Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Laura Kyrke-Smith and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

First, can I welcome the hon. Lady to her place, because I think this is her first question in PMQs? There will be different views on whether people should be able to enjoy a drink here or not, but I think we can agree that the majority of people in this country want an economy that works for them, public services that are there when they need them, and every child going as far as their talent or ability will take them. The only way to deliver that is through a Labour Government, as we are doing. The Greens think that their leader walks on water. It turns out that he just lives on water and does not pay his council tax!

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

Q10. On a more serious note, sometimes we all have those meetings with constituents that really stick with us. For me, it was the lady who came to my surgery and told me about the character.ai chatbot that had groomed her 12-year-old son. The chatbot turned him against his school and his parents, made sexual advances, and even suggested that the bot and the boy might meet in the afterlife. Since this happened last year, I have been on the case with the Government, and I am pleased that we have taken new powers to regulate AI services, but more young people are still being harmed in this way every day, and they will not be safe until the tech companies can no longer access them. Can the Prime Minister tell me how and when he will act to finally make the online world a safe place for our children?

[The Prime Minister]

The story of my hon. Friend’s constituent is deeply concerning, and I thank her for raising it. It underlines why we must and will act. We have already acted by shutting legal loopholes so that AI chatbots must abide by the Online Safety Act 2023, but we obviously have to look at what further measures we can take, including age-related bans, restricting children’s use of chatbots and stronger parental controls. I am meeting parents, teenagers and civil society representatives later this afternoon to discuss further, stronger protections for children. We will make sure that my hon. Friend is updated on those steps.

Middle East

Debate between Laura Kyrke-Smith and Keir Starmer

Monday 2nd March 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am not going to disclose the full advice. International law does not just have an important role to play; it is vital if we are taking action that involves our personnel. That is why I took advice, and I have published the summary of that advice. I said that I will look at the shadow Attorney General’s advice. if he is setting out a lawful basis, I would be very interested to read it.

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and his clarity on our adherence to international law. From Somalia to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, history shows us that military interventions do not always lead to peaceful political transitions and often have wider regional and global repercussions. Can the Prime Minister reassure me that his focus will be on encouraging a peaceful transition for the people of Iran and de-escalating the situation regionally and globally?

G20 and Ukraine

Debate between Laura Kyrke-Smith and Keir Starmer

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Lady for raising that issue. The attacks on energy supplies are intended to inflict damage on civilians in Ukraine, as they do on a regular basis, particularly as we go into the winter. We are doing two things: we are working with the Ukrainians on what more support we can give them to safeguard their energy supplies, and of course with allies we are looking at whether there are any issues we need to address in relation to any vulnerabilities we may have.

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his updates on the G20 and, in particular, for his commitment to the Global Fund, which we should be really proud of. I was also very pleased to see Sudan referenced in the joint declaration of the G20 leaders—as the Prime Minister has said, it is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, but we are also hearing appalling accounts of war crimes. What more will the Prime Minister now do with global partners to secure a ceasefire, protect civilians and hold the warring parties to account for their crimes?

[The Prime Minister]

In particular, the Global Fund is so important—my hon. Friend heard the statistics that I went through. In relation to the wider situation, the focus is very much on a cessation of hostilities and on humanitarian support, which is desperately needed.

Middle East

Debate between Laura Kyrke-Smith and Keir Starmer

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[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.

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

We know that humanitarian aid saves lives, rebuilds lives and plays a crucial stabilising role, so I thank the Prime Minister for his emphasis on getting aid into Gaza. It has been heartening to hear from the UN agencies that are now crossing the border for the first time since March, getting in vital supplies such as cooking gas and medicines. However, some non-governmental organisations, including British NGOs, are still struggling to get the permissions they need to operate, so what more will the Prime Minister do to ensure that these immediate humanitarian relief efforts become a sustained, scaled-up part of Gaza’s recovery, and that our British NGOs can also play their full part?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important point. I can reassure her that we are raising that issue with partners, for all the reasons she has set out.

G7 and NATO Summits

Debate between Laura Kyrke-Smith and Keir Starmer

Thursday 26th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue. Obviously, we carefully review and monitor any Chinese involvement in any elements of security. But it is right that we now include resilience in our overall definition of national spend, and act accordingly.

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his commitment to keeping our country safe and for his effective diplomacy to that end. While our international aid budget is now diminished, it remains my belief that the work we do to prevent and respond to humanitarian crises around the world plays a crucial role in global stability and security and, in turn, in our own. Can the Prime Minister reaffirm his commitment to that vital role for the UK in the world?

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, I can. My hon. Friend is right to raise the issue and describe it as she did. We are a leader on this and continue to be. We want to get our aid budget back up, but in the meantime I want to work with other countries to find other ways of financing that support as a matter of some urgency.