Oral Answers to Questions

Lauren Edwards Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We will crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division. I agree with the right hon. Gentleman: we are heading into a very difficult situation in Northern Ireland. I have spoken to the chief constable, First Minister and Deputy First Minister this morning, and they were united in saying that we should all be calling for calm. The police are on the frontline, and it is our duty as politicians to call for calm. Nobody who is a politician should be whipping up division and hatred.

[Lauren Edwards (Rochester and Strood) (Lab)]

Q3. Flexible and co-working spaces play an important role in regenerating town centres such as mine in Rochester and Strood. They bring more people to our high streets to spend money in our local shops and support our local economies. But recent case law has put that under threat, with Valuation Office Agency assessments now treating many as single, larger businesses. Because of that, many small businesses face not only losing their small business rate relief but potentially receiving backdated bills of up to three years, in some cases costing hundreds of thousands of pounds. Will the Prime Minister please ensure that an urgent political solution is found to this problem?

[The Prime Minister]

I absolutely recognise the important role that flexible working spaces play in regenerating our high streets. Where the law requires a property to be treated as a single unit, the business rates are paid by the operator, not the individual business. I cannot speak for every case, but I will ensure that a Treasury Minister picks up this issue with my hon. Friend as quickly as possible.