Modernisation Committee

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Monday 9th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

I thank the right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) for those points. I am sure he and I share many of the same frustrations, which is one reason we are establishing the Modernisation Committee. He may not be aware that the substantive motion establishing the Modernisation Committee was considered at length during several hours of debate before the recess. The motion before us is about the membership of that Committee, the names having been nominated by the party they represent.

In the debate before the recess, I said very clearly that I want the Committee to fully engage with all the parties and all the groupings in the House. It has not been possible to do more, because of the maths of the situation. For example, how would we pick which smaller party was represented on that Committee through a formal membership? However, both in the Chamber at this Dispatch Box and subsequently in writing, I have made it absolutely clear that the Modernisation Committee will meaningfully and continually, on an ongoing basis, engage with the smaller parties across this House. As the right hon. Gentleman says, their input will be vital to its work. I think that is the best way to represent all the different smaller parties and their very differing views about some of these issues.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

I am grateful to the Leader of the House for what she has said about inclusion. That is welcome of course, but it seems to me that an even better form of inclusion of the views of all parties in the House would be through membership of the Committee so that they are at every meeting, rather than dependent on the generosity or largesse of the Committee as a whole to invite them to give evidence.

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman again for that, but this is a balance. The membership make-up of the Committee reflects that of all Select Committees of this House, and to achieve a proportion where one place would be available for a smaller party would mean a very big Committee indeed—even then, only one smaller party would be represented and not all. My approach will be to make sure that the smaller parties are regularly invited into the Committee, are regularly engaged and are regularly asked for their thoughts ahead of and during inquiries. That is a more meaningful way to collate all the views of the different parties and groupings in this place, given how the membership of the Committee has to come about.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I want to follow on from what the right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) said, and to raise a specific query about my own party, the DUP. We have five Members, while there are other single Members from Northern Ireland as well, and there is a big interest in, for example, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. I do not expect an answer from the Leader of the House straightaway—I am not putting her on the spot—but I am very keen to hear her thoughts on the best way to do this. With our deep interest in Northern Ireland affairs, is it the intention of the Government, ever mindful of the statistical and numerical change there has been in this Chamber, to ensure that our party has representation to reflect that?

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Powell]

It has been the long-established practice, particularly on the Committees that relate to the devolved nations of the UK, that there is representation from all the parties that have been elected from that area. I think that has been a long-standing tradition, and I do not think there is any intention to change that at this stage.

Question put and agreed to.

Business of the House

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 5th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Chris Philp (Croydon South) (Con)]

May I take this opportunity, Madam Deputy Speaker, to congratulate you on your elevation to the Chair and to welcome you to your place?

Will the Leader of the House give us the business for next week?

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

The business for the week commencing 9 September is as follows:

Monday 9 September—Consideration of a motion to approve the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2024, followed by consideration of a motion to approve the Syria (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2024, followed by consideration of a motion to approve the draft Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) Order 2024, followed by consideration of a motion to approve the draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Naloxone and Transfers of Functions) Regulations 2024.

Tuesday 10 September—Debate on a motion relating to the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024, followed by Opposition day (1st allotted day, first half). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition—subject to be announced.

Wednesday 11 September—General debate on building safety and resilience.

Thursday 12 September—General debate on matters to be raised before the forthcoming Adjournment.

The House will rise for the conference recess at the conclusion of business on Thursday 12 September and return on Monday 7 October.

Members may also wish to know that, subject to the progress of business, the House will rise for the short November recess at the close of business on Wednesday 6 November and return on Monday 11 November; rise for the Christmas recess at the close of business on Thursday 19 December and return on Monday 6 January 2025; rise for the February recess at the close of business on Thursday 13 February and return on Monday 24 February; rise for the Easter recess at the close of business on Tuesday 8 April and return on Tuesday 22 April; rise for the early May bank holiday at the close of business on Thursday 1 May and return on Tuesday 6 May; rise for the Whitsun recess at the close of business on Thursday 22 May and return on Monday 2 June; and rise for the summer recess at the close of business on Tuesday 22 July.

[Chris Philp]

A warm welcome back to everyone following the summer recess. I thank the Leader of the House for setting out those recess dates. That will make her popular with everybody across the House. She has just saved me from booking a flight that I would have had to cancel, so I am personally very grateful to her.

I also thank the Leader of the House for confirming a debate on building safety. I know that the whole House sends our heartfelt sympathy to the victims of the Grenfell disaster and their families. I have personally heard harrowing testimony directly from survivors who lost loved ones. What they experienced was truly horrific. We must ensure that it never happens again, and that those responsible, including the cladding manufacturers who lied and covered up evidence, suffer the consequences, including criminal sanctions. Governments must never again ignore safety warnings, as happened over a period of decades.

Like many MPs, I have been contacted by constituents —[Interruption.] The hon. Member for Blyth and Ashington (Ian Lavery) is clearly being contacted by constituents as we speak. My constituents are desperate with worry about Labour’s planned removal of the winter fuel payment from almost all pensioners. I am glad that there will a debate and a vote on that next Tuesday. Labour Back Benchers may be less glad at the prospect of being whipped to vote to remove winter fuel payments from pensioners on less than half the minimum wage. Under the proposals, 84% of pensioners in poverty will lose the winter fuel payment. Is that Labour Members’ idea of a Government of service—leaving pensioners in poverty shivering at wintertime?

Yesterday, the Prime Minister refused to explain why he is choosing to fund huge pay rises for train drivers and other state sector workers while slashing benefits for impoverished pensioners. That is not the kind of change that Labour voters thought they would get from a Labour Government, is it? The Prime Minister also refused to say yesterday how much less energy support an 80-year-old on just £13,000 a year would receive this winter, compared with last. Perhaps he does not know the answer. Perhaps he does not care. Will the Leader of the House confirm that the answer is that an 80-year-old on £13,000 a year will receive £600 less energy support this year?

One pensioner wrote to me saying:

“the allowance meant I could turn the heating on. Now I fear hypothermia during the coming winter months”.

No wonder the public oppose this policy by a margin of two to one. Several Labour Members agree, and have already signed a motion condemning it and will, presumably, vote against it. I hope that all decent Labour MPs do the same, but will the Leader of the House confirm whether, if they do, they will lose the Whip, like their rebellious colleagues last July? At this rate, it will not just be pensioners’ heating gone by Christmas; it will be Labour’s majority as well.

I call on the Leader of the House to arrange a debate on ethics and integrity in the Government. The independent civil service commissioner—a former Labour MP—has had to initiate an inquiry into improper appointments by this Government. A “Government of service”? It turns out they mean service to their cronies and donors. It is just wrong to stuff party donors and cronies into what are supposed to be impartial civil service positions. Can Members imagine the howls of protest if the previous Government had done that? [Laughter.] To the civil service? No. The Times reports that the Chancellor did not disclose to her permanent secretary the fact that she had appointed a Labour party donor to a senior civil service position, which would be a breach of the ministerial code. Will the Leader of the House tell us whether The Times report is true?

We have even seen a Labour party donor, Lord Alli, receive a Downing Street pass for no apparent reason—other than being a donor, of course. Who gave him that pass? Was it the Prime Minister, whose clothes Lord Alli apparently pays for? That is extraordinary. Has anyone else here had a donor pay for their clothes? I certainly have not. Or maybe Sue Gray issued the pass, perhaps forgetting to declare that Lord Alli also contributed to her son’s election campaign.

Will the Government now come clean and disclose all the politically affiliated appointments that they have made to the civil service? Will they confirm whether the conflicts were disclosed, as required by the ministerial code? Will they provide a list of all passes to Government buildings issued to anyone other than Ministers, civil servants and special advisers? I strongly suspect that this self-proclaimed Government of service will not admit to any of those things, so later today I will write to the adviser on ministerial interests and the civil service commissioner, asking that they investigate independently these important questions.

A lot has happened this summer—a lot has gone down, as they say—but the main thing that has gone down is the Government’s approval ratings. Just last week, More in Common found that the Prime Minister’s approval ratings have plummeted by 27 percentage points in a matter of a few weeks, plumbing a new low of minus 16%. It turns out that parading around in £16,000-worth of expensive suits paid for by Lord Alli, subverting civil service independence by stuffing the service with cronies and donors, and stripping impoverished pensioners of their benefits is not that popular. Even the Leader of the House will now have to admit the truth: this has been an exceptionally poor start to government.

[Lucy Powell]

I, too, welcome everybody back for the new term. I knew that my announcing the recess dates would be the big news of this morning. I am pleased to be able to help everybody with their family and holiday arrangements.

I thank the House staff who have worked away to ensure that many new colleagues now have their own office in this place; I congratulate our Olympic and Paralympic athletes, who have done our country proud in this golden summer of sport; and I thank the police and the criminal justice system for how quickly they curtailed the thuggery and needless rioting in some of our towns and cities over the summer.

I welcome the publication of the second report of the Grenfell inquiry. The findings are devastating—particularly the statement that the deaths of the 72 victims were completely preventable. Now, justice and accountability will follow. The report raises some profound challenges for building safety regulations and recourse for residents and lease- holders—something with which I am very familiar in my constituency. We have made time for a first debate on building safety next week, and further time will be made available. The Government will come to Parliament with their full response and action plan in due course.

We have had a big first week back, delivering on our packed legislative agenda for change. We have taken our first steps to bring our railways into public ownership and enhance fiscal responsibility—the bedrock of economic stability—to ensure that the Truss mini-Budget can never happen again; the Second Reading of the Great British Energy Bill begins the drive to lower bills and increase energy independence; and today we introduce the Water (Special Measures) Bill to clean up our waterways and make water companies accountable, and the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill will begin to honour our commitment to constitutional reform. This is a Government of service, delivering on our manifesto.

As part of the change that people voted for, we have had to clean up the mess left to us by the Conservatives and take the difficult decisions that they ducked. We have a £22 billion black hole that was covered up from the British people and from the spending watchdog. We have full prisons, and that clogs up the criminal justice system. Thankfully, we had already begun to act before we had to take swift action to lock up rioters and thugs over the summer. On the previous Government’s watch, there was an asylum overspend of nearly £7 billion, shoplifting was effectively decriminalised, crippling strikes cost the country dear, and unresolved pay awards sat on Ministers’ desks.

The right hon. Gentleman might want to give us a lecture, but only two years ago, we saw what happens when massive, unfunded spending commitments are made against the advice of Treasury experts and in the face of what is best for our financial institutions: the markets lose all confidence, the price of Government borrowing soars, interest rates hike and inflation gets out of control. That was two years ago under Liz Truss, whom the right hon. Gentleman backed for leader. Nothing damages the real incomes of ordinary people, including pensioners, more than an economy crashing—a crash caused by his Government’s recklessness. Has he learned nothing? That was his party’s approach, but this Government will fix the foundations and restore economic stability.

The legacy that the Conservatives have left us means that we have had to make some really difficult decisions—decisions that we did not want to make, like means-testing the winter fuel payment—but we are doing all we can to support pensioners this winter. We are protecting the triple lock, which means that the state pension will go up by £900 this year—it is likely to rise by several hundred pounds next year—and the warm home discount, which is worth £150. We are also extending the household support fund and have a huge campaign to get eligible pensioners on to pension credit. Yes, we have scheduled a vote on the winter fuel payment next week, because we are not afraid to have the debate about how we got to where we are. That vote would not have happened under the Conservative party, but we respect Parliament and doing things properly.

The right hon. Gentleman talks about the pay awards for our hard-working public servants. Those pay awards were sat on the desks of Conservative Ministers, who knew that they would be honoured, but did not allocate the funds for that. Frankly, we will take no lessons on cleaning up politics from the Conservative party—the party that partied in Downing Street while the rest of the country was locked down. He knows that we all strive to get the best talent into Government, which is why there is a policy of “exception” appointments. Of the 80,000 appointments to the civil service under the previous Government, does he know how many were made under that regime? It was 9,000. We had a series of by-elections in the last Parliament because of members of his party. I refer him to Hansard to read a speech I gave that included a list of all the reasons for those by-elections; it makes for pretty horrifying reading.

The Conservatives have gone from being the party of government to being the party that gave up on governing. They would have done better to spend the summer reflecting on why they lost so badly, instead of trying to tell us that we have never had it so good. The one poll rating that the right hon. Gentleman should be focusing on is the one that says that the public really do not care who the next leader of the Conservative party is.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

I welcome my right hon. Friend to the Dispatch Box and congratulate her on the wonderful job she is doing in government. I am very concerned that Post Office Ltd plans to close the post office counter in Morrisons on Holderness Road in east Hull. Many constituents have contacted me, and a petition on the subject has gathered, I think, 350 signatures in the last two days. Is the Leader of the House prepared to allow a debate on the subject in Government time? This issue affects Members from across the House and across the parties, and most Members would accept that it is about time that Post Office Ltd started to put people before profit.

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent question. I am very familiar with that issue, as Post Office Ltd has also closed the historic Spring Gardens post office in Manchester city centre. I think it would get wide support if he were to apply for an Adjournment debate and, hopefully, get a petitions debate because the future of our Crown post offices is an important matter to the House.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome the hon. Lady back to this place and thank her for her thoughtful comments. She is aware, I am sure, of the woeful inheritance that we have been trying to deal with. This is not a situation that we wanted to find ourselves in. It means that we have had to take some difficult decisions, including on means-testing the winter fuel payment this winter. I hear what she says, but the protection of the triple lock, to which the Government are committed, means that this year the state pension is worth £900 more than last year, and it is set to rise further in subsequent years. That will raise the value of the state pension over the course of this Parliament, not just in cash terms but in real terms.

We are bringing in the warm homes discount for the 3 million most vulnerable properties, and extending the household support fund. We have had a huge campaign this week to get all eligible pensioners on to pension credit—that is something that we want to do. The hon. Lady is right to say that, in the end, we must reduce the demand on people of their bills. That is why we have ambitious home insulation plans, and I am sure that the Secretary of State will come to the House to talk about them. We are roaring ahead with our plans for energy independence in order to make us a clean-energy super- power free from the global markets in gas and fossil fuels, which will keep people’s bills lower for longer. That is all part of our plans.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Before I call anyone else, Members will be aware that over 50 people want to ask a question, so please keep questions short. I call Jo White.

[Jo White (Bassetlaw) (Lab)]

Like my right hon. Friend, my constituent spent hours on Saturday queuing to purchase Oasis tickets. He got two at the hyper-inflated price of £800, tickets that were originally on sale for £150 each. Lengthy queuing puts people under significant pressure to purchase tickets and potentially make rash financial decisions that they may later regret. The insurance industry is required to provide a 14-day cool-off period to give people space for reflection. Will the Minister consider widening the forthcoming consumer protection Bill to include such a clause dealing with dynamic pricing ticket sales?

[Lucy Powell]

I know that my hon. Friend speaks for many millions, myself included, who over the weekend shared the experience of spending hours in a queue—a very British thing that we like to do—only to find that the tickets we were able to get came at a hugely inflated price. I am pleased that Oasis have now announced further dates, and that there will be a non-queuing system and a fixed price for those tickets, but she is absolutely right. This Government are committed to putting fans back at the heart of music, which is why we will have a consultation on secondary ticket pricing and ticket touts this autumn. The Culture Secretary has made it clear that, as part of that consultation, we will look at the issue of technology as it relates to queuing systems and the dynamic ticket pricing that my hon. Friend has talked about.

[Dame Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

The Leader of the House understands more than most the value of the British film and high-end TV industry to our economy and to jobs. She will know that, in this year’s spring Budget, the previous Government introduced tax credits for UK independent film and tax relief for visual effects costs. I am a bit worried, as is the sector, because the Leader of the House’s party did not support the finance Bill that introduced those measures. Could we have a debate about the new Government’s commitment to our world-leading creative industries, during which they would be able to restate their commitment to those much-needed tax incentives for growth and the timescales for their implementation?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Lady for that excellent question. She has long pursued these issues as the former Chair of the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport; I know she is standing again for that position, and I wish her good luck in that election, which I think takes place next week. She is absolutely right: the tax credit system, which was introduced by the last Labour Government, has been vital to securing the film industry and other creative industries, the huge talent that we now have, and the support this brings to our economy and the wider creative economy. We have long been committed to those measures, but obviously, any future announcements will be for the Chancellor in the forthcoming Budget.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call Jon Trickett.

[Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth) (Lab)]

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker—I did not quite catch you calling me. May I say how delighted I am to see you? You helped me to establish my parliamentary office 20 years ago, and I am so proud to see you in the Chair. I also welcome my great right hon. Friend to her position as Leader of the House.

I am one of many Members who represents mining communities. Miners provided power, light and heat to our country and helped to create our wealth, but they did something else: they created a massive pension fund, which the Conservative party sat on for 14 years. That party allowed it to accumulate and ripped off hundreds of millions of pounds, leaving miners and their widows in poverty on low pensions. As the Leader of the House knows, our manifesto promised justice for the mineworkers’ pension scheme, especially the £1 billion that is in a reserve fund. Can I encourage her to ensure there is an early statement or a debate on this matter? That money would be very well received in miners’ pockets, and those of their widows too.

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend is a long-standing and powerful advocate for mining communities in his constituency and beyond, and is absolutely right to say that we have a clear manifesto commitment to put this injustice right. I will ensure that the relevant Minister has heard his question and that he gets an appropriate response, and I am sure we will have further announcements in due course.

[Sir John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con)]

It is a delight, Madam Deputy Speaker, to serve under your benevolent stewardship.

The House may know that I am not an advocate of unbridled, anarchic freedom. I know the harm men can do with unfettered free will. Nevertheless, the ability to speak freely is the mark of a civilised, open society, which is why the last Government introduced a higher education Bill in the light of woke tyranny. I am disappointed that the right hon. Lady, who I know is a diligent servant of this House, would allow such legislation to be rescinded, yet the Government have said that that is exactly what they will do. They are going to reverse the advance we made, so will she allow a debate on free speech? For George Orwell, as she may know, said:

“If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that question. This Government have been clear that, in support of our world-leading global university sector, we want to end the culture wars that have ensued against our fantastic universities. As the MP for two globally leading universities, I know that that message and change of tone have been widely welcomed in the sector. I am sure that, at Education questions next week, he may want to raise the issue of the Bill.

[Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower) (Lab)]

My constituent’s daughter Lily Lucas died two years ago on Monday on Milton ward at Kewstoke hospital. Lily’s death was avoidable. Following the inquest, which ruled that Cygnet breached eight out of nine of the regulations, Kewstoke is not safe and, as evidenced, there was a lack of basic care. I welcome very much that the Secretary of State has made a clear commitment to address the issues regarding mental health provision in England, but can I ask the Leader of the House for a debate in Government time on how private healthcare providers such as Cygnet are held to account in order for our vulnerable young people like Lily to be safe in their care?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I am really sorry to hear of Lily’s death. She will know that mental health and suicide is one of the biggest challenges facing our young people, and that is why this Government are absolutely committed to supporting mental health provision and to getting it on parity of esteem with physical health provision, with all the extra support that is going into our schools. She raises a really good question about private healthcare providers in this space, and she may want to raise it at Health questions after the conference recess.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Tomorrow marks the start of the big river watch, when people are encouraged to take part in a UK and Ireland-wide survey of their local rivers. River pollution and high phosphate levels in rivers such as the Brue and the Parrett, which flow through my constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton on to the Somerset levels and moors sites of special scientific interest, have stopped much-needed house building. So can I ask the Leader of the House if we can have a debate in Government time on the health of our rivers, nutrient neutrality and the impact of river pollution?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Member for that question. I am absolutely delighted to point her to the fact that, with the Water (Special Measures) Bill in the other place, we are introducing today our first step in cleaning up our rivers. It is a groundbreaking Bill that will include criminal sanctions as well as stopping the bonuses we have seen in many of our water companies. I know that a debate on the general topic that she talks about is one the whole House will want to take part in should she apply for such a debate.

[Paulette Hamilton (Birmingham Erdington) (Lab)]

Hospices provide a crucial role across the UK in supporting people at the end of their lives and alleviating the pressure on our NHS. However, because of the cost of living crisis, costs are rising and fundraising is falling. It is simply not fair that access to hospice care is a postcode lottery in our country and it is high time that the funding model was changed. So will the Leader of the House please grant time to debate this crucial issue?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend, who I know has been a doughty campaigner on health issues, issues around hospice funding and other issues over many years, and I thank her for bringing those to this House. The Minister of State for Care has recently met NHS England, and discussions have begun about how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to and quality of palliative care and end-of-life care across England. Funding issues, which I know are very important, will be considered as well and I am sure she would get a great deal of support for a general debate on hospice funding.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

On Monday the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government refused to rule out changes to council tax, and refused to rule out the abolition of the 25% discount for single person occupancy. I understand that this morning she has made announcements on what may happen with the right to buy. Given that that is a major change of policy, and Mr Speaker has always requested that major changes of policy should be announced in this place rather than in the media, will the Leader of the House arrange for the Secretary of State to make a statement on her proposals, so that we can hold her to account on them? While I am on my feet, may I gently remind the Leader of the House that the pre-recess Adjournment debate should be entitled the Sir David Amess pre-recess Adjournment debate, as was agreed cross-party?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Gentleman. I am happy to put on record that we are granting the Sir David Amess debate next week, and I will ensure that business is amended to reflect that. As he will know, all Budget matters relating to tax and other issues are announced first to this House in a Budget, and we will be having a Budget on 30 October. I work hard across Government to ensure that big announcements are made first to this House, and that is why we have seen a record number of Government statements since we took office.

[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

E-bikes and e-scooters are popular with many people, but in London Fields in my constituency I am working with residents and councillors because some are going very fast, and there are issues of safety and regulation. Will my right hon. Friend grant a debate in Government time on the regulation, safety and enforcement of e-bikes across the country?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises another important question, which I know has been raised in these sessions and elsewhere on a number of occasions. E-bikes are fast moving—excuse the pun; they are not that fast moving, but these are fast moving issues in the sense that they are new technologies and new vehicles. I am sure that a debate on that issue would be widely supported should she apply for one.

[Dr Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham) (Con)]

In his 2023 report, the chief medical officer said that cold homes and fuel poverty are directly linked to excess winter deaths. My constituents are worried, and I am concerned that Labour’s policy to restrict the winter fuel allowance will lead to the unnecessary ill health and death of elderly people. Will the Leader of the House arrange for a debate on the specific subject of the effect of Labour’s removal of the winter fuel allowance from elderly people on their health and wellbeing?

[Lucy Powell]

As the hon. Lady will have heard, we will be having such a debate next Tuesday, and the Government have brought that forward to allow for a debate and a vote on those issues. I gently say that perhaps she might want to talk to colleagues in her party about the woeful inheritance that we found, and the £22 billion black hole not for future years but in this year, which the Office for Budget Responsibility was appalled that it did not know about. That has seen higher borrowing and excess spending, particularly on asylum, and we had to do something to fix those broken foundations in-year to stabilise the economy.

[Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab)]

Good public transport, especially buses, is important for so many things in my constituency and the country, from accessing a GP to visiting friends, getting to college and going to work. The Labour and Co-operative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has just launched a consultation on taking back control of our buses. Despite public support for better buses, the franchising model and enhanced partnership model is still bureaucratic and difficult for communities to engage with. Will the Leader of the House join me in welcoming our local consultation, and make time in the House for Members to debate further improvements so that communities can take control of our bus services?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent question. He is right to make the point that the current bus franchising system is incredibly bureaucratic and lengthy. That is why in the King’s Speech we announced a better buses Bill, which will come before the House and will significantly reduce the time and bureaucracy that such things take. I hope that the Peterborough mayor will take time and ensure that that legislation is in place before he embarks on the necessary taking back control of buses in his area.

[Mr Lee Dillon (Newbury) (LD)]

Since November 2021, the custody suite at Newbury police station has been closed, leading to greater travel times and more time when police are not on the beat. Can the Leader of the House allow Government time for a debate on the provision of custody suites across the UK and the impact of the closures under the last Conservative Government?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Member for raising that important matter. Over the summer, with the acts of thuggery and the disorder that we saw in the riots, we found real problems in our criminal justice system. We have good people doing good work, but a system creaking at the seams. Police custody suites are very much part of that challenge. We will have to do a lot of difficult work to get our criminal justice system fit for purpose so that we can quickly bring people to justice and ensure that those convicted of crimes are kept away from the public.

[Jessica Toale (Bournemouth West) (Lab)]

May I join my right hon. Friend in congratulating our Team GB Paralympians and Olympians on their success over the summer in Paris? In particular, I congratulate Bryony Page, who trains at Poole gymnastics and trampolining club in my constituency, on her gold medal in the women’s trampolining. All these athletes rely on local clubs, coaches and volunteers along their journey. In the light of Team GB’s success, may I ask for a debate on how we support grassroots sports to develop the next generation of champions?

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Bryony Page. I am sure the whole country remembers that moment, watching the fantastic display she put on for the trampolining gold medal. It is, I think, the first we have ever won. Supporting grassroots sport is a total priority for this Government, and we will continue to do all we can. My hon. Friend might be aware that there was a debate this week in Westminster Hall on some of these issues, but Department for Culture, Media and Sport questions are coming up straight after the conference recess, too.

[Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) (Green)]

Five peaceful climate protesters are serving clearly excessive jail sentences made under the last Government’s profoundly undemocratic Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, with one given five years in jail. That is two years longer than a man who pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assaulting an emergency services worker during the riots in Southport. The United Nations special rapporteur on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, has made clear statements to the effect that the sentences violate the UK’s legal obligations under the Aarhus convention. Will the Leader of the House please make time for Members to discuss the urgent need to repeal this repressive anti-protest law that fundamentally undermines the UK’s obligations under international law?

[Lucy Powell]

What the hon. Member describes is that in recent years we have seen some actions that go way beyond acceptable protest and that are highly disruptive to local people, to those trying to get hospital, to those in need and to our wider economy. On the technical legal matter that she raises, she might want to know that Justice questions will be next week, and I am sure that the Secretary of State for Justice will be happy to answer her question.

[Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington) (Lab)]

Today, it is two years since the right hon. Liz Truss became the leader of the Conservative party. She became the Prime Minister the following day. What happened over the following 49 days crashed—destroyed—the economy and created misery for many millions of families and businesses in the UK. Can we have a debate in Government time to scrutinise those chaotic, disastrous decisions that caused so much misery to people in our communities, so that no Government in the future will ever make the same mistakes?

[Lucy Powell]

I could not have put it better. I am sure that many others will want to make such points as the anniversary comes about in the coming couple of weeks, because it is really important that we learn the lessons from that disaster and do not allow history to repeat itself. What happens when the Government of the day make a huge amount of unfunded spending and tax-cutting commitments with no idea of where the money will come from, and ignore the advice of Treasury and other experts, completely flying in the face of our much-valued financial institutions? As my hon. Friend recalled, we see soaring rates of Government borrowing costs and interest rates having to be raised very quickly. It is mortgage payers, ordinary families and those on fixed incomes who pay the heaviest price when the Government of the day make such a reckless choice with the economy.

[Dr Luke Evans (Hinckley and Bosworth) (Con)]

In Leicestershire, we have fantastic optometrists and opticians. Will the Leader of the House ask the Prime Minister whether it is just glasses that they need to give to get a full-access pass to No. 10, or do they need to give suits as well?

[Lucy Powell]

This is a Government of service, and we are working hard to turn the page on an era of scandal and sleaze under the previous Government. We expect the very highest standards of all those in government, which is why we quickly brought in measures such as raising standards and expectations for MPs, raising standards and expectations for Ministers, being completely transparent about declarations, and ensuring that all the proper processes for appointments are followed at all times. We will continue to do that.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

The Government have stated and rightly continue to state that prevention will protect our NHS and protect lives. Being cold at home can lead to stroke, heart attack, hypothermia, pneumonia and other such illnesses. Will the Leader of the House encourage the Government to read the work of Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Sir Chris Whitty in this area so that we can take a public health approach to people being warm at home to mitigate the cost that could come without the right mitigations on winter fuel payments?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question and for continually raising these important matters. The decision to means-test winter fuel payments was not one that any of us wanted to take. It was a decision that we had to take to balance the books. As we have just discussed, it is those on the lowest incomes who pay the heaviest price when the economy crashes and the real cost of living goes through the roof. That is why delivering on living standards, getting growth in our economy, delivering lower energy bills and getting energy independence are core to the Government’s agenda. That is what we will see over the Parliament.

[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

Local communities in and around Port Isaac in my constituency have been left angered and frustrated at the lack of consultation by the Marine Management Organisation relating to applications for huge seaweed farms in their area. Will the Leader of the House give us a debate in Government time about making sure that the Marine Management Organisation properly informs, involves and consults communities when processing applications for marine licences for seaweed farms?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Member raises a really important issue about seaweed farms, which I did not know a lot about until recently. He will know that the Marine Management Organisation is required to consult local people. I know that he has been active in that consultation. I hope that the organisation listens to what he has said—it has a statutory obligation to do so—and that he can deal with the issues that his local community are worried about with the proliferation of seaweed farms in his area. If he continues not to make progress in that regard, I will ensure that the appropriate Minister gets him a response.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

The Leader of the House will know that on the Government Benches we value adult education and community learning, and we know that there are many paths in education and skills, not just schools. In Gravesham, the Tory-controlled Kent county council is proposing to close a long-standing adult education centre, the Victoria centre, which has been at the heart of the community for years. Could we please have a debate on the support that local councils give to such community provision and how they should enhance it, not close it?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises an important issue. In recent years, adult education was belittled and let down by the previous Government, and local government funding was cut to the bone. That is why so much adult education provision is being lost from our communities. This Government will try to ensure that education, including adult education, is once again at the forefront of national life. I am sure that she will want to raise this matter with the Secretary of State at Education questions next week.

[Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)]

Is the Leader of the House concerned that those who will suffer as a result of the Government’s decision to cut the winter fuel allowance live in remote, rural locations, in homes that often are difficult to insulate and off-grid? Could we have a debate in Government time on how the Government’s early priorities will disproportionally impact those people living in the countryside in remote and rural locations?

[Lucy Powell]

Like many, I am furious that this Government have had to take these difficult decisions, because the Government the right hon. Gentleman supported over many years left a huge gaping hole in the public finances. Had we not dealt with that, it would have affected his constituents and left those living in poverty and in homes that are difficult to heat much worse off. He should reflect on that. Under the Conservative Government, the home insulation schemes previously in existence were largely scrapped, and they failed to take action to insulate new homes and improve building regulations, so we will not take lectures from them. We have a hugely ambitious home insulation plan. As the right hon. Gentleman will know, the basic state pension is increasing in real value over the course of this Parliament. Living standards for everybody fell under his Government for the first time in our history. We will ensure that they go up for people right across this country.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call Harpreet Uppal.

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and as a fellow Yorkshire woman I welcome you to your place.

On a recent walk around Huddersfield town centre, I found that tackling antisocial behaviour and retail theft were important priorities for my constituents and small businesses. Could the Leader of the House allow time for a debate on tackling those important issues?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend will know that under the previous Government, retail crime was effectively decriminalised. Those seeking to shoplift, sometimes on an industrial scale and in a very organised fashion, were completely let off the hook. That is why we are committed to rectifying that situation in our forthcoming criminal justice Bill, to tackle the scourge of retail crime.

[Mike Wood (Kingswinford and South Staffordshire) (Con)]

The last census showed that the population of South Staffordshire grew by just 2.2% over the previous decade, yet the Government think that the district needs 14% more houses over the next decade. Please could we have a debate in Government time on the methodology behind the Government’s ludicrous housing targets?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Gentleman’s Government failed to meet the challenge of the housing crisis. This Government are unashamedly pro-house building, to make sure that we meet demand and everyone can live in a safe and secure home of the future. He will know that one of the ways that we drive that forward is by having ambitious house building targets. We make no apology about that.

[Afzal Khan (Manchester Rusholme) (Lab)]

My right hon. Friend will know of the important role of the Carlton Club community interest company in Whalley Range in my constituency, as well as across Manchester. It is not just a social club but an important venue that supports grassroots music and arts. The company that owns the building has now threatened to end the CIC’s use of the site. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling for the building owners to reconsider their decision, and will she provide Government time to debate the importance of social clubs and small venues such as the Carlton Club to our local communities?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important issue. I know how much the Carlton Club is valued in Whalley Range and in Manchester. I was there recently at a very good 50th birthday party, which perhaps should stay private at this stage. I fully support his endeavours to keep this valuable asset alive. He will, I hope, know that the Government are committed to community ownership of such buildings and to empowering communities to keep them alive and run those buildings where that is in the interests of the community. I hope he will be successful in his endeavours.

[Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) (Con)]

In his recent letter to local councils, the Minister for Housing and Planning, the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Matthew Pennycook) appeared to kill off the previous Government’s plan for Cambridge. Will the Minister come to the House and make a statement on the urgent need for improved infrastructure linking Cambridge to various communities, including Haverhill in my constituency, which desperately needs a rail link to Cambridge?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Gentleman will know that Housing Ministers and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner) have already given a number of statements to the House—and will continue to do so—on the national planning policy framework and our house building programme, which is ambitious and will be a challenge to deliver, but we are determined to do that. He will also know that in the King’s Speech we announced a planning and infrastructure Bill, which will address some of these issues. Strategic local plans will deliver for a place—not just homes, but the infrastructure that areas need.

[Matt Rodda (Reading Central) (Lab)]

I thank the Leader of the House and the Government for their swift action to tackle the large bonuses being paid to the bosses of water companies. My residents in Reading have suffered from appalling problems with water pollution, both in the River Thames and the River Kennet; from the disconnection of family homes from the water supply; from potholes created in local roads; and from a series of other problems. Will the Leader of the House ensure that if we have a debate on water companies, the mismanagement by senior leaders at the top of the industry is included?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I am delighted that today we are introducing the Water (Special Measures) Bill in the other place. It is a really important step on the way to cleaning up our waterways, making water bosses and water companies accountable, and stemming the tide of, frankly, awful pollution and discharges into our rivers, lakes and elsewhere. We are putting in place the tough accountability action that has long been required to do that job.

[Mr Gideon Amos (Taunton and Wellington) (LD)]

Wellington in my constituency, a town of 15,000 people, has had no post office for several years. The threat to post offices is a concern shared across the House. Imagine the delight of the people of Wellington when they heard that a hub was being opened by an organisation called the Post Office, with a Post Office logo on the outside, only to find later that it will not be providing any Post Office services. Does the Leader of the House agree that that sounds like something out of “Yes Minister”? Will she grant time for a debate on the roll-out of banking hubs and the provision of postal services alongside them in towns that do not have any post offices?

[Lucy Powell]

As has already been raised in this session today, the provision of local post office services is a matter of wide interest across the House. I am sure that if the hon. Gentleman and other colleagues put in for a debate, they would get a great deal of support. Let us be honest: with the Post Office, we have seen an organisation that has left serious questions about how it has been run and its governance. What we do not want, as a result, are our vital post office services disappearing from our high streets and town centres, so I will ensure the relevant Minister has heard his question.

[Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)]

I join my right hon. Friend in congratulating Team GB. A blind runner and his guide who live in Bingley, in my constituency, have won a medal at the Paralympic games, competing under the refugee flag. Junior and Donard are role models, showing courage and resilience as well as fantastic sportsmanship, and we are very proud of them. May I ask my right hon. Friend to make room, in Government time, for a debate on how we can support future Paralympians, including refugees who settle in this country?

[Lucy Powell]

I share my hon. Friend’s congratulations to Junior and Donard on their tremendous bronze medal at the Paralympics. I think we have all engaged in the issue of athletes who compete under the refugee flag in both the Olympics and the Paralympics when they are essentially residents of this country. My hon. Friend may wish to raise that during questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which will take place just after the conference recess.

[Sir Gavin Williamson (Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge) (Con)]

Stone has a large number of disabled residents who simply cannot gain access to a railway station, and I know that the same problem exists in many other constituencies throughout the country. May we have a debate about what can be done to ensure that disabled people have good access to railway stations? It is vital that we have a new scheme to replace the Access for All scheme that we used to have, so that we can serve our disabled residents.

[Lucy Powell]

I think we have all been made especially aware of this issue over recent weeks, given the horrific story from Tanni Grey-Thompson of her recent endeavours on our transport network. I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that we are committed to addressing the matter, and that we are currently considering the best approach in respect of the Access for All programme. I know that a number of other Members will be raising these issues, and I am sure that a Backbench Business debate, or something similar, would be widely subscribed to.

[Alex Baker (Aldershot) (Lab)]

Home artificial nutrition awareness week took place in August. My constituent Victor Day is able to lead a normal life at home because he has a feeding tube and the benefit of artificial nutrition. Will my right hon. Friend join me in commending the work of the healthcare professionals, home care services and product suppliers, alongside the support of friends and family that allows Victor and many others receiving home artificial nutrition to live their lives outside a hospital setting, and may we have a debate about how we can help more people to leave hospital settings?

[Lucy Powell]

I pay my respects to Victor, and I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting an important matter of which many of us would not otherwise be aware, but for home artificial nutrition awareness week. The Government are absolutely committed to providing healthcare in the community, outside hospitals, and innovations such as this are critical to that endeavour.

[Luke Taylor (Sutton and Cheam) (LD)]

One of my constituents is the sibling of a victim of the infected blood scandal, and he has asked me to raise the issue of access to the compensation scheme for the siblings of victims, as well as the lack of punitive damages in the proposed scheme and the concern about the schedule for implementation of the proposals. Might time be made available for us to debate these issues?

[Lucy Powell]

Fortuitously, my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General is sitting beside me. As the hon. Gentleman may know, the Government worked apace over the recess to meet our statutory deadline for setting up the compensation scheme, and my right hon. Friend has already made two statements on the matter during the three or four short weeks during which the House has sat since the election. I know that it is a personal commitment of his to ensure that those affected have justice and compensation, and I know that he has heard what the hon. Gentleman has said today.

[Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)]

At an advice surgery that I held recently in Moorends, I heard yet again about the perils of the 30-minute rush to get a GP appointment. I hear the same desperation throughout my constituency. Not only is the system not inclusive, but it is unfair. Many people are commuting at that time, or dropping children off at school, and those who are unable to telephone must rely on others who cannot always be there at 8 am. What action can my right hon. Friend take to stop this anxious 30-minute race?

[Lucy Powell]

All of us, and many of our constituents, are familiar with the 8 am scramble for a GP appointment. It is no way to access our primary healthcare system, which is why my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary and the Government are committed to the creation of 40,000 more GP appointments each week over the current Parliament. My right hon. Friend is dedicating a large amount of his time to delivering that, and I am sure he has heard what my hon. Friend has said today. However, my hon. Friend may wish to raise the matter again during Health questions after the conference recess.

[Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)]

Let me first thank the Leader of the House for the correspondence following my question about the cable corridor in my constituency, which is causing great concern to residents. I appreciated the quick response.

Will the Leader of the House ask the Cabinet Office to send a Minister to the House to make a statement on whether Sir Laurie Magnus is still the Prime Minister’s special adviser on ministerial interests, and, if not, whether a new appointment timeline can be arranged, and to confirm that the Prime Minister will abide by any rulings on the part of that special adviser?

[Lucy Powell]

Sir Laurie Magnus is very much still the Government’s adviser on such matters. It is not our intention to mess around and make political appointments of that kind. We will take this very seriously, much more seriously than the last Government, who—let us be honest—ignored many of the recommendations and findings of their own adviser in this regard. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the Prime Minister takes behaviour and standards extremely seriously, and has zero tolerance when misdemeanours are identified.

[Sojan Joseph (Ashford) (Lab)]

I recently paid a visit to the William Harvey Hospital in my constituency, and saw 19 patients being treated by staff in corridors. Will the Leader of the House find time for a debate on overcrowding in hospitals, and on what the Government are doing to fix the broken NHS that the Conservatives have left to the country?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend has raised an important issue. We are all familiar with what is happening in our hospitals, including our A&E departments. My husband is an A&E doctor, and I hear these stories on most evenings at home. The waiting lists, the waiting times, the chronic understaffing and underfunding and the lack of support for our NHS have left it on its knees, and one of the Health Secretary’s first acts was to resolve the junior doctors’ dispute so that strike action did not blight our attempts to deal with that. Getting waiting lists down, which is going to be tough, and restoring our NHS to a service on which people can rely are a key mission for this Government.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. Shorter answers will be appreciated.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

During the exchanges that followed my urgent question about steel manufacturing earlier today, it was evident that the Minister was unable to give a detailed response in respect of, in particular, maintaining the capacity to produce virgin steel in the UK. In view of the many unanswered questions, will the Leader of the House arrange a debate, in Government time, on the future of the UK steel industry?

[Lucy Powell]

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on the granting of his urgent question. I can assure him that the Government are working apace to secure the future of British steel production, which is a key priority for us, and that when there are developments, Ministers will come to the House and ensure that the House hears about them first.

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

BTecs provide a vital route to higher and further education for thousands of learners throughout the country, and it was welcome news that the Education Secretary has announced a pause and review of the ad hoc cancellation programme initiated by the last Government, but may I gently remind my right hon. Friend that colleges need to know now what qualifications they can offer next September? Could she, through her office, arrange for a statement to be made by the Education Secretary, and for a general debate to take place in Government time so that we can all celebrate the BTec courses that our young are people taking in our constituencies?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises the important matter of BTecs and their future, which has also been raised with me as a constituency MP and, I am sure, with many other Members. If answers are not found at Education questions next week, I will ensure that the relevant Minister comes to the House to provide them.

[Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst (Solihull West and Shirley) (Con)]

There are many excellent military charities in this country, including Troop Aid in my constituency. Given their vital work, will the Leader of the House set aside Government time for us to debate what further support can be provided to them?

[Lucy Powell]

Our military charities and armed forces charities do immense work. Remembrance Sunday and the poppy appeal are often marked in this House with a debate or statement. I am sure that if the hon. Gentleman put in for one, it would be well received.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Claire Hughes (Bangor Aberconwy) (Lab)]

Community energy projects such as Ynni Ogwen in my constituency already play a vital role in the energy mix, and with GB Energy we will see a huge increase in clean power projects. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the important topic of community energy?

[Lucy Powell]

Community energy projects are vital to our clean energy superpower mission, and Great British Energy, which will be debated this afternoon, is an important step towards that. I am sure that my hon. Friend will wish to raise those matters then.

[Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) (Con)]

There are 141,000 children living in kinship care in England and Wales. Some 47% of those children have special educational needs and disabilities. Will the Leader of the House ask a Minister in the Department for Education to make a statement on improving support for children in kinship care?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Kinship carers play a vital role and special educational needs are vital in our mission to ensure opportunity for all. Special educational need has been the poor relation for the last few years, and that is something that we are going to put right. We will have Education questions next week and I hope that he will ask a question then.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Leader of the House for this opportunity to ask an important question that has been on the radar of Members who care about protecting the freedom of religion or belief. I would like to turn the House’s attention to Nicaragua, where since 2018 the regime of Daniel Ortega has unleashed relentless attacks on the Catholic faithful. Viewing them as the last hurdle of opposition in the country, they have systematically targeted religious leaders, imprisoning bishops, priests and seminarians on baseless charges and forcing them into exile.

The closure of Catholic media outlets, the confiscation of Church properties and the suppression of religious education echo the darkest days of history in communist countries and the dictatorships of the past. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning such violations of the freedom of religion or belief? Will she ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise these important issues with its counterparts in Nicaragua?

[Lucy Powell]

As ever, the hon. Gentleman raises in this House the important issues of the freedom of religion or belief. I share his concern about the arbitrary detention of members of the Church in Nicaragua. We welcome the release of seven priests in August, but we are alarmed by their expulsion from Nicaragua. What is happening there is unacceptable; I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising it on the Floor of the House.

[Mrs Sarah Russell (Congleton) (Lab)]

May I associate myself with the comments that have been made about freedom of religion? I am here today to raise the matter of accessibility at Sandbach station. Unfortunately, the Manchester platform cannot be accessed by those with luggage, those with disabilities, those with buggies or those with bikes. I join the calls made earlier for a debate about station accessibility.

[Lucy Powell]

So many people are raising the issue of station accessibility. My hon. Friend raises important points about Sandbach station. If she joins forces with the right hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson) and applies to the Backbench Business Committee once its Chair is in place, I am sure that there will be a lot of support for a debate.

[David Baines (St Helens North) (Lab)]

The Turks Head pub in my constituency is once again in the running for the Campaign for Real Ale’s pub of the year. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating it and wishing it luck? Does she agree that pubs and all small businesses play a vital role in our economies and communities? Will she allow Government time for us to give due consideration to their importance?

[Lucy Powell]

As the Member of Parliament whose constituency has the most pubs, I wholeheartedly share my hon. Friend’s support for his local pubs in St Helens North. Every time they are raised in this House, there is widespread support for our great British pubs. Any time he wants a debate, I am sure he will get one.

[Deirdre Costigan (Ealing Southall) (Lab)]

Every night of the week, vulnerable people sleep outside in the rough in front of Southall community college, in the bins of the Havelock estate and in other corners of my constituency. Indeed, rough sleeping in England has doubled since 2010 because of the policies of the last Government, including a broken asylum system and a mental health system in crisis. Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate so that we can look at the multiple causes of rough sleeping and the potential solutions, including taking a cross-departmental approach to the issue?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises an important matter. The Deputy Prime Minister has already set up and chaired an inter-ministerial group working with mayors and councils to end homelessness. My hon. Friend will be aware that we will shortly bring forward our renters reform Bill, which will abolish section 21 no-fault evictions. There will be plenty of time to debate that and other matters in due course.

[Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)]

Councils up and down the country are still facing impossible financial decisions. In my constituency, Leeds city council is closing Knowle Manor, one of the last care homes in the whole of Leeds. Residents of Morley have made their feelings very clear; over 3,000 have signed a petition to keep the care home open. Does the Leader of the House agree that we need a debate on the introduction of neighbourhood health centres: organisations that bring together doctors, nurses, care workers, physio- therapists and other health professionals? I think Knowle Manor would be a prime candidate.

[Lucy Powell]

I am really sorry to hear about the closure of my hon. Friend’s local care home. He is absolutely right. Our commitment to neighbourhood health services is how we will begin to tackle these issues. It is a key part of the health mission of this Government to get our health and care service back on its feet.

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

My constituency has experienced extensive house building in the past decade. My constituents are very understanding of the need for new homes, but their patience has been tested again this week by horrible traffic—the result of the previous Government’s haphazard approach to house building. Will the Leader of the House allow a debate on our future house building plans to ensure that they are accompanied by the necessary infrastructure and services?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are unashamedly for house building, and we are unashamedly for delivering it through local strategic plans, with infrastructure and services at the heart of the house building programme in places such as Aylesbury and elsewhere. I am sure that debates on that issue will be forthcoming shortly.

[Joe Morris (Hexham) (Lab)]

My constituent Michael Parry is currently fighting pancreatic cancer. He has raised the issue with me on numerous occasions. Will the Leader of the House give us a debate in Government time on screening for pancreatic and other high-mortality cancers?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sure that the thoughts of the whole House are with my hon. Friend’s constituent Michael during this difficult time. He is absolutely right that cancer patients are waiting far too long for diagnosis and treatment; that is why we will double the state-of-the-art MRI and CT scanners in the NHS. My hon. Friend will be aware that Health questions are coming up after the conference recess.

[Shaun Davies (Telford) (Lab)]

Can we have a debate in Government time on veterans affairs? Whether it is through access to health and housing, support for veterans’ children or veteran cards being used as an acceptable form of ID for voting, can we have a debate about how we can make this country the best place in the world for a veteran to live?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises an important matter. We have committed to legislating to establish an armed forces commissioner to champion our armed forces and improve their service to this country. That will be forthcoming soon.

[Jonathan Davies (Mid Derbyshire) (Lab)]

Sixth-formers at Belper school in my constituency tell me that they face inordinate waits to take a driving test. May I ask the Leader of the House to work with her Cabinet colleagues to address this issue as part of the new Government’s plans to get this great country back on the road to recovery?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sure the Transport Secretary will come to this House at some point to address driving tests for young people, which I know are a real issue. We support young people being able to get the independence that they need through driving. We have Transport questions on my 50th birthday—I know I do not look old enough—which is 10 October, and I am sure my hon. Friend will want to raise it then.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

That is a very early birthday present. We are going to get the last Member in, so well done everybody.

[Josh Newbury (Cannock Chase) (Lab)]

Care leavers all too often face a postcode lottery of inconsistent support, leading to wide disparities in accessing vital services such as social housing, financial advice and mental health support. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the development of a national care leaver offer, so that all our care leavers can get the support they need and deserve?

[Lucy Powell]

Care leavers really have had the poor end of the deal in recent years. They have poorer outcomes than others, and their lives are more difficult as a result of having been in care, which is why we want to see a strategic approach. In the King’s Speech, we announced a children’s wellbeing Bill, which will allow us to take forward some of the legislative changes that we need to address this issue.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I thank the Leader of the House for taking everybody’s questions.

Bill Presented

House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Pat McFadden, supported by the Prime Minister, Secretary Angela Rayner, Nick Thomas-Symonds and Ellie Reeves, presented a Bill to remove the remaining connection between hereditary peerage and membership of the House of Lords; to abolish the jurisdiction of the House of Lords in relation to claims to hereditary peerages; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Monday 9 September, and to be printed (Bill 7) with explanatory notes (Bill 7-EN).

The Speaker’s Absence

Ordered,

That the Speaker have leave of absence on Monday 9 September to attend the funeral of Monsignor Michael McKenna in Chorley.—(Lucy Powell.)

European Scrutiny Committee

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Tuesday 30th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

I thank the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) for his contribution. I look forward to watching him race with his towel to the sun lounger—I am sure he will be beaten by many other Europeans.

I am a little confused by the hon. Member’s plea to keep a Select Committee that was a function of our membership of the European Union, since he has spent his life and all his efforts getting us to leave it, which we have now done. Therefore the principal job of the Committee—to examine the documents produced by the EU institutions that the Government would automatically take on board —is no longer required. In fact, I understood that he and his party wished this Parliament, other Departments and therefore other Select Committees to take on that job of considering all such issues in detail, because we are no longer members of the European Union and are therefore no longer required to automatically take on those documents. I listened to what he said but am confused by it.

[Richard Tice]

rose—

[Lucy Powell]

I am not going to give way, because we are all at the end of a long day and many of us are looking forward to our European holidays. I know that that is where the hon. Gentleman will be going straight away from here, to spend his euros on tapas and European beers. I will not take up his offer of withdrawing the motion. I have heard what he said, but perhaps he can reflect a little, over that tapas and a beer on his sun lounger, on the confusion he has displayed tonight.

Question put and agreed to.

Business of the House

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 25th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Chris Philp (Croydon South) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House provide an update on forthcoming business?

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

The business for the week commencing 29 July will include:

Monday 29 July—Second Reading of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

Tuesday 30 July—Second Reading of the Budget Responsibility Bill.

The House will rise for the summer recess at the conclusion of business on Tuesday 30 July and return on Monday 2 September.

The business for the week commencing 2 September will include:

Monday 2 September—General debate. Subject to be confirmed.

Tuesday 3 September—Committee of the whole House and remaining stages of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

Wednesday 4 September—Committee of the whole House and remaining stages of the Budget Responsibility Bill.

Thursday 5 September—Second Reading of the Great British Energy Bill.

Friday 6 September—The House will not be sitting.

[Chris Philp]

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton was brutally stabbed in Gillingham near the Brompton barracks a few days ago. I know that he will be in the thoughts of all Members, and will have our best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I extend my thanks to long-serving Doorkeeper John Tamlyn, who has served this House for 36 years—four times longer than I have been a Member of this House. He has witnessed many memorable scenes over the years, and by my calculation has seen no fewer than 10 Prime Ministers come and go—well, nine come and go, and one arrive, but I am optimistic that between now and next Tuesday he may make it 10 coming and going. I am sure that the whole House will wish John well in his retirement after so many years of distinguished service. Thank you.

We do not have a timetable for the election of Select Committees and other Committees. I know that Select Committees can sometimes be troubling for the Government; during my five years as a Minister I was gently roasted—sometimes violently flambéed—by many Select Committees.

[Chris Philp]

I thank my hon. Friend for that. It is, however, important that we have Select Committees in place so that Back Benchers can hold the Government to account. If that is not temptation enough for the Leader of the House, let me say this: if her Back Benchers have Select Committees to serve on, they may have less time to plot rebellions. Will she confirm that all Select Committee Chairmen and members will be elected in September—and if not in September, when?

Many Members have expressed concern about the resumption of UK taxpayer funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. UNRWA stands accused of many appalling acts, including running schools using antisemitic textbooks encouraging violence, the documented involvement of at least 10 UNRWA members in the 7 October massacres, and close links between UNRWA staff and the Hamas terrorist organisation. Will the Leader of the House urgently arrange a debate on this decision in Government time, and can she guarantee that no taxpayer money will support, directly or indirectly, Hamas or any activities that encourage or facilitate terror?

The Government have sent mixed messages about plans to scrap the very reasonable two-child cap on welfare payments. Then, on Tuesday, the Government whipped their MPs to vote against scrapping it. There was a significant Back-Bench rebellion, less than three weeks after the election—not even Theresa May managed a rebellion within three weeks of an election, so it was a bit of a first. At this rate, the Government’s majority will be gone by about Easter of next year. [Interruption.] Look, I am always happy to debate these issues. The Leader of the House and the Government will actually have my support on this issue—she may not want it or welcome it, but she will have it anyway—so can we have that debate, not least so that her own parliamentary party and Back Benchers can properly discuss this important issue?

I understand that next week the Chancellor may make a statement on the public finances. Does the Leader of the House agree with what the Chancellor said during the election: that a party does not need to be in government to open the books because of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts? Will the Government commit that any statement about public finances made in this House will be accompanied by an OBR forecast, since we can see from next week’s business that the Government are so keen to enshrine OBR forecasts further in law?

It seems clear to me that we may be presented next week with concocted and exaggerated claims about the public finances as a pretext for tax rises, so can the Leader of the House commit that the election promises that Government Members made—that there would be no tax rises beyond those in the Labour manifesto—will be honoured in full?

Finally, the Government recently announced the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge. Will the Government update the House on where those people will now be accommodated and at what cost? I also notice that the Government have rebranded illegal immigration as “irregular”, and have said that they merely want to control it. I say to them that entering this country by small boat is illegal; it may help them to refer to section 74 of the Immigration Act 1971, as amended, if they are in any doubt. The Government’s objective should be to stop illegal immigration completely, not merely to control it, so will the Leader of the House organise a debate in Government time on that?

That debate could cover what the Government plan to do in place of the Rwanda scheme that they have just scrapped. The first flight had been due to take off yesterday, 24 July, but the Government chose to cancel it. The deterrent effect that that flight would have had would have led to a cessation of channel crossings, as all the precedents in Australia and elsewhere have demonstrated. We saw it here with the Albanian cohort last year as well. The Government needlessly cancelled what would have been an effective deterrent measure. Will the Government allow a vote on that policy?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the shadow Leader of the House and join him in paying our respects to those affected by the brutal attack in Kent this week.

In our last business questions before the summer recess, Mr Speaker, I want to put on record my thanks to you, House staff, security staff and others for all your hard work in recent weeks, and I wish you all some kind of holiday over that recess. I also congratulate our new Deputy Speakers; they are breaking more glass ceilings with an all-female line-up that is the most diverse in our history. On the same theme, I also send congratulations to Baroness Eluned Morgan, who is set to become Wales’s first female First Minister—that is a lot of firsts.

Finally, I put on record my thanks to the wonderful John Tamlyn, one of our fantastic Doorkeepers, who is retiring after 36 years of service. The shadow Leader of the House mentioned the number of Prime Ministers under which John served, but I think most of those came in the last few years of his time. As he said to me earlier, the last few years go a lot faster than the early ones.

I also want to address the truly shocking footage we have seen of an incident at Manchester airport. It was right of the Greater Manchester police force to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, given the widespread concern about the incident.

This week we have heard many maiden speeches. There has been a lot of demand, shall we say, but it has been good to see the enthusiasm of many colleagues from across these Benches. Those speeches have told the stories of our nation, of people and places striving to get on, and looking after and looking out for each other; but I am not sure that I can agree that every other constituency is the best in the country, because of course we all know that the best is actually Manchester Central.

This has been a special week for us on the Government side of the House. After long years in opposition, we have finally been able to win some votes in support of our ambitious, bold, fully costed King’s Speech programme. It is one to be proud of. It is the opportunity and responsibility of government made real.

The shadow Leader of the House asks about the election of Select Committee Chairs. He will know that negotiations are ongoing between the usual channels about how those Chairs will be allocated. Once those are completed, we hope to have the elections as soon as possible.

As we end our third week in government, it is clearer than ever before that the Conservatives failed in their responsibility and left the country in state beyond our worst fears. They do not like to hear it, but they failed to take the tough and right choices. It is as if they knew that they were going to lose the election and left the really difficult decisions for us. They do not like it, but history will show it. That is not just my view. The National Audit Office found that the NHS has been left in an “unprecedented” crisis. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that we face

“some of the toughest choices in generations”.

The previous Government’s own Justice Secretary admitted that they ignored prisons running at 99% capacity because it would cost them votes to take action, so I am afraid that I will not be taking the shadow Leader of the House’s advice on the issues that he raises.

The shadow Leader of the House talks about redefining illegal migration. I remember the former Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Braintree (Mr Cleverly), redefining the backlog under the last Government as a “queue.” Far from being stopped, boats have been coming over in record numbers over the past year, so the Conservatives’ plan just was not working. That is why we have already reallocated resources and started returning illegal migrants, which his Government failed to do.

The shadow Leader of the House will know that, yes, we are taking action to ensure that all fiscal statements have Office for Budget Responsibility oversight. I am not sure whether his party will support that next week. The Conservatives had their chance to govern, and they left the country in a much worse state than they found it. They did not fix the roof while the sun was shining; in fact, their whole house was built on sand. We have been left the job of rebuilding from the bottom up, on shaky foundations, with most of the materials gone and the workforce depleted and demoralised, but we are getting on with the job, and there is more to come in coming days.

Manifesto commitments realised today will turn the page on an era of sleaze and scandal. Our first Bills, to be considered next week, will bring our railways back into public ownership—putting passengers first, not profit—and will protect our economy and family finances from Conservative Trussonomics, of which the shadow Leader of the House was an author. We will legislate for Great British Energy when Parliament returns, delivering energy security and lower bills. What a contrast with the dying days of the last Government. If he will forgive me, I will not be taking his advice; I will continue realising the change that the country is crying out for.

[Paul Waugh (Rochdale) (Lab/Co-op)]

The footage of a Greater Manchester police officer stamping on and kicking a man in Manchester airport is truly shocking and disturbing. That man is one of my Rochdale constituents, and I am meeting his family later today. Our police face a difficult job every day to keep us all safe, but they know that they are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of conduct in their duties. Will the Leader of the House make time for Members to discuss the important issue of police conduct?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. As I said, the footage is incredibly disturbing, and there is understandably a lot of concern, particularly in his constituency, given that his constituent was affected. Greater Manchester police have said that the officer involved was immediately suspended from all duties, and a referral has now been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. I will ensure that the Home Secretary has heard my hon. Friend’s question and is in touch with him at the earliest opportunity to discuss the matter further.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Lib Dem spokesperson.

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

I am pleased to see that the Leader of the House has survived the first rebellion of the new Parliament. Her Government should take advice from one of my Bath constituency’s most famous residents, Mary Shelley, and her creation, Frankenstein’s monster:

“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”

I expect the Prime Minister hopes that the new group of independent MPs he has created will not become such a monster.

Scrapping the two-child benefit cap would lift around 250,000 children out of poverty. As child poverty is one of the main drivers of mental illness, it is no surprise that young people’s mental health services are now at breaking point. More than a quarter of a million young people are still waiting for support after being referred to child and adolescent mental health services in 2022-23. One of my constituents, who struggles with an eating disorder, has experienced two relapses, which they attribute to severely limited CAMHS resources in their time of need. The Liberal Democrats want to ensure that when budgets are tight, support for children and young people’s mental health is not pushed aside. Before it is too late, may we have a debate in Government time on the inadequacy of child and adolescent mental health services?

I also wish the wonderful John Tamlyn all the best in his retirement.

[Lucy Powell]

Let me be absolutely clear: we on the Labour Benches are incredibly proud of the programme laid out by His Majesty in the King’s Speech last week. By any measure, it is one of the most bold and ambitious programmes of any incoming Government—tackling the challenges that the country faces, delivering on our manifesto commitments, ensuring that our mission-led Government bring about the change that the country wants, and bringing back a Government of service. It is absolutely right that Members elected on a manifesto to bring in that King’s Speech should vote for it in overwhelming numbers, as they did in Parliament this week. I am incredibly proud of the huge numbers of people who supported that King’s Speech programme.

The issue of child poverty has been raised a number of times in recent weeks. This Labour Government, like any Labour Government, are absolutely committed to tackling child poverty—not just its symptoms, but its root causes—whether through early education, housing support, or the Sure Start programme and other such measures. That is why we have established a cross-cutting Government taskforce to look at all of those issues, and we will come back regularly to this House to report on its progress.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

Many of us enjoyed watching the Euros in our local pubs, whose licensing hours were only just extended before this House rose for the general election. My private Member’s Bill would have ensured that extensions for events of national importance would no longer be dependent on Parliament sitting. That Bill passed through this place with zero objections, but failed to make the wash-up. I know that my right hon. Friend likes sport and a good pint, so will she make time for my Bill to become law?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. Actually, as she will know, I have become quite a lightweight—I am more of a spritzer girl than a full pint girl these days—but I know her Bill was met with wide support in the last Parliament. The private Member’s Bill ballot will be coming up straight after recess, and I hope she secures a spot in it; if she does not, I am happy to talk to her about how we can take some of these matters forward in our future legislative programmes.

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her place. This week, she will have noticed that we are celebrating county flags; Parliament Square is wonderfully decorated with the flags of the historic counties from across these islands. Will she commit the Government to continuing that tradition, and work to enhance and cherish the culture of our magnificent historic counties across our United Kingdom?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Gentleman makes a really important point. The sense of identity that many people get from the counties that they come from should continue to be celebrated and nourished. I am sure that as long as we have this Speaker, who is a great Lancastrian and very much of his county, we in this House will continue to celebrate the great contribution that our counties make.

[Ms Polly Billington (East Thanet) (Lab)]

Coastal communities such as mine in East Thanet have been let down for far too long, with poor public services and a lack of infrastructure. That is made even worse by a shortage of high-quality, well-paid jobs. On top of that, one of those communities’ biggest assets—the sea and its environment—has been trashed as a consequence of Tory neglect and chaos, making sustainable economic recovery even harder. However, that has not deterred my constituents across Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate from channelling their energies into enterprises in hospitality and tourism, as well as in the vital creative industries. Will my right hon. Friend arrange for us to have a debate in this House about the way that this Government’s regional growth strategy will address the long-term challenges and opportunities for our coastal communities, with special consideration of how the visual and performing arts can drive economic—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Business questions will be cut off at about 11.45 am. If we are to get it running, we will have to help each other by trying to ask shorter questions. I am sure that the Leader of the House will assist with quicker answers.

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that great question. Given all the new Members in the House who represent coastal towns, I am sure that the important contribution of those areas would make a really good topic for an Adjournment or Westminster Hall debate after recess.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

Iran represents the biggest threat to peace in the middle east. It controls the Houthis, who attack British shipping; Hamas, who have caused the war in Gaza; and Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. When they were in opposition, the Government promised that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would be proscribed in its entirety, and its assets sequestrated and used for the benefit of the Iranian people. That was also the settled will of this House, so will the Leader of the House arrange for a debate in Government time to ensure that it becomes the policy of this new Administration, and that we get on with that job, which would be welcomed across the world?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Member is right; we raised these issues a number of times when in opposition. The Foreign Secretary has recently updated the House on a number of issues, and I know he plans to continue to do so. I will ensure that he has heard what the hon. Member has said today and provides some answers on that important point.

[Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)]

Resolven, a small community in my constituency with a massive heart, is today filled with pride for Dan Jervis, part of the GB swim team. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating not just Dan, but all our GB contestants at the Paris Olympics? They fill us with pride and joy, so will she join me in congratulating them all?

[Lucy Powell]

I strongly support what my hon. Friend has said. We all wish Team GB the very best in the forthcoming Olympics in Paris, particularly Dan and the rest of the swimming team. We wish all our competing athletes all the very best.

[Sir Roger Gale (Herne Bay and Sandwich) (Con)]

When in opposition, the present Administration made some efforts to criticise the then Conservative Government’s record on animal welfare. The King’s Speech, of which the right hon. Lady indicates she is so proud, contains not one word relating to animal welfare. Was that a deliberate omission, or a careless and uninterested oversight, and when might we have a Bill to outlaw the proceeds of trophy hunting?

[Lucy Powell]

I am glad to answer that question. The right hon. Member will be aware that outlawing trophy hunting was absolutely in our manifesto, which we have been resoundingly elected to deliver. We have set out our King’s Speech for this first Session; it is not for the whole Parliament. Given how much we need to do, we have had to prioritise what we are doing in this Session, especially to deliver on our missions and those first steps we promised the country we would deliver, but I am sure that will come forward in due course.

[Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington) (Lab)]

St Bartholomew’s church in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in my constituency is a grade I listed building. It is a beautiful church, but it is in serious danger of sliding into the North sea because of coastal erosion. Sadly, the last Government allowed funding for sea defences only to protect residential properties. Can we have a debate in Government time to discuss how to change that rule before this lovely church and some of its former residents slide into the North sea?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry to hear about that historic church in my hon. Friend’s constituency. He is right that coastal erosion is one of the key challenges that his community and many others face, and it is one of the issues that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is prioritising in his work on the flood resilience taskforce and on coastal community resilience, so I will ensure that my hon. Friend’s comments have been heard and that he gets a full reply.

[Dave Doogan (Angus and Perthshire Glens) (SNP)]

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero is trumpeting that 76% of the electorate are right behind GB Energy, and why would they not be? Why would they not want a state-owned energy company such as Ørsted, Vattenfall or Equinor delivering for people across these islands? But it is not that, is it? It is a cynical, snake oil exercise to gift-wrap a Department that already exists, and it will not deliver energy across these islands at all. Can we have a debate in Government time about why GB Energy is nothing short of smoke and mirrors?

[Lucy Powell]

I strongly disagree with the hon. Member’s question. Great British Energy is not only very popular, but very popular for a reason. It will transform our ability to produce clean energy, which is much needed in this country, so that we are no longer reliant on imported fossil fuels, which are subject to global energy spikes, as we have seen. We are leading a transformation to being a clean energy superpower by 2030, and Great British Energy is absolutely core to delivering that mission. He will be aware that there will be a debate on this issue tomorrow. We will have the Second Reading of the Bill when we return, when I am sure he will hear how wrong his conclusions on Great British Energy are.

[Jake Richards (Rother Valley) (Lab)]

In the past month, two men in my constituency have taken their own lives. Both had families, both were well known and respected figures in their communities, and both will be sorely missed. Will my right hon. Friend guarantee a debate on mental health services for men, and on how the NHS can work with local groups such as those in my community, Andy’s Man Club in Maltby, the Learning Community in Dinnington, and Better Together in Kiveton Park?

[Lucy Powell]

Sadly, men are three times more likely to die from suicide than women, and it is a great killer of young men in this country. That is why such a big chunk of the King’s Speech was about tackling mental health, including modernisation of the Mental Health Act 1983. We are bringing forward a cross-cutting mental health approach, which I am sure the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will update the House on shortly.

[Paul Holmes (Hamble Valley) (Con)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her position. On the day of the Dissolution of the last Parliament, the previous Government awarded millions of pounds of funding for accessibility at our more remote train stations, including Swanwick and Hedge End in my constituency. Will she confirm that that funding will remain in place, and may we have a debate about accessibility at our more remote train stations?

[Lucy Powell]

As one of the few Labour Members present on that day, I remember that well. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the economic inheritance of this Government is a lot more challenging than we had feared, and some of the commitments made by the previous Government were not funded. We obviously take very seriously the commitments made to local communities, and I am sure that there will be updates for the House as soon as they are available.

[Rachel Blake (Cities of London and Westminster) (Lab/Co-op)]

Will the Leader of the House acknowledge the risk of falling school rolls in the Cities of London and Westminster? She will be aware that the Cities of London and Westminster have some excellent local primary schools, many of which are just a few minutes’ walk from this place. The sustainability of local primary schools is at risk due to London’s housing crisis, so will she allow a debate on the long-term sustainability of local primary schools and their vital importance to central inner-city communities?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend to her place as the Labour MP for where we are today. She raises an important matter that should be covered by the children’s wellbeing Bill that was announced in the King’s Speech, which will look at admission and place planning, and giving local authorities a greater ability to do that than they currently have. The next Education questions are due not long after we return from the summer recess, so she might want to raise this important matter then.

[Wendy Chamberlain (North East Fife) (LD)]

I welcome the new Financial Conduct Authority rules on access to cash. One key thing that they set out is that banks should not close their branches before an assessment has taken place and new alternatives have been put in place. In Cupar, we have already seen the closure of the Bank of Scotland, and problems over the summer regarding the replenishment of the remaining cash machines. May we have a debate in Government time about the FCA rules, and how we ensure that communities that have already lost those services get the replacement assessments they are supposed to get?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Lady for that important question. Having sat through business questions many times in the last Parliament, I know that she raised this topic consistently. The disappearance of banks from our high streets was raised with many of us during the election campaign, which is why this Government are committed to having banking hubs across the country, and to a coherent plan for town centre regeneration. I will consider her request for a debate and pass it on to the relevant Minister.

[Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)]

It is the end of the school year, and I wish to place on the record my thanks to all the teachers and governors, not just in Warwick and Leamington but across the country, for the work they have done in what has been a really tough year. At the beginning of the academic year, certain schools were hit by the issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, which impacted greatly on the education provision for so many in our communities. May we have a debate on the impact of RAAC and asbestos on children’s education, and on what mitigations can be offered?

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in thanking teachers right across the country for what they have done this academic year. Given my new duties, I missed my child’s very last day at primary school on Tuesday—[Hon. Members: “Aww.”]—so I would particularly like to thank his teachers, who I did not get a chance to see that day. I am a really bad mum, I am afraid; it just goes with the terrain. My hon. Friend makes an important point about the RAAC that remains in our schools. It is one of the scandals of the previous Government that was not dealt with. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education is looking incredibly closely at these issues and will update the House in due course.

[Mr Speaker]

Let us have another mother.

[Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Stamford) (Con)]

May I start by saying what a joy it is to see the Leicestershire flag flying outside Parliament? I secured that for my county after a thousand years without one. Moving on to Lincolnshire—I represent three counties—the Government are right to build more houses, but in that process it is crucial that we make sure that councils hold developers and water companies to account. In Corby Glen in Lincolnshire there has been a stink for well over a year, yet the Labour-run rainbow council at South Kesteven refuses to meet the parish council or members of the local community. May we have a debate in Government time on how, with all the new house building, which is absolutely right, we will ensure that house builders and developers are held to account by councils and that we stop the stink in Corby Glen?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Lady raises an important matter. She will know that this Government are unashamedly pro house building, but that is not a free pass for developers. We want to see local plans that are developed locally, that are holistic and strategic, and that consider all issues—not just housing, but the infra- structure that sits alongside it. It is local plans designed by local people that we want to see sped up, and hopefully that will resolve some of the issues with the stench that she has in her constituency.

[Rosie Wrighting (Kettering) (Lab)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her place. I recently visited Kettering General hospital and had the privilege of meeting the staff there. During my visit, I was informed that the maternity ward has RAAC and that patients who give birth have to be transported outside to another wing of the hospital. Will she make time for a debate on RAAC in public sector buildings?

[Lucy Powell]

As we have just heard, this is an important issue for a number of colleagues across the House. We are extremely concerned about the dire state of the NHS estate. RAAC is at the top of the priorities of the Department of Health and Social Care. My hon. Friend will be aware that once the presence of RAAC is confirmed at a hospital site, it joins NHS England’s national RAAC programme, which has a considerable pot of money. I will ensure that she gets an update on her hospital and that this House is updated on RAAC in NHS hospitals in general.

[Sir John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her place, and may I say initially that I am sure she is a very good mum, actually? When the Government abandoned the plan to process illegal migrants offshore, they offered no real practical alternative, as my right hon. Friend the shadow Leader of the House has said. I know that many of those arriving are genuine asylum seekers, and they need to be treated accordingly, but many are not. The British people are sick and tired of people arriving here illegally—not irregularly, but illegally—and not being dealt with appropriately. Will the Leader of the House tell us when the Government intend to act? What is their timescale? What are the numbers they intend to change? Enough is enough. The British people have had enough of their borders being breached with impunity.

[Lucy Powell]

My daughter, who is here today, might have a different view on whether I am a good or bad mum, but that is another point.

With great respect to the right hon. Gentleman, it is a bit rich for Conservative Members to ask us these questions today, given that they presided over the worst rise in illegal migration that this country has ever seen. We have already established the border security command, reallocated resources and made use of the plane to return to Vietnam those who are here illegally. He will know that more than £700 million was allocated to the Rwanda scheme, and all they managed to do with that amount of money was get four volunteers to Rwanda. We have a plan to tackle the criminal gangs and get these numbers down, and we are getting on with delivering that plan.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

First, can I take the opportunity to thank voters in the new constituency of Blaydon and Consett for putting their trust in me? It is truly a privilege. One of the exciting things about the boundary changes has been getting to know the fantastic small businesses and community organisations on the County Durham side of my constituency, including Glenroyd House, the Foundation for Good, the Hub and St Mary Magdalene church, to name just a few. Could we have a debate in Government time on the vital contribution of community organisations to our local communities?

[Lucy Powell]

Can I congratulate my hon. Friend on her re-election? I am sure that her new constituents will be as delighted as her old ones were with how assiduous a constituency MP she is. The topic that she raises would make for a good Adjournment debate or Westminster Hall debate, and I wish her the best in getting that through the draw.

[Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Ind)]

Could I congratulate the Leader of the House on her new position? Could she ensure that a statement is brought forward on the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice decisions relating to Israel and Gaza, and on whether the UK Government will withdraw their objections to any rulings they have made so that they can go ahead and be part of international law? The Prime Minister has said that the current UK Government are fully signed up to all aspects of international law and, of course, the European convention on human rights.

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that question. He is absolutely right. The Government are completely clear that our commitment to international law is resolute, and we are following the necessary processes in that regard. The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that he is undertaking a comprehensive review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law. He has also made it clear that he will update the House as soon as that process is complete. I hope that that will be soon.

[Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) (Lab)]

Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time to consider the civil rights situation in Bangladesh, where violent crackdowns on protests have led to the killing of hundreds and a draconian communications blackout that is causing immense concern to my Bangladeshi communities and the wider community?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. The Government are deeply concerned by the violence in recent days in Bangladesh. The loss of life is unacceptable, and the right to protest must be protected and restored. I will ensure that the Foreign Secretary has heard her question and is able to update her and the House at the first opportunity.

[Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)]

Can we have a debate early in this Parliament on trust in politics and politicians? Newly minted Ministers are already hopping on and off the Airbus A321: the same plane that was condemned in 2022 by the then Opposition as “obscene”, “brazen” and “disgusting”. In that debate, will the Government be able to explain how that jaw-dropping show of double standards and hypocrisy is compatible with restoring trust?

[Lucy Powell]

I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman raised that point, because this afternoon we will have a debate on restoring trust in politicians and politics as the Government bring forward their manifesto commitment to take action on the sleaze, scandal and cronyism that we saw in the last Parliament. We want to turn the page on that decisively, as we are beginning to do today. He will know that the Prime Minister’s travel arrangements are security matters, and I am sure that he will respect that.

[Antonia Bance (Tipton and Wednesbury) (Lab)]

Many residents in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley are sick of the noise and disruption of illegal off-road motorbikes. During the election campaign, we promised to change the rules so that the police could crush illegal off-road bikes that they seize within 48 hours—something that the Tories failed to do in 14 years. Can the Leader of the House update us on when those measures may be brought forward and when Members may have an opportunity to discuss actions to cut anti-social behaviour?

[Lucy Powell]

What a fantastic question. I know from my own constituency that noisy off-road bikes speeding around local streets and intimidating residents are a nightmare. That is particularly prevalent in the Friar Park area of my hon. Friend’s constituency. As she rightly said, the Government are committed to giving the police the powers that they need to crush nuisance dirt and quad bikes within days of their being seized. That legislation will be brought forward in due course.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

Tomorrow, I will visit Scunthorpe steelworks, where hundreds of my constituents work, and many more hundreds rely on the supply chain throughout northern Lincolnshire. I am aware that the previous Government undertook negotiations, and I know that the new Secretary of State will want to reassure the workforce, who are very anxious about their future employment situation. Could the Leader of the House arrange for the Secretary of State to come to the House before the recess to provide that reassurance?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Member for that question. This Government are committed to UK steel production, particularly in Scunthorpe, Port Talbot and other parts of the UK. He will know that we have a big plan for the green transition of steel, and we are bringing forward the industrial strategy council measure and others that will support the long-term future of British steel in this country. The next questions for the Department for Business and Trade are shortly after we return from recess, and I am sure that he will want to raise the issue then.

[Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab)]

May I associate myself with the remarks of my constituency neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh), about the appalling incident at Manchester international airport yesterday?

I congratulate the Leader of the House and her team on their appointments. Could we have a debate in Government time specifically on the cross-Government mission to reduce the appalling health inequalities that we have inherited, which are particularly prevalent in my constituency?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my good friend and constituency neighbour to her place. I am sure that she will be a regular contributor to these and other questions— I think she topped the league in my region as the Member who contributed most in the last Parliament. She will be vocal on a number of issues. She is right; reducing health inequality is core to our health mission. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care set out some of those priorities at Health questions earlier this week. We will have further debates on that matter in due course.

[Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) (Con)]

Around three years ago, two of my constituents, Paul and Joanne Snodden, bought a new home in a residential park. The park turned out to have no licence and now, unable to sell apart from to the park owner, they stand to lose £100,000. Park owners often impose punitive increases in pitch fees, and there are complaints of basic maintenance failures. Could we have a debate on how to toughen laws and enforcement on residential parks?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that important question on behalf of his constituents. I am sure that many colleagues across the House will share similar stories. That sounds like a good topic for a Westminster Hall or Adjournment debate. I am sure that he would have lots of support if he wanted to put in for that.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

It is easier to find a needle in a haystack than it is for my constituents to find an NHS dentist. Many have told me that they have to travel miles just to get an appointment, are forced to go private or simply do not bother at all. Could the Leader of the House tell me when the Health Secretary will update the House on his work to solve this crisis?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend to his place as the new MP for Burton and Uttoxeter. He raises a significant issue that is of importance to other colleagues. For many of us, access to dentistry came up all the time in the general election campaign, which is why this Government are committed to providing 700,000 additional urgent NHS dental appointments. My own dentist is very positive about the mood music coming from this Government and their action on dentistry.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

I congratulate the Leader of the House and welcome her to her position. The Olympic ceremony is happening tomorrow and soon we will be inspired by the athletes’ amazing feats. I congratulate two of my constituents who will be representing Team GB. However, too many girls face barriers to accessing sport, so may we have a debate in Government time on how we can encourage teenage girls to access sport and continue that into adulthood?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Member for that question and of course we wish Team GB well. I did wonder whether her party leader, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey), might enter some of the water sports—or all sports, really. I am not sure how well he would fare, but I am sure he would give it a good go. Getting more young girls involved in sport is absolutely critical. One of the first actions of the Government has been for the Secretary of State for Education to ask for a curriculum review to ensure there is more access to sport and PE for every child across their time in school. There will be further measures coming forward in due course.

[Kim Leadbeater (Spen Valley) (Lab)]

Like many constituencies, in Spen Valley, we are intensely proud of our many towns and villages, all with their own unique identities. My constituents and I want to preserve the amenities at the heart of those communities, such as the town hall in Cleckheaton or the libraries in Mirfield and Kirkheaton. Does the Leader of the House agree that, as part of the very welcome devolution revolution that this Labour Government will deliver, we must ensure that every corner of our country is included in that mission of national renewal?

[Lucy Powell]

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend’s point. Every town and village contributes greatly to the life of their local communities. It is about not just libraries or banking facilities, but a whole range of services and tackling issues such as rural and village crime. That is why the Government are committed to looking at all those issues, but also giving local communities the power to determine the future of their own towns and villages.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Leader of the House for the opportunity to ask a question regarding the necessity of safeguarding freedom of religion or belief. As I indicated to her, I would like to turn our attention to Mexico. In April, more than 150 Baptist Protestants in Hidalgo state in Mexico were forcibly displaced after their electricity was cut off, their church vandalised and access to their homes blocked. The inaction of local government officials has prolonged the suffering of the families, who currently face exorbitant fines based on their conversion to Protestantism. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning those violations of freedom of religion or belief in Hidalgo state, and will she ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise the issue with its counterparts in Mexico?

[Lucy Powell]

I am pleased to see the hon. Gentleman in his place today. I would expect nothing less. I was also pleased to see that, during his Adjournment debate this week, he was intervened on many times. I have heard him many times in this House and at business questions raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief. He will know that the Government are committed to continuing to support those measures and that we will continue to champion them in government.

[Blair McDougall (East Renfrewshire) (Lab)]

My constituency is almost unique in having both a large Jewish and Muslim population living side by side as friends, schoolmates, workmates and neighbours: a sign of hope in pretty troubled times around the world. However, many constituents from both communities have been in touch about the rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia and the impact on them. Will the Leader of the House make time available so this House can make clear our opposition to the hatred that stains too many of our communities?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that important point. The Government absolutely stand steadfast against all hatred, antisemitism and Islamophobia, which unfortunately we have seen on the rise in recent months. He will be aware that Home Office questions, a good place to raise these matters, will take place next week. He might want to raise them with the Home Secretary then.

[Alex Ballinger (Halesowen) (Lab)]

Town centres in constituencies such as mine have increasingly struggled over the last 14 years, so I was pleased to see measures in the King’s Speech to support our high streets. Businesses in my constituency are also interested in an update on the levelling-up fund for Halesowen town centre regeneration, which was promised by the previous Government, so can we have a debate on how we support our high streets?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sure that my hon. Friend’s constituents will thank him greatly for raising the matter. The Government are giving careful consideration to a number of levelling-up grants that we are keen to follow through on. He will be aware, though, that the difficult economic situation that we have inherited is much worse than we foresaw. The funding was not actually there for a number of the previous Government’s commitments, but this Government will do our very best to support places like Halesowen with the additional funding that they need.

[Dr Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton) (Lab)]

In recent days, there have been protests in Rome, in Paris, in my right hon. Friend’s city of Manchester and in Trafalgar Square over what has been going on in Bangladesh. A three-figure number of student protesters have been killed; we do not know how many, because the internet has been turned off. May I press again for an urgent Government statement on our position, because I was not successful in the ballot for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office questions on Tuesday? We have a historic, unique role in this situation.

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises an important point. We are deeply concerned about the violence of recent days. The loss of life is unacceptable. The right to protest must be restored and access to the internet should also be restored. We urge all sides to have restraint in this regard. I know that the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office Ministers will want to update the House; we are running out of time ahead of the recess, but all possible steps will be taken to ensure that those important updates are brought before the recess.

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

The previous Government’s performance in the roll-out of electric vehicle charging was woeful, and we are way behind where we need to be. Will the Leader of the House consider a debate about how we can remove the bureaucratic barriers to the roll-out so that we can get where we need to be and remove as many petrol and diesel vehicles as possible from our roads?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises an incredibly important point. He is absolutely right that this Government’s mission to achieve a transition to a clean energy superpower by 2030, which is incredibly ambitious, will be limited by the roll-out of the necessary infrastructure for electric vehicle charging. There will be a debate tomorrow on these matters, and I hope that he will have the opportunity to raise the issue then.

[Deirdre Costigan (Ealing Southall) (Lab)]

Under the last Labour Government, every single ward in my constituency had six dedicated police and community support officers keeping people safe on the streets, but after 14 years of a Conservative Government we now have 10,000 fewer police officers on our streets. In my constituency, that has led to an open drugs market on Guru Nanak Road in Southall and similar issues with crime and antisocial behaviour on west Ealing Broadway. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on how we can bring forward as quickly as possible this Government’s very welcome plans to recruit 13,000 extra police and community support officers and bring back neighbourhood policing, so my constituents can feel safe again on their streets?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend asks a very important question. She is absolutely right: bringing back neighbourhood policing is a key task for the Home Secretary. Part of our manifesto and of our “first steps” commitments to this country was that we would recruit an additional 13,000 neighbourhood police officers; steps towards that have already been taken. It is also a key plank of the crime and policing Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech and will come before the House in due course.

[Sarah Edwards (Tamworth) (Lab)]

Greenacres school in my constituency is sinking. Five years ago, it applied to the risk protection arrangement scheme after concerns about drainage. It has been closed since March, and pupils and parents are rightly worried about the school’s future. May we have a statement about what the Government are doing to review whether such schemes are fit for purpose and whether the rest of our school buildings are at risk from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and other conditions?

[Lucy Powell]

I am really sorry to hear that the school in my hon. Friend’s constituency is in such a state of disrepair. I am afraid it is a familiar story. Our schools estate is in a very poor state and is in need of serious investment, for which I am afraid sufficient funding is not available at the moment. I know that these matters are of concern to the Secretary of State for Education; my hon. Friend may wish to raise them at Education questions, which are coming up after the recess.

[Catherine Atkinson (Derby North) (Lab)]

Derby is the latest victim of a trend in the publication of unflattering depictions of towns or cities for clickbait. May I invite journalists to visit, with me, the Museum of Making, the Quad cultural hub and the Déda creative centre for dance, take a boat trip up to Darley Abbey, have lunch at Birds and dinner at Darleys, and see the progress that the Labour council is making on the Becketwell performance venue, Derby market hall and the Guildhall theatre? I think that when all that regeneration work is done, Which? should repeat its survey of UK cities in the interests of fairness. May we have a debate about city centre regeneration?

[Lucy Powell]

Derby North sounds like a thoroughly lovely place to visit, and I look forward to doing so at some point soon. My hon. Friend has made a strong case, and I think that the issue of town centre regeneration, which has come up many times today, would be a worthy subject for a forthcoming Westminster Hall debate or a general debate in this place.

[Mr Adnan Hussain (Blackburn) (Ind)]

I have been inundated with messages of concern and upset from my constituents following the horrific images from Manchester airport, and I myself am deeply concerned about what can only be described as a complete abuse of power. Will the Leader of the House join me in declaring, to reassure the general public, that we should never have to witness such scenes of violence in a country such as ours where no authority is above the law, and that all necessary measures must be taken to investigate how and why such an incident arose?

[Lucy Powell]

As a Manchester MP myself, I too was extremely disturbed by that footage, which has understandably caused a great deal of public concern. It was truly shocking to see. Other Members have raised the same topic this morning, and, as I said earlier, Greater Manchester police have said that the officer involved was immediately suspended from duties and a referral has now been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which was absolutely the right thing to do. Let us hope that we do not see scenes like that again.

[Chris McDonald (Stockton North) (Lab)]

Johnson Matthey, in my constituency, has joined other firms in the UK metals sector in creating the “Back British Metals” initiative, which is intended to attract more private sector investment in the sector. Might my right hon. Friend be able to find time for a debate on that initiative, and on how we can attract further investment?

[Lucy Powell]

I know from my previous work with my hon. Friend, who I am sure will make a fantastic contribution to the House as the MP for Stockton North, that he is extremely committed to these issues. The Government will look forward to working with him on the “Back British Metals” campaign, which I hope he will take forward in the coming weeks.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

People in my new constituency have told me that they feel let down by the lack of local bus service provision, be it in Wigmore in the east or Caddington and villages in the west. Will the Leader of the House provide time for a debate on the Government’s exciting plan to give local leaders new powers to franchise local bus services and lift the ban on municipal ownership?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I am afraid that local bus services are woeful in most parts of the country because, in many cases, they are privately run and desperately underfunded. That is why this Government were so committed to ensuring that the bus reform Bill was included in the King’s Speech. It will be introduced in due course, and I think that it will revolutionise bus services in my hon. Friend’s constituency and across the country.

[Jo White (Bassetlaw) (Lab)]

Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate on the failure of Conservative-controlled Nottinghamshire county council to build the desperately needed expansion of Outwood academy Portland, a secondary school in Worksop, despite the £4.5 million of community infrastructure levy money I received in April last year when I was Bassetlaw district council’s deputy leader?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises a very important matter. Building new schools, and meeting schools’ needs in her local area, is absolutely critical to this Government’s mission of making sure that there is opportunity for all, which is the priority of our Education Secretary. I am sure that my hon. Friend will take every opportunity to raise this issue in Education questions, which is coming up. If not, I will make sure that she gets a good reply from the Minister.

[Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley) (Lab)]

Given the recent tragic shooting that took place on the streets of my constituency, can the Leader of the House confirm that there will be time to debate the issue of violent crime, with a real focus on the root causes in order to tackle gun crime in our society?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend to her place, and I am sorry to hear of the tragic circumstances in her constituency. This Government are committed to tackling issues around firearms—not just the symptoms, but the root causes, as she says—and there will be ample time to discuss these matters. Of course, there will be Home Office questions next week, where she may want to raise these matters further.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

Hundreds of thousands of people will be visiting my fantastic city of York over the summer. However, many of them will be staying in short-term holiday lets, with one in 10 properties in the city centre being Airbnbs. Can we have a debate about how this Government will not just register Airbnbs, but license them, so that local authorities can control their housing stock?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises an important issue that affects many cities, such as my own and hers. This Government have a manifesto commitment to look at these issues and take action as soon as we can, and I am sure that she will be able to raise them with the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary in oral questions as soon as we come back on 2 September.

[Alex McIntyre (Gloucester) (Lab)]

One of the biggest issues facing my residents in Gloucester is the crippling cost of living crisis, which is the legacy of the last Government. We have sky-high energy bills, low-paid jobs and eye-watering mortgage hikes. Will my right hon. Friend make time for a debate on what the new Government will do to tackle the cost of living crisis and deliver the change that my residents in Gloucester voted for?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. In the last Parliament, we saw living standards fall for the first time in our history, which is why many people voted Labour at the election. They want change, and they want their living standards restored. We have a wide range of policies to that end, and he might want to raise some of these issues next week, when we will debate the fiscal responsibility Bill. Of course, it was the last Government, in which the shadow Leader of the House was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who crashed the economy and sent mortgage rates sky high.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

From Stotfold to Shefford, parents, pupils and schools alike have been let down by my council’s failure to deliver a long-promised three-tier to two-tier school transition. Given the challenges that the council is clearly having in delivering that on its own, will the Secretary of State for Education make a statement about how the Department can best support the council to finally get it over the line?

[Lucy Powell]

I will arrange for the Secretary of State to address that very important matter, which relates to my hon. Friend’s constituency and the transition from a three-tier to a two-tier education system.

[Dr Beccy Cooper (Worthing West) (Lab)]

May I ask the Leader of the House to find time for a debate on the long-overdue need to update gambling regulations? The most recent legislation is from 2005, which was long before the growth of online and mobile opportunities. I recently met representatives of Gambling with Lives in my constituency and heard some heartbreaking stories about people who have lost their loved ones to the terrible illness of addiction. The law should protect children and vulnerable adults, with more effective regulation. Will she please allow a debate in Government time on this issue?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for her important question. I, too, have met many of the families from Gambling with Lives, and their stories are utterly tragic. We are committed to redoubling our efforts to reduce gambling-related harms, and she will be aware that the previous Government proposed a number of measures, which we are looking at taking forward.

[Chris Webb (Blackpool South) (Lab)]

Last week, Plan International UK launched a report that revealed that Blackpool is the second toughest place for girls in the UK. The report detailed that the place-based inequalities facing girls aged 16 to 24 include sexual assault, child poverty, health and academic attainment. Going forward, I will champion tackling these issues, as they are at the heart of gender inequality and deprivation. Will the Leader of the House allow a debate in Government time to discuss how we can support girls and young women in Blackpool and across our country?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend is right to raise the difficulties that young women in his Blackpool South constituency face. The Government are committed to several measures that I hope will ensure that, over time, they no longer face such difficulties. We want to halve violence against women and girls; we have a taskforce on a child poverty strategy across Government; and our opportunity-for-all mission will drive opportunity for everybody in every part of the country, including Blackpool South.

[Natasha Irons (Croydon East) (Lab)]

Knife crime and youth violence are a disease that has cast a devastating shadow on constituencies such as mine in Croydon East and on communities across the country. With 49,000 recorded offences involving a knife last year, the Government’s commitments to not only get those lethal blades off our streets by finally banning zombie knives, which the previous Government refused to do, but tackle the complex causes of violent crimes by introducing a Sure Start-style service for teenagers are welcome now more than ever. Can the Leader of the House allow time for a statement to outline the work as it begins and how grassroots organisations can plug into it?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. We have committed to tackle knife crime by banning zombie knives and other matters, but she is right that we need to tackle the root causes and the symptoms, which is why we have plans for a Young Futures programme. The Home Secretary and the Mayor of London discussed that and all knife crime-related issues yesterday. My hon. Friend may want to be present for Home Office questions next week when I am sure she will get an update from the Home Secretary.

[Jess Asato (Lowestoft) (Lab)]

Areas such as mine in Lowestoft and Beccles have become so-called dental deserts in the last 14 years. We have one of the lowest numbers of dentists in the east of England, and none were accepting new patients in 2022. I welcome the range of measures that the Health Secretary has outlined, but I ask for a debate on this pressing topic.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend to her place. She and I were involved in Young Labour together—only a few years ago, I feel—so it is great to see her finally in this place where she belongs. She raises the important matter of NHS dentistry and the difficulty that people have getting an NHS appointment, which is particularly acute in Norfolk. That is why the Government are committed to a rescue plan and to providing another 700,000 NHS dentist appointments, which I hope will relieve that acuteness in Norfolk.

[Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

I send my best wishes to John as he approaches his retirement. I first met him in 2009 as a Member of the UK Youth Parliament—now I am here and he is leaving.

Newcastle-under-Lyme is home to many veterans and their families. They are courageous and good people. Can we have a debate on how we can give our veterans the support that they deserve and the appreciation that they have earned?

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in thanking John again, who has sat through business questions one last time as a Doorkeeper. My hon. Friend raises an important issue about supporting veterans. He will know that the Veterans Minister has moved back into the Ministry of Defence, which has Question Time after recess. I hope he will be able to raise the matter then.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Amanda Martin for the final business question.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her place as she takes the reins from my predecessor. In my constituency of Portsmouth North, there are houses in multiple occupation where family homes have been turned into nine or sometimes 10-bedroom houses. As one of the most densely populated cities in Europe, turning family homes into HMOs is a sticking plaster for the urgent need for affordable, social and council homes in our city. Can the Leader of the House look into when we can have a debate on planning reform to give more powers to local government to stop family homes being turned into HMOs?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend, the new Member for Portsmouth North, to business questions. We had a different Member for Portsmouth North at the Dispatch Box in previous sessions, so I warmly welcome her. She raises an important matter that will be of importance to other hon. Members. Local authorities have planning powers to limit the proliferation of HMOs, but I know from my constituency how difficult those powers are to exercise. She would be well within her rights to raise that with the Deputy Prime Minister, who I think will be in the Chamber before recess to give an update on some of these issues.

Code of Conduct and Modernisation Committee

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 25th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

I beg to move,

That, with effect from 25 October 2024, paragraph 2 of Chapter 4 of the Guide to the Rules relating to the conduct of Members be amended to leave out:

“a) advice on public policy and current affairs;

b) advice in general terms about how Parliament works; and”.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

With this we shall discuss the following:

Motion 5—Modernisation Committee—

That—

(1) There shall be a Select Committee, to be called the Modernisation Committee, to consider reforms to House of Commons procedures, standards, and working practices; and to make recommendations thereon;

(2) The Committee shall consist of not more than 14 Members, of which 4 will be the quorum of the Committee;

(3) Members shall be nominated to the Committee by a motion in the name of the Leader of the House;

(4) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the Committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament;

(5) The Committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records; to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House; to adjourn from place to place; to report from time to time; and to appoint specialist advisers either to supply information which is not readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the Committee’s order of reference;

(6) That this Order be a Standing Order of the House until the end of the present Parliament.

Amendment (b) to motion 5, in paragraph (2), leave out “14” and add “18”.

Amendment (c) to motion 5, in paragraph (2), after “Members” insert—

“which shall include the chairs of the Procedure Committee, the Committee of Privileges, the Committee on Standards and the Administration Committee; the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may take part in proceedings of the Committee, may receive Committee papers and may give such other assistance to the Committee as may be appropriate;”.

Amendment (d) to motion 5, in paragraph (2), leave out “, of which”.

Amendment (e) to motion 5, after paragraph (4) insert—

“() The Committee—

(a) when it announces an inquiry, shall consider relevant reports from the Procedure Committee, the Committee of Privileges, the Committee on Standards and the Administration Committee and shall invite those Committees to report on the issues within the terms of reference of the inquiry;

(b) shall not consider matters that fall within the functions of the House of Commons Commission, as set out in the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978; and

(c) shall seek the views of the Speaker on matters within its order of reference;

() The recommendations of the Committee shall be subject to a motion in the name of the Leader of the House;”.

[Lucy Powell]

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I congratulate you on your election as Chairman of Ways and Means. I look forward to working with you in the coming weeks.

Over the past two weeks, it has been fantastic to watch so many new Members hit the ground running in representing their constituents, and it has been a pleasure to see returning Members resume their business, bringing their considerable experience and wisdom to the Chamber.

This new Parliament offers a chance to turn the page after the sorry and sordid record of the last. We face a crisis of trust in politics, politicians and Parliament. As we know, it is a great privilege to sit in this House: to be an MP represents an opportunity to change the country for the better. Underpinning that privilege is a set of solemn responsibilities. Chief among them is the responsibility that we all have to embody the highest standards of public service. Those standards are articulated in the seven principles of public life, which apply to all those who operate in public life and that inspire and inform the code of conduct for MPs. It is perfectly reasonable for a constituent to expect that when they cast their vote in a general election, their candidate will be sent to this House to serve them, not themselves. An MP’s first priority, therefore, must be to their constituents, and the rules of this House must reflect that obligation.

This Government were elected with a mandate for change and the Prime Minister pledged to return us to a politics of service. Today, we take our first steps to deliver that. In line with the Government’s manifesto commitment, I am proposing a tightening of the rules on second jobs for Members of this House in the first instance. Under current arrangements, Members must not provide, or agree to provide, paid parliamentary advice. They must also not undertake services as a parliamentary strategist, adviser or consultant. The rule prohibits Members from advising, in return for payment, outside organisations or persons on, for example, how they may lobby or otherwise influence the work of Parliament. However, the guide to the rules contains exemptions. The exemptions mean that advice on public policy in current affairs, and advice in general terms about how Parliament works, are not considered parliamentary advice.

[Mr Luke Charters (York Outer) (Lab)]

During the election campaign, I made a solemn promise to my constituents that I would not take on a second job, apart from being chief of staff to my two-year-old son. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is time to end public policy and current affairs advocacy roles, so that we all have time to spend on the greatest job of all—representing our constituents?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. That is exactly the purpose of the motion. I hope he has time to do his other job of being a great parent.

However, the exemptions potentially act as loopholes, allowing a Member to use their privileged position and knowledge for personal gain. That may encourage not only a potential conflict of interest but a conflict of attention, with too much of a Member’s time and energy spent on things other than constituency or parliamentary business. I am very grateful to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for his advice on this matter and for the diligent provision of guidance to all Members on adherence to the code of conduct.

The motion puts an end to the exemptions. It sends a clear signal to the public that an MP’s first priority is to their constituents and to the country. It is a first step. These changes shall come into effect three months from the date this motion is passed, which will allow Members the chance to make any necessary changes to existing contracts or arrangements.

[Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) (Green)]

I welcome the statement that the Leader of the House is making. Does she agree that being an MP is an honour and a privilege, and should be a full-time job; and that the problem of second jobs goes wider than the limited issues she is addressing in her motion today? An example of the sort of behaviour that in my view should not be permitted would be an MP acting as managing director of a financial services company headquartered in a tax haven, in which case they might have a conflict of attention, potentially assisting people to avoid tax when of course we should all be serving the public interest. Will she act urgently to put forward further measures to prevent the type of behaviours that I have drawn attention to?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Lady makes a really good point. Absolutely, this is about conflicts of interest and conflicts of attention. As I have made clear, and will further make clear in my opening remarks, this is a first step. We need to look at some of those other areas to give our constituents confidence that this will eradicate the kind of behaviour that she describes.

This House has considered such issues before. Most recently, the Committee on Standards reviewed the code of conduct in the previous Parliament. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life also looked at the matter several times, issuing recommendations in 2009 and in 2018 on MPs’ outside interests. I thank them for their work. Today’s change forms part of an ongoing conversation that I trust will continue as we begin to rebuild public trust in this institution.

We will go further. The other motion before the House will establish a new Modernisation Committee of the House of Commons, fulfilling another manifesto commitment. The Committee will be tasked with driving up standards and addressing the culture of this House, as well as improving working practices.

[Max Wilkinson (Cheltenham) (LD)]

I am one of many newcomers to this Chamber. I first spent time in the Chamber on Friday afternoon, when some irregular things happened. Does the Leader of the House agree that it is the conduct of Members in this Chamber, as well as issues around second jobs and conduct outside, that has given politics and all of us here a bad reputation? If we are to solve these problems, we should recognise that when people turn on the television or watch Parliament live, they want to see people listening respectfully—not heckling, shouting out or calling names.

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Gentleman makes a really important point. Part of what we are beginning today is about restoring respect for one another, both in Parliament and in politics. I have been really encouraged by the enthusiasm that new Members like the hon. Gentleman have for this agenda. I hope he will continue to be involved.

The Modernisation Committee will also look at reforms to make Parliament more effective, bringing recommendations and responding swiftly to the views of the House. It is intended to bring a more strategic lens to these matters and, where necessary, address the pace of change. This is not to cut across the important work of existing Committees, but to highlight interdependencies and facilitate closer working. I describe it as a clearing house, drawing on all the good work of other Committees.

The Government want to build consensus for any reforms, and bring the House together by consulting widely. The deliberations of the Committee will be transparent and published, so that the thinking that has informed any recommendations for change is made clear to Members—a very important aspect of the Committee. I intend to listen to colleagues, regardless of their party affiliation, as we take this work forward, drawing on the diverse range of views and experiences represented in this House.

I turn to the amendments on the Order Paper. I hope that I can provide reassurance to Members about some of their concerns. The existing Committee structures in this House—including the Procedure Committee, the Committee on Standards, the Committee of Privileges, the Administration Committee and of course the House of Commons Commission—will have a vital role to play in the work of the Modernisation Committee. Indeed, it will draw heavily on their work and their recommendations. However, the pace of change that we have witnessed in recent years demonstrates the value that a Modernisation Committee will have when it comes to enacting recommendations. The risk-based exclusion of Members, improvements to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme and the introduction of proxy votes to cover serious long-term illness or injury are prime examples of the glacial pace at which we often move.

The purpose of the Modernisation Committee is not to duplicate the important work carried out by existing Select Committees, but rather to highlight and consider their recommendations in the round. As the Standards Committee noted in its May 2024 report, the standards landscape in Parliament brings together an array of actors and regulatory bodies whose arrangements are often considered in isolation from one another. My hope is that the Modernisation Committee will be able to bring a broader perspective to these issues, and will work closely with the existing parliamentary Committees whose reports and evidence will shape its work. The new Committee will have the ability to collect evidence, and for Chairs to guest on it where relevant. I will be sure to rely on the expertise and experience of all Members.

[Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab)]

Will my right hon. Friend explain the relationship between the Modernisation Committee and the ethics and integrity commission that is being set up?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend, who has done much good work in this space over the years. The Government’s ethics and integrity commission will focus more on Government members, Ministers, civil servants and others, whereas the work of the Modernisation Committee will focus particularly on the House of Commons. There may be a relationship at times, but they will have a different remit and scope. I hope that answers my hon. Friend’s question satisfactorily.

As the proposed Chair of the Committee, I reassure the House that my door will always be open to Members and staff across the House. I see it more as a task and finish Committee—that was a good comment that the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) made to me the other day—that will take a strategic look at recommendations from other bodies and Committees, but not duplicate their work.

I note amendment (a), tabled by the hon. Member for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman), which is about the engagement of smaller parties and their role on the Modernisation Committee. I hope that I have gone some way towards providing reassurance on aspects of that issue. I want to be clear that I want Members across the House to be heard, but the Committee also needs to be an effective body that delivers change. If the Committee is to work swiftly and generate momentum behind proposals for reform, it needs to be of an appropriate size. If each party were represented, as the hon. Member’s amendment requires, the Committee would have to grow considerably. That would not be proportionate with other Committees of the House, which I do not think is reasonable.

[Kirsty Blackman (Aberdeen North) (SNP)]

Given the likely breakdown, does the Leader of the House understand that only three parties will be represented on the Committee? It would be possible to flex that slightly, and have voices from more than just three parties on the Committee, while still keeping it relatively small.

[Lucy Powell]

I understand the hon. Member’s concern. It is an unfortunate case of the mathematics that apply across all Select Committees. On other occasions, in past Parliaments, her party has benefited from the formulas that are used. Beyond formal membership, however, I reassure the House that I want to commit to regular and meaningful engagement with any and all parties represented in this House and with Members who want to contribute.

[Lee Anderson (Ashfield) (Reform)]

This, to me, seems a little bit unfair. A political party that is represented in this House and got over 4 million votes at the last election will have no representation whatsoever on these Committees, yet a party that got 3.5 million votes will have plenty of representation on them. Does the Leader of the House think that is fair?

[Lucy Powell]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, his party has four other Members in this House; the House is considered in terms of its Members, not in terms of the popular vote. What he describes is a consequence of formulas that are long-standing and have brought about effective representation on many Select Committees.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I understand the mathematics—one party has over 400 Members, another has more than 120, another has 72, and so on—and I understand how Committees are made up, and how the Government and the Opposition work. However, when it comes to more parochial things, and while I am ever mindful that the Government have the right to a majority, does the Leader of the House agree that the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, the Scottish Affairs Committee and the Welsh Affairs Committee should include more representation from regional areas?

[Lucy Powell]

Perhaps there is an opportunity for a wider debate on the make-up of Select Committees. I can see some of the issues, but I reiterate that the Modernisation Committee needs to strike a balance between being effective and making fast progress. It needs to be representative, but not too big. I reiterate to the smaller parties my commitment to having ongoing, meaningful engagement, and to having them come regularly to the Committee to give evidence and views. Of course, the proceedings of the Committee will be fully transparent; we will have calls for evidence, and our deliberations will be regularly published for the whole House to see.

[Richard Tice (Boston and Skegness) (Reform)]

My hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Lee Anderson) has just made a very good case, and has asked you a specific question: is it fair? From your lack of reply, I think it is implicit that you agree that it is not fair. You have it in your power to change that, as a matter of fairness and of listening to smaller parties. If you do not agree with that, I think constituents all over the country will find it absolutely astonishing.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Ghani)]

Order. Will Members refrain from using the word “you”? You are speaking through the Chair.

[Lucy Powell]

What is fair is that this House is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected by their constituencies, and Select Committees or Sub-Committees are made up of proportions of those Members. That is fair, and it has always been the case. As an incoming Government with a clear mandate for change—a clear mandate to rebuild trust in politics and restore respect for Parliament—and with a very large majority in the House, we could have proceeded without trying to take the House with us, not setting up a Committee but simply tabling various motions on a diktat basis, but I did not want to take that approach. I wanted to take the House with us and to represent Parliament as a whole—all parties and all Committees. That is why I commit myself again to enabling the smaller parties to have regular, meaningful engagement with the Modernisation Committee on issues of particular concern to them.

[Ellie Chowns]

Given that this is a Select Committee that you are setting up—[Interruption.] I am sorry. Given that the right hon. Lady is setting up the Committee specifically through a motion on the topic of modernisation, is this not an opportunity to demonstrate a tiny bit of that modernisation by ensuring that the smaller parties—not necessarily one member of each of them—are represented in its make-up? Would that not serve as an indication of good will towards the concept of modernisation?

[Lucy Powell]

As I have said, the Committee will engage with the smaller parties regularly and meaningfully. Let us say that there was one more place for a representative of a smaller party. Who would that place go to? Would that Member represent the various views of all the smaller parties? Would they represent Reform, the Greens, the Scottish National party, or the Democratic Unionist party? Everyone would have strong and differing views about that. When it comes to representing properly the range of views across the smaller parties, the commitment to ongoing, meaningful engagement, regular dialogue and inviting all the smaller parties to address the Committee on a regular basis reflects that range of views far better than having one representative on the Committee.

I also want to reassure the traditionalists among us. As I have said previously, this is not about altering the traditions and customs of this place; rather, the Modernisation Committee will build on the work of its namesakes, appointed in earlier Labour Administrations. Those predecessor Committees achieved great reforms in the way in which the Commons works: the introduction of Public Bill Committees, the arrival of Westminster Hall debates, and changes in sitting hours and recess dates. All those reforms improved scrutiny, and helped to make Parliament a more inclusive and family-friendly place of work. I would welcome suggestions from Members of further changes that it might be useful for the Modernisation Committee to consider in order to make Parliament a more effective, modern working environment that better reflects the country that it serves, and to help the public understand better the work that we do and the fact that we are here to serve them.

Let me turn to the Committee’s initial work. I hope that, as one of our first steps, we will look further into the question of Members’ outside employment. We will aim to consider, in conjunction with the Committee on Standards and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, whether any more changes to the rules or the code are necessary, particularly changes intended to ensure that a Member’s private or personal interests do not impede his or her principal duties to the House.

However, the scope of the Modernisation Committee will extend further than second jobs. Beyond reforms of the standards system, the Committee will consider the culture, procedures and working practices of the House. Parliament’s ability to hold the Government to account is essential. Our goal should be to maximise the time available for scrutiny of the Government’s legislative programme, while also ensuring that Back-Bench voices remain prominent and effective. Our constituents are best served when parliamentary time is spent both on robust scrutiny of legislation and on debates in which the issues that matter most to Members and to our constituents can be raised. I look forward to hearing the views of all Members when assessing how we can best achieve that, and whether changes are required.

Making Parliament accessible to all Members is of paramount importance. Over the years, good work has been done on seeking to tackle the inappropriate and wrong behaviour that we have all heard about and suffered from. The Speaker’s Conference in the last Session did important work on the conditions for Members’ staff. I am also grateful to Paul Kernaghan for his recent review of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, and to Alison Stanley, whose reviews preceded his. We will look at taking his recommendations forward. As recently as May this year, the Committee on Standards produced an excellent report on the standards landscape in Parliament, bringing together analysis of, and recommendations on, all elements of the standards system. Those pieces of work are essential, and they cannot be considered in isolation; we need to take a strategic approach to these issues, so that gaps in the system do not develop.

Today we have an opportunity to set out, clearly and firmly, the standards to which we should all aspire in this House—the standards that the public expect of their elected representatives. We have an opportunity to put politics back to service, and signal an immediate end to the politics of self-interest through a tightening of the rules on second jobs. We have an opportunity to establish a body that will examine the House in the round and bring it up to date. I look forward to this debate, and I am grateful for the huge amount of interest that the Modernisation Committee has already garnered.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Powell]

May I congratulate you on your election, Madam Deputy Speaker, and on having already made good use of the parliamentary hairdressers? I hope that you will maintain that tradition.

I thank so many Members of this House for taking part in this debate. We have heard some excellent maiden speeches. My hon. Friends the Members for Ipswich (Jack Abbott), for Telford (Shaun Davies), for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Chris Murray), for Cardiff West (Mr Barros-Curtis), for Glasgow South (Gordon McKee), for Lincoln (Hamish Falconer), for Wolverhampton North East (Sureena Brackenridge) and for Poole (Neil Duncan-Jordan) and the hon. Members for Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp), for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson), for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) and for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Patrick Spencer) all made excellent contributions. There is always a competition about who represents the very best constituency, but of course we all know that it is actually me.

Trust and dedication to constituencies, constituents and public service have been a common theme today. Substantive points have also been raised about the modernisation agenda, for which I am really grateful. The shadow Leader of the House, the right hon. Member for Croydon South (Chris Philp), raised several issues. I welcome his engagement, which I have sought over recent days; I discussed our proposals with him well in advance of tabling them.

The size of the Modernisation Committee, which is the subject of Opposition amendment (c), has been part of the conversation about representation across the House. The current proposal is to have 14 members; under the current algorithm, which is based on the make-up of the House, that will give nine places to the Government, three to the official Opposition and two to the third party. Expanding the Committee to 18 members would give 12 places to the Government party and three to the third party, but the official Opposition would still have three. I looked at all the numbers and I felt that having 14 members would give the fairest distribution among Government and Opposition parties. Going bigger still would not bring the smaller parties into the mix, which is why I have made a very firm commitment to have ongoing dialogue and meaningful engagement with them. If the numbers included Chairs of other Committees, the shadow Leader of the House might actually lose his place on the Committee, because the other Committee Chairs would take up the official Opposition places, so I ask him to think about the numbering.

The shadow Leader of the House asked about the Modernisation Committee’s relationship to other Committees. It is essential to be clear about this. I have been very clear that it will be a strategic, overarching Committee. It will not seek to duplicate any of the work of other Committees, which would be a waste of everybody’s time. Instead, it will work closely with those Committees, commission their work, seek their views, ask for their reports and their input and carefully consider their recommendations on all matters.

I see this as a sort of clearing house, a “task and finish” group that can more quickly bring recommendations from some of those Committees to the Floor of the House and take a strategic overview of how the different issues interrelate. The Standards Committee itself recommended that in its most recent report, in which it described the siloed and disjointed context in which we operate.

[Chris Philp]

The right hon. Lady’s comments are extremely welcome, but, for absolute clarity, can she confirm that when the new Modernisation Committee intends to consider a matter, it will first invite the relevant other Committee of the House to prepare a report and come back to the Modernisation Committee with it?

[Lucy Powell]

On the whole, yes; that is the intention and the hope. Some of those Committees do not yet have Chairs, but that is certainly the modus operandi for which we are hoping. We do not expect to be doing that work ourselves, or duplicating it.

The Standards Committee, which was raised earlier, has a completely distinct and different role because of the relationship with the lay members and with the Standards Commissioner. As I have said to the Leader of the House privately—I am sorry; I mean the shadow Leader of the House. [Laughter.] I am still getting used to this gig. As I have said to the shadow Leader, I sought the advice of the Standards Commissioner when considering how we would tighten the rules on paid advocacy, and I have followed his advice to the letter, because I think this is critical. The Standards Commissioner would not want to sit on the Committee because it would conflict with his role, but I see his role as being central to the drawing up of any further advice, because he has to police it—that is his job. I hope that satisfies the shadow Leader of the House.

The hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) and I have worked closely together, and I greatly value her input on these issues. I think that we largely agree on most of them. We do need to take forward the recommendations on the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme review, and that would be a first task for the Committee.

My hon. Friend the Member for Blyth and Ashington (Ian Lavery) made an erudite speech, as usual, about trust and cleaning up politics, and I thank him for his contribution. That is very much what we are seeking to do. The hon. Member for South Leicestershire (Alberto Costa) has done invaluable work on this matter in the past in his role as a member of the Standards Committee. As I have said, I am very conscious of the work that the lay members do and the need for that to play a separate role in this context, but, as the hon. Gentleman will know, the landscape review pointed clearly to the need for a more strategic, joined-up approach to some of these issues. The hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Ellie Chowns), as a newbie, presented some welcome ideas. She reflects the enthusiasm of many other newbies and, I think, the frustration of many of them as well.

I listened to the speech of the hon. Member for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman) from outside the Chamber. I really do value her contribution to this debate, and I look forward to working with her. I would love to have her on the Committee, but I am hopeful that we can find a way for that ongoing relationship to be meaningful and regular, and that she will be able to contribute some of the ideas that she mentioned today in a more formal manner. My hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy), in a very short space of time, gave some very good advice about the implications for safety and human resources on the estate, and she was right to do so. We did not hear many comments on second jobs, but I think we all agree that we need to take action in that regard, and I am glad to see the extent of the cross-party support for such action.

I hope we will not divide the House on these issues, because I think it important for us to stand together today. We have seen plenty of enthusiasm and support, and I hope that Members will now support the motion.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That, with effect from 25 October 2024, paragraph 2 of Chapter 4 of the Guide to the Rules relating to the conduct of Members be amended to leave out:

“a) advice on public policy and current affairs;

b) advice in general terms about how Parliament works; and”.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

We now come to motion 5, relating to a Modernisation Committee. I remind the House that Mr Speaker has selected amendments (b), (c), (d) and (e), as listed on the Order Paper. If amendment (b) is defeated, amendments (c) and (d) automatically fall, and I will not call anyone to move them. I call the Minister to move the motion formally.

Motion made, and Question proposed,

That—

(1) There shall be a Select Committee, to be called the Modernisation Committee, to consider reforms to House of Commons procedures, standards, and working practices; and to make recommendations thereon;

(2) The Committee shall consist of not more than 14 Members, of which 4 will be the quorum of the Committee;

(3) Members shall be nominated to the Committee by a motion in the name of the Leader of the House;

(4) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the Committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament;

(5) The Committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records; to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House; to adjourn from place to place; to report from time to time; and to appoint specialist advisers either to supply information which is not readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the Committee’s order of reference;

(6) That this Order be a Standing Order of the House until the end of the present Parliament.—(Lucy Powell.)

Business of the House

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Chris Philp (Croydon South) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House update us on forthcoming business?

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

The business for the remainder of the week will include:

Friday 19 July—Subject to the House agreeing the motion on today’s Order Paper, continuation of the debate on the King’s Speech on planning, greenbelt and rural affairs.

The business for the week commencing 22 July will include:

Monday 22 July—Continuation of the debate on the King’s Speech on the economy, welfare and public services.

Tuesday 23 July—Conclusion of the debate on the King’s Speech on immigration and home affairs.

Wednesday 24 July—Motion to approve the Global Combat Air Programme International Government Organisation (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2024, followed by a general debate on education and opportunity, followed by, at 7 pm, the House will be asked to agree estimates.

Thursday 25 July—Proceedings on the Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Bill, followed by a motion to approve the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Requisite and Minimum Custodial Periods) Order 2024, followed by a debate on motions on second jobs for Members of Parliament and to establish a House of Commons modernisation committee.

Friday 26 July—General debate on making Britain a clean energy superpower.

The provisional business for the week commencing 29 July includes:

Monday 29 July—Second Reading of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

Tuesday 30 July—Second Reading of the Budget Responsibility Bill.

The House will rise for the summer recess at the conclusion of business on Tuesday 30 July and return on Monday 2 September. Subject to the progress of business, the House will then rise for the conference recess on Thursday 12 September and return on Monday 7 October.

[Chris Philp]

First, I congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on your unanimous re-election to the Chair and your triumphant victory in Chorley with 75% of the vote. Clearly we can all learn a great deal from you about how to win elections. I look forward to working with you and, I hope, learning from your very long experience of this House. Congratulations to all colleagues elected on 4 July, including those Opposition Members who had to work so hard to survive what was an electoral tsunami of biblical proportions. I especially congratulate those on both sides of the House who were elected for the first time. It is a huge honour to serve in this House.

My particular congratulations go to the right hon. Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell) on her appointment as Leader of the House. I hope that she has had the opportunity to practise wielding a sword for several hours and wearing an embroidered cape with panache; her predecessor, Penny Mordaunt, was an expert at doing both things. When looking at the Hansard of previous exchanges, I noticed that in the final business questions of the last Parliament, the shadow Leader of the House, as she was then, paid tribute to Penny’s renowned, formidable blow-dried haircut. I can only apologise to the House for my own short back and sides being nothing in comparison. I know colleagues on both sides of the House will miss Penny, wish her well and hope she returns here before too long. I thank the House staff and Clerks for their work welcoming new Members, and the Leader of the House for the collegiate approach she has taken in our private discussions so far.

However, of course these exchanges are an opportunity to raise questions about House business and the associated conduct of Government. Although the new Government are less than two weeks old, there are already some questions I would like to raise.

First, the Government have announced, with no reference at all to Parliament, that the Rwanda scheme—enabled by Bills that this House passed—has been scrapped. The scheme had been due to start next week, and would have provided a deterrent to illegal immigration across the channel. We have seen deterrents of that kind work elsewhere. Since this Government came into office, more than 1,000 people have illegally and dangerously crossed the channel, with four tragically dying. These crossings are unnecessary, France being safe. When will the Government come to the House to explain the change of policy, and will there be any votes on it?

Moving on, according to press reports the Energy Secretary decided last week to cancel all new applications for oil and gas licences in the North sea. If true, that will increase energy prices and make us more dependent on potentially unreliable foreign gas imports. Why did the Government not first come to the House to explain the new policy, and will there be a vote on it?

The Chancellor gave a speech last week on housing and planning, during which the Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister simply sat and listened in rather uncharacteristic silence. The Chancellor announced that green-belt protections will be scrapped—or, as she euphemistically put it, the green belt will be rebranded as the grey belt. Renaming whole swathes of green belt as grey belt is a piece of shameless spin that would make even Peter Mandelson blush. When will the Government come to the House to explain their plans for the removal of green-belt protections?

The Chancellor also made some outlandish claims about the economy and public finances. The economy is in fact in fantastic condition. Inflation—[Interruption.] Yes, it is—Members should listen! Inflation is down to 2%, lower than in the eurozone and the United States. Wage growth, in contrast, is much higher at 6%. Unemployment is low, at half the level left behind by the previous Labour Government, and the UK’s economic growth so far this year is the highest in the G7.

I understand that the Chancellor might make a statement at some point to the House on these topics. Will the Leader of the House confirm that any claims about public finance made in this House will be accompanied by a full Office for Budget Responsibility forecast, so we can be sure that any such claims are not simply being concocted by the Chancellor as a pretext for tax rises?

Mr Speaker, I have listed several major policy announcements made in the past 10 days with no reference to Parliament at all. You quite rightly said to the previous Government on many occasions that major policy announcements should be made when Parliament is sitting and first to the House. I would welcome your assistance in ensuring that the new Government adhere to those principles. Finally, then, I ask the Leader of the House to make a commitment now that all major policy announcements will be made only when the House is sitting, as the Speaker previously requested, and first to this House of Commons, where elected Members from all parties can ask questions, including the 250 or so newly elected Labour Members, who I am sure want to ask questions as well. I would be very grateful if she would confirm that.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think the problem is that people’s comments ought to reflect their previous jobs as well. Maybe that comment is from knowledge about making statements outside the House. I do not know; I do not make any judgment. The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely correct that when the House is not sitting, of course statements will be made by the Government, but when the House is sitting, I expect them to be made in the House. That has been a very clear message and the Leader of the House and I are both working to ensure that statements are heard here first. I certainly take the point on board, but I do not want to be drawn into what we should or should not be doing in the future. I welcome the ability to clarify the position.

[Lucy Powell]

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I start by thanking His Majesty the King for yesterday’s Speech and join colleagues in wishing Her Majesty the Queen a happy birthday for yesterday. I also thank the staff and security services who have worked so hard both to get Parliament ready for the King’s Speech and on the huge task of transitioning from the last Parliament to this one, with so many new Members and so many leaving.

The election saw worrying incidents, including harassment and the sharing of misinformation and disinformation—it is unacceptable that some felt unable to go out campaigning, and our democracy depends on our coming together to say so—but we also saw the best of our democracy: the rapid changeover of power when people choose change.

May I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your leadership on MPs’ security? I know that that is your top and most urgent priority. May I also congratulate you on your re-election? You are always fair and considered, and always put Members’ interests first. Today might be the first big test of whether you know the names of all the new Members.

[Mr Speaker]

No tests, please.

[Lucy Powell]

We both share a strong commitment to upholding the role of Parliament and, as we have just discussed, to restoring respect. That includes Ministers first making major announcements in the House, when it is sitting. Rest assured, I will be robust on that, and I expect to see Ministers and Secretaries of State at the Dispatch Box over the coming days as we play catch-up on the period in which the House was not sitting. Thank you for your forbearance on that, Mr Speaker.

I welcome all new and returning Members to this 59th Parliament. It is a Parliament to be proud of and one that reflects our country better than ever before. There are more women than ever, more Members from ethnic minority backgrounds and more Members from the LGBT community. It has been a real pleasure to see the excitement and possibilities of new Members—over half the House is new—as they find their way around this often baffling maze of a place. I saw that one had described it as being like freshers’ week meets Hogwarts and Buckingham Palace. Let us hope that they do not all drop down with freshers’ flu.

We lost some good colleagues from all sides at the election. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Penny Mordaunt, who was always a worthy opponent across the Dispatch Box. She brought a fresh approach not only to this role but as the first female Defence Secretary. I always thought that she was an underused asset for the Conservative party, and she will be missed—especially by the parliamentary hairdressers.

I welcome the shadow Leader of the House, the right hon. Member for Croydon South (Chris Philp), to his new role. I know that he has always been keen. After holding very many ministerial roles, I congratulate him on finally making it as a full member of the Cabinet—albeit with the word “shadow” before his title. I hope that the role lives up to his ambitions. Debates about leaking roofs, broken toilets and the price of a bacon butty in the Members’ Dining Room all await his close attention. I am keen to work with him and we have already had constructive discussions. I am clear that I want to take the whole House with us on the changes that we need to make.

However, we need to turn the page. Recent years have been plagued by scandals, bad behaviour, disrespect, poor standards and poor legislation. That is what next week’s motions on a modernisation committee and on second jobs are about: for the House to work together to drive up standards, improve working practices and find reforms to make Parliament more effective. Let us be clear: it is not about changing the traditions and customs of this place—I know that you will be pleased to hear that, Mr Speaker—but the country voted for change. We will be a Government of service and begin that journey of restoring trust in politics and Parliament—action, not words. That is why we have hit the ground running by establishing the national wealth fund, resetting relations with junior doctors and dentists, launching the border security command, ending the ban on new onshore wind, taking immediate action on the prisons crisis, restoring house building targets and starting to tackle the water crisis—the list goes on.

The shadow Leader of the House asks about the economic record, house building and the Rwanda plan. I gently say to him that, after such a resounding Conservative defeat at the ballot box, I do not think that his best advice is to start saying that their record was actually great all along or that their policies were the best ones for us to follow. On the economic record, the truth is that living standards fell over the last Parliament for the first time on record. He was Chief Secretary to the Treasury when former Prime Minister Liz Truss crashed the economy, sending mortgage rates soaring. Since we have come into government, we have discovered that things are even worse than we thought. [Interruption.] The Conservatives do not like it but I am afraid it is true. The country—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Leader of the House.

[Lucy Powell]

The country voted resoundingly for change because it was worse off, so the Conservative party would be best advised to look deeply at why it lost, rather than claim that people never had it so good.

The right hon. Gentleman asked about the Rwanda plan. The record speaks for itself: four volunteers were all that scheme achieved, and far from stopping the boats or acting as a deterrent, the Government presided over the highest number of small boat crossings on record. It was an expensive gimmick that will not work, and the Home Secretary will update the House on that matter in the usual way very soon. The Energy Secretary will update the House today on his plans for a clean energy superpower.

The right hon. Gentleman also asked about house building and planning. We make no apology: we are unashamedly pro-house building. We have already restored the targets that his Government took away, and will be bringing in planning reforms to make sure that the country gets the 1.5 million new homes it needs.

The King’s Speech shows that the Government are getting on with the job, with one of the most ambitious programmes ever of an incoming Government: following through on commitments on things like the Hillsborough law and Martyn’s law, which the last Government failed to do, and putting rocket boosters under growth. The guiding light will be delivering on our missions. Yesterday was an historic moment: the first legislative programme from a Labour Government in 15 years. We have a mandate for change; the journey towards that change has begun, and I look forward to working with Members across the House to get on with that job.

[Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)]

How wonderful it is to see you back in your rightful place, Mr Speaker.

Last weekend, Rhian Thomas from Catwg primary school in Cadoxton, in my new constituency of Neath and Swansea East, won the primary school teacher of the year award. Rhian won the award for all she has done to create engaging learning experiences at Catwg primary school for pupils and the wider community. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Rhian, the school, and all teachers everywhere on everything they do for our children and young people?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that fantastic question, and welcome her back to her seat. She is one of the most redoubtable champions in this place, and I know that she will be really pushing that cause and many others, as she did in the last Parliament. I join her in congratulating Rhian on winning the primary school teacher of the year award, and thank all teachers across the country for the work that they do. One of the first things the Education Secretary has done since taking office is look to reset the relationship with teachers, so that we can really tackle the recruitment and retention crisis facing our schools. As we come to the end of term, we join together in thanking every single teacher for the great work that they do.

[Mr Speaker]

We now come to the Lib Dem spokesperson.

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

May I also say what a pleasure it is to see you back in your place, Mr Speaker? I welcome the Leader of the House to her position, and congratulate her on the election results: securing such a large majority is no easy task, and her party at all levels deserves credit. The same can be said for our party, the Liberal Democrats: we are now the largest third party in over a century, with our most MPs ever. I thank all of the Liberal Democrats’ campaigners across the country who have fought tirelessly for a fair deal.

Our No. 1 priority is fixing the health and care crisis, so that no matter where in the country a person is, they can see a doctor or a dentist when they need to do so. Also central to our campaign was a fair deal for social care staff. The Government have promised to introduce a fair pay agreement for adult social care staff; while we Liberal Democrats welcome that announcement, there has been no detail of how it will be funded. The Liberal Democrats would fund a fair pay deal for social care staff by reversing the tax cuts handed by the Conservative party to the big banks. How will the Government fund that commitment?

Another issue that must be urgently addressed is our commitment to reach net zero. The report published today by the Climate Change Committee makes clear that the days of U-turning on climate commitments and diluting environmental targets must come to an end. Only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve our 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans. The Liberal Democrats are committed to the bold, urgent action needed to tackle climate change, cut energy bills and create hundreds of thousands of secure, well-paid jobs. The Conservatives’ lack of ambition relinquished our place as a global environmental leader. With COP29 nearing, the UK has a golden opportunity to turbocharge global climate change policies.

Of course, the worst scandal of the past few years has been the sewage scandal. Can we have a debate in Government time on how we can fix this scandal, which has blighted our communities up and down the country?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Lady for her comments, and I welcome her to her place. I congratulate the Liberal Democrats on their success and their results in the election. They have an historic number of new Members of Parliament, although I am surprised that she did not bungee jump her way in this morning or rollerblade her way along from Members Lobby. She and I have worked together in the past, and I look forward to our working together in the future.

I know that part of the Liberal Democrat mandate at the election was about cleaning up our politics and turning the page, and this election certainly demanded action on that, so I hope we can realise some of that together. I worked closely with the hon. Lady’s colleague the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) on risk-based exclusions in the last Parliament, and I look forward to having a constructive relationship with her on those issues as well.

The hon. Lady raised a few issues. We absolutely share the Liberal Democrats’ concerns about the social care crisis in this country, and we are determined to get a grip on that. We know that care is not always available or of the quality that people deserve, and we are determined that everybody should have access to dignified, independent support in life. In the King’s Speech, we announced action in the employment Bill on establishing a fair pay agreement in the adult social care sector, and we look forward to working together on some of those issues.

On net zero, there will be the opportunity to question the Energy Secretary later. We have a really ambitious plan to get to net zero and be a clean energy superpower by 2030, and we have already started that programme. We have lifted the moratorium on onshore wind, we have agreed to planning applications for more solar in the past week than—taken together—has ever happened in our country’s history before and we have begun the process to establish Great British Energy.

I share the hon. Lady’s frustrations about the quality of water in this country, and it falls to this Government—how can I put it?—to clean up some of the mess of the previous Government in this area. [Interruption.] I know Conservative Members do not like to hear about all their mess floating around in the rivers, but I am afraid it does float around. We have announced a number of measures on that already, and we will continue to work together as we see our water special measures Bill that was announced in the King’s Speech yesterday progress through Parliament.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her new position.

Worryingly, last week there was an attack at the Gurdwara Nanak Darbar in my constituency of Gravesham. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt, but I would like to place on record my thanks to the gurdwara first responders and all the emergency services for that. Although the facts of the case are still unclear, the attack caused understandable anxiety in the local Sikh community. Would the Leader of the House consider scheduling a debate on the importance of protecting worshippers in their sacred spaces so that they may practise their faith without fear?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend raises a very important matter in her first question in this House, and I very much welcome her election and her attendance here this morning. These are very serious matters, and I am concerned to hear about them. She may be pleased to know that the first Home Office oral questions will take place on 29 July. If she does not get the response that she wants then, I shall certainly raise this matter for her with the Home Secretary.

[Dame Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con)]

Congratulations on your re-election, Mr Speaker. Will the Leader of the House find time for a statement on flood defences? The last Parliament was on track to spend £5.2 billion on flood defences, including in communities like Severn Stoke and Tenbury Wells in my constituency. There are concerns that the incoming Government may cancel that spending, so will she timetable a statement and reassure us that that is not the case?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome the hon. Lady her to her place and congratulate her on surviving the tsunami that, I am afraid, took out some of her colleagues. She raises a very important matter. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs orals have not yet been timetabled, so the subject would make a good candidate for an Adjournment debate application, should she want to do that. In the meantime, I will get her a response on the Government’s plans for flood defences.

[Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)]

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Stockport, can I congratulate you on your re-election? I also congratulate my fellow Greater Manchester Labour MP on her appointment as Leader of the House. I am certain that she will do a fantastic job.

Public libraries are a vital hub for communities across the nation, providing important spaces for drop-in sessions, internet connectivity, reading books and so much more, yet in my local authority of Stockport borough the local Liberal Democrat council is reducing staffed hours in our libraries—a move that threatens to leave many adults and children isolated and without access to critical services. As such, will the Leader of the House allow a debate in Government time on our treasured public libraries?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for his best wishes and for that important question. Libraries and access to them play a vital role in our communities, supporting local people and children with their education. I am afraid that the previous Government hollowed out local government funding over their 14 years in office. They promised levelling up, but in fact we got years and years of cuts. I will make sure that the Culture Secretary has heard my hon. Friend’s question and supplies him with a reply.

[Pete Wishart (Perth and Kinross-shire) (SNP)]

Mr Speaker, congratulations on your re-election. I welcome the Leader of the House most sincerely to her position; I always think business questions is the most illuminating and refreshing part of the week’s business.

One of the most pressing pieces of business that we considered prior to the general election was, of course, the compensation scheme for those infected and impacted by the infected blood scandal. Can we have an urgent statement to detail the Government’s progress in ensuring that the compensation scheme is put in place and their progress towards the creation of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority? Victims are still dying weekly, and I am certain that the Leader of the House will want to do everything possible to ensure that these matters are addressed as quickly as possible.

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Member for that question; he and I both know, after sitting through these sessions in the last Parliament, that the infected blood scandal is probably the single biggest issue raised in business questions. It is absolutely important that we take action and follow through on the commitments that have been given. I assure him that there will be an update to the House at the earliest possible opportunity on the Government’s progress in dealing with the compensation scheme.

[Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) (Lab)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to her place. Will she join me in congratulating the business-led 2025 Group, which is celebrating the many positives of working in Grimsby and Cleethorpes? Could we have time to debate the importance of our town centres and the ongoing need for high street regeneration, and to recognise the dire impact on local economies of delayed repairs to infrastructure such as Corporation bridge in my constituency?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and welcome her back to her rightful place in this House as the new Member for Grimsby. I know that she will do a fantastic job for the town. As she knows, one of our big areas of focus during the election campaign was town centre regeneration, and our planning and infrastructure Bill and other measures announced yesterday will focus on just that. I look forward to working with her on the issue over the coming months.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

The last Conservative Government provided £213 million of funding for the Western Link road to complete the orbital route around Norwich, but during the election campaign I was concerned to hear rumours that Labour might axe it. Can the Leader of the House provide a statement quickly to give reassurance to the people of Broadland and Fakenham, and Norfolk more widely, that this much-needed infrastructure will continue?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sure this is an important matter for the hon. Member’s constituents. I do not have the answer today, but I note that Transport orals will be coming at some point soon. I will therefore get him a response from the Transport Secretary, and if that is not forthcoming, I am sure he will apply for a debate in the usual way.

[Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) (Lab)]

Congratulations on your re-election, Mr Speaker. Some 47% of children in my Liverpool Riverside constituency are living in poverty—nearly one in two—and I am sure that the Leader of the House agrees that that is unacceptable. While I welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday of the taskforce, it did not mention the removal of the two-child cap. Will the Leader of the House grant parliamentary time to discuss the removal of the two-child cap and dealing with child poverty?

[Lucy Powell]

I know the issue is close to my hon. Friend’s heart. As an incoming Labour Government, we are absolutely committed to tackling child poverty and all the root causes of child poverty. That is why the Prime Minister announced the Government taskforce looking at these matters yesterday. We were clear in our manifesto that the economic circumstances do not currently allow for us to abolish the cap. Economic stability is the single biggest thing we can do to ensure that children do not fall into poverty, because when the economy crashes it is the poorest in society who pay the heaviest price. I think my hon. Friend has tabled some amendments to the Loyal Address, and I sure she will have ample opportunity to debate them over the coming days of the King’s Speech debate.

[Mike Wood (Kingswinford and South Staffordshire) (Con)]

My local councils in South Staffordshire and Dudley worked hard on local plans to provide the new housing that my constituents will need over the coming decade. In the light of the alarming Government briefings on their planning reforms, can we have a debate in Government time on how we can make sure that democratically drawn-up local plans are respected and that the green belt safeguarded by those local plans remains protected?

[Lucy Powell]

I think the hon. Member may misunderstand the policy in this area. This Government have made it clear that we are unashamedly pro-house building. We have to tackle the housing crisis in this country and meet the target of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this Parliament, and I think that his party also pledged to deliver that target in the election campaign. As he knows, the Conservatives in government withdrew the house building targets, which then reduced figures. What we are not proposing here is a developer free-for-all. This is about good, sensible, clear local plans being drawn together and then expedited with things moving more quickly. I can reassure him on that, but frankly we will take no lectures from the Opposition on dealing with the housing crisis.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

When it comes to children with special educational needs, children who have experienced trauma in their childhood or children with anxiety, local authorities carry all the risk, but do not have the resources. Our academy system is out of control and our health services are insufficient. Can we have a debate on children who experience such challenges in their early years to ensure that we address this issue early on in this Government?

[Lucy Powell]

May I welcome my hon. Friend back to her place? She was always vocal and committed in the last Parliament, and I have no doubt she will be so again in this Parliament. As she rightly points out, our education and care systems are not meeting the needs of children with special educational needs, often leaving them without the support they need to thrive. That is one of the issues being tackled in our children’s wellbeing Bill, announced by His Majesty the King yesterday. As she will have heard this morning, there will be a debate on education in the business next week.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

Immediately prior to Dissolution, the excellent Backbench Business Committee had granted a debate in the Chamber to discuss the performance of Southern Water. I know that the right hon. Lady will want to respond about sewage, but in fact the debate was to be about its failure to deliver clean water to significant parts of my constituency in addition to its failures on sewage. Will she please reassure me that in the absence of the Backbench Business Committee and the Petitions Committee, the Government will find time for Back Benchers to bring forward important issues that we wish to debate in the Chamber?

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[Lucy Powell]

The right hon. Lady is a fantastic, strong voice in the Chamber. I welcome her and the naughty corner back to their place, albeit on the other side of the House. She makes an important point about an important debate, which I shall certainly pass on. In the absence of Backbench Business debates, we have and will continue to table general debates, and there will be availability for Westminster Hall debates in the usual way as well.

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

This week, the new Minister of State for Education visited my constituency to look at the excellent work being done by the London Ambulance Service in its education centre, and in particular the apprenticeships that it offers, which have opened up opportunities to people who would not normally have access to that route, including military veterans. Will the Leader of the House look to find time to debate apprenticeships, particularly with an eye to schemes like this and how might broaden opportunities?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend to his place with his election as the Member for West Ham and Beckton. I am sure that he will be a strong MP for that new constituency. He raises an important point. Dealing with apprenticeships and apprenticeship reform, I hope that the announcement yesterday in the King’s Speech of the new Skills England body sends a signal of how important this issue is for the Government in delivering on our mission for growth and delivering opportunity for all. He will have noticed that we have an education debate timetabled for next week, where he can raise the matter.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

Throughout my time in the House, I have campaigned for improved transport connections to serve my constituency, which at that time was Cleethorpes. One such campaign was the restoration of the train service from Cleethorpes through Grimsby and Lincoln to Kings Cross. The previous Transport Secretary had approved that service, and I understand that it is now with Network Rail and LNER to complete the necessary arrangements. May we have a statement from the new Transport Secretary confirming that that service will indeed begin in the winter timetable?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Member raises a good point. He and I have discussed transport issues, and I support his call for greater transport infrastructure investment across our regions, and especially in the north, which I am afraid was distinctly lacking under the previous Government. I will raise that matter with the Transport Secretary, and I have no doubt that she will come before the House in due course. As I said in the business statement, she will bring forward a Bill the week after next, and he could raise those issues then if he has not heard from her before.

[Sarah Edwards (Tamworth) (Lab)]

May I congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on your re-election? My constituency has a large number of villages and a rural contingent. While I welcome the announcements yesterday in the King’s Speech, I wonder whether there is further information about how we will deal with flooding and, in particular, the flood resilience taskforce. Although we are in the summer, we will fast approach the winter.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question and welcome her back to her place. She was not here long before she had to face the electorate again, and it is great to see that she has been returned so convincingly. She raises important matters about flood defence, as others have. I note that the King’s Speech debate tomorrow will cover rural affairs, so she might want to raise those issues with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who I believe will respond to that debate.

[Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire) (Con)]

Double child rapist and murderer Colin Pitchfork was due to have his parole hearing last week in public, following my successful application to the chair of the Parole Board, who agreed to have it in public. The parole hearing has been rescheduled to an unknown date, and only last week the chair of the Parole Board said in public, without writing to me, that she had cancelled her decision to have a public parole hearing for Mr Pitchfork. I welcome the Leader of the House to her place. Could we have an urgent statement on this matter or, better still, an urgent meeting with the Minister to discuss why the Parole Board is acting in this way?

[Lucy Powell]

As ever, the hon. Gentleman raises an incredibly important issue. For new Members who do not know, he has a strong track record in this place of raising such matters. I will ask the Minister to meet him urgently to discuss this important issue.

[Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree) (Lab)]

Congratulations on your re-election, Mr Speaker. I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House; I know she will do an amazing job.

In February 2022, MPs and peers passed an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824. However, the last Government failed to set out a commencement date for repeal, while trying to criminalise rough sleepers through the Criminal Justice Bill, which did not pass. I am aware that many homelessness organisations have written to my right hon. Friend, so can she give the House clarity on when the Labour Government will commence the section to repeal that Act, since it is already law? Surely, 200 years on, it is time to consign the Vagrancy Act to the dustbin, where it belongs.

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and welcome her back to her place. I look forward to continuing to work closely with her, as I have done in recent years. She always raises incredibly pertinent matters in this House. I do not have the answer to her question, but the Home Secretary will come to the House for a number of reasons in the coming weeks, when my hon. Friend might want to raise this matter. On Tuesday we have the immigration and home affairs debate on the King’s Speech, and Home Office oral questions are on Monday 29 July. If she does not get a reply at either of those, I will raise the matter directly for her.

[Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)]

As one proud Lancastrian MP to another, congratulations on your unanimous re-election to the Chair, Mr Speaker.

Planning on the green belt is a huge concern in my constituency of Fylde—housing is part of it, but there are also the Morgan and Morecambe wind farm proposals. Most residents back the new renewable energy being built off the Fylde coast, but there are concerns about the cabling and substation route, which appears to take the route of least resistance. It will see miles of farmland and countryside dug up, and substations built in inappropriate locations. We seem to be unable to get answers from the company on why that has been chosen as the preferred route, when other far more appropriate routes for cabling and substations exist. Will the Leader of the House assure me that the Government will work with us to get answers from the company and clarity about the other routes that could be used for the cabling, and to ensure that it works with me, local campaigners and the council to get the most appropriate route?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. This issue is so important that I think the hon. Gentleman ought to think about having an Adjournment debate on it—although he nearly had one just then.

[Lucy Powell]

I warmly welcome the new Member to his place. He is a rarity as a Conservative Member in north-west England and Lancashire. He raises an incredibly important question: connecting the national grid appropriately to our new clean energy programme is a critical issue for the Government. The Energy Secretary is here today to make an oral statement, so the hon. Gentleman may want to raise the issue with him then. There will be other opportunities in upcoming days if he is not able to get an answer later today.

[Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower) (Lab)]

On Tuesday, I was fortunate to visit Team Wales Business Club at the Principality stadium, where I met some fantastic, resilient young sportspeople: Alys Thomas, Poppy Ellis, and my constituent Harrison Walsh, the Paralympian discus thrower. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing Team GB the best of luck in the Olympic and Paralympic games to be held in Paris this summer? It will be a really exciting time for our young people, who can aspire to participate in these sports in the future.

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend back to her place. New Members who do not know her will not be aware that she raised matters relating to sport very thoroughly—indeed, superbly—during the last Parliament. I certainly join her in wishing Team GB all the very best for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Speaker, and I congratulate the Leader of the House on her appointment.

The recent closures of two Boots pharmacies in Hampton in my constituency came amid hundreds of other community pharmacy closures across England, driven largely by the financial pressures on community pharmacies from an outdated pharmacy contract, coupled with impenetrable bureaucratic NHS England processes that do not engage with local communities when it comes to closures and new licence applications. Will the Leader of the House urgently grant a debate in Government time to consider this issue, given the health crisis faced by our country?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Lady has raised an extremely important issue. Ensuring that community pharmacies are available in every community, offering a full range of services that can help to prevent people from needing access to primary care or A&E, is key to our delivery of an NHS fit for the 21st century. I am sure that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who I know has already been progressing some of these matters, would welcome a question about this particular matter during Health questions next Tuesday, and hopefully the hon. Lady’s name will be drawn in the ballot.

[Ms Julie Minns (Carlisle) (Lab)]

Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing Shankhill Church of England Primary School a very happy 150th birthday? Like the hundreds of other rural schools across Britain, including a number in my own constituency of Carlisle, Shankhill not only provides an outstanding education for its very small number of pupils, but makes an important contribution to what is an isolated community in north Cumbria. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the important contribution that rural schools make to our country?

[Lucy Powell]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on her election, on being here and on asking her first question in this place. That is always a daunting process, but I hope she now feels that she has the confidence to go on. She has raised an important matter which I know has been raised by others in the past—namely the challenges faced by rural schools with, in many instances, diminishing pupil rolls—and I think she should raise it again during next week’s education debate.

[Kit Malthouse (North West Hampshire) (Con)]

I was pleased to hear the Leader of the House say earlier that town centre regeneration remained a priority for the Government. May we please have an urgent statement from a Minister about the status of levelling-up fund grants? As the Leader of the House may know, towards the end of last year, Andover in my constituency was awarded £18.3 million to kick-start the regeneration of its town centre. Since then, a memorandum of understanding has been signed and some money has changed hands, and on that basis Test Valley borough council has made significant contractual and budgetary commitments, but there now appears to be an inexplicable delay in progress with the grant. We have to ensure that the money is spent by the early part of 2026. I should be grateful if the Leader of the House could provide some clarity, not just for Andover and for me, but for other Members who are similarly affected.

[Lucy Powell]

I will certainly seek to obtain some clarity for the right hon. Gentleman on that issue. As he will know, this Government are prioritising town centre redevelopment and “brownfield first”, and our planning and infrastructure Bill that was announced yesterday will include reforms of compulsory purchase order and land value issues, which will enable local authorities to acquire, for instance, derelict or empty properties that they need for town centre regeneration at a more appropriate value. That will unlock significant investment, which I hope will benefit the project to which the right hon. Gentleman has referred.

[Lola McEvoy (Darlington) (Lab)]

In 2025, Darlington, our region and the world will celebrate the bicentenary of the railway. In my constituency, the celebrations have already started. Will the Leader of the House grant us a debate to discuss and celebrate the contribution of our industrial heritage in Darlington and how this Labour Government will create a new generation of green industrial jobs for the future in Darlington, in the Tees Valley and across our country?

[Lucy Powell]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on her election as the new MP for Darlington; I know she is going to provide a very strong voice for the people of Darlington on these important matters. She will know that the green industrial revolution is absolutely at the core of the delivery of this Government’s missions—not only on growth, but on job opportunities and making the UK a clean energy superpower by 2030. Transport and the railways are a core part of that, which is why we saw the announcement yesterday of our railways Bill and our rail franchising Bill, which will be debated at the end of the month. She may want to raise these issues in that debate as well.

[Dr Kieran Mullan (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

In one of her first acts, our new Deputy Prime Minister cut “Levelling Up” from her Department’s title. The Leader of the House will know that there are dozens of town boards up and down the country that are populated by community leaders, business leaders and charity leaders. Whether it was intended or otherwise, the change has genuinely caused anxiety among many of them about whether their funding might also be cut in future. Can we have an urgent statement in the House so that the new Deputy Prime Minister can reassure them that the levelling-up funding they are due to receive will still be delivered?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As a former MP for a northern constituency—I think he has travelled some way south since then—he will know that while the previous Government had strong rhetoric on levelling up, the reality was very different. There were small pots of money that were not transforming communities, and one of the biggest issues at the election was that large parts of the country, especially in the midlands and the north, felt that the previous Government had failed on levelling up. This Government will get growth in every part of the country, and we are committed to doing that.

[Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the warm welcome you have given to me and all the other newbies. It is wonderful to see the Leader of the House in her place on the Government Front Bench.

Walleys Quarry landfill in Newcastle-under-Lyme has blighted the lives of my constituents for far too long. In the early days of this new Government, can we have a debate on the adequacy of the enforcement powers of the Environment Agency and on how we can tackle the worst effects, health-wise and environmental, of landfill sites in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across our country?

[Lucy Powell]

I welcome my hon. Friend to his place. He raises an issue that I know is of great importance to his constituents, and there are serious questions to be answered as to why such breaches have been allowed to continue without being properly addressed. I understand that criminal investigations are ongoing. We are monitoring the situation closely so that we can put an end to this awful situation. A Labour Government are not going to sit back as the previous one did and let the toxic stench continue to hang over Newcastle-under-Lyme.

[David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con)]

I warmly commend the right hon. Lady on her appointment. Will she bring forward a debate in Government time on the future of Royal Mail? There are obviously issues with the overall ownership of Royal Mail, but there are also serious service issues in constituencies like mine, where Royal Mail was found wanting in the delivery of election material; indeed, there were delays to postal votes. It has now changed the uplift times for many post boxes, so many of my constituents will be unable to post a first-class letter on the basis that it will be delivered the following day.

[Lucy Powell]

The right hon. Gentleman raises issues that I know were raised by many others during the election campaign. If he is not able to raise them with the Secretary of State in the upcoming King’s Speech debate—possibly on Monday, when we are debating the economy and public services—I am sure that such issues would make an extremely good candidate for an Adjournment or Westminster Hall debate, and I hope he manages to secure one.

[David Baines (St Helens North) (Lab)]

Congratulations on your re-election, Mr Speaker. I welcome the Leader of the House to her place; I also welcome and look forward to debating the children’s wellbeing Bill announced yesterday. In St Helens North, there are many children in mainstream education with special educational needs such as dyslexia and autism who are waiting for assessment or struggling for support, despite the best efforts of their fantastic schools and hard-working teachers. I hope that that issue will be covered in the debate on the Bill, but if not, can parliamentary time be found to debate special educational needs so we can ensure that no child is left behind?

[Lucy Powell]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on asking his first question. As a former teacher, he is laying down a clear marker that special educational need and children’s wellbeing will be at the forefront of his agenda as the new MP for St Helens North. He will have seen that there will be an education debate next week; I hope he can raise these important issues then.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I very much welcome the Leader of the House to her position. I look forward to a weekly relationship of questions and answers and wish her well.

I am very concerned about the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief Bill, a private Member’s Bill that Fiona Bruce, the then Member for Congleton, introduced under the last Government and that the then Prime Minister was going to bring in. Unfortunately, such was his haste for an election that the Bill was not included in the wash-up before the last Friday; in another week, it would have been law. What can we do to make sure that that private Member’s Bill can be proceeded with? When the Prime Minister was in opposition, I had discussions with him about ensuring that the special envoy is in place. Will the Leader of the House discuss that in Cabinet, or should we bring forward a debate?

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[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question; I am not quite sure why he is at the back of the queue already, when the House has been sitting for so little time, but maybe he will get himself higher up the queue in future debates.

The hon. Gentleman raises an important matter. A number of significant pieces of legislation failed to get through wash-up after the then Prime Minister took such an illogical decision to call an early election—one that I am sure Opposition Members are living to regret—but there will be a private Members’ Bills ballot in due course, which may be an opportunity to pursue the matter.

[Helena Dollimore (Hastings and Rye) (Lab/Co-op)]

May I congratulate you on your re-election, Mr Speaker, and welcome the new Leader of the House to the Dispatch Box?

My Hastings and Rye constituents have suffered hugely because of the crumbling infrastructure of Southern Water. People have been left without water for over five days on not just one but two occasions. Residents and businesses have yet to be properly compensated. The town centre of Hastings has been flooded twice, and we have seen record levels of sewage dumped in our sea and even appearing in people’s homes. Will the Leader of the House look into when I can raise the matter in upcoming debates in the House?

[Lucy Powell]

What an excellently put question from the new Member for Hastings and Rye, which has a special place in my heart as the location of all my childhood holidays. I am disturbed to learn of the failures of Southern Water in dealing with these issues. As my hon. Friend will know, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has got straight to work, bringing in the water bosses and taking a series of steps to clean up our rivers and seas and hold water companies to account. We will soon be introducing the water special measures Bill; I hope my hon. Friend will take a keen interest in that legislation and will contribute fully as a new Member.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I apologise for standing up for too long earlier, Mr Speaker. May I thank you and your office for the support that you have given to new Members, which has been really great? I congratulate the Leader of the House on her position.

I would like to call for a debate on an issue that is affecting taxi drivers and their passengers, not just in Harlow but in other parts of the country. As a repercussion of the Deregulation Act 2015, taxi drivers are no longer required to get licences from authorities in whose areas they operate. Different authorities have different standards, meaning that some taxis are checked less regularly, and some authorities do not require the same signage that we require in Harlow. That has a huge impact on the taxi trade and, particularly in the case of signage, on the safety of passengers. Can we have a debate on this important issue?

[Lucy Powell]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on raising such a big issue on his first outing. As the Member of Parliament for Manchester Central, I know what a big issue this is for taxi drivers and others who are worried about safety and other issues. I will ensure that he gets a full response from the Department for Transport. This would make an excellent topic for an Adjournment debate, which I think would attract attention from across the House.

[Shaun Davies (Telford) (Lab)]

I thank all House staff for the fantastic induction that new Members have received. It has been first class.

Talking about the best start, can we have a debate in Government time on giving all children the best start in life? Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Telford and Wrekin council on retaining its outstanding Ofsted rating for children’s services?

[Lucy Powell]

I congratulate my hon. Friend, who was a real champion and vocal supporter of local government in his previous capacity. We often sat opposite each other in the shadow Cabinet. I am delighted to congratulate Telford and Wrekin’s children’s services, which went from a “requires improvement” judgment in 2016 to being outstanding today. That is incredibly hard for children’s services to achieve, and I am sure he will raise these issues many times in the House over the coming months.

[Mr Speaker]

Finally, I call Jim MacAlister.

--- Later in debate ---

[Josh MacAlister]

As a new Member, I was going to start my very first question by congratulating you and saying that you are the best Speaker I have seen in the Chair.

I welcome my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell) to her place as Leader of the House. A number of my constituents have been directly affected by the infected blood scandal. Between the publication of the independent inquiry’s final report and the Dissolution of the last Parliament, there was not sufficient time to have a full debate on the report’s findings. Will the Government give time in the coming months for a full debate on that topic?

[Lucy Powell]

You were doing so well, Mr Speaker—you got to the final question before getting a name slightly wrong.

I welcome my hon. Friend the Member for Whitehaven and Workington (Josh MacAlister) to his place. I know he will contribute greatly to the House over the coming Parliament. He asks an important question, which was raised earlier, about the infected blood compensation scheme, which this Government are absolutely committed to introducing. I am confident that there will be a statement or some kind of parliamentary moment on that before the recess.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

Government's Legislative Programme 2024

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2024 Written Statements

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Lucy Powell)]

Following the state opening of Parliament, it is customary for the Leader of the House of Commons to list the formal titles of Bills to be introduced.

Other measures will be laid before the House in the usual way. The programme will also include Finance Bills to implement budget policy decisions and estimates for public services. The list does not include draft Bills.

Arbitration Bill

Armed Forces Commissioner Bill

Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill

Better Buses Bill

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

Budget Responsibility Bill

Children's Wellbeing Bill

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill

Crime and Policing Bill

Cyber Security and Resilience Bill

Digital Information and Smart Data Bill

Employment Rights Bill

English Devolution Bill

Football Governance Bill

Great British Energy Bill

High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill

Hillsborough Law

Holocaust Memorial Bill

House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill

Mental Health Bill

National Wealth Fund Bill

Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill

Pension Schemes Bill

Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Product Safety and Metrology Bill

Rail Reform Bill

Renters Reform Bill

Skills England Bill

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill

The Crown Estate Bill

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill

Water (Special Measures) Bill

Detailed information about each of these Bills can be accessed from the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kings-speech-2024-background-briefing-notes

[HCWS1]

Points of Order

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 23rd May 2024 Commons Chamber

2.25 pm

[Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. When I spoke earlier, you had not yet announced that you will standing down, so I did not have the opportunity to thank you enormously for being such a wonderful Deputy Speaker. You are formidable, you are fair, and you offer this House a great deal of humour and good interjection. You will not have heard me say earlier that I very much respect your style; you, me, the Leader of the House and the other Madam Deputy Speaker all share a love for getting our hair done nicely, so thank you very much for that inspiration.

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Penny Mordaunt)]

Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I, too, wish to pay tribute to you and offer you immense thanks for being such a wonderful colleague. People know you for many things: you are formidable in the Chair, and you are an incredibly stylish and generous individual. I will share just one instance with hon. Members. In the week of the late Queen’s death, I had arrived on Monday as a junior Trade Minister with enough clothes for four days. I do not have a home in London and was unable to go back to Portsmouth, so I had no clothes to wear, let alone anything black. It was thanks to your initiative and kindness that I was dressed for the Accession Council—your hairband, in particular, became a global viral sensation. It is just one example of your care for all of us. Thank you also for being a role model for women in this place. I wish you well.

Business of the House

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Thursday 23rd May 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Penny Mordaunt)]

Further to my business statement last night, the business for today is expected to be as follows:

Consideration of a business of the House motion, followed by remaining stages of the Finance (No. 2) Bill, followed by, if necessary, consideration of a Lords message to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, followed by consideration of Lords amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, followed by, if necessary, consideration of any further Lords messages.

The business for tomorrow, Friday 24 May, will include:

If necessary, consideration of Lords messages, followed by consideration of Lords amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, followed by debate on a motion to approve the draft Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments and Revocations) Regulations 2024, followed by an opportunity for matters to be raised ahead of the forthcoming Dissolution, to allow for valedictory speeches by Members of Parliament, followed by, if necessary, consideration of Lords messages.

The House will prorogue following a message from the Lords Commissioners.

[Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

I start by expressing to the hon. Member for South Thanet (Craig Mackinlay) my huge admiration for his return here after his unimaginable and life-changing illness. As he joked, he broke all the rules and we were only too happy to reciprocate, with the whole House giving him a standing ovation. It was a fitting and moving moment.

Cheekily, may I also take this opportunity to congratulate my club—the club I also represent—Manchester City, on winning the premier league for a historic fourth time in a row? Saturday’s FA cup final will be the only day that I support the blues, not the reds, for the next few weeks.

This week also marks the seventh anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack. It is a day that Mancunians will never forget. We remember those who died, who were injured and who are still affected. Yesterday, the Prime Minister promised Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the attack, that Martyn’s law would be introduced before the summer recess. Regrettably, that now seems unlikely, but I hope whoever is returned after the election can bring in Martyn’s law as soon as possible.

Yesterday’s announcement came as a surprise. Despite being drowned out by “Things Can Only Get Better”, we hear that the real reason the Prime Minister called the election is that he thinks things will only get worse for him. His abrupt Dissolution of Parliament means that he will start the campaign by leaving many Government commitments and Bills up in the air or in the bin. His pledge on a smoke-free generation, plans for a football regulator, promises to renters and leaseholders and protections for our broadcasters are now all at risk. I am pleased that very important commitments to victims of the Post Office and infected blood scandals will be honoured in our final business this week.

This is going to be a change election, but change comes sooner than expected for Members who are standing down. I will not mention them all, because I know we will have an opportunity for valedictory speeches tomorrow, but there are a few I want to mention today.

On this side of the House, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), the Mother of the House but also the political mum to many of us, has done so much for women and to bring about change. There are also the great Dames, including you, Madam Deputy Speaker—you have been a great friend to me and a wonderful parliamentarian over many years—and my right hon. Friends the Members for Derby South (Dame Margaret Beckett) and for Barking (Dame Margaret Hodge): all powerful and highly respected women who have made a big and lasting impact.

My wonderful and popular hon. Friends the Members for Westminster North (Ms Buck), for Halifax (Holly Lynch) and for Caerphilly (Wayne David) will be greatly missed.

Despite a T-shirt I wore recently, I have a number of friends on the Government Benches. The right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) was an outstanding Chair of the Education Committee, on which we served together—we share a mutual enjoyment of “Love Island”. I also have great respect for: the hon. Members for Broxbourne (Sir Charles Walker) and for Cities of London and Westminster (Nickie Aiken), having worked alongside them on the House of Commons Commission; the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Dame Tracey Crouch), for all she has done on football regulation; and the right hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew), who needs to be found a seat fairly soon, for his great work on that issue, too.

I also take this opportunity to wish the Leader of the House well. She is perhaps best known for carrying a sword, but she is highly regarded in this place. She has been a formidable opponent and I shall miss our weekly exchanges. I am not sure that the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Deidre Brock) will miss them quite so much. I probably will not miss some of the Leader of the House’s more tortured metaphors, but I hope that she has the chance to install that new boiler and get herself a decorator crab, and has some time to put clothes on her action toy Ken, who of course has no balls—those who were here will remember that one well.

At least the election will give the Leader of the House ample opportunity to stand up and fight. We will be campaigning ferociously for different outcomes but, whatever happens, I thank her for her co-operation and collaboration, for making me raise my game in this place and for reminding me of how important a good blow dry is on these occasions.

Finally, although this place will be quieter in the coming weeks, I know that a lot of work is going on behind the scenes, with the hard-working House staff preparing for the next Parliament. I thank the Clerk and his teams in advance, and I also thank Liam Laurence Smyth for his decades of service to this House.

Until next time.

[Penny Mordaunt]

Madam Deputy Speaker, I start by sending you and all Members who are retiring from this place my good wishes and thanks for your service and friendship. I consider many of the hon. and right hon. Members mentioned by the hon. Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell) to be hairdresser buddies. I wish everyone good luck for the next chapter.

Although today’s headlines are focused on Westminster and the forthcoming election, I take this opportunity to reassure people that all of us, especially those who hold ministerial office, will remain focused elsewhere, too.

Yesterday, I met some of the families of those still held hostage in Gaza: the families of Eli Sharabi, the late Yossi Sharabi, whose body is still held by Hamas, Naama Levy, Alon Ohel, Yair and Eitan Horn, Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. Our thoughts and focus will continue to be with them and all others who need our attention during this election period.

I also echo the remarks of the hon. Member for Manchester Central on the Manchester Arena bombing. She will know that matters such as Martyn’s law, which is a brilliant initiative, will be part of the wash-up process. I hope to be able to update the House in the coming day.

As this is the last business statement in this Parliament, I place on record my thanks to all those who work for the House, including the legislative, drafting and parliamentary teams, and my officials. Their professionalism throughout two very demanding and record-breaking legislative programmes has been exemplary.

I also thank my fellow cast members at business questions, my opposite numbers and commissioners, and their respective parties, and all those who have shown up each week to do their duty—none more so than the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon).

I also thank the clerks and staff of the Privy Council. It has been a huge honour to have been able to assist His Majesty the King and the royal household through the loss of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and to support His Majesty during his early time as our sovereign. I am very proud of him and our royal family. They, and the service that surrounds them, are a reflection of the best of us.

That brings me to another group I must thank. We had the good news this week that inflation is down to 2.3%, which means that the cost of fuel, food and housing is beginning to stabilise, and we can all plan ahead with much more confidence. It is the British people we have to thank for that, as it is their achievement. Ours is the first major country to defeat inflation and we have done better than our neighbours. I want to remind us all why we have done so. It is because we are an experienced, determined, dynamic and innovative economy and country. We have made tough decisions and made the changes needed, and we took the consequences and it came good.

I thank everyone who tightened their belt and worked hard for their stoicism in the face of war in Europe, global shocks and the legacy of covid. I thank the public servants who knew that pay rises needed to be sustainable and kept services going. I thank business leaders who put in place efficiencies, did more with less, motivated and retained staff, and continued to grow their ventures. The public had many concerns, but chief among them was the cost of living. That is why the good economic news this week is so welcome. It shows that when we work together, all is possible.

I want to give my assurance to the victims of the infected blood scandal that this Government stand by the commitments made earlier this week. There is a clear desire across the House to ensure that legislation to compensate those who have been infected and affected as a result of this scandal is passed, and that will be done on a cross-party basis. Today, the Lords will consider the Third Reading of the Victims and Prisoners Bill, and tomorrow this House will consider Lords amendments to the Bill which will establish the compensation scheme within three months of the Bill’s receiving Royal Assent.

I want to give those same assurances to the individuals who have been victims of the Horizon Post Office scandal. This House will consider Lords amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill today, and I want to give this Government’s commitment to those victims that, subject to the agreement of both Houses, which I am sure we will receive, the legislation to quash the convictions of those sentenced will be secured before the House prorogues.

Let me deviate from my script briefly to say that we will not leave this place until we have done our duty by those people. There are ongoing discussions about the remaining business on other Bills, which will be done on a cross-party basis. As is common practice during the wash-up, those negotiations will be ongoing and we will hope to update the House on further business.

The hon. Member for Manchester Central talks about the election, and democracy is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to think about what we want our nation to be in the next decade and the decades to come. The UK has been through tough times, but the choices we have made collectively have given us the freedom to be ambitious, both at home and abroad. The Chancellor’s statement this week is testament to that, and this is why so much is at stake in the next few weeks. We Conservatives are undoubtedly the underdog in this fight, but I go into this election, where I will indeed be standing up and fighting, filled with optimism and hope. I say that because I am proud of our record, from our soaring literacy rates to our halving of crime. I am proud of my colleagues, none more so than my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Craig Mackinlay). I am proud of my party and its mission to encourage and reward people who take responsibility, and I have always been proud of our country.

The hon. Member for Manchester Central and her leader are at a disadvantage as they go into this fight, because they are not proud of Labour’s record; they are trying to disown it. The Labour leader has been distancing himself from his own MPs and candidates: the anti-business, anti-Israel, anti-opportunity, anti-responsibility, Britain-bashing brigade that sit on the Benches opposite. It says much about her party that its sole campaign narrative is that the Labour party is not really the Labour party at all. But recognising that it is at odds with the values of this nation is not the same as being supportive of them.

The public have been angry at us because of what we have had to deal with and because we have put the country first. The question is whether that red mist will blind them to what is on offer under the red flag: the burdens on business; Britain being tied back into the EU’s regulatory straitjacket; the undermining of NATO through an EU defence pact; the undermining of our border through an EU migration pact; higher taxes; less disposable income; the wrecking ball that would be taken to our constitution; and the cuts to the NHS budget that Labour has so viciously made in Wales.

The fact is that nothing matters more to the Labour party than the interests of the Labour party and its paymasters. These are ruthless socialists led by a weak and unformed leader. In six weeks’ time, we will know the answer from the British people. We Conservatives may be the underdog, but we are on the right side, and that is on the side of the British people.

Further business will not be announced in the usual way. [Laughter.]

Business of the House

Lucy Powell Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Roger Gale)]

Before we proceed, the Leader of the House has made it plain that she will make a further business statement tomorrow morning. Of course, I will take a contribution from the Opposition spokesperson, but this is a very narrow statement indeed. I do not expect a business questions session after this.

[Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank the Leader of the House for that emergency business statement—I think many across the country will thank her too, although I am not sure many on the Government Benches will—that Parliament will be dissolved for a general election. The country has been crying out for change, and this election means that people can finally vote for it. It is a chance to change this chaotic, weak and incompetent Conservative Government, who have crashed our economy, hit working people with sky-high mortgages and left the NHS and public services in crisis. Labour is ready to deliver that change, and change this country for the better.

With Parliament prorogued on Friday, can the Leader of the House tell us which Bills will be brought forward for wash-up this week? There are some Bills that we support that could receive Royal Assent, should the Government choose to do so. With so little time remaining, it seems unlikely that many of their flagship Bills will now become law. What the Leader of the House and her Government seem to be saying today is that the vast majority of the King’s Speech programme will not be realised, including important issues such as the compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal, committed to just this week. I want to reiterate that Labour stands ready to do whatever is necessary to pass the Victims and Prisoners Bill with these important amendments this week. I look forward to what may be our final business questions tomorrow.

[Penny Mordaunt]

As the shadow Leader of the House will know, discussions are ongoing through the usual channels. I thank her for her offer of help on these important Bills. Certainly, we would like our legislative programme to get through and if the Opposition were minded to assist us on those important Bills, I am sure that could be achieved.

I will be making a further business statement tomorrow morning. I reassure people who will be affected by, for example, the infected blood issue that we will make that statement, and the sentiments that were expressed at this Dispatch Box earlier this week still stand. I think that all parties want that and other important legislation to get through. The Whips are discussing these matters and I will update the House tomorrow morning. I also look forward to our exchange tomorrow.