Business of the House

Pam Cox Excerpts

Thursday 25th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join the hon. Gentleman in praise of Armed Forces Day and give the events in Romford our best wishes. It is important that the community can celebrate our armed forces. I imagine that the hon. Gentleman’s area, like mine, has been a recruiting area in the past. I am not going to join him, however, in celebrating the 10th anniversary of leaving the EU. I am tempted to ask the hon. Gentleman: how is that going, then?

I am not going to condemn schools for making decisions. They must do what is right in the circumstances. I understand the concerns, because I remember the impact the covid years had on education, but the safety of children, staff and other workers is important. As I said earlier, there was a Cobra meeting earlier this week, and the Government are looking to see what further advice or action is needed. If anything further needs to happen, the Government will take that action.

[Pam Cox (Colchester) (Lab)]

Young people in Colchester will benefit from their new youth hub, which is one of 14 set up across Essex. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the early impact of those youth hubs, and the youth guarantee that so brilliantly underpins them?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is a champion for the youth guarantee, and I pay tribute to her for all the work she does to support young people. Over the next three years, we are expanding the youth hub network to over 360 locations across Great Britain, ensuring that every young person can access opportunities and comprehensive support in their local area. To celebrate that, I encourage my hon. Friend to look for a debate in Westminster Hall or an Adjournment debate to see what more we can do to support our young people.