Business of the House

Kirsteen Sullivan Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

First, may I say that my thoughts are with the friends and families of the young people who have died and others who are currently unwell as a result of the meningitis outbreak in Kent?

I also place on record our tribute to Phil Woolas, who was a greatly respected and admired colleague and played a considerable role in modernising the Labour party. I am sure the whole House will join me in sending our condolences to his friends and family.

Let me join the shadow Leader of the House in praise of President Zelensky and what he said earlier this week. A new defence pact has been agreed this week between the UK and Ukraine. By deepening our defence partnership, we are strengthening Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from Putin’s ongoing attacks while ensuring that the UK and our allies are better prepared to meet the threats of the future.

As the shadow Leader of the House said, we were honoured to listen to President Zelensky on Tuesday. I must thank you, Mr Speaker, for the role you played in organising the event, as well as in making clear the House’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.

I will mention another couple of things, if I may, before I get to the comments made by the shadow Leader of the House. On Monday, the Modernisation Committee launched an inquiry into Backbench Business Committee and Petitions Committee debates as part of an ongoing inquiry on how time is used in this place. Both Committees play a vital role in bringing key issues of local, national and international importance to the House. Members will have received an online form seeking their views. I encourage all Members to engage with the inquiry.

This morning, the response of the House administration to the Modernisation Committee’s report on accessibility in the House of Commons was published. I thank all who contributed to the inquiry and the House authorities for the progress they are making on addressing the important matters raised in the report. As I committed, the House will have the opportunity to consider the report in due course.

Let me turn to the comments of the shadow Leader of the House. First, I thank him for the support he has given for what we have already done on the price of fuel oil. Let me reassure his Herefordshire constituents, and indeed the House, that the Government keep these matters in the forefront of our mind and under close scrutiny, and if necessary we will take further action.

I agree with the shadow Leader of the House on one point: that we should be concerned about potential spikes in fuel prices during crises. I have to say, he made an admirable case for energy independence and the policy of the Government.

The shadow Leader of the House talked about the North sea as a matter of concern. It is a matter of concern for the whole country, and particularly for constituencies in the region that I represent. I have to point out that the North sea is a mature oil and gas area, so some of the things he said have happened there are not surprising. It is mature and, in that sense, declining, but gas and energy from the North sea will be part of the energy transition in the UK for some decades to come. The big lesson that we learn from this crisis is that we have to get off the rollercoaster of oil and gas, which means getting off fossil fuels and on to home-grown clean power. He talked about the Government’s inaction, but we are bringing forward the next auction for renewables, extending solar and accelerating the warm homes plan roll-out.

The shadow Leader of the House talked about the loss of jobs in the area. I have to point out that a 70% fall in jobs in the North sea came about during the time of the Government of which he was a supporter. In terms of turning it around, it would take a decade between starting to explore and extracting oil. Not a single barrel of extra oil extracted from the North sea today will reduce prices for consumers. If he will not take my word for it, let him take the words of the Conservative Energy Minister in 2022, who said that

“more UK production wouldn’t reduce the global price of gas.”

As the shadow Leader of the House said, you could not make it up.

On the question of steel, there will be a statement later today about our steel strategy going forward. The idea that we do not value these national assets is, I am afraid, simply untrue. We have acted already on Scunthorpe, and we will be acting not just on steel, but on other matters of national importance, because they are in our national interest.

[Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Last Saturday, Nicola’s women’s support group celebrated its first anniversary, marking a year of welcoming women in West Lothian to connect, share experiences and offer a listening ear. Nicola’s was founded in memory of a beautiful young woman, Nicola, who took her own life after repeated delays to desperately needed surgery for endometriosis. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking the Nicola’s team, including her family and all the volunteers, for the invaluable work they do to support local women?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I will. It is unacceptable that Nicola had to wait so long for the surgery that she needed, and I am sorry to hear of her family and friends’ tragic loss. We have committed to renewing the women’s health strategy to tackle inequalities and improve access to healthcare for women across England, and support groups such as Nicola’s provide an essential lifeline for women living with health issues. I encourage my hon. Friend and other Members to attend next week’s Westminster Hall debate on access to endometriosis services.