Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Irene Campbell and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 25th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I know how important it is that we fix the crumbling roads that we inherited from the Conservative party. The hon. Gentleman’s county council will receive over £225 million as part of our £7.3 billion investment to tackle potholes. We are also implementing tough new standards so that councils have to prove that they are fixing the roads properly, and delivering £78 billion for councils to ensure that they can deliver excellent local services.

[Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)]

Q11. In 2024, 2.64 million animals were used in medical experiments in the UK. As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on phasing out animal experiments in medical research, I think it is important to note that an estimated 92% of drugs fail in human clinical trials, even though they have passed pre-clinical tests, including animal tests. Innovative non-animal research methods are increasingly available and provide viable alternatives. I very much welcome our “Replacing animals in science” strategy, but for this to be meaningful, a robust implementation timeline must be set. I ask the Prime Minister to consider leading the way by introducing an immediate ban on the use of dogs in these often-horrific experiments.

[The Prime Minister]

May I thank my hon. Friend for her dedicated work on this issue? We are committed to phasing out animal testing wherever possible. Last year’s strategy, backed by £75 million, will accelerate new alternative testing methods. Alongside banning puppy farming and introducing stronger standards for zoos, we are ensuring that the UK is a world leader in animal welfare.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Irene Campbell and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 3rd September 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We will not withdraw from the European convention on human rights. We do need to make sure that both the convention and other instruments are fit for the circumstances we face at the moment, and therefore of course we have been, as we have made clear, looking at the interpretation of some of those provisions. It would be a profound mistake to pull out of these instruments, because the first thing that would follow is that every other country in the world that adheres to these instruments would pull out of all their agreements with this country. That would be catastrophic for actually dealing with the problem.

[Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)]

Q5. Scotland has a proud heritage as one of the world’s great shipbuilding nations. On behalf of the defence industry workers across Ayrshire and beyond, I welcome the largest export deal for new warships ever secured by the UK. Does the Prime Minister agree that this shows how, under Labour, we can build on our proud past to secure a brighter future for our shipbuilding industry?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question. I was very pleased to get the call from the Prime Minister of Norway on Saturday night, telling us that the UK had won this contract, beating off competition from the US, France and Germany because of the quality of shipbuilding in this country. This is a £10-billion deal—15 years-worth of shipbuilding, particularly in places like the Clyde, and thousands of skilled jobs in Scotland. It shows the importance of the defence industrial strategy, and the importance of Britain being taken seriously again on the international stage. It comes on top of the record investment in defence that we have already announced earlier this year.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Irene Campbell and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 26th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise the concern about the situation at Heathrow and I think everybody is very concerned by what happened last week. There are clearly questions that need to be answered on a number of fronts in relation to what happened, and an investigation is ongoing. I will not announce particular parts of our policy and strategy here, at this stage.

[Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)]

Q12. In my constituency of North Ayrshire and Arran, the SNP ferry fiasco is having a devastating social and economic impact on Ardrossan and the Isle of Arran. As well as a CalMac ferry being built that does not fit into the existing harbour, the Fraser of Allander Institute estimates that the disrupted ferries cost the Isle of Arran £170,000 of lost revenue per day. Does the Prime Minister agree that the SNP Government need to find a rapid solution to swiftly address this serious situation?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for fighting SNP incompetence on behalf of her constituents. Yet again, the SNP is failing island communities. Hospital appointments are being missed and livelihoods destroyed. Scotland has a proud history of shipbuilding and engineering. The SNP should be supporting Scottish workers and focusing on delivering for our communities.