Business of the House

Jonathan Brash Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

First of all, I join the shadow Leader of the House in paying tribute to Sir John Stanley, who was a committed and long-standing Member of Parliament and a highly respected Minister. He gave 41 years of continuous service to this House and to his constituents.

Let me also congratulate one of our senior Doorkeepers, Paul Barwell, on his outstanding 20 years’ service to this House. I know all Members value the excellent support of the Doorkeepers, and I am sure the whole House joins me in thanking Paul for his commitment and service.

I join the shadow Leader of the House in sending congratulations to Joe Root on his inaugural test century in Australia. I also send—I hope on behalf of the whole House—our condolences to the friends and family of the legendary Robin Smith, who unfortunately died recently.

This House is embracing the Christmas spirit. We have seen the arrival of Christmas trees. I note that at least one came from Kielder forest in Northumberland; as a north-east MP, I am very proud and very grateful for that.

On wider matters this week, on World AIDS Day, the HIV action plan was published. It commits to one of the most ambitious public health goals of our time: ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. We will tackle the barriers to accessing treatment, such as stigma, discrimination and inequality, backed by the first ever national investment in engagement initiatives.

I hope that this weekend Members across the House will be supporting the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses on this year’s Small Business Saturday. Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. They provide essential services, create jobs and drive growth. The Government are determined to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, fostering a culture for risk-takers in every community and high street by removing the barriers that had held them back too long. The festive season is a critical time for many small businesses and I hope they are set for a bumper Christmas.

To keep communities safe over the busy Christmas period, we announced a further crackdown on town centre crime. Police and local partners will work together to tackle shop theft and street crime across hundreds of our town centres. We also want people to stay well this winter. One of the ways we will be doing that is by rolling out online access to nearly every GP practice, benefiting patients across England. We promised to end the 8 am scramble. This is a massive step towards that ambition, making it easier and faster to get GP appointments.

Let me now turn to the questions from the shadow Leader of the House. He mentioned growth in the economy and the Budget. Of course, central to the Budget was our ambition to get growth moving. I gently point out that growth has been moving in the right direction and that we are the second-best performer in that regard in the G7.

On the start of Prime Minister’s questions, Mr Speaker has already made very clear his views on this subject. I, too, make it clear in Cabinet, on matters around statements and questions, that it is important that when Ministers come to this place, they are held to account and that they do so within the conventions of this House. As I have said before, in some senses Ministers, including the Prime Minister, cannot really win on this one, because if they do take time to update the House on something important, they are sometimes told, “That was not the right time to do it,” but if they do not tell the House about important events that are going on, they are criticised for that too. I do think there needs to be some balance.

With regard to the defence matters that the shadow Leader of the House raised, it is very important that we see investment in drone companies; indeed, there is a very successful and expanding drone company in my constituency. I will draw his concerns to the attention of Defence Ministers. I do not agree with the slant that he put on the Government’s approach to these matters. We take national security very seriously. The Prime Minister takes national security very seriously. He is aware of the current and growing threats, and is determined that our country be ready to step up and meet those threats. I will draw the concerns of the shadow Leader of the House to the attention of Defence Ministers and see whether we can get a statement at the earliest opportunity.

[Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)]

Last week was Parliament Week, and like Members across the House I had the chance to visit some of the brilliant schools in my constituency, to hear from Hartlepool children about the things that matter to them at St Teresa’s, St Peter’s Elwick, West View, and Eldon Grove academy, where pupils showed me their brilliant campaign comics on litter, bullying and the environment. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Hartlepool’s extraordinary young people, and the brilliant school staff who support them, for their outstanding contributions to our community?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I do, of course, join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Hartlepool pupils and staff who organised the events that he refers to. I was pleased to be involved in a number of Parliament Week events myself, and I would encourage all Members across the House to engage with schools in their communities, not just on Parliament Week but throughout the year, to make sure that we engender a better understanding of this place.