Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mary Glindon

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that. I spoke to the Taoiseach about it in December, and I know that he is committed to delivering on this issue. The new legacy unit has been established in the Garda, and I am confident that the Irish Government’s other commitments will be delivered as set out in the joint framework. For the first time, information held by the Irish authorities is being shared with the reformed legacy commission, meaning that more families and victims of terrorism are getting information about what happened to their loved ones.

[Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend) (Lab)]

Q7. I welcome the Prime Minister’s leadership and our Government’s clear commitment to tackling child poverty, recognising that high-quality education is one of the best routes out of poverty. However, young people in one of the most deprived areas of my constituency who are attending Churchill community college have been taught in temporary accommodation for over 16 months. Can the Prime Minister use his good offices to expedite funding from the Department for Education to support rebuilding that school?

[The Prime Minister]

I am proud of what we are doing on child poverty, lifting half a million children out of poverty. The Conservatives’ policy is to plunge them straight back into poverty, and they should be ashamed of that. The situation my hon. Friend draws my attention to is appalling. Parents and teachers are furious that the Conservatives left schools literally crumbling. We invested £20 billion to rebuild around 800 schools, and our aim is that all schools and colleges in England that are not being fully or substantially rebuilt are free from RAAC—reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete—by the end of the Parliament. I will ensure that a Minister meets her to discuss this issue.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mary Glindon

Wednesday 6th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We are listening to farmers, and the Environment Secretary and Treasury Ministers met with the NFU on Monday. We have taken a fair and balanced approach: the vast, vast majority of farms will not be affected. What I will also say is that having grown up in a rural community, I know that rural communities also need an NHS that is back on its feet, schools that their children can go to and homes that their families can afford to live in, but we will continue to talk to the NFU and others.

[Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend) (Lab)]

Q9. This week, the Leader of the Opposition told us that any outrage at suitcases full of wine and karaoke machines in Downing Street while people across the country were told to stay at home was all “overblown”. For the people and businesses in my constituency who followed the rules—many of us at great personal cost—this is an insult. Will the Prime Minister join me in ensuring that we as a country learn the lessons from covid, and that the Conservatives as a party learn the lessons of their behaviour too?

[The Prime Minister]

Across the country, people made enormous sacrifices during covid. They missed weddings, births and deaths—really important moments in their and their families’ lives. In doing so, they saved the lives of people they will probably never meet. That was a collective effort, and unfortunately the party opposite, who set the rules, did not follow them themselves. It was a betrayal of those who did, and I think the Leader of the Opposition was wrong to describe the public anger and upset as “overblown”. I am sure she will want to clarify that at the first opportunity.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mary Glindon

Wednesday 16th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We are looking at that, because those are obviously abhorrent comments, as the right hon. Gentleman rightly says, along with other really concerning activity in the west bank and across the region. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire: the death toll has surpassed 42,000 and access to basic services is becoming much harder. Israel must take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties, to allow aid into Gaza in much greater volume, and to provide the UN and humanitarian partners the ability to operate effectively. Along with France, the UK will convene an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address that.

[Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend) (Lab)]

Q9. It has been an honour to meet my constituent Tom Morton, a young person in care who cares so deeply about politics and communities—he is sat in the Public Gallery today. Young people in care are at disproportionate risk of criminal and cynical exploitation by drug barons through county lines. Will the Prime Minister tell Tom and the House what steps the Government will take to prevent vulnerable children in care from becoming involved in county lines operations?

[The Prime Minister]

I welcome Tom to the House. It is encouraging to see young people engaging in democracy. County lines is a real problem, and all of us will have experienced its effect and impact in our constituencies. Our county lines programme focuses on preventing young people from being exploited and lured into criminal gangs, which is far too common, and we are committed to introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation—that is long overdue. We will also create a network of Young Futures hubs, staffed with professional youth workers, mental health support workers and career advisers, to provide focused support for young people, helping them to fulfil their ambitions and preventing them from being drawn into crime.