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Category: Public Services

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Keynote Speech on a Britain Built for All (Brexit Worsened Britain Speech)

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Keynote Speech on a Britain Built for All (Brexit Worsened Britain Speech)

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in London on 1 December 2025.

    Thank you to all of you for joining us at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre.

    And you may have seen downstairs there is a nursery.

    I’ve been down there with the young children this morning seeing them and the staff.

    And seeing how the staff guide them, from, in this nursery, nine months to four years.

    And it is a real reminder that learning begins at such an early age.

    And what a difference it makes.

    And that giving our children the best start in life…

    Unlocking their full potential… 

    Is so important for our country’s future.

    And that is the purpose of this Government – in a nutshell.

    We have a plan for a Britain that is built for all…

    And we’re going to unlock the potential of every single person and community in this country.

    Because whether it’s our public services that don’t work…

    The cost-of-living crisis holding us back… 

    Or whole regions of our country – ignored as sources of growth…

    In the end, it is all about potential.

    And that’s why the budget was a moment of personal pride for me. 

    I do not want to see a country where children grow up in poverty…

    I don’t think anyone in this country wants that. 

    It is a fundamental British belief…

    That every child should go as far as their talent will takes them…

    And poverty is a barrier to that.

    Just think about it.

    Think about the skipped meals.

    The cold bedrooms.

    The school uniform that is too small or worn through. 

    And think about a seven-year-old in that situation…

    A young girl or boy…

    Who still has to go to school and face the world’s gaze.

    Are they ready to learn to the best of their ability?

    Are we giving them a fair and equal opportunity to succeed?

    I think its abhorrent…

    It’s not just abhorrent – it’s also counter-productive.

    On Wednesday last week after the budget, the Chancellor and I went to a hospital.

    And we were speaking to the staff who had gathered there…

    And we told them that we are lifting the 2-child limit

    And they cheered.

    And they did so and they said to us…

    That matters, because you would not believe how many children come through our doors, of our hospital…

    Because of poverty. Poverty in Britain today.

    So this is a public services issue – it can help lift the pressure on the NHS.

    It’s an economic issue – a sound investment in our long-term potential.

    And it is a fairness issue.

    Take some of the parents I met this morning…

    Now some of the parents I met downstairs, some of the parents I met in Rugby were on the road last Thursday…

    They told me… 

    As so many parents do

    That they’re working harder and harder…

    But their wages struggle to meet their costs…

    And I know what that feels like.

    I remember my family sitting around the kitchen table…

    Worrying about the bills…

    How are we going to pay them all?

    And we as a family couldn’t pay them all.

    And that’s why in our case our phone was cut off.

    And that is still the reality of Britain for far too many people…

    And so yes, I am proud…

    I am proud we scrapped the two-child limit…

    I am proud we’re lifting over a half a million children out of poverty…

    Proud we raised the national minimum wage – again… 

    Making life better for working families…

    Unlocking their potential…

    And giving our children a fair chance to get on. 

    And that is the story of the budget.

    There were necessary choices – of course there were.

    Fair choices – I would argue.

    Tax rises do make life harder for people – I understand that…

    It’s obvious.

    And I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t alternatives…

    Politics is always about making choices.

    We could have cut public services.

    We could have ignored child poverty.

    We could have rolled the dice with extra borrowing. 

    But I firmly believe that those options have been tested to destruction.

    I mean – we all know the risks of reckless borrowing…

    And you can see the cost in any bill, mortgage, car loan…

    Anything affected by interest rates.

    But also – look at the OBR’s analysis of productivity…

    And it’s crystal clear to me…

    That austerity scarred the long-term productive capability of this country. 

    So – why would we repeat it? 

    That is what we inherited.

    Public finances and public services in total crisis…

    Growth – weak for years. 

    But if you had said to me, seventeen months ago, on that first day of government…

    That by now – we would have cut NHS waiting times…

    Cut immigration…

    Cut child poverty by a record amount. 

    If you had said to me that Britain would now be cutting borrowing faster than any other G7 country…

    Without cutting public investment…

    That our fiscal headroom is up significantly…

    Economic growth is beating the forecasts…

    With wages up, more – since the election…  

    Than in a decade of the previous Government.

    If you had said – because of all that…

    We can tackle the cost-of-living for working people…

    Freezing rail fares…

    Freezing prescription charges…

    Freezing fuel duty…

    Slashing childcare costs…

    Driving down mortgages…

    Taking £150 pounds off your energy bills – £300 for poorer households…

    Then I would say – yes that is a record to be proud of.

    And I am proud.

    I am proud the public finances and our public services are moving in the right direction.

    Because we confronted reality…

    We took control of our future…

    And Britain is now back on track.

    And look – I’m also confident…

    We have now walked through the narrowest part of the tunnel.

    Because while I know it’s still hard for lots of people…

    While I know the cost-of-living crisis has not gone away…

    In the year ahead, you will see the benefits of our approach…

    Not just in the national statistics…

    But in your communities.

    You will see a country building its future – with new homes and infrastructure…

    Two thousand free breakfast clubs…

    Hundreds of school-based nurseries – open by September.

    You will see 3000 neighbourhood police officers on your streets – by March…

    A new era of security for 11 million renters – starting in May.

    Hundreds of thousands of parents taking advantage of our free childcare expansion…

    Almost 120 community diagnostic centres – open 7 days a week by April.

    You will see NHS Waiting times coming down further…

    Wages still rising faster than prices…

    Immigration still falling…

    And bit by bit – you will see a country… 

    That no longer feels the burden of decline…

    Or the sense that things can never get better… 

    A Britain with its confidence and its future – back.

    Now, take our energy policy – £150 off your energy bill…

    £300 if you are really struggling.

    Now, think about what that means to a family worrying about whether to put the heating on, on a cold day.

    Or worried that if they switch it on for too long…

    They might have to cancel a day out with their kids.

    It’s not just money – it’s security.

    It’s having the freedom to make choices that help your family.

    Or think about our childcare investment.

    Thirty hours free – for every child between 9 months and four years old…  

    A massive difference to the cost-of-living…  

    Thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working parents… 

    Real help getting parents and carers back to work, especially for women…  

    And that is good for growth. 

    But it’s also good for our children’s potential.

    Now, I visit primary schools all the time…

    And – when I’m not being told off for doing the 6/7…

    Teachers repeatedly say to me…

    This is across the country…

    That some kids arrive at reception reading books, ready to learn…

    While others are still in nappies.

    I am sick of hearing those stories – right across the country…

    Think about that

    Inequality at aged just four…  

    Baked in for life.  

    And it’s likely to last a whole life.

    That is why everything we are doing for children – it is a game changer for our potential…

    We are giving every child the best start in life…

    Every single child equal at the starting line of their education…

    And that is what government is for.

    And look – when it comes to economic growth and living standards…

    We’re confident we can beat the forecasts. 

    We’ve already beaten them this year.

    We are in control of our future. 

    We’ve already struck trade deals that are attracting billions of pounds of investment…

    We’re removing barriers to business – right across the economy…

    In planning…

    Industrial policy… 

    Pensions reform…

    Artificial intelligence…

    Capital investment…

    And right at the heart of the budget…

    We have a package of measures that give the green light for the world’s best entrepreneurs…

    To start, scale and list their companies in Britain.
    But we have to be clear, at this stage of our plan… 

    The most important things we can do for growth…

    The most important things we can do for business…

    Is first – to drive inflation down…

    So that interest rates come down – further still… 

    And the cost of business investment comes down with it.

    And second – to retain the market confidence that allows for real economic stability…

    So that businesses can plan with certainty.

    That is what the country most needs right now…

    It is what the Budget secured…

    And that is why our choices were fair…

    They were necessary…

    And they were fundamentally good for growth.

    But I will level with you…

    As the Budget showed…

    The path to a Britain that is truly built for all…

    Requires many more decisions that are not cost-free and they are not easy.

    We can all see the challenge.

    Low productivity.

    The result of an economy scarred by austerity…

    By Brexit…

    And by consistently failing to unlock the nation’s potential.

    So we need a productivity revolution.

    And as our plan runs to the end of the Parliament…

    I now want to set out some of the next steps in our economic renewal…

    So that our progress can be fairly judged.

    First – regulation.

    Now exactly a week ago…

    John Fingleton reported on our nuclear industry.

    He found that pointless gold-plating… 

    Unnecessary red-tape…

    Well-intentioned, but fundamentally misguided, environmental regulations. 

    And – and I quote – it’s quite a stark quote – he said “a mindset that favours process over outcome”…

    Has all made Britain the most expensive place to build nuclear power.

    Now I agree with him.

    In fact – I would go further.

    Because the truth is we see this story repeated again and again…

    Right across our economy.

    For years – Britain did not have a proper industrial strategy. 

    For years – it cut public investment…

    For years it did not have a planning framework or frankly – a Government…

    That would quickly approve…

    New railways…

    New tramlines…

    Data centres…

    Laboratories…

    Power stations…

    Wind farms…

    Even whole towns.

    So guided by a simple truth…

    That rooting out excessive costs in every corner of our economy…

    Is an essential step to cutting the cost of living…

    And creating more dynamic markets for business…

    We will also clear the path for British business

    And therefore – in addition to accepting the Fingleton recommendations…

    I am asking the Business Secretary to apply these lessons across the entire industrial strategy.

    Second – welfare.

    For too long our welfare system has trapped people in poverty…

    And poverty is always a barrier to potential.

    That is why we scrapped the two-child limit. 

    But we also have to confront the reality…

    And our welfare state is trapping people, not just in poverty…

    But out of work.

    Young people in particular.  

    And that is a poverty of ambition.

    And so while we will invest in apprenticeships…

    And make sure young people without a job… 

    Have a guaranteed offer of training or work. 

    We must also reform the welfare state itself – that is what renewal demands.

    Now – this is not about propping up a broken status quo… 

    Nor is it because we want to look somehow politically ‘tough’…

    So we have asked Alan Milburn to report on the whole issue of young people, inactivity and work.

    Because we need to remove all the barriers which hold back the potential of our young people.

    Because – if you are ignored early in your career… 

    If you’re not given the support you need to overcome your mental health issues…

    Or if you are simply written off because you’re neurodivergent or disabled…

    Then it can trap you in a cycle of worklessness and dependency for decades.

    That costs the country money…

    Is bad for our productivity. 

    And most importantly of all – it is a massive waste of potential…

    Third and finally – trade

    Vital for productivity.

    Essential for growth.

    Crucial to the cost of living.

    And let me be crystal clear…

    There is no credible economic vision for Britain…

    That does not position us as an open, trading economy.

    So we must all now confront the reality…

    That the Brexit deal we have…

    Significantly hurt our economy.

    And so for economic renewal…

    We have to keep reducing frictions…

    We have to keep moving towards a closer relationship with the EU…

    And we will have to be grown-up about that…

    To accept that this will require trade-offs. 

    That applies to our trading relations across the world.

    And as you have seen already with this Government…

    There are deals to be done…

    If you are committed to building relationships.

    That is what we have done with the US…

    It’s what we’ve done with India…

    And it’s what we’ve done with the EU…

    And we will keep going…

    We will continue to reject drift…

    To confront reality…

    And take control of our future…

    That is what the Budget achieved last week…

    And we will build on it…

    A long-term plan for the economic renewal of this country…

    A Britian that is free from decline…

    Confident about its future…

    And with the potential of every single person – unlocked…

    Truly – built for all.

    Thank you very much.

  • Kate Dearden – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Kate Dearden – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The maiden speech made by Kate Dearden, the Labour MP for Halifax, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for allowing me to make my first contribution to this House. I thank the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East (Saqib Bhatti) for his contribution to the debate.

    Today’s debate is a crucial one for how we rebuild our economy in a way that works for all. I am delighted to be joining my many, many excellent new Labour colleagues in making their brilliant maiden speeches. I am also delighted to follow the incredible Holly Lynch. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] Holly dedicated her talent and energy to supporting her constituents. She was a casework champion who still found time to push for protections for our emergency service workers and for global causes, such as Fairtrade. Holly’s commitment was second to none, and I will do my best to follow in her footsteps.

    In succeeding Holly, I am proud to take my place in one of Parliament’s great traditions: the Labour women of Halifax. Since the election of Shirley Summerskill in 1964, there have only been four years where Halifax has not been represented by a Labour woman. I am lucky to have the support of brilliant women, from the Labour Women’s Network to trade union colleagues and my late teacher Elaine Barker who set me on the road to this House. I am standing on the shoulders of my sisters, and I will not let them down.

    Halifax is a town bursting with history. It was a centre of the wool trade and textile manufacturing, with the Piece Hall the most beautiful and well-known testament to our heritage, but there is far more to the history of Halifax than that. We have a magnificent minster, the imposing Wainhouse Tower, and Shibden Hall, home of lesbian diarist Anne Lister. Halifax’s industrial heritage has meant a close connection to socialist movements. It was a stronghold for Chartists, a centre of trade union activism and the birthplace of Halifax building society, and it has a legacy of co-operative movements. As a trade unionist and now a Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament, it is a history I am proud to celebrate, and celebrating our history has become a big part of Halifax’s future.

    The Piece Hall is now one of the UK’s best music venues. This summer it is hosting Idles, Tom Jones and the Ministry of Sound, and I will leave it to hon. Members to guess who I would prefer to see. We have reimagined the beating industrial heart of Halifax at Dean Clough mill as a centre for arts, culture, food and shopping. That, combined with the beautiful nature of the Calder valley, has seen Halifax transforming into Haliwood. Many in this Chamber will have seen “Happy Valley”, but there is also “Gentleman Jack” and “Last Tango in Halifax”, and we even hosted Marvel for its “Secret Invasion”. As a Member of Parliament for Halifax, I will lobby for any future editions of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to come and celebrate the home of toffee, Rolos and Quality Street.

    There are so many other things that make Halifax a unique and special town, from our fabulous independent department store Harveys—where I bought today’s lovely dress—to Eureka! the museum where I and every other former schoolkid in the north of England went on school trips, and, of course, the famous Shay, home to Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers.

    I must also mention some of the challenges that my town still faces. Like most of the ex-industrial UK, we have faced decades of neglect and under-investment. Halifax endures significant deprivation, with above-average levels of unemployment and child poverty. Access to housing is a problem, especially for young people, and the availability of GPs came up time and time again on the doorstep. The people of Halifax have struggled for too long with the cost of living crisis, low wages and poor public services. That has been the story of my town and of our country.

    As anyone who knows Yorkshire will guess, the people of Halifax have done much to help each other. Halifax is the home of Andy’s Man Club, which many Members will know from its essential work to support men’s mental health. I met its volunteers as well as those of Healthy Minds, which is another great charity helping tackle mental illness. Noah’s Ark debt centre offers crucial financial support, and the Holy Nativity church in Mixenden is one of several organisations running a food bank and a pay-what-you-can café. Daisy Chain café provides a haven for the elderly to meet and socialise, and St Augustine’s Centre gives much needed support to refugees.

    Those brilliant community initiatives have done their best to help those who have been struggling in recent years, and they have achieved much. However, we know that the buck stops with us and that we must address the issues facing our nation and prove that things can get better. These issues, when not addressed, lead to suffering, despair and anger. We on the Labour Benches can celebrate our success at the election, but a victory for our party is only ever a means to an end. Our goal now is to bring about the change that we promised.

    I am proud to be delivering my maiden speech in this debate, where we set the agenda for what we will do to improve the lives of everyone across the country. Part of this is close to my own heart: the new deal for working people. In my previous role at the brilliant Community trade union, I was proud to be part of drafting those aims alongside trade union colleagues. The agenda on extending workers’ rights, including for those who are self-employed or part of the gig economy, is one that I want to champion over the next five years.

    I would like to end with a few thank yous. First, I thank all the people I have mentioned so far, who make Halifax the wonderful town that it is, for everything they do. Secondly, to the incredible activists of Halifax—the Labour team in our town should be the envy of constituency Labour parties nationwide—I could not be more grateful. As every Member in this House knows, we are here because of those around us—the family, friends and colleagues who support us—so I want to thank my wonderful friends, my mum, my dad, my sister, and my partner Brad. Finally, I thank the people of Halifax for trusting me. I will fight every day to achieve everything that I can for them and reward the faith that they have shown in me.

  • Mohammad Yasin – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Mohammad Yasin – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The speech made by Mohammad Yasin, the Labour MP for Bedford, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    It is a pleasure to speak in support of the King’s Speech under a Government committed to putting country before party to improve lives in this country. That is what I pledged to the people of Bedford and Kempston, whom I thank for putting their faith in me again to work hard for them and to restore their faith in politics as a force for positive change.

    The last Government reduced our public services to a shadow of their former selves. In 2019 a study jointly funded by Bedford borough council and the NHS found that Bedford borough was 40% under-provided for in the primary care estate, despite a rapid growth in population since 2011. HMP Bedford has been in and out of special measures, so I am pleased that the Government have already taken action to improve the crisis in prisons.

    I am also pleased to see early priority given to strengthening community policing by increase numbers of officers and giving them greater power to deal with the antisocial behaviour that blights our communities. I hope this Government succeed where the last Government failed in implementing a fairer funding formula for Bedfordshire police. Wrongly funded as a rural force, it is one of the lowest-funded forces in the UK despite a £10 million year-on-year increase to £156 million for 2024-25.

    The housing crisis is causing untold misery to many of my constituents, so I am pleased that building houses will be a priority for our Government. It is indefensible that I know of parents who are beginning the summer holidays living in hotel rooms without access even to a fridge or a microwave to prepare food for their children because no suitable social housing properties are available. Even food bank vouchers are not helping when basic staples such as UHT milk cannot be kept fresh once opened.

    More than 15,000 children and 17,000 adults are on waiting lists for mental health treatment in the area covered by the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes integrated care board. For years the NHS provider has had the capital funds to bring in desperately needed in-patient mental health facilities, but the previous Government consistently refused to provide the capital expenditure cover so that we could have those facilities in Bedford. I hope the new Government’s plan to get the NHS back on its feet includes an overhaul of how new projects are funded, because the existing capital departmental expenditure limits are not working.

    Many of my constituents will be very happy to see planned legislation to bring rail back into public ownership and to reform bus services and franchises, including by allowing local control and supporting public ownership, but one of the most significant transport issues in my constituency is East West Rail. Bedford is uniquely adversely impacted by the East West Rail project, because the preferred six-track route requires the demolition and blighting of homes. Residents have been in limbo for more than five years in unsellable homes. The proposed planning and infrastructure Bill will speed up planning decisions for major infrastructure and house building and seek to reform compulsory purchase compensation rules to ensure that the compensation paid to landowners is fair. The statutory consultation stage is imminent, and I hope the Government will listen to the concerns expressed by my constituents and will not leave people in limbo while decisions are made without their knowledge, as has happened before. If we want to restore faith in politics, we have to ensure that our communities come with us on plans to affect their lives.

    The Universal Studios plan to build a park near Kempston is exciting, and I look forward to working with the Government to make sure we get this potentially huge investment opportunity for Bedford and Britain over the line.

  • Kirsty Blackman – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Kirsty Blackman – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The speech made by Kirsty Blackman, the SNP MP for Aberdeen North, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    I congratulate all those who have made their maiden speeches today, particularly the hon. Member for Whitehaven and Workington (Josh MacAlister), who gave an excellent speech. As with many of the maiden speeches, now I really want to visit his constituency. It just sounds like an absolutely amazing place. I particularly congratulate all the new Members who have come from a council background. Being a local councillor sets them up fantastically for coming here. It means they are under no illusions about the hard work that is required to be put in for their constituents and the people who live in their area. Congratulations to all of them.

    I also congratulate the Chancellor on being the first female Chancellor. As the first woman in this place ever to lead on the economy, although I have been followed by a number since, I am incredibly glad to see one on the Government Benches. I hope that, as she said, her tenure lasts significantly longer than those of some of the Chancellors we have seen in recent times.

    Today’s debate is taglined “Economy, welfare and public services”. Apart from the maiden speeches, speeches focusing on anything other than economic growth have been fairly few and far between. I will not for one second deny that economic growth is important, but the whole point of it is what we then do with it. It is about what we do with the extra tax take generated from the growth we have created. There is no point in having growth for growth’s sake. There is no point in having economic growth, and no point in the Conservatives saying how fast the UK is growing compared with other countries in the G7, if the same handful of people are getting richer and richer and the vast majority of our constituents are struggling harder than they ever have before.

    We need to ensure that the economic growth and the increase in the tax take that the Labour party is hoping to deliver involves a benefit for all those who live in these islands and in our constituencies. It is massively disappointing to hear that the five pledges and priorities for the Labour party in government do not have eradicating child poverty at the heart of them. I am really glad the Government are bringing together a discussion taskforce to reduce child poverty, but today they could bring 300,000 children out of poverty and move 700,000 children into less deep poverty simply by scrapping the two-child cap.

    One of my previous colleagues in this place, Alison Thewliss, campaigned incredibly hard on the rape clause—everybody will know of the work she did on that. There are 3,000 women across these islands who are eligible for an exemption from the cap because they have applied under the rape clause. They have had to tell the Government they were raped in order to get an uplift in their benefits. That is horrific, and even if the Government are unwilling to move on the two-child cap they should be doing something about the rape clause and what people are having to prove in order to get the exemption.

    It would be very easy to increase growth, again overnight, by increasing migration. Migration to these islands increases the amount of growth. The economy would immediately have grown if the Prime Minister had gone to the summit with the EU leaders this week and said “Yes, free movement benefits us: it benefits our economy, benefits our society, benefits our young people, benefits our musicians, and benefits so many different groups and individuals. It benefits our culture; it makes this place a better place to live. Therefore we are signing up again to free movement.”

    We need only look at some of the past Budgets, such as a Budget George Osborne gave from the Dispatch Box, when it has said in the Red Book that increasing migration will increase the tax take because of the economic growth it will bring. My constituents and people across Scotland recognise that, and we will always argue for a better migration policy—and if the Government are not willing to do it for all of these islands, we will argue for one tailored specifically to Scotland so that we can make our own decisions that suit the needs of our communities and encourage that economic growth.

  • Josh MacAlister – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Josh MacAlister – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The maiden speech made by Josh MacAlister, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I pay tribute to the fantastic maiden speeches that we have heard from across the House this evening, including that of the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover); I am sure that the whole House is reassured to know that he is not an alien.

    The first and only time I entered this Chamber before being sworn in as a Member of Parliament was as a secondary school citizenship teacher, bringing dozens of teenagers here to see their Parliament. On that occasion, I was required to use my teacher voice a number of times, but that is not something I plan to make a habit of in this House.

    I begin by putting on record my thanks to my predecessor for the now abolished Copeland constituency, Trudy Harrison. We may disagree on matters of policy, but she has been unfailingly gracious to me and generous with her time, demonstrating the “country before party” approach that we can all learn so much from.

    I may be new to this House, but I am not new to pushing Governments to get things done, as Opposition Members will know only too well, and I have worked with a number of Education Secretaries over the years. I founded and led a national charity to get more people into fulfilling careers on the frontline of children’s social work to ensure that every vulnerable child has a champion fighting their corner. From that, I was asked by the last Government to chair a landmark independent review of the children’s social care system. That review found that the disadvantage faced by the care-experienced community in our country should be the civil rights issue of our time. Evidence of that disadvantage is found in worse education outcomes, worse health outcomes and shorter lives, but that disadvantage is fuelled by something that politicians often find too hard to discuss, and that MPs certainly find too hard to mention in this Chamber: the absence of love. I believe every child has the right to be loved, and we have the ability to build a care system that can provide that for them. I hope this Parliament will take up the challenge of addressing this moral outrage. The problem is huge, but the solutions are known, and with enough will, tens of thousands of lives can be transformed.

    It is a great honour and privilege to stand here as the first Member of Parliament for the new Whitehaven and Workington constituency. Whether it is the people of Whitehaven or the good people of Workington who are the jam eaters continues to be a source of fierce debate. Of course, I will remain neutral on that question, as I will on all rugby league-related matters.

    Nowhere is more blessed than my constituency, home to the highest peak and the deepest lake in England, with miles of beautiful coastline and the stunning western part of the Lake district, which has inspired millions. Let me here pay special tribute to our amazing mountain rescue volunteers, our Royal National Lifeboat Institution volunteers—just this week, it will be celebrating its 200th anniversary—and all those who give up their time to volunteer in search and rescue services. I have an interest to declare as a serving mountain rescue volunteer, and I will champion volunteer search and rescue services at every opportunity.

    Behind the doors of the towns and villages across my constituency, you will find the warmest and friendliest marras in the country, people forged by the drama and confidence of the surrounding landscape and people with humility, respect and determination at their core. These are people such as Gary McKee, who ran a marathon every day for a year to raise over £1 million for cancer support; those in the growing network of Andy’s man clubs in our community, tackling the crisis of male suicide that my area faces; and community leaders, such as Rachel Holliday of Calderwood House, giving people a route out of homelessness.

    Our area has also forged those who were not born West Cumbrian, but who made our corner of the world their home, including pioneers and entrepreneurs such as Frank Schon, later Baron Schon of Whitehaven. Frank was an Austrian refugee who fled the Nazis, was bombed out of London and was taken in by a kind Cumbrian farmer. He went on to set up and lead a global chemicals company based in Whitehaven, before later chairing Harold Wilson’s development corporation and going on to serve in the other place. Today, my community is home to dozens of Ukrainian families that could well have the next Frank Schon in them. I hope we can offer those who wish to stay a permanent home here in this country.

    Lord Schon is one famous example, but there are thousands of men and women like him—from Whitehaven to Workington, Gosforth to Egremont, Cleator Moor to Seascale and Flimby to Seaton in the north of the constituency—pioneers, entrepreneurs and grafters who have helped west Cumbria to lead the world. It is because of this graft that my constituency is home to the UK New Balance trainer factory—I am not wearing them right now—and the Iggesund paper mill, which has been experimenting with leading carbon capture technology. It is home to Forth Engineering and React Engineering, and hundreds of other businesses represented by Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster, from the coal and iron mines to the steelworks.

    Of course, there is the world’s first civil nuclear power station at the site now famously known as Sellafield, home to a world-leading decommissioning mission, which is stimulating innovation in robotics and AI. We led the world, and we can again. We have the people, the will, the determination and now, thankfully, the Government to do it. Our nuclear heritage and our skilled workforce mean we have what it takes to be the ideal location for the next generation of nuclear power. The Government are determined to make the most of new jobs in the energy transition, to reform our broken planning system and to decarbonise the grid, and these three things offer the opportunity for the people of Whitehaven and Workington to fly.

    A Labour Government with a proper industrial strategy and the right targeted investment could completely transform the economic geography of my community. These are decisions that need to be made to create the growth we have promised and to tackle the climate crisis our planet faces. I am determined to play my part to deliver this Labour Government’s mission and to ensure that west Cumbria feels the maximum possible benefit of the change we want to bring about for our country.

  • Olly Glover – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Olly Glover – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The maiden speech made by Olly Glover, the Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to give my maiden speech today. I aspire to match the eloquence of the previous speakers in this debate, including the hon. Member for South Antrim (Robin Swann), who gave the most recent maiden speech; his passion for his constituency is very clear.

    I start by paying tribute to my immediate predecessor, David Johnston. I admire the fact that Mr Johnston entered politics because of his passion for social mobility. I have met constituents who have been personally helped by him, and I aspire to follow his lead. I was pleased that the first email in my parliamentary mailbox came from Lord Ed Vaizey of Didcot, Member for the predecessor seat of Wantage between 2005 and 2019, offering his congratulations. That was a warm and encouraging gesture. I arrive in Parliament following a career on the railway, serving the public, and I hope to apply my knowledge and experience to working with others to advance both rail infrastructure and public services in my seat.

    The name of the new Didcot and Wantage constituency is an improvement on the previous name, Wantage, but remains imperfect. While Wantage and Didcot are the larger towns of the three in the seat, residents from Wallingford are aggrieved by their omission. Mr Deputy Speaker, I can assure you and this House that all three towns will have my attention and care. The same applies to the dozens of villages in the seat; I am fortunate enough to live in one of them, Milton. All our villages have a unique character and set of attractions. Pendon museum in Long Wittenham includes an homage in model railway form to the 1930s Vale of White Horse landscape, and there is also the ancient Uffington white horse and the beautiful chalk streams of the Letcombes. The constituency’s economy is diverse: we have the technology and science centres of Milton Park, Harwell campus and Culham near to farms that have been passed down through generations. Didcot hosts many industrial and business units, and residents benefit from the great western main line for fast commuting to and from London. Organisations such as Didcot TRAIN, the DAMASCUS youth project and Sustainable Wantage illustrate the strong culture of public service and volunteering.

    My constituents rightly have high expectations. During the election campaign, one of them highlighted the lack of biographical detail in a leaflet about me, and asked me whether I was a doctor, a surveyor, a banker, a teacher, or an alien from outer space. Despite my love of the voyages of the crew of the USS Enterprise, Mr Deputy Speaker, I can reassure you and everyone in this House that I am not an alien. Of course, my constituency contains many non-humans, albeit perhaps not aliens. Many a local party volunteer has come to tire of my frequent canvassing of cats as well as humans. On occasion, this has helped my cause: while I was in conversation with one voter, his cat, Matthew, intervened. Matthew took a strong liking to me, with a great deal of leg-rubbing, even sitting on my lap on the pavement. The voter, astonished, told me that Matthew hates nearly everyone, and that his favourable verdict on me would be taken into account.

    Turning to the subject of today’s debate, my constituency shares many of the same challenges as the wider country. Access to GP appointments is often difficult, particularly in Didcot, which continues to yearn for a new GP surgery in Great Western Park. NHS dentistry barely exists, and sewage dumping in our waterways is a great concern, as are proposals for a large reservoir near Steventon and the Hanneys. Many residents desire to walk and cycle more, but need pleasant and safe routes and paths in order to do so, and while the constituency benefits from fast railway connections, the reliability and capacity of the service provided can be somewhat patchy, and we continue to lack a railway station serving Grove and Wantage.

    Perhaps the greatest issue on constituents’ minds is the cost of housing and recent, very substantial increases in the numbers of houses. I commend the Government on their commitment to genuinely affordable housing, but ask them to bear in mind that residents would be more supportive of housing growth were the health, education, and transport facilities needed to support it delivered in parallel. I promise to work tirelessly for my constituents in the pursuit of progress on these issues, and thank them again for the opportunity to serve. It is a genuine honour to be stood here, and I look forward to working with Members from across the House to achieve those aims.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Chi Onwurah – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The speech made by Chi Onwurah, the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    I congratulate all the hon. Members who have made their maiden speeches on their passion and their commitment to their constituency, which has come across so well. Age does not wither, nor custom stale the privilege of being in this place, and I too want to thank my constituents, who have returned me to Parliament to represent them all and the wonderful city we call home.

    I spent 14 years on the Opposition Benches, standing up for my constituents against a Government who were bearing down on them. It is absolutely fantastic to speak from the Government Benches in support of a Government who will help and empower them. Some Conservative Members have been painting a rosy picture of our economic inheritance, but the message of working people in Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West was clear and consistent: “We need change.” It is not hard to see why. People are worse off; over a third of children in Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West live in poverty; and over 2,000 households in Newcastle are homeless. Those are just a few of the issues that my constituents face, so please, let us not pretend that we should be grateful to the last Government.

    But everything changed on 4 July. Indeed, as I was buying my fish supper last Friday at one of the excellent fishmongers in Grainger market—locally smoked cod, since you ask—they told me that on 5 July, sales of halibut soared. That is an expensive fish, so they took that as a sign of celebration, but also of optimism, hope, and confidence in a better future. There is nothing fishy there, because the Bills set out in the King’s Speech will give Newcastle our future back. Our destiny will be in our own hands, with the English devolution Bill and the better buses Bill giving local leaders such as our fantastic Mayor Kim McGuinness the powers needed to drive growth and prosperity locally. Our region’s immense potential in the green industries of the future will finally be unlocked through the national wealth fund and Great British Energy; planning reform will take the handbrake off building new homes and spaces for business, making us an even greater city with an economy that provides great jobs and good homes for all Geordies; and by expanding the rights of workers, tenants and minoritised groups, the Government will make sure that work pays and everyone in Newcastle enjoys their fair share of our national prosperity.

    Having worked around the world as an engineer, I have been proud to champion science and innovation in Newcastle and across the UK. I am now privileged to have both of Newcastle’s fantastic universities in our constituency, and our city is looking forward to building a proper industrial strategy once again—one that can boost our universities as drivers of inclusive economic growth. Unlocking private investment through measures such as the national wealth fund and the recently announced pensions review will super-charge spin-outs and start-ups in the north-east, and I believe that sites such as Helix—home to innovative businesses and entrepreneurs in cutting-edge industries—are a tantalising glimpse of the future of Newcastle.

    Technology has the power to make our constituents’ lives so much better, and measures such as planning reform will make that a reality. As an ex-shadow science Minister, I have spoken to Lord Vallance, as he begins his ministerial role, to offer my support, and to make the case for investment in regional research and development. I know that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology team are already committed to opening up careers in science to everyone, getting money outside the golden triangle and connecting science to industrial strategy, healthcare and economic growth.

    As I have said, this Government inspire hope that has been lacking in Newcastle— that is, apart from on match days. That is why, as the MP for St James’ Park, I welcome the football governance Bill. From Mike Ashley to the Saudi Public Investment Fund takeover, football governance has been a thorn in our side, and Geordies around the world will welcome the safeguarding of our precious football club.

    My constituents sent me to this place because our party promised change.

  • Robin Swann – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Robin Swann – 2024 Maiden Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The maiden speech made by Robin Swann, the Ulster Unionist Party MP for South Antrim, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    It is with honour and humility, and a sense of trepidation, that I rise to make my maiden speech. I think of those who have spoken here before and the gravity and seriousness of the issues that have been debated and discussed. I hope that this Parliament is no different in how it discharges its duties, and that we in this intake of new Members live up to those standards. I congratulate the many new Members on their maiden speeches, which have set a high bar.

    Like everyone else in this House, I wish to thank sincerely those who placed their faith and trust in me by electing me. I am indebted to the electorate of South Antrim for the support that I have received from across the entire community—indeed, entire communities—in my election to this place. I also thank the dedicated campaign team who supported me during what was an honourable campaign.

    I pay tribute to my predecessor, Mr Paul Girvan, not just for his tenure as a Member of this House, but for his time as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and as a local councillor. South Antrim has moved between Paul’s party and my Ulster Unionist party on a number of occasions. With that, I carry the privilege and honour of returning the UUP to this place after a seven-year absence, and the charge and responsibility of bringing a moderate and reasoned Unionist voice from Northern Ireland, in my party’s tradition of working positively and constructively with all to achieve the best outcomes for all our people, and of working across this House to strengthen our Union and to deliver a Union for all.

    I turn now to my constituency of South Antrim. I want those here this evening to know what a fantastic part of our country it is. Like so many constituencies, it has a mix of main towns—Ballyclare and Antrim—and a range of what were once small villages but are growing into large villages, such as Toome, Doagh, Crumlin, Randalstown, Templepatrick, Ballynure and many more. Much of the constituency is a large and productive rural area, while part of the expanding urban area of Glengormley is merging with north Belfast in Mossley and Mallusk.

    South Antrim is home to industry, research and cutting-edge business in large and small employers. Indeed, I look forward to working with the Chancellor and her Government in further supporting those businesses through the Bills in the King’s Speech, and especially through the national wealth fund. South Antrim is the base of Belfast international airport, which I believe has a real opportunity if it gets its much-needed rail link and the further expansion of Aldergrove and our Royal Air Force base. That is why I believe that we also need a UK air transportation strategy, which I may raise later in the Adjournment debate—if the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) will take an intervention from me!

    South Antrim’s agricultural sector is another pillar of our community and contributes significantly to our local economy. Our annual Antrim agricultural show celebrates that agricultural heritage by bringing together farmers, producers and visitors from across the country and showcasing the best of rural life and promoting a strong sense of community. It is on this Saturday at Shane’s castle, and I would encourage and welcome anyone who wants to attend.

    Lough Neagh—the largest freshwater lake in the British isles—is another jewel in South Antrim’s crown, but it is currently struggling because of neglect, like many of our waterways. However, the Stormont Executive’s new recovery programme is in place, and I hope that—with national support, given the need for action on our waterways—Lough Neagh will once more be a tourism and recreational attraction for visitors from far and wide.

    A number of issues debated over the past few days will have a direct impact on the people of South Antrim, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom—none more so than the future and support that the Government will offer our national health service and those who rely on and work in it. The Government have the opportunity to reverse the past years of neglect. Health may be devolved, but that does not mean that we in this place can abdicate all responsibility for our national health service. We have the excellent Antrim area hospital in my constituency, but it needs resource and support to develop its potential. As a former Health Minister of Northern Ireland, I know that we have plans to deliver better services, but change needs recurrent resources, which have been lacking in recent years. I look forward to working with this Government to rebuild our national health service.

    I know that I am speaking to the converted on how great South Antrim is, because I have been overwhelmed by the number of Members from across the House who have approached me to tell me of a relative or friend who lives in my constituency. Indeed, I look forward to representing them and all my South Antrim constituents in this place.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Ruth Cadbury – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The speech made by Ruth Cadbury, the Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    It is an honour to be re-elected for the fourth time to the redrawn seat of Brentford and Isleworth, and to follow such impressive maiden speeches, particularly that of my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Rachel Blake), in whose constituency we all work.

    After nine years sitting in Opposition it is a pleasure to be on the Government side of the Chamber and to support this Government’s legislative programme, which brings hope, opportunity and change for my constituents and for the country at last. I will focus my response to the King’s Speech on the Government’s ambitious proposals around transport policy—not only because it is an area I have long been involved with, having served on the Transport Committee for five years and chaired five all-party parliamentary groups on transport, but because transport was brought up regularly on the doorsteps in this last election.

    The theme of today’s debate is economy, welfare and public services. Effective transport policies are essential to the change we need to see in all three areas, as well as in addressing our climate crisis, so I am pleased to see the bold and ambitious plans set out by my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh) and her team to do just that. For access to work, education and health services, for supplying our manufacturing and retail sectors and for supporting our wellbeing and family life, decent transport choices are essential, and nowhere are they more needed than in the new communities that will be built, if the traffic on the roads to and around them is not to grind to a halt. Whether in city, town or countryside, we need the full range of transport options—ones that are affordable, accessible, efficient and environmentally sound.

    On buses, I am delighted that, through the better buses Bill, the Government will end the ideological and control-freakery policy of banning local authorities from running their own municipal bus companies. Such companies were killed off by the Thatcher Government in a bout of ideological rage, with only London retaining a regulated bus service. The rest of England should have what we have in London: regular day, evening and weekend services, simple fare structures, and high standards of safety, accessibility and passenger information. Those are being developed by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and I look forward to seeing other local authorities—of all parties, I am sure—following his example.

    To be an alternative to driving, and for us to cut road congestion and pollution, rail travel must be reliable. I am therefore delighted to see Bills to create Great British Railways and to bring train operations into public ownership. That is essential for a simplified and unified rail system that focuses on improving passenger services while getting value for the taxpayer. Our constituents, and many Members of this House, have had terrible experiences of cancelled trains, or of sitting on the floor for hours despite booking a seat. We will now see a Government and a Department that do not use transport as a cudgel in our culture wars, or as a crude electoral hammer to override local authorities that want to introduce sensible measures to encourage cycling and walking.

    Transport is at the heart of the challenge of national renewal that we have set ourselves: kickstarting economic growth, boosting jobs and living standards, and building sufficient homes in sustainable communities. Of course there are challenges ahead—not least in further growing capacity in our overloaded rail network. I welcome the plan to improve east-west connectivity across the north of England, but funding further increases in rail capacity will unfortunately be financially unsustainable until we see the economic growth that the Chancellor is working on. Aviation expansion is acceptable only if it passes the four tests that we set ourselves in opposition: cutting carbon dioxide emissions, overcoming local environmental impacts, providing regional benefits across the UK, and deliverability. I know that the new Secretary of State and ministerial team will work across our travel and transport sectors to improve transport connections to the benefit of our country as a whole.

  • Mark Francois – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    Mark Francois – 2024 Speech on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services

    The speech made by Mark Francois, the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2024.

    Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for kindly calling me to contribute to this important debate on the King’s Speech, after 11 very good maiden speeches and 11 very promising—even fabulous—starts to parliamentary careers. Those who have been in this House a little longer will know that our great friend the late Sir David Amess, whose plaque now rightfully hangs on the wall, had a great talent for managing to combine a very large number of topics into one speech. I lack Sir David’s skill, so I will seek to confine my remarks this evening to three topics, all development related.

    The first topic relates to an expansion in medical capacity for the NHS, and specifically to proposals to expand the Jones family practice in Hockley. I declare an interest: my wife Olivia has worked in the NHS for nearly 20 years. In essence, the plan is to expand the practice, with a first-floor extension to create eight new GP consulting rooms and additional training facilities. Rochford district council recently approved planning permission for the extension, and the senior partner, Professor Dr Mahmud, and his active practice management team are now seeking approval from local NHS bosses to support the scheme.

    It is my intention as the recently re-elected local MP—for which I am very grateful to my constituents—to lend weight to these positive proposals. They are designed not just to expand capacity, but hopefully to provide training places for graduates from the new medical school at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford. For the record, I have also been working for some time to try to expand Riverside medical centre in Hullbridge, and I will be pursuing that with the NHS as well.

    Secondly, the town of Wickford has suffered a dearth of supermarket capacity in recent years. My constituents endured something of a perfect storm last year when the Aldi supermarket was closed, while at the same time the old Co-op nearby has effectively stood semi-derelict for three years. During that supermarket vacuum, my constituents were forced to fall back on the small Iceland in the high street and Wickford market.

    I was very pleased to reopen the enlarged Aldi last autumn, and it is now doing a brisk trade. However, the Co-op still remains undeveloped and, while boarded up, is occupying valuable spaces in the town’s principal car park. It is a long and complicated saga. Suffice it to say that the site was bought several years ago by a development company named Heriot, which originally came up with a plan in conjunction with the supermarket chain Morrisons to redevelop the store, with an underground car park and some flats above. I always had doubts about the commercial viability of those proposals, especially the underground car park, and the scheme collapsed some months ago.

    Nevertheless, Heriot is working on what might be called a plan B, and for some months has been in what it describes as “advanced talks” with another major supermarket chain. For commercial reasons Heriot asked me not to name the supermarket in this speech, something I have agreed to respect—although I have to say that the name of the company in question is now effectively an open secret, and was even being reported back to me on doorsteps by my Wickford constituents during the general election.

    I spoke to the directors of Heriot in advance of this debate, who assure me they are seeking to bring their commercial negotiations to a conclusion as soon as possible. They are well aware of my frustration at these three years of delay, which I conveyed to them again this morning, and they have asked me to relate that they realise that my Wickford constituents have already waited a long while for a new supermarket. That is an issue I campaigned on heavily at the general election, so I hope Heriot will be able to announce something definitive this summer. My message to Heriot is simple: “You have had more than enough time—get on with it.”

    Finally, over two decades I have seen examples of both good and bad development in my constituency. Young people cannot live at home with their parents into their 50s and 60s, so it must be possible to build some houses in a sustainable manner to meet the housing need. Crucially, however, the infrastructure required to accompany them has to be built first. To put it another way, from long experience, if development is to be successful—and it can be—as I said earlier, it has to be done with people, rather than to people. The proposals at a place called Dollymans Farm in my constituency, which I was re-elected with a mandate to oppose, are precisely the opposite of that. We all want to find somewhere suitable and appropriate for people to live, but we have to do that in the right way.