Business of the House

Debate between David Burton-Sampson and Alan Campbell

Thursday 15th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

May I associate myself absolutely with the comments of the shadow Leader of the House about Sir David Amess? As he said, today is the fifth anniversary of his tragic murder, and I know that the thoughts of the whole House remain with his loved ones. He was well regarded on both sides of the House. He was a mentor to lots of new Members and a fantastic constituency MP. What happened was an absolute tragedy.

I welcome Members back to the House after the conference recess, and congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Sagal Abdi-Wali), who joined us on Monday. It is also good to see the shadow Leader of the House in his place. We missed him earlier in the week, and I was concerned that he was still in the half-empty conference hall in Birmingham, wondering whether the shadow Chancellor, the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Andrew Griffith), had actually finished his speech.

It was a busy conference season. At the Labour conference, the Prime Minister made several important announcements, including plans for a national care service, which will provide the elderly with free personal care. The Government have also announced that the triple lock will remain until the end of this Parliament, following which it will be adjusted, not least to pay for the new national care service.

I do not blame the official Opposition for doing this, because it is part of their job, but they did jump in very quickly to oppose any change to the triple lock. I find that quite surprising, because in August 2021, the shadow Chancellor wrote a comment piece entitled “Unpick the triple lock”, and I understand that the view that it should be unpicked is shared by the current shadow Communities Secretary—the hon. Member for Weald of Kent (Katie Lam)—and at least one former Chancellor. It appears to me that the Conservative party is tying itself in knots on the matter. It would be very helpful if the Leader of the Opposition, or someone from her shadow Cabinet, came to the House to clear up the confusion.

Let me turn to the Budget. I did announce, in the forthcoming business, the date of the Budget and the beginning of the debate that will follow. I hope that in that debate the House will be able to reflect on Britain’s economic outlook. To that end, I draw to the House’s attention this week’s positive report from the International Monetary Fund, which upgraded our growth to 1.3% this year, joint second highest in the G7, and the comments of the IMF’s chief economist, who said that the UK “stands out”—his words, not mine—on deficit reduction, with our deficit falling significantly more than other G7 nations’. In other good news this morning, GDP has grown more than expected. We are not complacent, but the Chancellor is absolutely focused on priorities to boost business, help with the cost of living and support people in every postcode, all underpinned by the fiscal discipline that characterises this Government.

Flood Action Week—this ties in with what the right hon. Gentleman said about the situation in his constituency —started on Monday. The Government have invested £4.2 billion in flood protection measures, and we have new targets to improve flood protection for 200,000 properties. On Monday, we also launched the flood action online portal, which brings together clear, actionable guidance for people to check their flood risk and find the latest weather alerts.

On flooding, I thank Members on both sides of the House who have raised the issue regularly at business questions. To address the particular issue that the right hon. Gentleman rightly raised on behalf of his constituents, however, let me say two things further. First, if he wants to make his case to the Floods Minister, I will arrange for him to do so. Secondly, on making representations to the Chancellor, I will ensure that the Chancellor hears what he has said, although I will not say—because I do not know—what is in the Budget.

On the other points the right hon. Member made, I am not sure that he is being characteristically fair, as he normally is, because the Prime Minister has acknowledged that he misspoke. The right hon. Gentleman was out quite quickly, and rightly, to make his case yesterday, and the Prime Minister did respond. He said that he misspoke, he has apologised and he has corrected the record. There is no excuse for misspeaking in the House and I am not trying to explain that away, but this Prime Minister is characterised by an authenticity and a passion in the way that he responds. It is not unusual for Prime Ministers or anybody else to misspeak in the House. As long as they correct the record, which he has done, that should be put into perspective.

The right hon. Gentleman also raises the issue of Manchester City, and the Prime Minister again has been characteristically clear. He has made it clear that the initial judgment on the club is very serious and that no one is suggesting that anybody is above the rules. There is an ongoing independent process. It is important that it is allowed to run its course as quickly and as fairly as possible. At the end of that, if the Sport Minister needs to come to make a statement to this House, I am quite sure that she will do so.

[David Burton-Sampson (Southend West and Leigh) (Lab)]

As the shadow Leader of the House and the Leader of the House have pointed out, today is the fifth anniversary of the tragic murder of Sir David Amess in my constituency. My thoughts are with his family, his Conservative colleagues here and in Southend and all colleagues and constituents who knew Sir David. As his plaque behind me says, may his light remain.

The Children’s Parliament was founded by Sir David Amess, and it was a project that was close to his heart. I am delighted that, on this anniversary, we will be joined by the child MPs in Parliament, and I am sure that it will be a lively debate. Will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating the enthusiasm of these children, who are showing a keen interest in democracy at a young age?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in everything he said about Sir David Amess and in recognising the importance that he gave to involving young people in our parliamentary process. To that end, I welcome the child MPs to the House today. I wish them well in everything they do, and it is important that we support not just their learning about the political process but exploring how they can contribute more to it.

Business of the House

Debate between David Burton-Sampson and Alan Campbell

Thursday 16th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

That really is a catalogue of errors. I understand how concerned my hon. Friend’s constituent will be. If my hon. Friend provides me with the details, I will raise the matter with the appropriate Minister.

[David Burton-Sampson (Southend West and Leigh) (Lab)]

Under the former Conservative leader of Southend city council, who is now the leader of the Reform group, £4 million was budgeted for road and pothole resurfacing works, even though highways engineers had estimated that £6 million was needed just to keep them in the poor condition they were in. I am therefore delighted that the now Labour-led council has increased that funding to £13 million over the past two years, with the help of the Government’s pothole fund, and has put in a full programme of resurfacing works. Does the Leader of the House agree that the council team should be congratulated on getting Southend’s roads and pavements back on track?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating Labour-led Southend city council on its exceptional work in turning that situation around. We are providing £7.3 billion over the next four years for councils to fix potholes, and I am glad that Labour councils are using that money to improve their communities—unlike, as he points out, some Tory and Reform councils.

Business of the House

Debate between David Burton-Sampson and Alan Campbell

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I absolutely will not only congratulate Claire on the work she is doing but thank her for it, because it is so important, and I congratulate Team Charlie on everything they do. As I have said on previous occasions, such work is the golden thread that runs through our communities—it is the best of our communities, and I thank Claire for that.

[David Burton-Sampson (Southend West and Leigh) (Lab)]

Southend recently held its second City Day to celebrate and recognise us officially becoming a city following the tragic murder of Sir David Amess. This year the celebration stretched right across the city, including to Leigh-on-Sea in my constituency—a town filled with heritage and culture, and which I am backing to become UK town of culture 2028. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Councillors Matt Dent and Daniel Cowan, and the whole team at the city council, on their excellent work in delivering another brilliant City Day?

Business of the House

Debate between David Burton-Sampson and Alan Campbell

Thursday 20th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The right hon. Gentleman raises an important matter. He will know, having been in this House for quite some time, that it is a perennial problem. I will draw it to the attention of the Minister and see whether they might make a statement. The right hon. Gentleman might wish also to seek a debate on that matter.

[David Burton-Sampson (Southend West and Leigh) (Lab)]

At this time of year, the fireworks debate always rages. As a dog owner, I share my constituents’ view that we need legislation to make fireworks safer and more controlled, not just for the sake of animals, but for people too. I recently met the fireworks impact coalition, which is also calling for a review. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time to discuss this important issue further?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is not the first Member to raise that issue with me—especially over the past few weeks. As he knows, it is not just a question of the run-up to bonfire night; we are approaching end-of-year celebrations as well. Pet owners will once again be worried for their pets. It is important that measures on fireworks are proportionate, but this is such a big topic for MPs that if he were to secure a debate on it, he would find that it was particularly well attended.