Oral Answers to Questions

Jen Craft Excerpts

Wednesday 14th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Can I first say that I will arrange a new round of cross-party talks on social care, certainly before the end of the year, but hopefully within the next month? The former shadow Health Secretary from the main Opposition came, and I will make sure it is available to all parties in this House.

On the question about what is happening in Ukraine, obviously I am looking very much now at my meeting with President Zelensky in a couple of hours. I called him on Saturday because I recognised that it was another very dark and difficult moment for him as they contemplate a winter that will be severe for his people. I recognise that he is carrying the heaviest of weights right now and it is extremely difficult for him. What I have to do in my role is try and repair bridges so that the support comes back, and therefore I should, at this moment in time, be careful in terms of laying the ground to bring people back together. That is the role I intend to play. It is the right role for me to play in this moment. I will listen to President Zelensky carefully, but he will not be going away from Britain today empty-handed.

[Jen Craft (Thurrock) (Lab)]

Q5. The school of my six-year-old constituent Hollie does not allow siblings to attend school events. Her brother William has profound, multiple, life-limiting disabilities and needs 24/7 specialist care. He is also a delightful little boy. As they cannot bring William or leave him with a babysitter, this effectively means that Hollie’s parents must always stay away from school events, missing everything from parents’ evenings to Christmas plays and phonics workshops. Yet Catalyst Academies Trust, which runs the school, and its CEO, Tony Parfett, have repeatedly refused to make an exception to accommodate William or even to meet myself to discuss ways forward. Will the Prime Minister back my call for the Catalyst Academies Trust to do the right thing, and can he ensure that academy trusts are meeting their reasonable adjustment obligations to disabled children and their families?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for giving me advance knowledge of this case, and I will be honest in saying that it worries me. It is crucial, clearly, because of the circumstances that my hon. Friend describes in relation to Hollie’s school, that the family are able to spend as much time together as is possible. That is why I have asked the Department for Education to speak to the trust. It must be possible to resolve this situation. It should not be causing any stress to the family. I would ask that they do it without delay.