Modernisation Committee Report: Access to the House of Commons

Sarah Coombes Excerpts

Thursday 16th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) for that powerful speech. I agree wholeheartedly with him about the need for reform of the proxy voting system and for some humanity to be introduced for such circumstances.

I was proud to serve on the Modernisation Committee and to take part in gathering evidence for the report. The Committee very much appreciated all those who took the time and effort to submit evidence and to give oral evidence, including Mr Speaker and you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as well as the wider team, many members of House staff, and campaigners. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball), who has already been mentioned. She is a tireless advocate for disability rights and access. It is thanks to her advocacy that the door handles across the estate are now properly usable by those with disabilities. Before, as we heard earlier, many disabled people were unable to go to the toilet unaided, which was scandalous.

In this place, many people often talk up a tension between modernisation and tradition, which does undoubtedly exist, but the Committee’s role is to find a way through that does justice to those who have every right to be properly represented here. As has been mentioned, this Parliament is unique in that over half of MPs were new in 2024. I think that is the highest turnover of MPs in any Parliament. Many of us came here from modern workplaces in which the accessibility, inclusivity, hybrid working, productivity and efficiency standards far exceed those in this place. In coming to work here, a lot of us felt that we were walking back in time, not just because of the ancient building, but because of the way some of the processes here work.

The Committee’s report is comprehensive. We have heard excellent speeches about the accessibility of the building, but I will build on what my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme said about the accessibility of parliamentary procedures, particularly speaking, bobbing and voting. I will also mention gender representation among speakers. Before I go through those points, let me say that the staff here do excellent work and are very considerate; they work with MPs to help us do our jobs and speak for our constituents.

I wanted to put on the record in this debate some of the powerful and eye-opening evidence we heard from current and former Members during the report process. I will not speak for other members of the Committee, but I honestly found some of the evidence we heard shocking. It is hard for those who are not MPs to understand how speaking in this Chamber—our No. 1 job as Members of Parliament—works. For those listening who do not quite understand how it works, an MP informs the Speaker’s Office of their desire to speak. They then come to the Chamber, “bob” and wait until they are called to speak. That can mean waiting for three or four hours—and sometimes up to six hours.

I have learned much sitting in this Chamber and listening to other Members speak, but the process certainly does have a disproportionate impact on some MPs. Let me mention a few examples from our evidence sessions that stayed with me. One MP with severe physical disabilities told us how difficult they found waiting hours and hours to speak in a debate. They felt physically exhausted by the time they were called to speak many hours later, and felt that they just could not do justice to what they had hoped to say on behalf of their constituents. Another MP with musculoskeletal issues sat on these Benches and waited to speak for so long that they were in agony for days afterwards. Another told us that voting 10-plus times over hours left them practically unable to walk in the days afterwards.

One woman MP in the very early stages of pregnancy felt extremely ill but waited hours to speak. In all fairness, she did not want to confide in the Speaker’s team about the situation. Another woman MP told me about experiencing pregnancy loss in this House, and feeling that she had to disclose it to her Whips. I do not think anybody would want that.

We had an evidence session with disabled MPs. A Member of the House of Lords who was in attendance said that he was completely shocked by the disparity in reasonable adjustments between this House and the other place. I am very glad that many of those issues were addressed by the recommendations in the report, including the recommendation that a reasonable adjustments card be introduced, which would allow a seat to be saved for disabled Members. That has been an ongoing issue. Other recommendations include potentially using the Reasons Room for voting in a way that is inclusive and not so exhausting; and a new disabled toilet near the Chamber.

I hope that wider issues continue to be considered, however. The evidence we heard strongly suggested that the best processes are accessible by design; that is preferable to forcing disabled people or those with conditions to ask constantly for exemptions, or to explain themselves. I know that many of those who submitted evidence to our inquiry were disappointed by the outcome of the Procedure Committee report on call lists, which could have made a significant difference by providing more certainty to those who have conditions but do not want to disclose them, or to people who have to take medicine at mealtimes, for example.

Voting is at the heart of what we do in this House. Surely more can be done in 2026 to preserve all the good bits of MPs physically voting together, while speeding up proceedings enormously through the use of tech, particularly on days with 10, 12 or 14 votes, such as those we have experienced lately.

I also want to address the gender split of speakers. The one thing that MPs can do that no one else can is speak in this House on behalf of our constituents, but if we consider the speaking statistics, all is not equal. Women make up 41% of all MPs, but a rough calculation —such as the one the House of Commons Library has done for me—shows that just 35% of contributions made in this Chamber are from women. In the Lords, where 34% of Members are women, 41% of all contributions are from women Members. I wonder what we can learn from the structure for speaking in the Lords. I note that the Lords have a form of call list for some proceedings, and it seems to benefit women’s voices.

I realise that I am still a relative newbie in this House, and I am sure that the views of MPs change over time as they experience different iterations of Parliaments, but I hope that, in addition to the good changes that have already been made as a result of the report, there will be further progress in the future.

Business of the House

Sarah Coombes Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The tragic record of the previous Government was a fall in apprenticeships. This Government are committed to reversing that decline, which is why we have a £725 million growth and skills levy. Our reforms will help to deliver 50,000 new apprenticeships. In our first year, we helped over 350,000 people into apprenticeships. Should the hon. Gentleman wish to seek a meeting with a Minister to explore what more can be done, I will arrange it.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

This week, there was a mass release of balloons in Birmingham in memory of my friend, Councillor Waseem Zaffar, who passed away suddenly and tragically at the age of 44. There was no prouder Brummie than Waseem: he loved the city, he loved the Villa and he loved representing the people of Lozells. As the cabinet member for transport, he was the driving force behind the city’s clean air zone, and he fought every day against the health inequalities that mean so many Brummies die too young. I will miss Waseem more than I can say. He leaves a hole in the city that will be very difficult to fill. Will the Leader of the House join me in sending deepest condolences to Waseem’s wife Aysha, his four sons and his wider family? Can we have a debate on the health inequalities that Waseem cared so passionately about?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I absolutely join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Waseem Zaffar and his work as a local councillor, particularly on the clean air zone in Birmingham. I know that he will be greatly missed, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his loved ones at this time. Should my hon. Friend seek a Westminster Hall debate, she will be able not only to pay further tribute, but to explore what further action needs to be taken on these important environmental matters.

Business of the House

Sarah Coombes Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank my hon. Friend for bringing his concerns to the Floor of the House, which he is right to do. Fly-tipping is a serious crime that blights communities. Local authorities are responsible for keeping public land clear of litter and refuse, so it is hugely disappointing to hear of what is happening in that part of the country. I join my hon. Friend in urging the Reform-led council to take its responsibilities seriously, use the powers it has and, most of all, listen to the residents it is meant to serve.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

Guru Nanak gurdwara in West Brom recently suffered a horrible incident of anti-Sikh hate. An unidentified vandal ran past and dumped a bag of meat on the doorstep. As many Sikhs are vegetarian, that is obviously a horrible, offensive incident. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate about how we reject that type of hate, how we protect our places of worship, and how we celebrate the contribution of Sikhs and all faith communities in our areas?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise these matters, and I am sorry to hear of the case she raises. Everyone should feel safe in their communities, irrespective of their race, religion or belief. This year we are investing almost £71 million to strengthen security at places of worship and other community sites, and we brought forward new legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to address protest outside places of worship.

Business of the House

Sarah Coombes Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I encourage the hon. Member to call for an Adjournment debate on this matter, because a number of Members across the House may share his concerns. We take the view that every child, wherever they are, should get the support that they need, but he has to acknowledge, as the previous Government did, that need is greater in some areas than others.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

Solar geo-engineering is the idea of injecting particles into the Earth’s atmosphere to dim or reflect the light of the sun and cool the planet, and it has been the subject of science fiction and conspiracy theories for many years. However, recent reporting by the respected Politico journalist Karl Mathiesen has thrown light on an Israeli company, which is developing technology that it says could halt global warming temporarily. Given the potential risks of the technology, may we have a debate on how Britain will work with other countries to regulate experiments with the Earth’s atmosphere, and to ensure that we co-operate with other countries on solutions that actually tackle the root cause of climate change?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

We are not in favour of solar radiation modification, given the uncertainty around the risks that it poses for the climate and environment, and we work closely with the international research community to evaluate the latest scientific evidence. My hon. Friend may wish to raise the point, however, at Department for Science, Innovation and Technology questions next month.

Business of the House

Sarah Coombes Excerpts

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I have to say to the right hon. Member—I was going to say my right hon. Friend, which she is in many ways—that I do not share her astonishment about that at all, because that is not unique in places where Reform has councillors and is running councils. Nevertheless, it is an absolute shame that Reform councillors appear to have gone back on their word in this case. One of the themes that must run through the work we do in local government is listening to local people. I have no doubt that she will continue to make that case, and I urge her to do so by organising a debate on the matter.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

The Sikh Helpline is a fantastic charity in my constituency that supports Sikhs and people from all backgrounds with abuse, addiction and mental health issues. Over the summer, it did a 350-mile bike ride from Scotland to West Brom to raise money. Will the Leader of the House congratulate all the riders who took part and make time for a debate on the importance of such civil society organisations?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I first want to recognise the fantastic work that my hon. Friend did as my predecessor’s Parliamentary Private Secretary. I thank her for what I assume, therefore, is her first business question. A 350-mile bike ride is a terrific achievement, and I join her in recognising the importance of the work that the Sikh Helpline does for its local community. That is the sort of matter that could perhaps be raised in an Adjournment debate.