Business of the House

Karen Bradley Excerpts

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I join my hon. Friend in commending the Chester One City plan and the work of all the councillors involved. Characteristically, she hides her light under a bushel, because she was a very distinguished leader of that local authority. I am sure that a lot of the work that she is now seeing may well have started under her fantastic leadership. If she wants to highlight this issue and to reflect on the importance of local councillors working for their communities, I would encourage her to apply for a Westminster Hall debate, because I am sure other hon. Members will want to reflect on similar issues and councillors in their own areas.

[Dame Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) (Con)]

Mr Speaker, may I join the Leader of the House in his comments about Helen Haines, who is a close personal friend of our mutual friend, Speaker Milton Dick? I am in touch with Milton for progress on her condition, and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.

Mr Speaker, I know how important it is to you that Ministers are scrutinised properly by this House, so I am sure that you will join in my disappointment at learning that the Home Secretary’s diary office claim that there is not a single moment between now and Christmas when the Home Secretary can come in front of the Home Affairs Committee. If that is the case, then since her appointment in October 2025, she will have appeared only twice in the period up to the end of the year.

The Liaison Committee wrote to the Leader of the House about this matter and I know that he has responded to those comments, but will he use his good office to sit down with the Home Secretary’s diary secretary to see whether he can find a space for her to come and see the Home Affairs Committee? We will be very flexible—we can find a time and date that suits her—but we would really like to see her before Christmas, and I hope that the Leader of the House can help us facilitate that.

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The work of Select Committees is extremely important, as I have said on many occasions, and the scrutiny of Ministers is an essential part of that process. The right hon. Lady is an experienced Chair and represents her Committee extraordinarily well, but I know that the Home Secretary also takes her accountability to Parliament seriously. I am aware that she has appeared before the Home Affairs Committee before—the last date might have been on 15 September—but I have no doubt that she, her office and her diary secretary will want to look at a further date with the Committee in the not-too-distant-future.