Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Louise Haigh and Joe Powell

Wednesday 4th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Louise Haigh]

Cuts made over the previous decade severely impacted the most deprived communities, and we inherited an outdated, unfair funding system that no longer reflected where pressures are greatest. The final settlement for Richmond council makes available more than £223 million, but I will ensure that the relevant Minister meets the hon. Lady to discuss how we take this matter forward.

[Joe Powell (Kensington and Bayswater) (Lab)]

Q15. St Mary’s hospital in Paddington has a proud, near-200-year history, from the discovery of penicillin to becoming one of the country’s first major trauma centres, but the estate is now old and crumbling, with the highest maintenance backlog across the entire NHS. The Conservatives put St Mary’s at the back of the queue, delaying funding for construction. Can the First Secretary reassure my community that innovative financing models will be considered, including the potential to realise new fiscal devolution powers, to get the construction of a new St Mary’s under way as soon as possible?

Rewiring the State

Debate between Louise Haigh and Joe Powell

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Louise Haigh]

The right hon. Gentleman raises a number of really important and interesting issues that will be considered as we look to greater public control of our energy system. Local and community control is central to the Prime Minister’s vision for public control, and that “madness”, as the right hon. Gentleman described it, is something that will drive our energy reforms.

[Joe Powell (Kensington and Bayswater) (Lab)]

I, too, welcome the First Secretary of State to her place and welcome today’s statement as well as the one in July. The first English devolution settlement was, of course, for London, and despite some incremental improvements since 1999, our capital’s mayor, the Greater London Authority and the 32 London boroughs are not currently set up to deliver on the capital’s full potential, whether on productivity and growth or in dealing with our housing crisis and the massive increase in temporary accommodation spending to combat homelessness. Will revisiting London’s devolution settlement will be on her and her team’s agenda?

[Louise Haigh]

The Mayor of London has been involved in continued talks through No. 10 North on the devolution settlement. We will continue to consider what further powers and resources London deserves.