Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 16 July.

[The Prime Minister (Keir Starmer)]

There has always been support across this House for the United Kingdom fulfilling our obligations to Afghans who served alongside British forces. We warned in opposition about Conservative management of this policy, and yesterday the Defence Secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a super-injunction and a secret route that had already cost hundreds of millions of pounds. Ministers who served in the Conservative Government have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen. The Chair of the Defence Committee has indicated that he intends to hold further inquiries. I welcome that and I hope that those who were in office at the time will welcome that scrutiny.

President Macron’s state visit last week saw us secure historic agreements: co-ordinating our nuclear deterrents; a major investment in Sizewell C; and a landmark returns deal, which is a crucial next step in restoring order to our immigration system. Tomorrow I will host Chancellor Merz for further talks on our security and the economy. This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

[Jacob Collier]

Families in Burton and Uttoxeter are watching their smart meters like hawks, and dreading the moment when their energy bill lands on the doormat. I therefore welcome Labour’s warm home discount, which will mean £150 off energy bills for millions of people across this country, providing meaningful support in these difficult times. Will the Prime Minister set out how that will help support families in my constituency and across the country?

[The Prime Minister]

I met my hon. Friend’s constituent Nicola in her kitchen, and she told me how hard she is working to support her three children, but that the past decade has let her down, with false promises and public services a wreck. She told me about the difference the warm home discount will make, and that £150 off her energy bills—she had a meter in her kitchen, if I recall, recording how much energy she was using—would make all the difference to her. I promised Nicola and my hon. Friend that there is much more to come.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 26th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We are investing £100 million in adult and children’s hospices to improve facilities, equipment and accommodation, as well as £26 million in funding through the children’s hospice grant. [Interruption.] Conservative Members’ cries and moaning would have a lot more value if they started their questions with an apology for crashing the economy in the first place.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

Q7. Roads in Burton and Uttoxeter and across Staffordshire are littered with potholes. Local people are forking out thousands because of the Conservatives’ neglect and incompetence, despite this Labour Government giving Tory Staffordshire county council £39 million to get the job done. Does the Prime Minister agree that the people of Staffordshire deserve better than roads with more dimples than a Staffordshire oatcake?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right. Potholes are a real nuisance; if somebody is using their car or van for work and they hit a pothole, they are looking at a bill of several hundred pounds, which for many working families is unbudgeted for. That is why we are handing the West Midlands combined authority an additional £8.6 million to help repair its roads, as part of a record £1.6 billion invested across the country. On top of that, every council must now publish how many potholes it has filled so that we can show that we are making progress and delivering—something that did not happen under the last Government.

Ukraine

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Monday 3rd March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

As soon as we have any details around plans, I will bring them to the House so that they can be fully discussed, because this needs to be not just a short-term response but a much longer-term assessment of how we ensure that Europe is kept safe and secure.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his continued leadership on the world stage. These past few days, I have felt particularly proud to be British, so I thank him for that. The Government are rightly already using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction, but what further actions are being considered to ensure that Russia pays the full financial cost of its illegal invasion?

[The Prime Minister]

Russia is already paying the cost through the interest. We need to look at whether we can go further on that, but it is complicated and we have to act with others. I will see what progress we can make, and let the House know if there is progress.

Defence and Security

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his service. Our position on the UN resolution was clear from the way we voted yesterday. I think that sends a very powerful signal of where we stand, and that is with Ukraine.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement today, his commitment to 2.5% defence spending and his continued engagement with our international partners. As we are a proud maritime nation that is facing threats from Russian interference with undersea cables and from incursion into our waters by the shadow fleet, does he agree that now is the time to bolster our Royal Navy?

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, I think it is important that we bolster across our forces. There are threats on land, threats in the air, threats at sea and, indeed, threats under the sea. It is important that we can meet all those threats.

G20 and COP29 Summits

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Thursday 21st November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement, and for his display of unity with the French President Emmanuel Macron on Armistice Day. We have gone from Tory Prime Ministers who question whether France is even an ally, and who leave Normandy early, to a Labour Prime Minister who stands shoulder to shoulder with our French and European allies. Does the Prime Minister agree that strong alliances with our European neighbours are crucial to our peace and security?

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, I do. To attend the Armistice Day in France was a special and important—[Interruption.] I am sorry? I was saying that it was a very special and moving occasion, on which we remembered all those who lost their lives for our freedoms. I am not sure why the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden) wanted to chunter through that. We were able to collectively reflect on all those who lost their lives, not only in the first world war, but in every conflict since. We should never lose sight of the fact that many of those whom we lost are buried in France, and it was a very special moment to be there.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 13th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Member for raising this case, and for all he is doing on behalf of Catherine and David—I hope they get some comfort from knowing that they have an MP working so hard on their behalf. It is a complex and difficult situation, but of course I will make sure that the relevant meetings are set up with the relevant Ministers to ensure the right hon. Member gets the answers he needs on behalf of his constituents.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

Q8.   My constituency is the home of UK brewing, and has the best pubs in the country. The Prime Minister is welcome to join me for a pint to sample the very best beer in the world. As this Government look to reform business rates and consult on those changes, will he commit to ensuring that pubs and hospitality have a seat at the table?

[The Prime Minister]

The last time I went to my hon. Friend’s constituency I got to see the fantastic South Derbyshire college. I look forward to testing his proposition that he has the best pubs in his constituency on some future occasion. Pubs and breweries are such an important part of our culture and our communities. That is why the Budget delivered an £85 million per year tax cut for pubs, reducing the duty on a pint. We also delivered a 40% relief on business rates for next year, permanently lowering them the year after. We are protecting small businesses by more than doubling the employer allowance to £10,500.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jacob Collier and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 6th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We introduced a Budget to fix the foundations of this country and to rebuild our country. One of the issues we had to confront was the £22 billion black hole left by the last Government. We have taken the tough decisions that will stabilise our economy. This means we can commit to the triple lock, which means that pensioners will be better off, seeing an increase in their pension, than they would have been under the Conservative party.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

Q2. Every week I meet hard-working families in Burton and Uttoxeter who are juggling raising their children with managing their family finances. When they hear the Conservative party and its new leader say that maternity pay has “gone too far,” they are terrified about what that means for them. To ease the worry felt by thousands of hard-working families, will the Prime Minister please confirm that he has no plans to change maternity pay or to roll back the hard-won rights of working families?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is a champion for families in his constituency. My answer is simple: yes. I do not agree with the Leader of the Opposition when she says that maternity pay is excessive and has gone too far.