Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Harpreet Uppal and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 3rd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We put record investment into the NHS to clear up the mess that the hon. Gentleman and others left behind. Since he brings up elections, I have studied the Reform candidate for Makerfield: a self-professed sexist who said women who get an abortion do it for “vanity purposes”, who encouraged people not to get the covid vaccine and who said Russia was “within its rights” to invade Crimea. Reform has nothing to offer but grievance and division yet again.

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s comments on Henry Nowak and the calls for calm over division.

The rugby league family lost a giant last week. John Kear, the former England, Wales and challenge cup-winning coach died suddenly on Sunday afternoon on his journey north after commentating on the challenge cup final at Wembley the previous day. After playing for Castleford, his local team, he moved to teaching and coaching for a total of 700 matches with nine clubs, and his career included famous underdog challenge cup wins with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 and Hull FC in 2005. John loved, and in turn was loved by, his sport. Will the Prime Minister join me in paying tribute to John and sending condolences to his wife Dawn and his family and friends?

[The Prime Minister]

I pay tribute to John. We were all deeply sad to hear of his passing. He was a remarkable athlete and coach, and an energetic and enthusiastic champion of his sport. He will be missed by supporters across the country and my thoughts—all our thoughts—are with his wife Dawn, his family and his friends at this sad time.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Harpreet Uppal and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 22nd October 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Member for raising that. Added to the list of shocking things the last Government left us is the shocking state of NHS dentistry—broken, like everything else under the last Government. We are rolling out extra urgent care appointments. In Somerset, the integrated care board is expected to deliver over 13,000 extra dental appointments this year; I will give her more details in due course. We are also reforming the dental contract, which will shift focus on to retaining NHS dentists.

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

Ahmad Al Ibrahim was only 16 years old when he was fatally stabbed in Huddersfield. His life was cruelly taken away in what the police described as an “unprovoked” and “motiveless” attack. Following a visit to Netherhall learning campus in my constituency last week, I know how important this issue is for young people. Will the Prime Minister commit to redoubling efforts to tackle serious violence and knife crime through more visible policing, stronger prevention and investment in youth services?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that devastating case. My thoughts, and I am sure those of the whole House, are with the family and friends. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are increasing penalties for the illegal sale of knives and giving police new powers to seize knives likely to be used for violence or cause harm. We have also launched a coalition to tackle knife crime, to bring together campaigners and community leaders to tackle the root causes of knife crime and help protect the next generation.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Harpreet Uppal and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 22nd January 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We are committed to that because this is a serious review into our defence. The review needs to ensure we understand the challenges we face and have the capability to deal with those challenges in the modern era, so that is the exercise that is going through. We have committed to the path to 2.5%. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the last time 2.5% of GDP was spent on defence was under the last Labour Government, and that is the difference between the approach on this side of the House and the approach on that side of the House.

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

Q9.   Huddersfield royal infirmary has recently reduced its elective waiting list from a high of 4,000 to just 20. Will the Prime Minister join me in paying tribute to NHS staff at my local hospital? Will he ensure that the NHS learns from the HRI’s innovative approaches, such as the use of AI for scans and its partnership with the University of Huddersfield’s national health and innovation campus? When the Prime Minister does his hospital tour, may I also invite him to Huddersfield to see the transformative work being done?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend, because the achievements of hard-working staff at Huddersfield royal infirmary prove that we can bring down waiting times through our plans for change. It is important that we are applying that best practice and innovation across the NHS. We must do more. We inherited record waiting lists and we are now bringing them down.