Information between 4th February 2026 - 6th March 2026
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4 Feb 2026 - Climate Change - View Vote Context Sonia Kumar voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House One of 316 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes Tally: Ayes - 392 Noes - 116 |
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11 Feb 2026 - Climate Change - View Vote Context Sonia Kumar voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House One of 290 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes Tally: Ayes - 362 Noes - 107 |
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11 Feb 2026 - Local Government Finance - View Vote Context Sonia Kumar voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House One of 272 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes Tally: Ayes - 279 Noes - 90 |
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11 Feb 2026 - Local Government Finance - View Vote Context Sonia Kumar voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House One of 272 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes Tally: Ayes - 277 Noes - 143 |
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2 Mar 2026 - Representation of the People Bill - View Vote Context Sonia Kumar voted No - in line with the party majority and in line with the House One of 327 Labour No votes vs 0 Labour Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 105 Noes - 410 |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Oral Answers to Questions
Sonia Kumar contributed 2 speeches (89 words) Thursday 5th March 2026 - Commons Chamber Cabinet Office |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Oral Answers to Questions
Sonia Kumar contributed 1 speech (71 words) Tuesday 10th February 2026 - Commons Chamber Department for Energy Security & Net Zero |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Oral Answers to Questions
Sonia Kumar contributed 1 speech (49 words) Monday 9th February 2026 - Commons Chamber Home Office |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Oral Answers to Questions
Sonia Kumar contributed 2 speeches (111 words) Thursday 5th February 2026 - Commons Chamber Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Business of the House
Sonia Kumar contributed 1 speech (75 words) Thursday 5th February 2026 - Commons Chamber Leader of the House |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Sudan
Sonia Kumar contributed 1 speech (87 words) Thursday 5th February 2026 - Commons Chamber Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office |
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Sonia Kumar speeches from: Economic Security
Sonia Kumar contributed 1 speech (64 words) Thursday 5th February 2026 - Commons Chamber |
| Written Answers |
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Investment: Women
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley) Monday 23rd February 2026 Question to the Department for Business and Trade: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a co‑investment fund with diverse angel investors. Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) The British Business Bank's Angel Co-Fund programme already invests alongside syndicates of Business Angels. Every £1 invested by the Angel Co-Fund has leveraged around £5 from Angel syndicates. The Bank is also expanding its Angel Syndicate Programme to support diverse Angel networks. The programme's pilot engaged 185 new Angel investors, of whom 176 were female and 9 were male. Since launch of this pilot programme in 2023, the Bank has completed 29 investment deals worth £18.4 million. |
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Investment: Women
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley) Monday 23rd February 2026 Question to the Department for Business and Trade: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that support programmes provide meaningful access to all types of finance, as well as investment education and readiness support, such as training, mentoring, and guidance, for female founders in all regions. Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) Backing women-led businesses across the regions is a priority for this government. To tackle access to finance, the government-backed Invest in Women Taskforce has secured commitments of £635 million to be invested in women-led businesses across the UK. The British Business Bank has delivered over 118,000 loans totalling more than £1.1 billion through its Start Up Loans programme, with 40% going to female founders. UK Export Finance launched its new Female Founder Accelerator in January 2026 in partnership with Lifted Ventures. This will include workshops, mentoring and coaching to equip female founders with the support to scale internationally with confidence. |
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Investment: Women
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley) Monday 23rd February 2026 Question to the Department for Business and Trade: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps to (a) monitor and (b) report on the gender investment gap, such as tracking year‑on‑year venture capital and angel investment into female‑founded companies; and whether targets or timelines have been set by his Department for improvement in this area. Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) The Department for Business and Trade tracks year-on-year venture capital and angel investment in women-led businesses through its Investing in Women Code, a partnership between government, trade associations in the finance sector, and their members. Starting with 12 signatories in 2019, the Investing in Women Code now has over 300 finance providers signed up, including most major UK banks and Venture Capital funds. Signatories to the Code report gender-disaggregated data on an annual basis for publication. Investing in Women Code reports demonstrate that Code signatories perform significantly better than the market average as regards investment in female founders. |
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Note: Cited speaker in live transcript data may not always be accurate. Check video link to confirm. |
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5 Feb 2026, 10:33 a.m. - House of Commons "in the magistrates courts. >> Sonia Kumar. >> Question five Mr. Speaker. " Rt Hon Ellie Reeves MP, The Solicitor-General (Lewisham West and East Dulwich, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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5 Feb 2026, 10:34 a.m. - House of Commons " Sonia Kumar. constituent, a 24 year old survivor of human trafficking, was betrayed not only by abusers but also the " Sonia Kumar MP (Dudley, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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5 Feb 2026, 11:36 a.m. - House of Commons " Sonia Kumar thank you, Madam. north of Dudley currently have no accessible household waste site following local closures, forcing them to make lengthy and costly " Sonia Kumar MP (Dudley, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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5 Feb 2026, 12:46 p.m. - House of Commons " Sonia Kumar. The situation in Sudan is deplorable. Sadly, as two common women and girls are being terrorised and rape is being used " Sonia Kumar MP (Dudley, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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9 Feb 2026, 3:30 p.m. - House of Commons "protect our Jewish community. Sonia Kumar Mr. speaker, what action is my right hon. Friend taking to " Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood KC MP, The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Birmingham Ladywood, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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5 Mar 2026, 10:08 a.m. - House of Commons " Sonia Kumar Mr Speaker. our £400 billion a year procurement Budget supports British businesses. The Cabinet Office has published a Digital Data and Technology " Chris Ward MP, The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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5 Mar 2026, 10:09 a.m. - House of Commons "projects. This includes guidance for all departments, including the Department for Health and Social Care. >> Sonia Kumar. " Chris Ward MP, The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
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5 Mar 2026, 10:09 a.m. - House of Commons ">> Sonia Kumar. >> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've seen the devastating impact of cyber attacks on British companies " Chris Ward MP, The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript |
| Calendar |
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Thursday 26th March 2026 9:30 a.m. Department for Transport Oral questions - Main Chamber Subject: Transport (including Topical Questions) Emma Foody: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Peter Prinsley: What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the renationalisation of the railways on rail users in the East of England. Meg Hillier: What steps her Department is taking to improve accessibility at train stations. Calvin Bailey: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Brian Mathew: What steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times for driving tests. Perran Moon: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Bob Blackman: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Melanie Ward: What steps she is taking to improve rail station accessibility. Sally Jameson: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Clive Jones: What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Government funding for repairing potholes. Douglas McAllister: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Bell Ribeiro-Addy: What steps she is taking to improve passenger rail services. Helen Hayes: What steps she is taking to improve road safety. Cameron Thomas: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Juliet Campbell: What steps she is taking with local authorities to help improve local bus services. Lorraine Beavers: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Callum Anderson: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Harriet Cross: What recent steps her Department has taken to support motorists. Ben Obese-Jecty: Whether she has reviewed with Cabinet colleagues the status of land used for environmental mitigation along the A14 in Huntingdon constituency. Alistair Carmichael: If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. Gagan Mohindra: What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services. Charlie Dewhirst: What recent steps her Department has taken to support motorists. Elsie Blundell: What recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for bus services in mayoral strategic authorities. Alistair Carmichael: What recent discussions she has had with the aviation industry on the potential merits of the UK rejoining the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. Graham Stuart: Whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that open access rail services continue to be available in Beverley and Holderness constituency. Sonia Kumar: What steps she is taking to improve transport connectivity in Dudley. Lloyd Hatton: What steps she is taking to improve the reliability of the London Waterloo to Weymouth train service. Sarah Olney: What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the process for funding repairs to critical transport infrastructure owned by local authorities. Sarah Smith: What steps she is taking to repair potholes on the strategic road network. Jo White: Whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that open access rail services continue to be available in Bassetlaw constituency. Lisa Smart: If she will take steps to align compensation available to people affected by roadworks with other forms of transport. Richard Quigley: Whether she has made an assessment with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the potential impact of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme maritime rules on the cost of Isle of Wight ferry services. Claire Young: What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of bus services. Kenneth Stevenson: What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support people to use electric vehicles. Alistair Strathern: What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the reliability of train services in the East of England. View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Tuesday 24th March 2026 11:30 a.m. Department for Energy Security & Net Zero Oral questions - Main Chamber Subject: Energy Security and Net Zero (including Topical Questions) Roz Savage: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Iqbal Mohamed: Whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on global taxes on oil and gas companies in the context of the proposed UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Josh Fenton-Glynn: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Danny Beales: What steps he is taking to increase grid capacity in west London. Michael Wheeler: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Sonia Kumar: What steps he is taking to help prevent increases in energy bills for households. Stuart Anderson: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Liz Jarvis: What steps he is taking to help reduce household energy bills. Jo White: What steps he is taking to attract private sector investment for a fusion reactor. Stephen Gethins: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Stephen Gethins: What steps his Department is taking to support communities in Scotland with the cost of energy bills. Helen Morgan: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Callum Anderson: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Sarah Hall: What assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of methane harvested from landfill sites on energy security. John Cooper: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Helen Morgan: What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the process for implementing Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in relation to electric lines. Chris Murray: What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Middle East conflict on energy security. Mark Sewards: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Kevin McKenna: If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. Sarah Gibson: What recent progress he has made on improving connections to the electricity grid. Mary Glindon: What discussions he has had with private sector representatives on securing investment in clean energy industries. Angus MacDonald: What steps he is taking to support rural homes that use heating oil. Blake Stephenson: What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the conflict in Iran on energy prices. James Wild: What steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills. Peter Lamb: What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Warm Homes Plan on levels of fuel poverty in Crawley constituency. Martin Rhodes: What steps his Department is taking to help terminally ill people with increased energy costs. Chris Coghlan: What assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of funding for energy security research and development on the economy. Charlie Dewhirst: What steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills. Leigh Ingham: What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that solar energy development protects rural land. Mohammad Yasin: What steps he is taking to help reduce levels of dependence on international fossil fuel markets. Wendy Morton: What steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills. Tristan Osborne: What steps he is taking to increase the production of domestic clean power in supporting energy security. Daniel Zeichner: What steps he is taking to help reduce levels of dependence on international fossil fuel markets. Peter Fortune: What steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills. Helen Maguire: What steps he is taking to help consumers with the cost of energy bills. View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Oral Answers to Questions
152 speeches (9,610 words) Thursday 5th March 2026 - Commons Chamber Cabinet Office Mentions: 1: Chris Ward (Lab - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven) Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) , I will write to her about the steps that the Department - Link to Speech |
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Ukraine
105 speeches (25,412 words) Wednesday 25th February 2026 - Commons Chamber Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Mentions: 1: Graham Stuart (Con - Beverley and Holderness) Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar), who had led a delegation of physiotherapists who were working with the - Link to Speech |
| Select Committee Documents |
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Thursday 26th February 2026
Report - 17th Report – Pre-appointment hearing with the Government's preferred candidate for the Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority Business and Trade Committee Found: Sarah Edwards (Labour; Tamworth) Alison Griffiths (Conservative; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) Sonia Kumar |
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Wednesday 11th February 2026
Report - 15th Report – Small business strategy Business and Trade Committee Found: Sarah Edwards (Labour; Tamworth) Alison Griffiths (Conservative; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) Sonia Kumar |
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Tuesday 10th February 2026
Oral Evidence - Microsoft, CoreWeave, and UKQuantum UK trade with the US, India and EU - Business and Trade Committee Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar |
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Tuesday 10th February 2026
Oral Evidence - Blackstone, Prologis UK Limited, GSK, and Amentum UK trade with the US, India and EU - Business and Trade Committee Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar |
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Tuesday 10th February 2026
Oral Evidence - British American Business, Tata Steel UK, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), and British Standards Institution (BSI) UK trade with the US, India and EU - Business and Trade Committee Found: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Sonia Kumar |
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Wednesday 4th February 2026
Report - 14th Report - Toward a new doctrine for economic security: Government Response Business and Trade Committee Found: Sarah Edwards (Labour; Tamworth) Alison Griffiths (Conservative; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) Sonia Kumar |
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Wednesday 4th February 2026
Report - 14th Report - Toward a new doctrine for economic security: Government Response Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls Found: Sarah Edwards (Labour; Tamworth) Alison Griffiths (Conservative; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) Sonia Kumar |
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Tuesday 3rd February 2026
Oral Evidence - Citizens Advice, Which?, Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), and Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) Business and Trade Committee Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Sarah Edwards; Sonia Kumar; Justin |
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Tuesday 24th February 2026 1:45 p.m. Business and Trade Committee - Oral evidence Subject: Appointment of Doug Gurr as Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority At 2:30pm: Oral evidence Doug Gurr - Government's preferred candidate for Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority and Interim Chair at Competition and Markets Authority View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Wednesday 25th February 2026 3:30 p.m. Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls - Oral evidence Subject: The UK's trade sanctions regime At 3:30pm: Oral evidence Chris Bryant MP - Minister for Trade at Department for Business and Trade Anna Deibel-Jung - Deputy Director, Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation at Department for Business and Trade Esther Blythe - Deputy Director for Russia and Belarus Sanctions at Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Joanne Cheetham - Deputy Director, Customs Compliance at HM Revenue and Customs View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Wednesday 25th February 2026 3 p.m. Business and Trade Committee - Private Meeting View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Tuesday 10th March 2026 2 p.m. Business and Trade Committee - Private Meeting View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Monday 9th March 2026 3:45 p.m. Business and Trade Committee - Oral evidence Subject: UK trade with the US, India and EU At 4:00pm: Oral evidence Chris Bryant MP - Minister for Trade at Department for Business and Trade Amanda Brooks CBE - Director General, Trade Policy, Implementation and Negotiations at Department for Business and Trade Kate Joseph - Director General, Economic Security and Trade Relations at Department for Business and Trade View calendar - Add to calendar |
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Tuesday 24th March 2026 2 p.m. Business and Trade Committee - Oral evidence Subject: Royal Mail At 2:30pm: Oral evidence Dave Ward - General Secretary at Communication Workers Union Martin Walsh - Deputy General Secretary (Postal) at Communication Workers Union At 3:10pm: Oral evidence Daniel Křetínský - Chairman at EP Holding Alistair Cochrane - Chief Executive Officer at Royal Mail Ricky McAulay - UK Operations Director at Royal Mail At 3:50pm: Oral evidence Natalie Black - Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity at Ofcom Fergal Farragher - Director, Infrastructure and Connectivity at Ofcom Ian Strawhorne - Director, Enforcement at Ofcom View calendar - Add to calendar |
| Select Committee Inquiry |
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5 Mar 2026
China and the UK economy Business and Trade Committee (Select) Submit Evidence (by 10 Apr 2026) In this inquiry, the Business and Trade Committee will scrutinise the Government’s approach to economic engagement with China. In particular, it will assess the potential net benefits to the UK of deeper economic integration with China, and how these benefits compare to the risks that closer ties with China may bring. The Committee will aim to clarify the precise nature of the economic relationship between the UK and China, setting out the risks involved and determining the relative level of risk for different areas of economic engagement. It will assess the way Government weighs trade-offs and makes decisions, the effectiveness of the its existing regulatory toolkit and implementation. Finally, it will explore how the UK’s allies and partners are mitigating these risks, the lessons that the UK could draw, and the ways in which the UK and its allies might strengthen co-operation to address the economic security challenges posed by China. |
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10 Mar 2026
Critical minerals Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls (Select) Submit Evidence (by 12 Apr 2026) Demand for critical minerals has grown rapidly in recent years. New technologies, including turbines and data centres, require more minerals than the older systems they replace. At the same time, global trade in these materials has become more fractured and competitive. The Government has identified critical minerals as one of the UK’s “foundational sectors”, which support the resilience of the IS‑8 sectors. It has published a new critical minerals strategy, the third in four years. The strategy sets two core objectives: increase domestic production, and build resilient UK and global supply networks. For the first time, the Government has set targets for domestic production, recycling, and diversification of supply chains. The Business and Trade Sub‑Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls is launching an inquiry to consider how domestic production and trade can support a secure supply of critical minerals for UK industry, and assess the likely impact of the proposals set out in the Government’s strategy. |
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10 Mar 2026
Artificial Intelligence, business and the future of the workforce Business and Trade Committee (Select) Submit Evidence (by 3 Apr 2026) The Business and Trade Committee is launching an inquiry into Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to better understand the opportunities and costs for businesses and the workforce, and to make recommendations on Government priorities. AI has advanced rapidly in recent years, supported by major improvements in computing power, data availability and the emergence of large language models (LLMs). This has enabled AI to perform an expanding range of tasks. AI adoption has increased, but uptake remains uneven. As adoption accelerates, AI is expected to have significant impacts on UK business and the UK workforce, reshaping work. It will prove a growth industry in itself, enhance productivity, disrupt existing industries and business models, cost jobs, and create jobs. The Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan includes a twentyfold expansion of public AI hardware by 2030 and seeks to leverage private investment through initiatives such as the US–UK Tech Prosperity Deal (with £30 billion committed by major technology firms). |