Business of the House

Paul Davies Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend raises a really important matter, because access to emergency services is a vital lifeline for our communities. There are statutory obligations on communications providers to ensure that their networks and services remain available. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport works with industry and Ofcom to ensure that learning from significant outages are captured and assessed. Ministers from DCMS will have heard her concerns today, but I will also point out that on Wednesday 18 November there is a Westminster Hall debate on connectivity in rural areas.

[Paul Davies (Colne Valley) (Lab)]

Research by Best for Britain shows strong support for a closer relationship with the EU, with many voters citing improving trade and the economy as motivating factors. The Prime Minister is due to meet EU leaders next week, when I am sure he will speak about opening new deals to support industry and growth. In the light of that, will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate on the merits of a closer relationship with the EU?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I see that the Prime Minister at the time of the referendum was offering advice to our Prime Minister about the way forward on Europe, which I find somewhat ironic. Next week’s UK-EU summit is an opportunity to strike important deals, to boost the economy, to cut red tape, to help businesses grow and to provide opportunities for young people. We have announced that we will introduce a European partnership Bill, and I can assure my hon. Friend that there will be ample opportunity to discuss this important matter.