Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Matt Vickers and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 15th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Tourism is vital to our economy, particularly in cities like York. Places can already choose to introduce a voluntary levy on overnight stays. Our focus is on supporting industry, including by providing a 40% relief for retail, hospitality and leisure properties and permanently lowering their rates from next April.

[Matt Vickers (Stockton West) (Con)]

Q9.  Margaret from Stockton is furious. Stockton’s Labour council is axing her weekly bin collections, scrapping free high-street parking and closing her local recycling centre, all the while employing a ridiculous number of people on £100,000 salaries. But she is even more furious because it is taking on another one: behind closed doors—probably in a darkened room—it has created a new interim role for the managing director’s best mate on 900 quid a day. It has never been approved by the council and it has never been advertised as a job. Margaret is right to be angry, isn’t she?

[The Prime Minister]

I am sure that Margaret would be pleased to see the incredible investment going into the area and the 4,000 jobs that are growing the economy. The state of our local councils was left completely damaged by the last Government. She knows that, and everybody knows that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Matt Vickers and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 24th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I welcome my hon. Friend to his place, and thank him for raising this awful case. The loss of a teenage boy in west London is shocking, and our thoughts—I am sure I speak for the whole House—are with his family and friends. I urge the public to support the Metropolitan police with any information that could help in their investigation, which is ongoing. Making streets safer is one of the five central missions of this Government, and this is a shocking reminder of just how important that mission is. We have an ambition to drive down this sort of violence in our communities. We do not want interventions like this, as we have had over the last few years. It is shocking to hear of this particular incident.

[Matt Vickers (Stockton West) (Con)]

Q15. The last Government invested massively in Teesside, most recently committing £1 billion to improving transport in our area. That money will protect the future of our iconic transporter bridge, upgrade Thornaby train station, create a new transport hub at Teesside Park, and much, much more. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether we are still getting our £1 billion, or is Labour turning its back on Teesside?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman talks about Labour turning its back; I think he is the sole remaining Tory MP in the north-east or Teesside. I have already taken an early opportunity to make our commitment clear to the plans that we need for economic growth across the country. We will be working with all the mayors who are in place, including those who wear a different rosette. That is the way we will take this forward.