Oral Answers to Questions

Keir Starmer Excerpts

Wednesday 4th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. What are those two Members playing at? That is absolutely disgraceful. We have started PMQs. Either come in early or at least wait. Please start reading the room.

[The Prime Minister (Keir Starmer)]

It is a pleasure to welcome His Highness the Amir of the state of Qatar to the UK. I look forward to discussions this afternoon on how we are strengthening our relationship and boosting trade and investment, including an announcement today of a £1 billion investment in our new clean energy partnership.

Sunday marked World Aids Day, and we stand with all those we have lost and those living with HIV today. We will seek to end new cases of HIV in England by 2030.

I also note that we are joined in the Gallery today by Mandy Damari, the mother of Emily, a British citizen still being held hostage in Gaza. I have met Mandy a number of times, and in my view what she is going through is nothing short of torture.

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.

[Ian Roome]

I would like to concur with the comments the Prime Minister has just made. North Devon district hospital is the most remote hospital in mainland England. Its intensive care unit has only six beds, it is almost 50 years old, and it serves a population of 165,000 people. Can the Prime Minister assure my constituents that their hospital will receive the urgent funding that is needed under the new hospital programme, so that they will not face a more than two-hour drive to the nearest trauma unit?

[The Prime Minister]

The new hospital programme that we inherited was emblematic of the failures of the previous Government: making promises with no plan to deliver on them. We are committed to delivery, including the North Devon hospital. We are reviewing the programme to place it on a sustainable footing, and the Health Secretary will set out further details of the new delivery soon. In the meantime, we continue to support trusts to develop their schemes.

[Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire) (Lab)]

Q2.   I welcome the swift and decisive action this Government are taking to secure our borders after the Conservatives lost control. In particular, I welcome the world-first deal struck with Iraq last week to tackle smuggling gangs. Does the Prime Minister agree that international co-operation, shared intelligence and joint law enforcement are the best way to end the vile smuggling trade?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend. She is a superb champion for her constituents, and she is absolutely right. The previous Government left a broken asylum system. We have put a plan in place: the Border Security Command, backed by £150 million; 100 more National Crime Agency officers; and we are introducing counter-terror-style powers. My hon. Friend is right to say that our new international co-ordination includes the landmark Iraq agreement. The hard graft is already beginning to pay off, because 9,400 people who have no right to be here have been returned. That is a 30% increase on the numbers of last year. The Conservatives promised to get the flights off the ground. We have got them off the ground.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Leader of the Opposition.

[Mrs Kemi Badenoch (North West Essex) (Con)]

I pay tribute to Mandy Damari and her family for the strength they have shown. We on this side of the House, and I am sure the whole House, continue to seek the speedy release of Emily Damari and the other hostages.

The Prime Minister talks about immigration, so it is probably a good time to remind him that he was the one writing letters asking us not to deport foreign criminals. He and his party voted against every single measure we put in place to try to limit immigration. The question today is what has been on the lips of all Labour MPs, including, I believe, the Health Secretary yesterday. The Prime Minister knowingly appointed a convicted fraudster to be his Transport Secretary. What was he thinking?

[The Prime Minister]

The previous Transport Secretary was right to resign when further information came forward. What a marked contrast to the behaviour of the last 14 years. The Leader of the Opposition talks about immigration. There were record levels of immigration under the previous Government, with net migration of nearly 1 million, and she was the cheerleader. She was the one urging the removal of the caps on work visas. She thanked the previous Home Secretary for the work that was done. She championed it, she advocated it—record levels of immigration.

[Mrs Badenoch]

He is obfuscating, but I am going to keep him on the topic. He owes the House an explanation. He says that the former Transport Secretary was asked to resign only after further information came to light. What was that further information?

[The Prime Minister]

I am not going to disclose private conversations. Further information came to light, and the Transport Secretary resigned. What a marked contrast. While the right hon. Lady is obsessing with Westminster issues, we are getting on with fixing the mess and fixing the foundations, with that £22 billion black hole, our prisons bursting and, as we found out last week, net migration of nearly 1 million because of the Tory open borders policy.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I am not asking about migration; I am asking about the former Transport Secretary. He never answers any questions, and it looks like he did not ask his Transport Secretary any questions either. The truth is that he appointed a person convicted of fraud to the Cabinet, and the first thing she did was bung hundreds of millions of pounds in pay rises to her trade union friends. Was this not a fraud on the British people?

[The Prime Minister]

No. She says she is not talking about immigration, and I am not surprised. I advise her not to talk about the economy or immigration for another five years.

[Mrs Badenoch]

He can try to change the topic as much as he likes, but the public are watching. He owes them an explanation. The country needs conviction politicians, not politicians with convictions.

Now, on to an even bigger fraud: the Budget. Last week, the Prime Minister failed to repeat the Chancellor’s pledge of no more borrowing and no more taxes. It is obvious that they are coming back for more. In his manifesto, he committed to making Britain the fastest-growing economy in the G7. Does he stand by his own pledge?

[The Prime Minister]

I gently remind the right hon. Lady that two of her predecessors had convictions for breaking the covid rules. I also invite her to look at this morning’s OECD report, which has upgraded growth for next year and the year after, putting us on target to be the fastest-growing major economy in Europe in the next two years. She should welcome that.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I have seen the OECD report, and what it says is that they will be coming back for more taxes. The whole House will have heard him fail to repeat his own pledge. He cannot even repeat the pledges he made just a few weeks ago. We are here to stop him damaging the economy, and that is why—[Interruption.]

--- Later in debate ---

[The Prime Minister]

I thought the scripted jokes were over, but we had another one and then lectures about the economy from the Conservative party that broke the economy, sent mortgages through the roof and left a £22 billion black hole. The right hon. Lady talks about national insurance. She complains about the rise in national insurance week after week, but then two weeks ago she said that she would not reverse it. She signed trade deals that had farmers protesting in Whitehall, but now she pretends that she is their champion. She campaigned to remove the cap on migrant worker visas, but now she pretends she is furious about the open borders policy of the last Government.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The fact is that the Prime Minister has discarded his own Labour leadership promises: he has dropped the five missions he said would define his Government; he has ditched his pledge to make Britain the fastest-growing economy in the G7—we left office with the UK as the fastest-growing economy in the G7—and business is saying he has damaged the economy with his Budget. Tomorrow he is going to have an emergency reset, just five months into his premiership, but why should anyone believe a word he says?

[The Prime Minister]

The only relaunch on the Conservative Benches is the leadership bids of the right hon. Lady’s rivals. She obviously has not read the OECD report published this morning: the fastest growth in the next two years of any major economy in Europe—we are proud of that. Opposition Members should never be allowed to forget the damage they did to our country. They used Britain like some sort of mad scientist’s experiment: open borders, unfunded tax cuts, a neglected health service. And now all the madness is still coming out, but they say they should be back in office. They have not listened, they have not learned, and they certainly have not changed. There is only one party that is driving this country forward, and that is this Labour Government.

[Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)]

Q3. Today it is Question 3 but, who knows, next week I could be No. 1 in the charts, as the first MP this year to bring out a Christmas single. Will the Prime Minister join me in thanking my musical collaborator, the hugely talented Mal Pope, and everyone involved with this year’s “Everyone Deserves” hamper campaign, which will deliver festive food to 1,500 homes across five constituencies in south Wales? Like our song says, “There’s a reason for the season and everyone deserves a Christmas.”

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for her Christmas single; there is obviously going to be some rivalry in the race for No. 1 by Christmas—I will not be joining that particular race. I thank her and Mal Pope for their campaigning. I remember joining her a few summers ago in the work involving the hampers, which are much needed by her constituents. I know how much it means to them. Christmas is a time to think of others, and I pay tribute to her and all those supporting those in need. This Government will always support the most vulnerable in our society.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

[Ed Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)]

I, for one, will be downloading the song by the hon. Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris), and I join the Prime Minister in his delight about it. I also join him in support for Mandy Damari, and our joint hope that we will see Emily and other hostages released as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister has rightly spoken about the need to restore and rebuild the public’s trust in British politics. We believe a crucial part of that is reforming our electoral system to make it fairer and more proportional, and so do a majority of the British public. This House voted yesterday in favour of a Bill for electoral reform put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney). Will the Prime Minister make Government time available so we can consider that Bill about electoral reform and restore the public’s trust in our politics?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for referencing Emily. It is important that we all remember her and the awful torture that her mother is going through, as is the case for all the other hostages. It is hard to imagine what it must be like for anybody with friends or family who are still being held hostage after all this time.

Proportional representation is not our policy and we will not be making time for it. I will just gently say to the right hon. Gentleman that he did not do too badly under the system as it is.

[Ed Davey]

I am disappointed in that reply and hope that the Prime Minister will reflect on Labour’s policy.

Moving on to another pressing subject, more than 3 million people have been stuck on NHS waiting lists for more than 18 weeks. That is probably the worst, most appalling legacy of the last Conservative Government and it needs to be fixed. Does the Prime Minister accept that we will only get waiting lists down, and keep them down, if it is easier for everyone to see a GP when they need it? When he publishes his milestones tomorrow, will he include a guarantee with a timetable so that people will be able to see a GP within at least seven days, or 24 hours if it is urgent?

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the record of the last Government on the NHS: record waiting lists and record low confidence in the NHS. In addition to the economy and immigration, they had better not be talking about that for the last five years either.

We will be driving that down. We have already begun that work to make sure that we get those waiting lists down, and yes, of course, that includes making sure there is better access to GPs and other measures that need to be taken. That is a central driving mission of this Government.

[Alison Hume (Scarborough and Whitby) (Lab)]

Q5. Given that a significant number of Members of this place are, regardless of class, women of a certain age, does the Prime Minister agree that when a woman of a certain age—or indeed any woman, of any age and from any background—says that they have experienced sexual harassment or inappropriate behaviour, they should be listened to and supported and the perpetrator dealt with?

[The Prime Minister]

I certainly agree with that, and I think everybody across the House would. My hon. Friend is right, because one of the greatest barriers that women face when coming forward to report unacceptable behaviour in the workplace is having confidence that they will be taken seriously. That requires all of us to put in place mechanisms and arrangements to make that possible. Everybody should be treated with dignity and respect, and I am proud of the fact that our Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections from sexual harassment at work.

[Robin Swann (South Antrim) (UUP)]

Friday the 13th is a date associated with bad things happening. Next Friday, the European Union’s general product safety regulation will apply in Northern Ireland, creating more costs and bureaucracy for English, Scottish and Welsh companies that want to do business in Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland consumers buying from them. Many businesses have already stopped supplying Northern Ireland. Haulage companies are unsure of what is required of them. Online sales platforms are divided on the advice they give. A previous Prime Minister promised Northern Ireland businesses that if they were asked to complete additional paperwork, they should phone him and he would

“direct them to throw that form in the bin.”

What direct, tangible advice can the Prime Minister give to those businesses that want to continue supplying Northern Ireland?

[The Prime Minister]

That is a serious issue and the Government are working closely with businesses to ensure that they are ready for the changes that the hon. Gentleman has identified. We published more guidance yesterday, as he knows, to support them further. We will be keeping a close eye on the issue to help businesses trade freely across the whole of the United Kingdom.

[David Williams (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab)]

Q6. In Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove we are proud of our beautiful historic buildings. However, many of them lie dormant and blight our proud towns. Will the Prime Minister outline what steps the Government are taking to bring historic buildings back into use, and will he make time to visit my constituency to see for himself our untapped potential?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue and I will certainly consider his kind invitation. We will invest in heritage buildings, restoring pride and ensuring that they serve the needs of local communities. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded Stoke-on-Trent £250,000 to help preserve the city’s heritage. Historic England is also funding emergency repairs at the iconic Wedgewood Institute and supporting Re-form Heritage—whose office, I think, is based in my hon. Friend’s constituency—to employ staff dedicated to delivering heritage projects.

[Pete Wishart (Perth and Kinross-shire) (SNP)]

Q4. Today is the Scottish Budget, which contains provisions to reinstate the winter fuel payment for all Scottish pensioners—something that the Prime Minister famously took away from nearly all UK pensioners, supported by Scottish Labour Members of Parliament. But apparently Scottish Labour is now in favour of the winter fuel payment, so what is his advice to Labour MSPs? Is it to vote for the Budget, to ensure that Scottish pensioners get that single fuel payment, or is to stick with his view and vote that Budget down?

[The Prime Minister]

My advice to my team is to ensure that the SNP is absolutely clear that we have given the biggest settlement to Scotland this year in our Budget. The Scottish Government now have the powers and the resources. They have no more excuses for their failure to deliver.

[Clive Efford (Eltham and Chislehurst) (Lab)]

Q7.   A year ago today, this House defeated the then Government over the contaminated blood scandal compensation scheme. It is welcome that the present Government have set aside £11.8 billion for that compensation scheme, but as victims die every week, there is concern about the pace of payments, and the fact that rules are being changed behind closed doors in Whitehall without explanation, contradicting some of Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations. Does my right hon. Friend agree that next week’s meeting scheduled with the campaign groups representing the victims must represent the start of those infected and affected being involved in a process that they fought so hard for, and for so long, and that too many died and failed to see?

[The Prime Minister]

We are committed to acting on the findings of the infected blood inquiry, and ensuring swift resolution and compensating in full. That is why we announced £11.8 billion to compensate those who waited far too long for justice. I will happily make sure that my hon. Friend gets a meeting with the Paymaster General to discuss the issues that he has raised.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Q8.  Every day, pensioners in my Leicester South constituency are emailing me with one word: “frightened.” Susan, who has pulmonary fibrosis, wrote:“During winter I rarely go out as it’s too cold for my lungs. I need to keep warm and the heating on. The winter fuel payment was really helpful. I want MPs to know not all pensioners are millionaires (or receive gifts from millionaires), nor do we all get the higher rate of pension”.Susan is frightened that she will not be able to keep her house warm this winter, and she is not alone. Does the Prime Minister realise how frightening it is for the 8,100 pensioners in my constituency who have lost their winter fuel payment? As the winter months start to bite, will he come to Leicester to explain to Susan why he thinks this policy is not frightening?

[The Prime Minister]

As the hon. Member knows, the No. 1 job of this Government was to get our finances back in order after the mess that the last Government made, including leaving a £22 billion black hole. We had to make tough choices. The Opposition say that they want the benefits, but cannot say how they are going to pay for them. We want to make sure that the most vulnerable pensioners get the pension credit that they are entitled to. We are driving that up, and because we are stabilising the economy we can commit to the triple lock. That means a £460 uplift in the pension next year, so every pensioner will be better off under a Labour Government.

[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

Q9.  The Middlewich eastern bypass will support the delivery of nearly 2,000 new homes, 6,500 jobs and 1.5 million square feet of employment land. The previous Government, having first promised to fund it, dragged their feet, putting jobs and investment at risk. We are approaching the season of good will, so can the Prime Minister give my constituents an early Christmas present and offer some certainty about this vital infrastructure project?

[The Prime Minister]

We are committed to supporting drivers across the country, including by freezing fuel duty and investing £1.6 billion to maintain our roads. That is £500 million more than in the previous year. I know that my hon. Friend’s constituents have waited years for certainty on this scheme. The project is currently going through a Government assessment process, and I will make sure that he gets a meeting with the roads Minister to discuss it.

[Martin Wrigley (Newton Abbot) (LD)]

Q10. The major GP practice groups in my constituency have written to me, detailing their precarious finances. They are considering their options as they plan for the year ahead, including redundancies, handing back their contracts or bankruptcy, and they have stopped recruiting GPs, resulting in fewer patient appointments. The Health Secretary has promised an increased funding allocation but has yet to say when we will know how much it will be. Will the Prime Minister release the funding information and meet me and the GPs to hear at first hand about the pressures they are facing?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman is right to raise this. The Darzi report, which we commissioned, made it clear that the NHS was broken by the previous Government, and that is why we provided £22 billion of additional funding in the Budget this year to start the work of fixing our NHS. We do obviously value the vital work of GPs and, as he knows, we consult every year with the sector about the services they provide and the money they are entitled to in return, and we will set that out in the usual way.

[Alex McIntyre (Gloucester) (Lab)]

Q11.  Hollie Gazzard was murdered by her boyfriend outside her workplace in Gloucester 10 years ago. Since then, her family have established the Hollie Gazzard Trust, which educates young people on domestic abuse and stalking, and keeps women safe with its Hollie Guard app. Will the Prime Minister join me in paying tribute to Hollie’s family and the work of the Hollie Gazzard Trust, and will he update the House on the steps the Government are taking to tackle violence against women and girls?

[The Prime Minister]

A decade on, I am sure the thoughts of the whole House remain with Hollie’s family and friends. I join my hon. Friend in commending the vital work of the Hollie Gazzard Trust. In relation to the steps we are taking, we have a mission to halve the levels of violence against women and girls within a decade. That is really tough to do—nobody has ever committed to that before. I invite everybody across the House in join us in that. That will include, among the steps we are taking, placing domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms, to ensure that abuse is picked up early; launching a pilot of new domestic abuse protection orders; developing a national framework to track and target high-harm offenders; and strengthening stalking prevention orders. We will take other measures to make good on that commitment.

[Graham Leadbitter (Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey) (SNP)]

Q12. A WASPI—Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign—woman dies every 13 minutes. That is two women since the Prime Minister took to the Dispatch Box today, and it is 111 women every day, and nearly 17,000 since he took office. How many more WASPI women have to die before the Government take action to give them the financial redress and justice that they are due?

[The Prime Minister]

We are moving at pace on all relevant issues. We passed the Budget to provide the baseline for what we need, and we will continue to do so.

[Yuan Yang (Earley and Woodley) (Lab)]

Q13. Local councils in my constituency are facing significant financial pressures on special educational needs and disabilities provision. In Wokingham borough, for example, the SEND incidence is twice the national average, yet historically the level of funding has not met the level of need, and that has left families and children waiting too long for help. The previous Government’s safety valve programme was only a sticking plaster, so I welcome this Government’s announcement today of additional SEND funding in mainstream schools. What more can the Government do to make SEND funding sustainable?

[The Prime Minister]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this—I think this is the fifth or sixth time that SEND has been raised at Prime Minister’s questions. We inherited a system neglected to the point of crisis by the last Government, and so we will deliver the change that is desperately needed. That means increasing funding to the core schools budget by £2.3 billion, which includes almost £1 billion more on high needs budgets. Today we are announcing investment of £740 million to create SEN units in mainstream schools which deliver specialist support, and I am very pleased to take that forward.

[Dr Kieran Mullan (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

Q14. Members across this House are deeply concerned that the Post Office is considering closing more than 100 branches across our communities. More than 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing the closure of Bexhill post office. Does the Prime Minister agree that the Government must ensure that we protect vital post office services for all our constituents?

[The Prime Minister]

I recognise the campaigning of many, including the hon. Gentleman, on local services that their constituents rely on. The Post Office is required to maintain a network of 11,500 branches and to ensure that 99% of the UK population lives within 3 miles of a post office. Decisions about individual branches are for the Post Office to take, following consultation with local communities, but I am happy to ensure that he gets a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss his particular case.

[Lola McEvoy (Darlington) (Lab)]

In my constituency it is full steam ahead to 2025, when our town celebrates the 200-year anniversary of the railways with a nine-month festival. We are proud of our industrial contribution, but many in my area have concerns about the future of our rail industry. What assurances can the PM offer that he will get our railways back on track?

[The Prime Minister]

We are delivering on our commitment to bring railways back under public ownership, putting passengers first. Today, we have announced that South Western Railway services will be the first to transfer into public ownership next year, so that we can turn the page on decades of delay, fragmentation and failure.

[Kirsty Blackman (Aberdeen North) (SNP)]

Q15. Veteran Anne Puckridge is in the Gallery, and I urge the Prime Minister to meet her to talk about her frozen pension. Yesterday, the Daily Record reported that Scottish Labour MPs are very “upset”. Apparently, that upset is caused by their Scottish leader’s diktat that they now have to support the very winter fuel payment that they voted against in this place. As the Prime Minister comforts his upset MPs, will he remind them that the only people with the right to be upset are the 900,000 Scottish pensioners who were left in the cold by Labour’s cuts?

[The Prime Minister]

I work very closely with Scottish Labour in a harmonious way. We ran a fantastic campaign earlier this year, which is why the hon. Lady is sitting on the Benches at the back, not the Benches at the front.

[Liam Conlon (Beckenham and Penge) (Lab)]

I echo the words of Members across the House about Mandy Damari, who I also met this week, and who is from Beckenham.

Yesterday marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and I am proud to be one of the disabled MPs in this House. As a sixth-former, I became one of the youngest people in Britain to have a hip replacement, and I relied on a blue badge. Data released yesterday shows that blue badge theft has more than quadrupled in the past 10 years. Will the Prime Minister back my campaign to tackle blue badge theft and ensure that millions of disabled people can work, socialise and live an independent life?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for being a powerful voice for some of the most vulnerable in our society. Theft of a blue badge is appalling, depriving people of their independence and ability to travel with confidence. It has a real human impact every single time. That is why we are working closely with local authorities to help them tackle fraud and misuse, and I will make sure that my hon. Friend has a meeting with the relevant Minister to examine what more can be done.

[Gregory Stafford (Farnham and Bordon) (Con)]

Following on from the question asked by the hon. Member for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman), in the Gallery today is Anne Puckridge, a world war two veteran and an intense campaigner. She has flown over 5,000 miles from Canada to meet the Prime Minister to discuss frozen pensions, a policy that is denying her and half a million Brits who live abroad an increase in their pensions. I am sure Anne will not mind me saying that she will be 100 years old in a couple of days’ time. Will the Prime Minister reconsider his decision, and give Anne the best birthday present ever and meet her to discuss this issue?

[The Prime Minister]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising this issue. I think he will well know and understand that our position is a continuation of the position under the last Government.

[Richard Baker (Glenrothes and Mid Fife) (Lab)]

Does the Prime Minister share my concern at a report by Audit Scotland, which has found that the Scottish Government have no clear plan for the NHS in Scotland? As a Scottish Labour MP, I am delighted that this Government are providing £4.9 billion extra for public services in Scotland. Is it not time for SNP Ministers to get a grip and do better for patients in my constituency, who face some of the longest waiting times for surgery in Scotland?

[The Prime Minister]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this issue, because waiting lists in Scotland are appalling. That is why we make the argument that, now that the Scottish Government have the money and the resources, there are no more excuses for poor delivery.