Oral Answers to Questions

Douglas Lumsden Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Douglas Lumsden (Aberdeen South) (Con)]

1. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to strengthen Wales’s place in the Union.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to strengthen Wales’s place in the Union.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Kinnock)]

A stronger Wales in a stronger United Kingdom—that will be my driving principle as Secretary of State for Wales, building on the outstanding work of my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff East (Jo Stevens). Just last week, the Prime Minister and I saw the strength of our Union in action on a visit to Port Talbot, where the UK Government have invested nearly £700 million to secure the future of Welsh steel, protect jobs and re-industrialise Wales.

[Douglas Lumsden]

New figures from August show that being part of our strong United Kingdom is worth an extra £2,720 to every person in Scotland, compared with the UK average. Does the Secretary of State agree that this demonstrates the economic benefits of our Union, and what assessment has he made of the financial benefits to Wales of being part of the United Kingdom?

Direction of Government

Douglas Lumsden Excerpts

Tuesday 1st September 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The Housing Minister has just assured me that we will look at the very issue my hon. Friend raises, so he may want to pursue that conversation with him.

[Douglas Lumsden (Aberdeen South) (Con)]

The Prime Minister spoke earlier about deindustrialisation. That is exactly what is happening in my constituency, but that deindustrialisation is being caused directly by Labour’s energy policies. The energy profits levy, the ban on new licences and the delay in approving Jackdaw and Rosebank are all having a huge impact on thousands of jobs. Will the Prime Minister take a different approach from his predecessor and protect jobs in the oil and gas sector?

Historical Forced Adoption

Douglas Lumsden Excerpts

Thursday 2nd July 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

It is never too late to issue an apology for wrongdoing—I wholeheartedly agree with that, and I pay tribute to all those who have campaigned, including the GMB and other trade unions. My hon. Friend is absolutely right about what went wrong. The question that should have been asked was, “What support can we give you to be able to bring up your baby?” not the questions that were asked. If that question had been asked, we would not be standing here today in the way that we are.

[Douglas Lumsden (Aberdeen South) (Con)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement today. I was a Member of the Scottish Parliament when it issued its own apology, and I know how important that was to those families. How will the Government work with devolved Governments to provide ongoing support, access to records and potential redress schemes to those affected?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Member for reminding us how important it was in Scotland as well. We have to work with the devolved nations on this. It is important that we do so constructively, positively and at speed, because everybody affected needs to know that we are all pulling together and that, where information and support is needed, it will be provided as quickly as possible.