Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 10th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business of the House?

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Sir Alan Campbell)]

The business for the week commencing 14 September will include:

Monday 14 September—Consideration of an allocation of time motion, followed by all stages of the Sovereign Grant Bill, followed by motions to approve recommendations by the Modernisation Committee and Committee of Privileges and changes to Standing Orders following machinery of government changes, followed by a general debate on Israel and Palestine.

Tuesday 15 September—General debate on the potential merits of a full ban on fracking, followed by a general debate on World Sepsis Awareness Month. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

The House will rise for the conference recess at the conclusion of business on Tuesday 15 September and return on Monday 12 October.

The provisional business for the week commencing 12 October includes:

Monday 12 October—General debate on Baby Loss Awareness Week. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

Tuesday 13 October—Remaining stages of the Courts and Tribunals Bill, followed by consideration of a carry-over motion relating to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.

Wednesday 14 October—Opposition day (third allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition. Subject to be announced.

Thursday 15 October—Second Reading of the Highways (Financing) Bill.

Friday 16 October—Private Members’ Bills.

The provisional business for the week commencing 19 October includes:

Monday 19 October—Committee of the whole House of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, day one.

Tuesday 20 October—Conclusion of Committee and remaining stages of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.

Members may also want to know that, subject to the progress of business, the House will rise for the November recess at the close of business on Wednesday 4 November and return on Tuesday 10 November. The House will rise for the Christmas recess at the close of business on Thursday 17 December, and will now return on Tuesday 5 January 2027. The House will rise for the February recess at the close of business on Thursday 11 February 2027 and return on Monday 22 February. The House will rise for the Easter recess at the close of business on Thursday 25 March and return on Monday 12 April. The House will rise for the May Bank holiday recess at the close of business on Thursday 29 April and return on Tuesday 4 May. The House will rise for the Whitsun recess at the close of business on Thursday 27 May and return on Monday 7 June. The House will rise for the summer recess at the close of business on Thursday 22 July.

--- Later in debate ---

[John Lamont]

I am grateful to the Leader of the House for outlining the business and, of course, the recess dates. It is always good to look forward to the next recess.

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the appalling terrorist attacks on the United States. We remember the thousands of innocent people who went to work that morning, boarded aircraft or reported for duty in the emergency services, and never returned home. We remember their families and all those whose lives were changed forever. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of visiting the 9/11 Memorial in New York. Standing where the Twin Towers once stood, it is an incredibly moving experience and a powerful reminder of both the terrible events of that day and the courage and resilience that followed them. A quarter of a century on, we should never forget the victims, nor should we ever waver in our determination to confront terrorism and defend the freedoms and values that those responsible sought to attack.

I turn now to matters closer to home. The Leader of the House has announced that the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will be rushed through the House over a couple of days in October, with no separate Report stage. That is very little time to consider such a complex Bill, particularly as the Government are reported to be preparing to table over 100 amendments. Will the Leader of the House ensure that the Government amendments are tabled before the House rises on Tuesday, and will he explain why the Government are not providing a separate Report stage?

There seems to be growing chatter on the Government Benches about an early general election, with some Labour Members apparently wondering whether the new Prime Minister might even go to the country before Christmas. The Leader of the House is of course a man right at the heart of Government decision making and will know better than most what is being discussed in Downing Street. So for the benefit of increasingly nervous Labour Back Benchers, can he give the House a simple assurance today: will this Parliament run its full course, or will the new Prime Minister already be running away from difficult decisions?

Turning to Scotland, last week the SNP Government published their latest programme for government. After nearly two decades in power, Scotland was promised renewal. Instead, as Russell Findlay put it, we got more “meddling” and “gimmicks”—more centralisation, more bureaucracy and yet more attempts to distract from the SNP’s dire record in office. This was on full display when the PISA school results were published recently, showing that Scotland’s once world-class education system is now considered to be just average.

Of particular concern to my constituents is the extraordinary proposal by the SNP Government to abolish Scotland’s 14 territorial health boards and replace them with just two. This means the abolition of NHS Borders as we know it. People in my constituency in the Scottish Borders have already experienced the consequences of SNP centralisation with Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. They do not want vital healthcare decisions taken further away from the communities those services exist to serve. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to the hard-working staff NHS Borders, and call on an increasingly centralising SNP Government not to forget rural and remote communities in Scotland?

Finally, farming is the backbone of communities across the Borders and across rural Britain. Despite the enormous concern expressed by farmers and farming businesses, Labour’s family farm tax is now in force. Ahead of the Budget next month, will the Leader of the House convey a very simple message to the Chancellor: listen to our farmers, recognise the damage this tax is doing to confidence and succession planning, and finally do the right thing—scrap the family farm tax?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank the deputy shadow Leader of the House for his remarks. Before I turn to his specific questions, may I remind the House that today is World Suicide Prevention Day? When someone takes their own life, the impact on family and friends is devastating and widespread. Today is an opportunity for all of us to unite behind one clear and unambiguous message: suicides are preventable. I want to place on record my sincere thanks to the many community groups and charities across the country that offer compassionate, lifesaving support to those affected. I am very grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist) for her thoughtful contribution in leading the Westminster Hall debate on this matter on Tuesday. This Government are firmly committed to tackling suicide, and the new mental health hubs and emergency centres announced over the summer represent a crucial step forward in delivering early community-based support.

As the deputy shadow Leader of the House said, tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I, too, have seen the site of the attacks, and it is a harrowing reminder. We remember the 2,977 innocent lives lost, including 67 British citizens, and the countless families whose lives were forever changed. We pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery of the first responders—the firefighters, the police officers and the medical personnel—who risked and sacrificed their lives running towards the danger in order to save others.

It has been an important week for Government announcements. On Tuesday, the Foreign Secretary set out our response to illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories. The Government have announced targeted sanctions, introducing an important ban on goods originating from illegal settlements and taking action against companies and individuals providing services, infrastructure or finance for settlement expansion. As we have made clear, these settlements are illegal and the occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful. The Chancellor set out this week how the Government will make Great Britain “Growth Britain” again. We will drive devolution and provide more public leadership and control, and with more investment, more innovation and more jobs, there will be growth in every postcode.

Let me now turn to the remarks of the deputy shadow Leader of the House. On the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, which I have just announced we will be taking shortly after the conference recess, I have announced two days on the Floor of the House for Committee stage and remaining stages. It is often the case, when matters are dealt with on the Floor of the House, that a Report stage is either unnecessary or there is not a great deal of time, but I will take away what he says. I will also take away his point about ensuring that amendments are timely. We want to go further in Committee, with a substantial package of amendments to safeguard our Operation Banner veterans. None of the protections were included in previous legislation, which instead left our veterans in legal limbo, so although I do take into account what the hon. Gentleman has said, we will take no lessons from the Conservative party.

The hon. Gentleman mentioned chatter about an early general election. If there is any such chatter, it is on the Opposition side of the House. I would just say to those on the other side of the House to be careful what they wish for. The Prime Minister, as he has made clear, has no intention of calling an early general election, because there is an important job to do and he is determined to get on with it. I think he has made a fantastic start and he intends to continue doing everything we can to make our country a better place to live and work in again.

The hon. Gentleman talked about the situation north of the border and mentioned Scottish education. I remember when Scottish education was the model for education not just in the United Kingdom, but often around the world. All I would say on the matter is that the apparent lack of ambition from the current Government north of the border stands in stark contrast with our ambition for every young person on this side of the border.

I am happy to pay tribute to NHS staff in the hon. Gentleman’s area, as I would for NHS staff everywhere, and I agree with him. This Prime Minister and this new Administration are very clear that we believe devolution is the way forward: decisions taken locally where they affect people is the way forward, rather than centralisation. Therefore, I agree with what the hon. Gentleman has said.

As far as farming is concerned, obviously I am not going to comment on what might or might not be in the Budget. I simply point out that we are supporting farming, not least with the £65 million extra that we have provided.