Oral Answers to Questions

Cat Eccles Excerpts

Wednesday 8th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

The hon. Member is right that we inherited record levels of pollution, and we are determined to tackle that and clean up our waterways. We have acted by banning unfair bonuses, introducing jail time for lawbreaking bosses and unlocking £104 billion of private investment to rebuild vital infrastructure to deliver cleaner waters, and we also have the clean water Bill. Of course I will arrange for her to meet the Minister.

[Cat Eccles (Stourbridge) (Lab)]

Q14. Stourbridge is famous for many things: the glass industry, Jude Bellingham—[Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”]—Robert Plant and, most importantly, the Stourbridge shuttle, the UK’s shortest railway line at just 0.8 miles, or 1.3 km for those who prefer metric. It links Stourbridge Junction with Stourbridge Town. Despite its small size, it achieves an impressive 99.6% reliability compared with the west midlands average of 64.4%. One of my highlights as an MP was unveiling a shuttle car named after local legend George, the Stourbridge station cat, whose global social media following made him a beloved fixture at the junction. Today marks the start of “Shuttle Shorts”, a short film festival celebrating the journey. The shuttle shows how community railway can improve local mobility. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that Pre Metro’s ambition to introduce a VLR—very light rail—service between Stourbridge and Brierley Hill is a valuable opportunity for Great British Railways and that local businesses should be supported to do this?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement about the future: it is coming home. I echo my hon. Friend’s sentiments on Jude Bellingham. Not only is he making Stourbridge proud, but he is a source of pride for the whole nation.

In Great British Railways we are seeing the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation. We will work with all partners, such as local authorities and local businesses, to drive investment, support economic growth and deliver a better service for her constituents.