Business of the House

Scott Benton Excerpts

Thursday 13th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

I would commend to all colleagues the House of Commons Library as a fantastic source of independent truth and fact, if anyone is interested in those things. The hon. Gentleman is sat next to the Chairman of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Gateshead (Ian Mearns), who will have heard his request for a debate, and I encourage him to apply for one. There are many matters related to the BBC that are of concern to Members across the House. We frequently have questions raised about the BBC, whether it is local radio, the BBC Singers or standards and ethics and professional competence. I am sure it would be a well-attended debate.

[Scott Benton (Blackpool South) (Ind)]

It has been claimed that Blackpool Transport, a wholly owned subsidiary of Labour-run Blackpool Council, is considering spending taxpayers’ money on buying 90 zero-emission buses from China instead of buying British ones. I am sure the Leader of the House will agree that it is beyond farcical that UK taxpayers’ money intended to buy British-built buses could be used to import poorer-quality vehicles from China and ultimately end up in the pockets of the Chinese Government. Will the Leader of the House find time for a debate on the importance of supporting British manufacturers and supply chains in local government procurement?

[Penny Mordaunt]

The hon. Gentleman raises a very important question. Although this is not necessarily the case for buses, many other capabilities and manufacturing capabilities should be should be sovereign capabilities. As he will know, that is absolutely what we do through the integrated review and other work that is done across many Departments. Of course, as well as cost and value, we want to ensure that whatever equipment is being purchased is resilient. That will be a factor, but the hon. Gentleman has put his concerns on record, and I hope his local authority is listening.