better pay. The War Office agreed and set a minimum rate for their job. The case for fair wages and good pay is as relevant today as it was then.

Work should be the route out of poverty. It should not mean a lifetime trapped in it, yet 40% of children living in Corby and East Northamptonshire who live in poverty have at least one working parent. We need to reshape the world of work so that it pays, and our economy so that the dignity of a job is always better than no job. In-work poverty should be eradicated and chucked into the dustbin of history. Today, we celebrate the new deal for working people being laid before this House. With that, we will have the foundations for a better future for working people. I want to be around to ensure we can do that.

Other parts that make up my constituency include the market town of Thrapston, which boasts its own livestock market. I was delighted to join Thrapston’s mayor, Andy McGovern, at his recent service to celebrate his term of office. East Northamptonshire is also home to the town of Oundle. Oundle school and Prince William school are two of three schools in an open education partnership, which I am delighted to be able to support and facilitate, which sees independent and state schools coming together to share their facilities and best practices.

Corby is a town built on steel. Back in the day, many travelled down from Scotland as steelworkers, and the steelworks were built. Residents are rightly proud of their heritage, which they celebrate each year with a weekend of highland games and many Burns suppers. It has a proud history and a spirit that has seen them rise against any adversity they have faced. That is why after fighting against the steelworks closure in the 1980s, which saw over 10,000 people thrown on the dole, they rebuilt their town; they rebuilt their communities, and they would not be beaten.

During my time on the campaign trail, one lady whose door I knocked on captured that spirit. “I’m standing to be your Member of Parliament at the next election,” I said. “That’s amazing. My mum would really love to meet you; can you come back in half an hour because we’ve got guests at the minute?” I said yes, so I went back. It turned out her mum had just stopped taking treatment for stage 4 cancer and wanted to live her days. She said to me, “I want you to do two things. First, always speak up for Corby; we’re good people, we’re proud people. The second thing I want you to do is get the No. 50 bus back.” I said, “Okay, what’s the No. 50 bus?” The No. 50 bus is the direct bus that went from Corby to Kettering general hospital. “When my husband was in hospital, that was my lifeline to get to see him and I want it back,” she said. I am going to pop round to see her daughter because on 2 November, it is back; it will take people directly from Corby to Kettering general. The only thing they cannot do is give us the No. 50 back; it is now the No. 2 because the No. 50 goes to Peterborough and apparently it will cost money to get the number back, but I think the principle has been established.

I have spent my adult life representing working people, from the start when I took on an apprenticeship with the Royal Mail and I joined my union, the Communication Workers Union. A lot of people talk about their schooling, their university, their training. The CWU was my schooling, my university, my training, and without a shadow of a doubt I would not be here today if it was not for the CWU.

The journey here has been somewhat interesting to say the least. It started in the back of a taxi with me and Frances O’Grady talking about the importance of working- class people entering our politics, because we were on our way to the funeral of Jack Dromey, a dear friend to this place, this party and our movement. I want to put on record my thanks to the TUC for what it did in supporting me during my time as the candidate. It went from the back of a taxi with Frances to driving around Corby in a Vauxhall with Eamonn Norton and Mark Pengelly knocking on the doors of about 600 Labour party members to try to convince them I was the candidate they should all vote for. We did the best we could; I became the candidate and now I represent that constituency.

I know it is not going to be easy to do that, but I am determined to make a difference. There are issues that I want to get involved with and changes I want to see. I want to see a difference in the world of work by making sure that work really does pay and is a route out of poverty. I want to make a difference to give a voice to so many families with children with special educational needs who are being denied the basic right to education; every child has the right to education, and having special educational needs should not mean that they are denied that fundamental right.

The House is going to discuss dignity in dying, but there is another aspect to it that I want to talk about. In this country, it is legal to sack a worker on the grounds of capability when they have a terminal diagnosis. That is fundamentally wrong; we need to close that loophole and make sure that the last thing people worry about when they have such a diagnosis is the future of their job. We should not be treating people like that and we need to make the changes accordingly.

Lastly, I want to thank my family for their support. I am a proud father, grandfather, son and brother to a family that has always been strong in values and principles and I thank them all. My mum could not be part of this journey here with me because she died several years ago, but I want to say her name, Patricia Eileen Lilian Barron, because now I have said her name they will write it down; it will be in Hansard so no one can erase it and a bit of her will live forever, and I am proud to be able to do that.

With much to do to make the change that we need to give people back a future that they can once again look forward to, I for one will do all I can to make it happen. Our unity is our strength, our solidarity; that is how we will get there and I intend to make the most of the time I have in this place.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Joani Reid to make her maiden speech.

[Joani Reid (East Kilbride and Strathaven) (Lab)]

I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to deliver my maiden speech. I begin by congratulating my hon. Friends the Members for Corby and East Northamptonshire (Lee Barron), for Worsley and Eccles (Michael Wheeler) and for Redditch (Chris Bloore), all of whom spoke with such passion and commitment about their constituencies. I hope that the people of Corby have many happy celebrations on 2 November when the No. 2/50 bus comes back into service.

It truly is an honour to serve the people of East Kilbride and Strathaven. None of us is in this House by right. We propose ourselves, but it is the voters who dispose. The people are the masters of our fate, and all of us have a duty of trust and a responsibility to work hard, and I am determined to repay the trust placed in me by representing my constituents to the very best of my ability. In that spirit, I pay tribute to my predecessor Dr Lisa Cameron. Building on her long-standing career as an NHS psychologist, she did much good work in this place to improve the lives of her constituents. I wish to also pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of my two Labour predecessors: Michael McCann and in particular Adam Ingram, who served my constituency for 23 years.

I have been fortunate enough to have had many sources of inspiration and support throughout my career, the very first of whom was the late, great Tessa Jowell. Without her political tenacity, vision and ability to bring people together, we would never have delivered the 2012 Olympic games, which was the greatest sporting event this country had seen in a generation. Tessa recognised the power that sport can have in inspiring and uniting people, communities and countries.

My constituency is home to a thriving sporting sector, both professional and grassroots, including Scotland’s only professional basketball team, the Caledonian Gladiators and, my personal favourite, the Claremont Colts, a disability football team for young adults which provides dignity, a sense of belonging and good old-fashioned fun. The unprecedented growth of women’s football has brought me great delight in recent years, but surely the catalyst for that was “Gregory’s Girl”, a trailblazing film about women’s football, which starred the East Kilbride born-and-bred actress Dee Hepburn.

East Kilbride is believed to take its name from a woman: the patron saint of Ireland, Brigid of Kildare, who is believed to have performed healing miracles. There is nothing to suggest that Brigid ever visited Scotland, but in East Kilbride, we can say that she visited us, and we have paid her a pretty good tribute through the town we have built. East Kilbride is Scotland’s first new town built in the post-war era to accommodate the overspill from Glasgow, offering an escape from dire overcrowding and squalid conditions in Glasgow’s infamous tenements.

East Kilbride quickly became a symbol of progress and a place where working families could find not just homes, but communities, opportunity and a future. Its modern architecture, parks and green spaces have made it a model of post-war urban planning. East Kilbride may have delivered a new start for many Glaswegians, but folk there did not leave behind the city’s famous humanity and defiance of injustice when they quit those tenements. One of the most powerful statements of solidarity that this country has ever seen was made by a group of engineers from East Kilbride’s Rolls-Royce factory. Ordinary people risked their livelihoods to defy the Chilean dictatorship in 1974 by refusing to repair the engines that had been used to destroy the country’s democratic Government. There was no violence, no hatred; just the power of working people standing together. Only a few weeks ago, one of the engineers who led that action, Bob Fulton, died at the age of 101, and I take this opportunity to pay tribute to him and his legacy, which will live on. Strathaven was also home to another Scottish revolutionary: James “Purlie” Wilson, who was a prominent figure in the radical movement seeking electoral reform.

Although East Kilbride is home to 80% of my constituents, it only accounts for 20% of its land mass. The rural communities of Stonehouse, Glassford, Chapelton, Sandford and Auldhouse all have distinctive features and a unique community spirit.

Strathaven, with its historic market town charm, offers a different yet equally essential contribution to the character of my constituency. If Kilbride is a name with Gaelic origins, Strathaven is even older, with Brythonic roots. Today, it exemplifies the deep-rooted sense of shared history that that goes through my constituency and Scotland as a whole. It reminds us that we must do all that we can to support our rural communities to overcome the many challenges they also face.

During the election campaign, when I was out knocking doors on the doorsteps of East Kilbride and Strathaven, nobody ever asked me for a miracle that only St Brigid could deliver. It is not miracles that people seek; it is just the basics: public services that work, jobs that pay, a safe and warm home, and maybe even just enough cash at the end of the week to get a takeaway. Those conversations have stayed with me since and will continue to be at the forefront of my mind while I serve in this place.

Other things struck me and were emphasised by the civil disorder that we saw over the summer. We share serious concerns across the House about the rise of hate, whether that be antisemitism, Islamophobia or misogyny, which has infected far too much of our public discourse in recent years, particularly on social media. I intend to dedicate much of my time here to working cross-party to address the alarming upsurge in racism and bigotry online, particularly in my work as chair of the all-party parliamentary group against antisemitism. Inspired by the Rolls-Royce workers decades ago, we can come together and say, “Nae pasaran”—they shall not pass.

To push back and defeat hate, we must have hope, but that hope must be real and based on realism rather than idealism or indeed miracles. There is no contradiction between a politics that is realistic and a politics that is hopeful. Indeed, we have all had enough—too much—false hope in the last few years.

I believe in what the Australian leader Ben Chifley called the shining city on a hill, but I also believe that we need a clear plan for how to get there and to be honest about how long it might take. Responsible and effective government does not undermine real hope in our communities; it underpins it. So, to the people and the communities of East Kilbride and Strathaven, I say thank you once again for placing your hope and trust in me.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Danny Beales to make his maiden speech.

[Danny Beales (Uxbridge and South Ruislip) (Lab)]

It is a privilege to follow such wonderful speeches from right across the House, and particularly from my hon. Friends the Members for Corby and East Northamptonshire (Lee Barron) and for East Kilbride and Strathaven (Joani Reid). I thought that Uxbridge and South Ruislip was a tongue-twister, but I might have been slightly outdone by my hon. Friends.

I want to say thank you to the people of Uxbridge and South Ruislip for their perseverance. They have waited even longer for a Labour MP than I have waited to make my maiden speech. I remember meeting one gentleman who told me that he returned from war and voted for the first time on the Navy ship back to South Ruislip in 1945. He had voted Labour then for the first time and at every single election since. While he was delighted to see the 1945 Labour Government returned and the great things that they did, unfortunately he never subsequently saw a Labour MP in South Ruislip until today.

It is always a privilege and an honour to represent the communities that we are born in, we grew up in and we live in, and perhaps even more so when it initially seems like it might not happen. As I am sure colleagues know, six weeks feels like a long campaign. Well, trust me: two and a half years of campaigning feels like a lifetime, but it did give me the opportunity to speak to thousands of my constituents in every corner of my constituency.

I pay tribute to my predecessor, Steve Tuckwell, who worked incredibly hard in the 10 months that he was our Member of Parliament. In the spirit of focusing on what unites us, I have to say that Steve and I have more in common than people might initially imagine. We were both born in Hillingdon hospital and we attended local schools. We even lived on the same street in South Ruislip—the street that my grandparents called home for many years. One of the first questions I am often asked is whether I share his love of fish and chips and will continue his infamous campaign for a new chippy in Uxbridge. Well, I must admit that that is one thing on which we differ slightly. I defer to him and his leadership of the fish and chip shop campaign.

Although that campaign certainly created a few headlines, Uxbridge and South Ruislip is no stranger to news headlines. Arguably, it is one of the most canvassed and media-interviewed constituencies in the country. At points, it has been hard for my constituents to walk down Uxbridge High Street without a journalist asking for their opinions about a former Prime Minister or the latest UK political drama. I am hoping that the next four years will be just as busy, but slightly less dramatic for my constituents than the previous four years. Although we do not share the same party affiliation, it must be said that Lord Randall of Uxbridge left big shoes to fill as a constituency MP, and I hope that I can replicate his reputation for being a hard-working and dedicated constituency MP.

Uxbridge and South Ruislip is not defined by any one issue or any one former political representative; it is defined instead by its rich heritage, its hard-working and aspirational communities, and its potential. It is a diverse place. Indeed, the contributions of its diverse communities are nothing new. Growing up, I remember the Polish war memorial standing in South Ruislip—a testament to the contribution that people coming to our country have made throughout our history and continue to make today. The memorial commemorates just some of the many service personnel who joined the UK war effort to fight fascism and to defend the values of democracy and liberalism. Over the summer, we have been reminded again that those values can never be taken for granted.

Today, my constituency remains home to many members of our amazing armed forces. RAF Northolt has a long and proud history of being the heart of the Royal Air Force, and our service personnel are among the very best of us. I have met far too many service families who have been let down and left without the right support or decent housing, and I want to be an MP who will champion them and their families. I look forward to learning more about the RAF in the parliamentary armed forces scheme this year.

Uxbridge and South Ruislip is also a place of innovation, of enterprise. It is home to wonderful schools, Uxbridge College, which has a new collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Brunel University. It is home to businesses big and small, and I am committed to working with them to ensure their opportunities to grow and the potential for good local jobs are realised.

Uxbridge and South Ruislip is also a place powered by the hard work of volunteers—groups I have met such as the Salvation Army, the Harefield Community Centre, ShopMobility and the Hillingdon Litter Pickers. I could go on. Many groups I have met, however, have struggled in recent years with local government cuts that have come to bite, and I hope to do all I can to support and to champion them in the years ahead.

As we debate the value of UK sport on the international stage and the amazing achievements of our Paralympians, such as Natasha Baker, the multiple-medal-winning dressage champion from Cowley, and Michael Sharkey from Hillingdon, it is also important that we recognise that, although Uxbridge is not home to the biggest sporting clubs or the biggest stadiums, it is home to the very best of British grassroots sport, again powered by communities and by volunteers. We are the adopted home of Wealdstone football club, which, through member donations and fan power alone, has grown and shown the way for fan-led football across this country. I am determined to work with them to secure their future with a long-term and sustainable home.

As with many towns and cities across our great nation, the NHS is right at the heart of our community, with many heroic doctors, nurses and care workers from right across the globe. I am committed to pressing for the urgent investment in healthcare that we need, as well as a new Hillingdon hospital, which is desperately, desperately needed.

Our area is rich in nature, with beautiful lakes, canals, rivers and countryside. It is both the edge of the city and the gateway to the Colne valley. Having met representatives of the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the Colne Valley Regional Park, it is clear to me that we can and should do more to enhance our beautiful green spaces. I believe there is an opportunity to deliver the house building we desperately need and also ensure that the benefits are felt locally and that we enhance our nature-rich spaces.

It must be said, though, that despite being pleasant, green and welcoming, Hillingdon is also a place where life chances are not equal. Far too many people are struggling to make ends meet, and the public services they desperately need have been cut away. Like many colleagues in this House, far too many of the emails I receive are from parents struggling to get an education, health and care plan and the support they need for their children at school. There are section 21 evictions, extortionate lease- holder charges, damp, mould, disrepair, homelessness—on and on it goes. For me, these stories are all too familiar. They were my childhood: experiencing homelessness twice; having the bailiffs knocking at the front door; the emergency credit running down on the meter. These experiences opened my eyes to the importance of politics —to the importance of this place.

Growing up, I was desperate to see change in my community and my country. It has never seemed fair to me that, working two jobs, my mum was still unable to pay our bills. I felt as strongly as I do today that, as other Members have said, hard work should always pay. Working hard should mean that people can afford a safe, dry and decent home, and every child should have the opportunity for a great education. These are the values that unite the vast majority of us in this country and in Uxbridge and South Ruislip: hard work, playing by the rules and equal opportunities to succeed.

Despite those struggles, I have always been hugely appreciative of everyone who has supported and encouraged me and made today possible. There are far too many people to mention individually—I will not do what my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Chris Bloore) did and have a long list of people but forget some—but I thank my friends and family, in particular my mum, who is in the Gallery. She sacrificed so much to give me the chance to stand here today. I thank my former teachers, colleagues and councillors. My 10-year period in local government was an incredible opportunity and a privilege, allowing me to build the next generation of council homes, and to hand over keys to families and see their faces light up. During that time, it was clear to me that local action would never be enough. The challenges in the housing sector required national action. We need to deliver millions more homes across this country. I welcome this Government’s commitment to do that, and to develop the homelessness strategy.

During my professional career in the health sector I worked to ensure that new diabetes technologies were available on the NHS, and to reduce new HIV transmissions. I have seen time and again the need to modernise and improve our health system so that it genuinely puts the needs of patient first, and promotes good health as much as it treats ill health. Those are the challenges I look forward to playing my part in tackling in the months and years ahead.

To finish as I started, the journey from homelessness to the House of Commons is one not too often made, but I want to do my bit so that every child in this country can follow in my footsteps, and no one is held back by the experience of homelessness in our country. I thank everyone who has supported me in some way. I thank the voters of Uxbridge and South Ruislip who have returned me as their first Labour MP. I want to reiterate to them that, in me, they have a local champion, a national voice, and someone working tirelessly for them to deliver our hospital, improve our schools and high streets and tackle our housing crisis, to ensure that we have even more to be proud of in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call Tom Hayes to make his maiden speech.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sam Rushworth (Bishop Auckland) (Lab)]

I echo the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) about repetition when speaking this late in a debate; I am aware that I am probably the only thing standing between hon. Members and trains back to constituencies, so I will try not to be long-winded. I am grateful for this debate and to those who spoke; if oracy were an Olympic sport, many of our maiden speakers today would be medallists and, as with most sports, I would be grateful just to take part.

Across this House, people are rightly proud of the achievements of our great British Olympians. I am proud particularly of the consistency of our performance in the Paralympics, because it says something about who we are as a nation. I refer not to Governments of either colour, but to the spirit of the British people.

However, it is important that we do not allow our celebrations of British sporting success at an elite level to conceal the wide inequalities of access to sport and physical activity. One third of Team GB’s medallists went to private schools. I do not mean to disparage them—only sheer hard work and perseverance could lead them to achieve what they did—but when privately educated young people are four times more likely than children in the state sector to get an Olympic medal, we have to ask: what are we doing to ensure that all young people have the opportunities and support to participate and achieve in sports?

Almost half the 1,400 member schools of the Independent Schools Council have their own swimming pools, 759 have astroturf pitches, and nearly 100 offer rowing on their own lakes and rivers. Meanwhile, in the state sector, 223 school playing fields were sold off between 2010 and 2020. As others have already noted, the Department for Education reports that there were 41,000 fewer hours of PE taught in the 2023-24 academic year compared with 2011-12. That has led to a situation in which fewer than half of children from less affluent backgrounds are meeting the chief medical officer’s guideline of 60 minutes of physical activity a day. I understand that there are pressures on public finances, but mark my words: any savings that we make now by failing to deliver improvements in school and community sports will cost us in the future through increases in childhood obesity and diabetes, which will add to future NHS bills.

We are heading in the wrong direction. The Conservative and Lib Dem-controlled Durham county council—it was under Labour control until 2021—has cancelled and delayed upgrades to leisure facilities. The town of Crook, which has a population of 10,000 people, lost its swimming baths over a decade ago, and several attempts since to bring them back have ended only in disappointment. It is not just young people who are affected. I remember vividly a conversation I had while canvassing; an older woman in her 80s told me of her sorrow at the closure of the swimming baths, and of having to take two buses—an hour and a half’s round trip—to where I live, in Bishop Auckland, for the nearest swimming pool. That has meant that she no longer goes. She is missing out not only on physical activity but on interaction with her friends; she said it was the thing in the week that she had most looked forward to.

Sport is therefore not just about physical health, but about loneliness and isolation. In schools, it is also about the intrinsic curriculum.

I was not blessed with great physical co-ordination, but I will always be grateful to my PE teacher, Mr Brown, who did not allow me to use that or my asthma as an excuse. He got me on the running track, told me to push myself, and put me in the school athletics team. As many do, I learned through sports how to push myself, how to strive for a personal best, how to play fair, how to work as a team, and how to be magnanimous in the very occasional victory and frequently humble in defeat. I learned that sport brings people together and is great fun.

Finally, I will focus on the mental health benefits of sport. Today is World Mental Health Day. I recently met ManHealth, a group of men in my constituency who get together on a Thursday night. Perhaps in order to break down the stigma of mental health, I shared my own experience of struggling with depression and anxiety—including in the time since I joined this place—which can often be hidden with a suit and a smile. One of the young men asked to see me afterwards. He had grown up in the care system, and talked to me about his struggles with anger, temper management and in feeling loved and accepted. He felt acceptance and self-esteem through playing rugby, and he is going to try out for a team—I will not reveal which team for the sake of protecting his identity. I was incredibly impressed by him and his candour.

Several of my colleagues have made excellent recommendations today that do not need repeating, but I appeal to colleagues across the House not just to pay lip service on this. My local authority has faced cuts of 60% to its central Government funding, and the chief executive told me recently that we are in the territory of closing libraries and leisure centres, so we cannot just pay lip service. There is no development without human development. We should be striving to make Britain the most active nation on earth over the next decade, and end that decline.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

Before I call the Front Benchers, may I pass on the congratulations of the whole House to the constituent of the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Alan Gemmell), Kayleigh Haggo, on her wedding day? It is probably an adequate excuse not to be watching the speech of her newly elected Member of Parliament. With the leave of the House, I call Louie French.

Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Thursday 1st December 2022 Commons Chamber

[Julia Lopez]

Hopefully, I have set that out in my previous answer. I raised the concerns of the creative industries with the responsible Minister and he was sympathetic to those concerns. He will go back and look at the consultation again to examine in greater detail some of the concerns that have already come from the creative industries and see whether the proposal can be revised.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

2. What steps her Department is taking to expand broadband coverage in rural areas.

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

17. What steps her Department is taking to expand broadband coverage in rural areas.

[The Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Julia Lopez)]

We are investing £5 billion through Project Gigabit to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach areas across the UK, and we are making great progress, having already launched procurements with a value of £780 million. Today, we announced the award of a new £108-million contract to connect up to 60,000 homes and businesses across Cumbria with the fastest broadband speeds. We are also boosting our voucher scheme: we have increased the value of the vouchers so that people can apply for as much as £4,500 towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband in rural and particularly hard-to-reach areas.

[Caroline Nokes]

I assure the Minister that the people of Nether Wallop, Over Wallop and Barton Stacey do not feel that Project Gigabit is delivering for them. They have seen changed criteria; an inability to split postcodes, which is difficult when they are on a county boundary; delays in the processing of their applications; and then being told that they will not be able to reapply until 2023, because the project will still not be procured for those areas. They want answers and delivery, not the news that the project is delivering in Cumbria.

[Julia Lopez]

I thank my right hon. Friend, although I cannot agree with her on the importance of Cumbria, which is one of the hardest to reach areas of our country. That we are taking that area as one of our first shows just how much we care about narrowing the digital divide. More than 95% of premises in my right hon. Friend’s constituency now have superfast broadband, which is up 55% over the past 12 years. During the same period, gigabit-capable coverage has risen from 0% to 71% in her constituency. I appreciate that particular villages and parts of people’s constituencies do not have the coverage they need, and that is why we are significantly boosting the voucher scheme. We have launched two of our procurements in areas that cover my right hon. Friend’s constituency in Hampshire. I also host regular Building Digital UK drop-ins for colleagues—I hosted one yesterday—and if she would like to come along and speak directly to BDUK officials, we shall look into the villages affected.

Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Thursday 7th July 2022 Commons Chamber

[Nigel Huddleston]

Again, this is a topic that has consumed the attention of the whole House. The gambling review was looked at separately from the specific issue of loot boxes, where we recognise there are also issues and concerns, and we have been conducting a review. I reassure the hon. Gentleman that protecting children, both on loot boxes and in the gambling review, is front and centre of our thoughts.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

It is not just children who can be impacted by loot boxes and other gambling mechanics; it is also people with other vulnerabilities. It is critical that the Government take effective steps to close loopholes, and do not just bake in the problem for ever more creative tech companies to exploit.

[Nigel Huddleston]

My right hon. Friend makes an important point about ensuring that the review we conduct and the conclusions that come out of it are comprehensive, but it is important, as technology evolves and changes, and becomes ever more sophisticated—as it does, particularly in the online gambling and gaming space—that we keep a close eye on developments, and we will be doing that going forward.

UK City of Culture: Southampton’s Bid

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Tuesday 19th April 2022 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

I am most grateful to Mr Speaker for having granted this debate on Southampton’s bid to be city of culture 2025.

Before I make that pitch, I want to dwell for a while on what culture is to all of us, and the reality is that it will be different for different people. It will vary according to place and time, and it will of course vary according to age. What is culture to one person may well not be to another, and the bid for Southampton has made sure to ask people to consult widely, particularly with the region’s young people, to find out what culture means to them.

Culture can be many things—art, music, sport, food, history, place, dance, architecture, invention—but above all that, to me and to Southampton, it is community. It is the people who have come here, and created, built, established and enjoyed what it is that we have that brings us together. This bid has really brought us all together—councils of different political hues, MPs representing both Labour and Conservative, and councillors working hand in hand—to make it through to the final four and to promote all we have to offer.

To make the pitch is easy, and it is made easier still by the broadening of the search to find the UK’s city of culture to include wider regions. Southampton lacks nothing, but once we have included the wider Solent region, we have absolutely everything.

[Paul Holmes (Eastleigh) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely correct to outline how important this bid is to the community not only in Southampton, but in the wider Solent region. In Eastleigh, we are home to Hampshire Cricket with the Ageas Bowl, and there are various heritage sites in the wider Solent region. Does she agree with me that it is really important, particularly given what she mentions about councils of all political persuasions coming forward, that this bid really does have cross-party support? It is supported by a huge array of people around the region, and that is why Southampton and the wider region should be the city of culture in 2025.

[Caroline Nokes]

Of course, I agree with my hon. Friend; he is absolutely bang-on and I will mention some of the fantastic attributes Eastleigh is bringing to the wider bid. I am heartened by the strength of the partnerships supporting the bid, as my hon. Friend emphasises.

[Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke) (Con)]

On that, may I point out that all parts of Hampshire would be interested in partnering with the city of Southampton in its bid to be city of culture? My own constituency of Basingstoke brings the likes of the Anvil theatre, one of the top 10 concert halls in Europe, as well as the Haymarket and the Proteus theatre. There is a wealth of support there for this bid, and that can also help with the legacy which is so important and I know my right hon. Friend puts great store by.

--- Later in debate ---

[Caroline Nokes]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to mention the legacy and I was going to move on to that. From Bournemouth and Poole in the west of the region to Portsmouth in the east—and my right hon. Friend has brought in Basingstoke at the north of the region—many areas are seeking to support and partner with the city in making this bid.

[Dr Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab)]

rose—

[Caroline Nokes]

I am tempted to give way to my neighbour in Southampton, Test, who appears to wish to intervene.

[Dr Whitehead]

I thank the hon. Member for generously giving way again. I rise both to demonstrate the all-party support for this bid and because I want to ask my right hon. Friend—as the right hon. Lady is for this purpose—whether she considers the proud multicultural heritage of Southampton since the 12th century of welcoming different cultures and communities into the city and learning from them and establishing them in the process to be an integral and central part of the city’s bid for city of culture 2025 and why it should win that coveted title?

[Caroline Nokes]

I thank my constituency neighbour, and on this occasion hon. Friend, for making that important point and wonder whether he has predicted one of the next chunks of my contribution.

As I have said, we are all celebrating this bid. It is being celebrated by neighbouring authorities and by organisations, business and community groups alike, and an impressive list of ambassadors. It is being supported by the schools, colleges and universities across the region, by the National Oceanography Centre, by our collective museums, art galleries and theatres—which my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mrs Miller) referenced—by the stadiums, parks and sports centres and above all by the people.

Instinctively, when we think of Southampton we think of the Solent and the water, but our bid is not just about boat shows and regattas, brilliant though they are; it is also about the ripple effect of our culture, the tide of Solent water that rises not just once, but twice a day, and carries people with it. There is a tendency to think of people using that tide to leave the city. After all we have a park and a theatre named after the Mayflower, Southampton was where the Titanic set sail on her ill-fated maiden voyage, and it is the cruise capital of the UK, but that tide has, as my constituency neighbour the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead) said, also historically brought people to the city. As a result, it has a rich and varied culture, with over 150 languages spoken, with places of worship of every religion we can think of, and an annual peace walk that brings all faiths together. It is a city that celebrates and enjoys difference and diversity while also working hard to bring people together, and of course that is what being the city of culture is all about and can accentuate, widening the reach of that strong maritime history, and enabling the wider region to participate in the legacy this bid seeks to bring.

[Dame Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that this mission of addressing need and creating opportunity is important for both Southampton and the wider region and the ripple effect she spoke about? My Gosport constituency has some pockets of real need and deprivation but also a jewel of heritage, particularly naval heritage, which is so important to celebrate. There is so much potential through this bid to benefit the wider area in both levelling up and also celebrating the things we treasure. That is why I agree that this is an important bid for us to win.

[Caroline Nokes]

I thank my hon. Friend for that comment. She is right. We do have a rich maritime history. The trading character of Southampton but also the Royal Navy heritage of Portsmouth and Gosport are key to this.

As I was saying, when it comes to faith, it is not just about the mosques, the gurdwaras, the Christian churches, the Friends meeting house, the synagogue and the Vedic temple; there are also the shrines to the sporting prowess that the region has in abundance. In this bid we celebrate many religions—that of sport, of music, of food. St Mary’s is a fabulous church, where the annual Titanic memorial service is held, but it is also where we worship idols like Ted Bates, Lawrie McMenemy and the current bid ambassador James Ward-Prowse. In 2019, another bid ambassador, Southampton’s own Craig David, played there—a concert, I hasten to add, not on the pitch. And we do music in the city, from youth orchestras to festivals, at concerts on the common, and in places like the Engine Rooms and the Joiners. And we most certainly do food. The bid chairman is Masterchef winner Shelina Permalloo, who runs her Mauritian street kitchen in Bedford place. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor had his first job at Kuti’s famous brasserie, and we have food from literally everywhere. I always say that food brings communities together, and whether it is the big iftar at the Medina mosque or the langar at the gurdwara in Peterborough road, you can point to examples across our city where we come together to celebrate and to eat.

There are other, different types of temple, across the region—those that celebrate sport like the Ageas bowl, which my hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Paul Holmes) has already referenced, the home of Hampshire cricket, in neighbouring Eastleigh—and my thanks to that borough for supporting the bid. The village of Hambledon, known as the cradle of cricket, is in the Winchester City Council area, which is also backing this bid. Even in the Solent itself we play cricket. Who would have thought that it was a water sport, but the annual Bramble Bank cricket match happens in the Solent, in late August or early September, dependent upon the tides I have already referred to, literally half way between Southampton and Cowes—which brings me on to some of the more interesting partner relationships, because even Portsmouth is backing this bid. Those who understand the region know there is a challenging rivalry between the two cities, but there is wide recognition that what benefits one will also benefit the other, in terms of visitors, volunteering hours, participation and even levelling up.

Levelling up is not something that is geographically limited to the north. There are challenges in the south as well, as my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage) said. Sometimes Southampton has been described as a northern city in the south, but of course we do have our own character. You only have to look at what city of culture has achieved for Liverpool and for Hull, bringing places together, bringing a focus for activities and an ongoing legacy. That is one of the crucial parts of the city of culture. I would like to pay tribute to the Southampton bid team, who have made legacy their focus, recognising the year of culture would be 2025, but securing ongoing commitments from businesses and organisations which stretch far beyond that. They have looked at the challenges we face, contemplated the difficulties that the pandemic has brought, and recognised that mental health, particularly for men, has been a big issue, and they have developed a programme of events to include everyone, regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity and faith. They have celebrated our rivers—the Itchen and the Test, which combine in the Solent. We have a rich maritime history, which you might expect to be an enormous theme.

But this is also a region which has much to celebrate in the sky. The Spitfire was designed and built here, in Woolston, but tested over the hills of King’s Somborne, much further north in my constituency, and it protected us during the second world war. The first ever website was developed by Tim Berners-Lee, a professor at Southampton University, and while one may not be able to see and hear the world wide web in the same way one could the Spitfire, it has come to dominate our lives, as the debate immediately prior to this one ably demonstrated. And this is a bid earthed in our land, with the open parks and the adjacent New Forest, and the South Downs national parks. It is also a bid for the future, celebrating technology and the changes that that brings. So I say to the Minister, and to all those assessing this bid, that we know that we have a great deal to offer, so let us make it so.

Elected Women Representatives: Online Abuse

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Tuesday 20th April 2021 Westminster Hall

[Ian Paisley (in the Chair)]

Before I call our next speaker, who will be Caroline Nokes—just to give her early warning—Members will have four minutes to speak.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Paisley. I pay tribute to my near neighbour, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mrs Miller) for leading this important debate today.

The Women and Equalities Committee has recently launched an inquiry into the cultures underpinning male violence against women and, sadly, I see the online abuse of female parliamentarians as part of that same culture. Trolling might lead somewhere, and the reality is that none of us either in this debate today or in Parliament more widely knows which of our online trolls might turn into a stalker or who, indeed, might in due course turn into somebody who attends our office, our surgery, our home and threatens us physically. This week’s troll could be next week’s attacker. While I will always glibly say that the solution to the online abuse that we receive as female parliamentarians is simply to use the block and the mute button, the reality is that we cannot do that in every case and, in so doing, we might miss the person who is a physical threat to us .

I was pleased to hear my right hon. Friend talk about diversity, but I regret that she stopped short at one point. We know that female parliamentarians are more abused than their male counterparts, but we also know that black female MPs receive the most abuse of all, and that the right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) receives more abuse than every other parliamentarian put together. That is a stark reminder that there is still in our country an undercurrent of misogyny and racism. We also know—my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke was right to point it out—that those who have disabilities and are LGBTQ also face more abuse. We have to stamp out these awful discriminatory, bullying, harassing tactics for good.

I do not pretend that the block and the mute button are the solution—they are not. They may be part of it on an individual level, but we need effective legislation. I am pleased to see the Minister in her place, but I have grave concerns that the online harms Bill will not do the job. We know that it aims to crack down on the illegal, which is good, and prevent young people from accessing harmful content on the internet, but we will have to be explicit about what we are trying to achieve when it comes to stopping the abuse that we all receive on a daily basis.

There is real merit in stamping out anonymity. I think that is one of the massive challenges that we face. People are emboldened when they can hide their true identity. We know they are also emboldened when they are behind a screen. While I do not wish today’s debate to turn into a whinge-fest of who has the worst story, the thing that struck me about two of my most prolific online abusers was that the day I met them in the street, they stared at the pavement and shuffled past. Of course, that is what we know about bullies—at heart, they are also cowards. If they cannot hide behind anonymity, it will stamp out their cowardice because they will have to reveal who they are and I do not believe they are brave enough to do so.

The problem exists across the globe. I remember meeting female parliamentarians from Jordan who experienced exactly the same as we do in the UK. We have to learn from what is being done internationally and work as a global community to stand up for our democracy. We have to stand up for those women who are brave enough to enter public life, but make sure that the legislation is there to protect them and keep them safe from this sort of abuse.

Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Monday 8th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

I pay tribute to the Chancellor for having listened to the repeated calls made over the last 12 months to do something to help the female entrepreneurs and businesswomen working in what we now call the personal care sector but 12 months ago was just known as hair and beauty.

We have to recognise this is a significant sector that contributes a great deal to the Exchequer and employs in the region of 300,000 employees, most of whom are women. Hon. Members might expect me, as Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, to wish to focus on women and what was done for them in this Budget. I thank the Chancellor for the additional grant funding for the sector. However, I very carefully say to him that there was some consternation at the choice of words used, because some in the sector suddenly became very alarmed that they would not be opening at the same time as non-essential retail. I need some reassurance, and I hope that the Minister on the Treasury Bench will be able to provide absolute clarity that the sector will be in that step.

However, there was a measure of disappointment in the personal care sector that the VAT reduction, which we have seen so fantastically extended to hospitality, was not also extended to that sector. I think it only fair that I voice those concerns today, because that could have been a significant contribution to maintaining the viability of some of these important businesses. However, it is not just about jobs and the economy, because these are businesses that help to combat loneliness and help people to feel more confident in themselves, in turn giving them the enthusiasm and confidence to go and face those job interviews, which we know that many, many women will be facing.

I recognise that the retail sector may be changed irrevocably and would ask the Chancellor to consider how we can ensure that those women in the prime of their lives who may have worked in the retail sector for 20 years or so get access to the retraining opportunities that they will meet, because if the retail sector is changed forever, we will need them to move into new, sustainable sectors. Those jobs cannot simply be held for men. I am very conscious that, when we talk about “Build, build, build”, while construction is important, we also need to think about how we will move more women into that sector, and into STEM jobs and jobs in the green economy. It is so important that we make sure that none of them are left behind.

I would like to follow a Member who spoke previously and comment on the events sector. It is such an important part of our economy, but of course those businesses have not had the business rates break, because they might not have the premises that we see elsewhere in hospitality and in retail. It is a sector, particularly when it comes to weddings, that is crying out for assistance and, again, employs many women.

The Budget was a delicate balancing act, and I commend the Chancellor on his hard work, but I urge him never to forget that 51% of the population are women.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)]

The hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) is having technical trouble, so we will come back to him.

UK Musicians: EU Visa Arrangements

Caroline Nokes Excerpts

Tuesday 19th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Dinenage]

Yes, absolutely, I agree with the comments of my predecessor. That is why we put to the EU fantastic proposals, which were based on the views of the music industry, would have been mutually beneficial and allowed musicians and support staff to tour. We are very disappointed that the EU did not see it the same way.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con) [V]]

I was pleased to hear my hon. Friend mention technicians—the sound and lighting engineers who make touring possible. When she is looking for a solution, which I know she is doing, will she also include companies such as Beat the Street in Romsey, which provides the tour buses that make it possible for artists to travel Europe? It will spell a death knell for the entire industry if they are not able to access the continent.

[Caroline Dinenage]

My right hon. Friend is such a great champion for businesses in her local area, particularly those that have been so badly affected, not just by covid, but by the very disappointing EU refusal to accept our very reasonable propositions. She will know that the sector has benefited from a range of different support measures over the last year that were put in place because of covid, but we do need to support it moving forward. The EU’s proposal would not have worked because it would not have supported the valuable support workers in my right hon. Friend’s constituency to do their work. Quite simply, without them, touring would not be possible.