Business of the House

Debate between Mary Glindon and Lucy Powell

Thursday 20th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the shadow Leader of the House for that tribute to his father, Torquil Norman. I did not know him, but he sounds like a wonderful father—someone who invented children’s toys but also who had great wisdom and gave him great advice. We in this House should all live by those values of positivity, creativity and resilience that the right hon. Gentleman so fondly shared with us. I send him and his family my very best wishes, as I am sure the whole House does, as he comes to terms with that in the coming days.

I want to congratulate Newcastle United—I would not normally, but they did win their first silverware in 70 years. It is also great to see that the Tour de France in 2027 will start in Edinburgh and make its way through England and Wales.

As international events yet again dominate, I am sure we all look with horror at the unfolding situation in Gaza in particular, with aid being withheld and the killing continuing. As the Foreign Secretary will set out to the House shortly, we want to see an urgent resumption of the ceasefire and the long-term peace talks continuing.

In the spirit of the right hon. Gentleman’s contribution, I want to put on the record my thanks to him for the cross-party work that he and I do across the House, not just through the Modernisation Committee but on the House of Commons Commission, chaired by Mr Speaker, and the many other boards that we have to sit on for many hours indeed. He makes a really important point, and it is one of the reasons why I wanted to establish the Modernisation Committee. I could have come into this position as Leader of the House and just laid down motions—which I do on many days—to change the rules of the House, but that is not how I want to work.

I take very seriously my role as Leader of the House, and as such I represent the whole House and want to bring the House together. I want to hear from smaller parties and to work cross-party. I believe that in this place we work best when we work together cross-party, on Select Committees and on issues that unite us. Many of those issues are raised regularly with me in Business questions, and I join the right hon. Gentleman in saying that we could definitely do more to tackle the big issues that this country faces, whether that is our defence and security, the welfare reform that is needed, jobs of the future or social care—that might be raised with me again today. Long may that continue, and we should strive to do more of it.

[Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend) (Lab)]

I add my condolences to the shadow Leader of the House. Polly Pocket is still going today—my granddaughter is a Polly Pocket fan, and my daughter still has all of hers.

Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating North Tyneside council, the Football Foundation, the Rugby Football League and other key partners that are supporting the new multimillion pound sports hub in Wallsend, which officially opened earlier this week and will serve as the headquarters for Northumberland FA and, at long last, provide a clubhouse for Wallsend rugby football club? Does she agree with the CEO of the Football Foundation that such facilities have a

“transformative impact on physical and mental health, and play in important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities”?

I also thank the Leader of the House for her congratulations on our wonderful Newcastle United.

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in again congratulating Newcastle United, as well as the work that is being done in her constituency to create sports facilities for grassroots football, rugby and other sports. She is absolutely right; those things are vital for our communities and young people. That is why we are reviewing the school curriculum and putting more money into local government. It is also why we are introducing a football regulator Bill to ensure that grassroots football is protected across the country.

Business of the House

Debate between Mary Glindon and Lucy Powell

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry to hear of the delays that Tara and Keith have suffered from poor bus services in the hon. Member’s constituency. Obviously in Greater Manchester we have suddenly got great buses, but apart from us, I think that people can recognise the situation he describes, especially in our rural communities. That is why we have brought forward the bus service reform Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords, and it is why we are putting extra investment into buses—so that local communities such as his, can have a reliable and affordable bus service.

[Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend) (Lab)]

The number of survivors of historical abuse at Medomsley detention centre is decreasing. Victims are seeking justice for the serious and widespread abuse that took place between 1961 and 1987. Will the Leader of the House help me secure a meeting with the Home Secretary to discuss how the survivors, as well as the families of those who are no longer with us, can finally achieve full justice?

[Lucy Powell]

I will help my hon. Friend to secure a meeting with either the Home Secretary or the relevant Minister to discuss this historical abuse case.

Business of the House

Debate between Mary Glindon and Lucy Powell

Thursday 28th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue in the week of White Ribbon Day. This Government are absolutely committed to the challenging and ambitious target of halving violence against women and girls over the coming years, with a cross-Government taskforce already looking into how we can deliver on that mission. It includes education, as my hon. Friend mentioned, because, as he rightly pointed out, the campaign starts with men. We will shortly introduce, in the Policing and Crime Bill, some of the measures that we have specified, such as a new criminal offence of spiking. I look forward to debating them with my hon. Friend.

[Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend) (Lab)]

Members from across the House value and appreciate the vital work done by everyone working for the Ministry of Defence—not only our brave armed forces, but the Ministry’s many dedicated civilian staff. However, the Ministry’s permanent secretary indicated, without having consulted trade unions, that there is a plan to shed 10% of the workforce—that is 5,000 jobs—by the end of the Parliament. Will the Leader of the House please grant a debate in Government time on the importance of civilian staff in the MOD, and ask the Defence Secretary to meet the Public and Commercial Services Union on this important matter?

[Lucy Powell]

I will ensure that the Secretary of State for Defence has heard my hon. Friend’s question. He made a statement to the House last week, or the week before—it was certainly very recently—about changes that we are making as part of our ongoing work on the strategic defence review. To be clear, the defence budget has been increased in this Labour Government’s Budget, but we need to make sure that the resources are deployed on meeting the needs of modern warfare. That is why the strategic defence review is so important.