Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Freddie van Mierlo

Wednesday 10th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this. As he knows, integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning palliative care and end-of-life services, including hospices, to meet the needs of their area, and that includes decisions on how services are funded, including medicines and pharmacy provision. I am happy to talk to him further about it.

[Freddie van Mierlo (Henley and Thame) (LD)]

Q14. Every time there is heavy rain, Judy Washington’s driveway and garden are flooded with raw sewage. The same happens to her neighbour, and it happened again last week. Thames Water told my office that it will not even look at the situation until the end of winter 2027. It is unacceptable that a lady in her retirement is shovelling sewage from her drive and waiting for human waste to decompose in her garden. Will the Prime Minister write to Thames Water on behalf of Judy and her neighbour to compel it to sort this out?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Member for raising this case—it is obviously awful. If he shares further details with my office, I will ensure that the Water Minister picks it up and acts as quickly as possible.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Freddie van Mierlo

Wednesday 25th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I want to say again what a shocking antisemitic attack this was in Golders Green, and to be absolutely clear that an attack on British Jews is an attack on all of us. On Monday morning, I met Jewish community leaders to talk through what we could do on ambulances, on security and on the social cohesion plan. I will also say that I was really struck by the fact that the Jewish community came out last week against the shadow Justice Secretary’s comments; they are standing in solidarity with Muslims who wanted to pray in Trafalgar Square. Equally, at the Eid events we had on Monday, Muslims stood in solidarity with our Jewish community. That is Britain, contrary to what the shadow Justice Secretary said last week, supported by the Leader of the Opposition. That is how far they have fallen.

[Freddie van Mierlo (Henley and Thame) (LD)]

Thames Water is lurching from crisis to crisis. Last year, it was let off record fines for pumping sewage into rivers by Ofwat. Ofwat is allowed to do that, under rules laid out in the Water Industry Act 1991. Will the Prime Minister consider scrapping those rules, to stop Ofwat letting water companies off the hook?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this deeply concerning matter. We are looking at what more we can do, because this has been of too much concern for too long, and we need to act.