Middle East

Debate between Keir Starmer and Shockat Adam

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I can give my hon. Friend our assurance on both those issues.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

I welcome the ceasefire and the release of the hostages, and I take solace in the knowledge—or at least in the hope—that unlike other debates of this nature, at the end of this one countless Palestinian children will not have been killed by the IDF. However, does the Prime Minister agree that the people of Gaza do not need a colonial viceroy, Tony Blair, anywhere near determining their future? The former Prime Minister, who has been in meetings with the Trump Administration, is proposing a US-administered Gaza, rebuilding Gaza as a resort on top of the mass graves of men, women and children. Will the Prime Minister condemn this plan and Tony Blair’s involvement in rebuilding?

[The Prime Minister]

I am not going to condemn a plan that I welcomed yesterday. I think it is a really important step forward—it is a step that almost everybody in this House has welcomed, including the hon. Member. What is important now is that we build on that plan. It will be for others to decide the particular representation, but of course there is the committee, which will be really important in relation to the day-to-day matters in Gaza and on which there must of course be proper Palestinian representation. These matters are still to be determined, but I really think it would be better if we did not try to unpick where we got to yesterday before we have even started to implement it and try to move forward. That would inevitably take us backwards.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Shockat Adam

Wednesday 7th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Q8.   This week, the Israeli Government approved a plan to officially conquer Gaza. Just yesterday, Minister Smotrich vowed that Gaza will be “entirely destroyed” and that the Palestinians will have to “leave in great numbers to third countries.” This follows the extermination of over 50,000 Palestinian men, women and children, and the simultaneous expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank—something I witnessed with my own eyes last week. Will the Prime Minister now finally acknowledge that ethnic cleansing is under way and end all UK military co-operation with Israel, especially the illegal provision of F-35 fighter jet parts, or will he risk making Britain complicit in war crimes and be the Prime Minister to see Britain answer at The Hague for its role in this atrocity?

[The Prime Minister]

Most of what the hon. Gentleman says is simply not right, but I want to address the position in Gaza and the west bank, because it is increasingly intolerable. I am deeply concerned, particularly with the lack of aid getting in and the impact that that is having on hundreds of thousands of individuals. That concern is something I recently reaffirmed to the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, where I asserted again that a two-state solution is the only viable approach for peace. Our focus is on delivering peace for Palestinians and Israelis, returning to the ceasefire, getting the hostages out, and getting in the humanitarian aid that is desperately needed in greater number and more quickly.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Shockat Adam

Wednesday 4th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[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.

G20 and COP29 Summits

Debate between Keir Starmer and Shockat Adam

Thursday 21st November 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I repeatedly pressed that matter not only at the G20 but elsewhere. That aid into Gaza is desperately and urgently needed, and in much greater volumes than are currently making their way through. I have argued consistently for the release of the hostages— that has to be the starting point—for that aid to get into Gaza and for all of us to work for a long-term solution here. It has to be a peaceful way to the two-state solution.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement. Like the rest of the House, I agree that we must be a leading voice on the global stage. However, I would like to ask the Prime Minister why it was necessary to travel with 470 officials to the G20. Notwithstanding the carbon footprint, there is the cost to the public purse, especially as I will have a lot of cold pensioners this winter.

[The Prime Minister]

The contingent this year was actually fewer than the contingent last year. It involved a wide number of individuals because a lot of negotiation, as the hon. Member probably well knows, goes on at COP, and it is vital that we are there doing that important work.