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Category: Speeches

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments on the Strategic Defence Review

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments on the Strategic Defence Review

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in Scotland on 2 June 2025.

    Good morning to all of you, thank you for being here this morning –

    Thank you for sharing the work that you are doing here, some of which we can see right behind us.

    Because this is a legendary Govan shipyard.

    And it’s really good to be able to be here in this massive space, and to be back on the Clyde.

    As you may have seen a couple of months ago –

    Just after dawn, on a drizzly morning –

    If you can believe it –

    I took a boat out onto the firth,

    To meet one of our vanguard-class submarines…

    As it came back in off patrol.

    And it was a record-breaking patrol.

    And we boarded the sub. It had just surfaced. It had been at sea…

    Maintaining our continuous-at-sea deterrent…

    For months on end –

    A really long shift –

    And met what was quite a remarkable crew.

    And I will remember that day for the rest of my life.

    Because it was very clear to me that there is no greater duty than the one that they carry –

    No task more vital.

    Our security…

    NATO’s security…

    Depends on them.

    And I had the privilege of being shown around and talked to many teams on the sub…

    Saw them rushing to their battle stations to conduct a firing drill…

    And wherever I went on the sub, whichever team I was talking to…

    From the engineers, the cooks, the navigators –

    Over and over again –

    There was a sort of unofficial motto that they told me – their motto:

    “Nothing works unless we all work together.”

    And in this moment of danger and threat for our country –

    That is the spirit we need.

    The Strategic Defence Review that I am launching today…

    Will bring that unity of purpose to the whole of the United Kingdom…

    To mobilise the nation in a common cause…

    Recognising, in these dangerous times,

    That when it comes to the defence of the realm…

    And the defence of everything we hold dear…

    Nothing works unless we all work together.

    From every man and woman serving in uniform,

    To the workers building the next generation of subs in Barrow…

    From the brilliant workers and apprentices right here in Govan…

    Building the new Type 26 frigates – like the two you can see being built behind me today…

    To our tech experts, our scientists, our engineers –

    Who are pioneering battlefield innovations and cyber defences –

    Every part of society…

    Every citizen of this country…

    Has a role to play.

    Because we have to recognise that things have changed.

    In the world of today –

    The front line, if you like, is here.

    The threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable…

    Than at any time since the Cold War.

    We face war in Europe, new nuclear risks, daily cyber attacks…

    Growing Russian aggression in our waters…

    Menacing our skies…

    Their reckless actions driving up the cost of living here at home…

    Creating economic pain…

    And hitting working people the hardest.

    A new era in the threats we face,

    Demands a new era for defence and security…

    Not just to survive in this new world –

    But to lead.

    We will never gamble with our national security.

    Instead, we will act –

    In the national interest.

    And that’s why I placed national security…

    At the heart of our Plan for Change…

    That’s why I launched this Strategic Defence Review…

    Within days of becoming Prime Minster.

    And now it has delivered.

    And I want to thank the reviewers –

    Especially Lord Robertson who is with us today.

    Thank you so much for your work and the work of the other reviewers.

    What you have delivered is a blueprint to make Britain safer and stronger:

    A battle-ready, armour-clad nation…

    With the strongest alliances…

    And the most advanced capabilities –

    Equipped for the decades to come.

    And we have already acted –

    Announcing the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.

    Raising it to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 –

    Setting the ambition to hit 3% in the next Parliament…

    Subject to economic and fiscal conditions.

    And today – following through on this review –

    I want to set out three fundamental changes that we’re going to deliver.

    First, we are moving to warfighting readiness –

    As the central purpose of our armed forces.

    When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces…

    The most effective way to deter them is to be ready –

    And, frankly, to show them that we’re ready –

    To deliver peace through strength.

    Now Britain has the finest service men and women in the world.

    We’re showing them the respect that they deserve

    By delivering the biggest Armed Forces pay rise in 20 years,

    And by pledging, today, that we will end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces.

    We’ll build a fighting force that is more integrated, more ready, more lethal than ever –

    Backed by a stronger Strategic Reserve – fully trained and ready to mobilise at any time.

    Second, everything we do will add to the strength of NATO,

    As we step up to take greater responsibility for our collective defence.

    The NATO alliance means something profound:

    That we will never fight alone.

    It is a fundamental source of our strategic strength.

    That’s why our defence policy will always be “NATO first.”

    Something that is written through this review.

    The transformation we are driving in our defence must add up to…

    Britain’s biggest contribution to NATO since its creation.

    So that when we are building new capabilities at home –

    We are making our allies safer too –

    Strengthening Europe –

    And strengthening our bridge to the US,

    As Britain’s first partner in defence.

    Third, we will innovate and accelerate innovation to a wartime pace…

    So we can meet the threats of today and tomorrow…

    As the fastest innovator in NATO.

    Now this doesn’t mean replacing people or hardware –

    Quite the opposite –

    It means learning the lessons of Ukraine, which I have discussed many times with President Zelenskyy…

    To ensure every capability we have works seamlessly together –

    Drones, destroyers, AI, aircraft…

    Each different branch of our armed services…

    Fully integrated…

    To create an Army which is ten times more lethal by 2035.

    And in delivering all of this –

    We are more ambitious than ever for the change it can bring.

    To deliver…

    Not just security for our country –

    But renewal too.

    After the Cold War, many nations cut defence spending,

    Freeing up public funds…

    Creating what was called a “peace dividend”

    Which people felt in their public services and the quality of their lives.

    Faced with new circumstances today –

    We must deliver for working people again –

    To seize, now,

    A “defence dividend” for the British people…

    Using this moment to drive jobs and investment…

    Throughout the country –

    Like here in Govan…

    Providing local opportunities, skilled work – community pride.

    Ensuring that everyone across the United Kingdom has a role to play in this effort, yes –

    But, also, that everyone has a stake in its success.

    And – I want to spell this out very simply…

    To achieve this…

    We’re going to build.

    We’re going to use this investment –

    And this once-in-a-generation reform…

    To drive renewal up and down the nation…

    Creating new jobs…

    Creating skills and opportunity…

    Driving huge growth in industrial capacity.

    Let me give just one or two examples.

    I can announce today…

    That we are going to build at least six new munitions factories in the United Kingdom –

    Generating over 1,000 jobs.

    We will build thousands of new long-range weapons in the United Kingdom…

    To boost European deterrence…

    Supporting around 800 more jobs.

    We will defend our homeland…

    By investing in our air and missile defence –

    To better protect these islands.

    We will create a hybrid Royal Navy…

    Blending drones with warships, submarines, and aircraft to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond –

    Supporting thousands of brilliant shipbuilding jobs –

    Including right here in Govan.

    Under our Aukus alliance with the US and Australia…

    We will now deliver up to 12 attack submarines –

    Protecting Britain’s waters…

    Scaling up the industrial base in Barrow –

    And all along the supply chain…

    To deliver a new sub every 18 months –

    Again, creating thousands of jobs.

    We will also invest in world-leading drone capabilities and battlefield technology…

    In better kit for our warriors abroad…

    And better housing for them and their families at home.

    And – finally…

    I can confirm today that we are investing £15 billion…

    In our sovereign warhead programme…

    To secure our deterrent for decades to come –

    Creating 9,000 jobs…

    And thousands more in the supply chain across the country,

    Part of the historic renewal of our nuclear deterrent –

    As the ultimate guarantor of our safety and our security.

    The moment has arrived –

    To transform how we defend ourselves…

    And to renew our nation –

    An investment in British pride and the British people…

    A defence dividend –

    That will be felt in the pockets of working people…

    And the prosperity of the country…

    Securing growth for generations to come…

    Part of a new contract to unite the Kingdom…

    A new spirit of service, flowing from every part of society –

    From the supply lines to the front lines –

    Everyone benefitting, everyone playing their role –

    Doing their duty to the nation and to each other –

    To preserve our way of life –

    And the things that we hold dear…

    Because when it comes to security and renewal:

    Nothing works unless we all work together.

    Thank you very much indeed.

  • Lizzi Collinge – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Lizzi Collinge – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Lizzi Collinge, the Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    NHS dentistry has been a recurring theme for me both before the election and since, as I know is true for most colleagues, which is why this Labour Government have made it a priority. However, we are starting from a very difficult place.

    Let me set out just how bad the situation is in Morecambe and Lunesdale. Last year, I knocked on the door of a man in Morecambe who had lost most of his teeth because he did not have access to dental care. Just yesterday, a constituent wrote to me asking me to speak in this debate. She and her husband travel more than 80 miles four times a year just to see their NHS dentist. They are retired and cannot afford to go private, and, like many older people, they need regular and more complex care. We do not have to look far to see the root of the problem—so to speak. Dentists have been telling us for years that the NHS dental contract is not fit for purpose. The contract creates perverse incentives. Dentists are discouraged from treating the patients who need them the most. I appreciate that this is partly because in the ’90s and early ’00s, the contract incentivised the over-treating of patients, but now the pendulum has swung back too far the other way, and we have to find a balanced approach.

    Dental decay is one of the leading causes of hospital admissions in children. In 2023, over 30,000 children ended up in hospital needing their teeth removed.

    Paulette Hamilton (Birmingham Erdington) (Lab)

    The Government have an historic commitment to prevention. Birmingham Erdington is one of the youngest constituencies in the country. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must continue to build on supervised brushing and targeted fluoride applications in early years settings to protect the youngsters?

    Lizzi Collinge

    My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Prevention is always better than cure. When I sat on Lancashire county council’s health scrutiny committee, we took evidence that showed that things such as supervised brushing and help with fluoride were some of the most cost-effective interventions, and they could prevent the horror of 30,000 children going into hospital for preventable tooth removal.

    Dental health has become a stark marker of inequality. Without ongoing care and access to that preventive care, children in less well-off families are more likely to suffer worsening dental problems.

    The contract was a major problem. It locked in those perverse incentives, but the situation was then worsened by over a decade of neglect of all areas of public health under the previous Government. Too many families do not go to the dentist until it is too late and it is very expensive, so we need those preventive measures that my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Erdington spoke about and we need access to NHS dentists. We know that if people are not able to go to the dentist, it means they turn up at A&E, but they are sent away with painkillers and antibiotics, and that does not fulfil their needs.

    I am pleased that our Government are taking this issue seriously. I am pleased that we recognise the scale of the problem, and I am pleased that we are taking action not only on NHS dentistry, but on preventive care. We owe it to families in Morecambe and Lunesdale and across the country to fix this broken system. We need a dental contract that actually works, fair funding for local services and access to care that is available when people need it.

  • Steff Aquarone – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Steff Aquarone – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Steff Aquarone, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    I am grateful to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for securing this debate—the application for which I was pleased to support.

    I would like to tell the House about Philip, who wrote to me, in his own words, in “desperation”. He is a proud armed forces veteran and was recovering from a recent surgery for lung cancer when he suffered a fall, which caused him to lose a number of his teeth. After his maxillofacial surgery, he was horrified to discover that there were no dentists taking NHS patients near him, and his previous dentist had simply removed him from their system. He needed dentures—not just for cosmetic reasons, but to be able to eat proper meals—and was facing a future without any of this support.

    Cases like Philip’s will ring true, I am sure, for far too many people here, and indeed across my constituency. I am pleased to say that in this instance, my team and I got straight on the case and were able to help Philip to secure an NHS appointment with a local dentist earlier this week. We look forward to seeing him with a full smile again soon. However, we cannot do that for the two thirds of my constituents who are not seeing an NHS dentist, and nor should we have to. We need to fix the broken system that is letting down people in North Norfolk.

    One exciting prospect on the horizon is the establishment of a dental school at the University of East Anglia, as my near neighbour, the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough), has already mentioned. The school has support from Members of all parties in Norfolk, and we are excited for Norfolk to start training and placing its own dentists in the coming years. However, the University of East Anglia needed funding for places from the Government confirmed before 2 May in order to appear in the UCAS applications for students beginning in September 2026, but the Treasury has demanded that any such spending not be confirmed until the spending review in a few weeks’ time. For the sake of less than six weeks of bureaucracy, my constituents face yet another full year of delay.

    Nevertheless, I am pleased that it was confirmed this week that Cromer will have an expanded dental practice that will take on new NHS patients. The Lib Dem-led North Norfolk district council has worked to secure a new lease with the Dental Design Studio on the former tourist information centre. The new practice will have five surgeries, all at ground level to improve accessibility. After years of decline, we may finally be seeing the green shoots of improvement in North Norfolk’s part of the dental desert.

    I am pleased to have the opportunity today to stand up for everyone who has struggled with our crumbling system over the past few years—for people like Philip, for the many children facing tooth decay, for all those on waiting lists and for those forced to fork out for private treatment. Things must improve, and they can. I will be fighting hard to ensure that they do.

  • Chris Webb – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Chris Webb – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Chris Webb, the Labour MP for Blackpool South, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    Anyone who has had severe toothache knows the unbearable agony. In those moments, it feels like there is nothing worse. But imagine watching your four-year-old child suffer that same pain and being told that he cannot be helped. That was the reality for my constituent, Louise. A single mum, Louise got in touch with me when she was at breaking point. She had to watch her son suffer through constant distress: crying in agony, unable to sleep and refusing his food. When she managed to see an emergency dentist, she was told he would need between four and eight teeth extracted under local anaesthetic, but the wait time for that procedure was up to two years. Louise was left with no choice but to manage her son’s pain with daily Calpol and ibuprofen. That is not healthcare—it is abandonment.

    Sadly, Louise’s story is not rare. In my constituency of Blackpool South, people are being driven to desperate measures. They are turning up at A&E in agony because they cannot get dental appointments. Some are even resorting to pulling out their own teeth at home—DIY dentistry in 21st-century Britain. NHS dentistry was left to decay under the previous Government. I stood over there on the Opposition Benches one year ago today, highlighting the problems we have in Blackpool. In Blackpool South, just 34% of adults have seen an NHS dentist in the last two years. That is a sharp fall from over 50% a few years ago and well below the national average. Only 45% of children were seen in the past year—a figure that is lower than almost anywhere else in England.

    People living in poverty are most at risk of poor dental health, and in my constituency, poverty is a daily reality for so many. Children’s tooth decay is one of the clearest signs of how deep this crisis runs. In Blackpool, one in five three-year-olds and nearly one in three five-year-olds have visible dental decay—among the highest rates in the country. Behind every number is a child missing class because of dental pain, and a parent like Louise who feels helpless; all this in a town that already faces some of the deepest health inequalities in the country.

    I am pleased that the Government have rolled out 700,000 more urgent dentist appointments, and I know the Government are committed to recruiting new dentists in areas that need them most, like Blackpool. I welcome the Government’s commitment to reforming the dental contract, but I urge them to act now. The BDA points out that a reformed service will not work if there is no workforce left by the time it is finally introduced. The sector needs a clear timetable for negotiations, a firm deadline for a new system and a sustainable funding model. The Government need to build a system not on crisis care, but on prevention and early access, and it has never been more urgent.

    People in Blackpool South are not asking for special treatment. They are just asking for treatment—and the simple assurance that toothache will not become trauma.

  • Claire Young – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Claire Young – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury and Yate, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    I thank the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for introducing this debate.

    Thornbury and Yate is a dental desert. According to a recent newspaper report, not a single dentist in Thornbury and Yate is taking on new NHS patients for the third year in a row, leaving people having to travel long distances for care, or forced to pay for private treatment. I am sure, as a fellow south-west MP, the Minister will be as concerned as I am to hear that in September 2024 the NHS dental activity delivery rate was lowest in the south-west, at 61.6%, compared to the highest in London, at 94.7%. Not surprisingly, in the south-west, around one in every 460 people had to be taken to A&E with a dental problem in 2023-24. That was substantially higher than in London, where the figure was only one in every 860 people. The area covered by the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire integrated care board is the worst of all worlds, with fewer dentists, adjusted for population size, and lower dental activity delivery rates alongside higher numbers of A&E visits with dental problems.

    I want to highlight two cases that show the impact that is having on vulnerable people. One constituent wrote:

    “Despite contacting more than a dozen dental practices in and around South Gloucestershire and Bristol, I have been told by every single surgery that no NHS appointments are available. However, I have been offered private appointments if I am willing to pay…The situation is even more distressing as my wife is currently pregnant and requires urgent dental care, which is crucial for her health and that of our unborn child. Pregnant women are entitled to free NHS dental care, yet this right is rendered meaningless when no NHS appointments are available.”

    Another constituent wrote to me: a cancer patient who needed major dental treatment ahead of intense radiotherapy. Bristol dental hospital advised them they would need lifelong follow-up care, but during covid that treatment was stopped and they were discharged back to their NHS dentist. Soon after—surprise, surprise—the practice ceased to provide NHS dentistry and they could not find another, so they were forced to pay for their essential treatment.

    Charlie Maynard (Witney) (LD)

    There seems to be a consensus across the House that the NHS dental contract is broken. That is the consensus across the country as well, including in my constituency. If there is one thing we can get out of the debate today, it is a timeline to which the Government will commit to fixing the situation and to bringing legislation before the House. Does my hon. Friend agree that would be of benefit?

    Claire Young

    I do. We also need solutions for people like my constituent in the meantime; they have already had to pay £1,400 for treatment and they face another £2,000-worth of work to be able to eat normally. That is a stiff fee when you are reliant on personal independence payment and your spouse’s pension. My constituent feels that they have nowhere to turn.

    To sum up, patients like my constituents deserve access to an NHS dentist. We need an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups for those already eligible: children; new mothers; those who, like my constituent’s wife, are pregnant; and those on low incomes. We need a dental rescue package that brings dentists back into the NHS from the private sector by fixing the dental contract and using flexible commissioning to meet patients’ needs in the meantime.

  • Linsey Farnsworth – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Linsey Farnsworth – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Linsey Farnsworth, the Labour MP for Amber Valley, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for securing this vital debate. This issue touches on every community, but I will focus on how the crisis is playing out in my constituency.

    Amber Valley has less than a quarter of the national average number of NHS dentists per 100,000 people. When I speak to residents on the doorstep and in my surgeries, I hear the same heartbreaking stories from people in pain who are unable to access an NHS appointment. Some have become so desperate that they have resorted to pulling out their own teeth. During my campaign, I made a promise to the people of Amber Valley to fight for better access to NHS dental care, and that remains my most urgent pledge. We do have a handful of dedicated, hard-working dentists who are maintaining NHS patient lists against difficult odds—dentists such as Dr Nadia Duarte at Amber Valley dental practice—but most surgeries simply do not have the resources to keep their NHS lists open. This puts huge pressure on the few that do, with waiting lists stretching over two years. Simply put, anyone is extremely lucky to get an NHS appointment in Amber Valley.

    Amber Valley dentists have told me that our surgeries received the lowest payment per NHS treatment when compared with neighbouring constituencies. This has made it almost impossible to recruit and retain the quality NHS staff we need. I took this up with the Derbyshire integrated care board, saying not just that this was unfair, but that it had created a crisis of health inequality for Amber Valley. I am grateful that it listened and acted. We have secured an additional £240,000 to address this underpayment, allow our surgeries in Amber Valley to take on more NHS staff and make it easier for us to get the NHS appointments we need. It is a real win for Amber Valley, but nothing less than my constituents deserve, although it is only a small part of the solution and one that will take time to bear fruit. That is why I particularly welcome the Government’s commitment to 700,000 additional emergency NHS dental appointments each year, and I urge my constituents to access one of the 16,298 such appointments in Derbyshire.

    I promised the people of Amber Valley that I would speak up for them and fight for the dental care that should be their right, so although I am grateful for the progress the Government have made so far, I say to my hon. Friend the Minister: please, let us go further and faster so that no one in Amber Valley has to suffer without the dental care they need.

  • Jo Platt – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Jo Platt – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Jo Platt, the Labour MP for Leigh and Atherton, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for securing the debate.

    For far too long, people across the country have struggled to access NHS dental care, and I have heard heartbreaking stories in my constituency. One constituent has struggled to find an NHS dentist, which has left him without access to the dentures he needs. He told me:

    “All I want is to return to work as I have always worked but having no upper teeth is holding me back as I am so embarrassed.”

    Poor dental health should not be a barrier to individuals returning to work, and my constituent’s situation is unacceptable. It simply should not happen.

    However, there are glimmers of hope. This Government’s announcement of 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments is a vital step forward, and nearly 18,000 of those appointments will be delivered in Greater Manchester, including for residents in Leigh and Atherton, who have been waiting for far too long. It is a sign of intent and a recognition that action is overdue, but for all this to work we need the workforce in place, and that is where the challenge remains.

    Railway Road dental practice in Leigh has been trying to replace a senior dentist for nearly nine years. Despite advertising, there has been no interest. It is a clear sign that practices, particularly in areas of high deprivation, need better support to attract and retain staff. The Government’s golden hello scheme is a smart move, as it offers financial incentives to bring dentists into the areas that need them most. Through the NHS long-term workforce plan, we are increasing dental training places by 40%.

    As the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) said, we must acknowledge the people who have kept NHS dentistry going through difficult times. I pay tribute to Mr Dobranski, a local dentist who has given 53 years of his life to the NHS. His service to the people of Leigh is nothing short of remarkable, and I sincerely thank him for it.

    Yes, the challenge is big, but I am encouraged by the steps being taken. The extra appointments, the investment in the workforce and the renewed focus on prevention are all signs that we are finally facing up to the crisis.

  • Alison Griffiths – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Alison Griffiths – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Alison Griffiths, the Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    It is an honour to speak in this debate and to raise the plight of my constituents, some of whom are struggling in silence, pain and frustration, simply trying to access basic NHS dental care. I thank the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for securing the debate, and I share her views on pretty much everything she has said, but in particular the wider impact of poor dentistry on A&E, the NHS more widely and cardiac health.

    I have many constituents’ testimony to refer to today. Let me begin with the real story of a person who has worked tirelessly her entire life. Now, due to long covid, she is housebound and dependent. When she missed a single NHS dental appointment due to illness, she was removed from the list. She has since been unable to find another NHS dentist. When an infection struck, she waited a week for emergency care at St Richard’s hospital, and she is not alone.

    In 2023, only 24.7% of adults in the south-east were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous two years—the second-lowest rate in England. In some areas, fewer than one in five adults have been able to access NHS dentistry. The Government have announced recent steps, with 26,546 additional urgent care dental appointments for Sussex—a rise from 245 to 455 a week. We have a £20,000 golden hello relocation incentive to attract dentists to underserved areas. Some 17 of those posts have been approved for Sussex. I welcome those steps, but they are not enough.

    The Dental Defence Union and the Public Accounts Committee have made it clear, as have other colleagues, that the NHS contract is broken. It disincentivises dentists from treating those patients with the greatest needs. In 2022, 91% of dentists surveyed felt worn out, and 84% reported burnout. They are walking away from NHS dentistry not out of disinterest, but because the system is unsustainable. How many of the urgent contracts are now available, and when will real contract reform take place?

  • Ben Goldsborough – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    Ben Goldsborough – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by Ben Goldsborough, the Labour MP for South Norfolk, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    A crisis has unfolded in Norfolk, quietly but painfully; a crisis that we can afford to ignore no longer. It is the urgent and worsening state of NHS dentistry. Just 33.6% of adults in Norfolk have seen an NHS dentist over the past two years, well below the national average of 40%. For children the picture is even worse: only 42.7% have been seen, compared with 55% nationally. A&E visits due to dental problems are rising—in the east of England, there have been 152.6 visits per 100,000 people. That is worse than London, the south-east and the midlands. The only region doing worse than us is the south-west.

    We now have just 328 dentists in Norfolk and Waveney with any NHS activity, down from 423 in 2019. That is one dentist for every 3,177 people. One of my constituents recently rang 111 with a swollen face from an infected tooth. They contacted six emergency dentists but could not be seen by a single one. They were forced to go private, paying more than £1,000. That simply is not good enough in a modern society.

    Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)

    My hon. Friend is setting out eloquently why we need to improve dentistry. Does he agree that today’s access crisis is the result of a decade of underfunding and contract failure? In Basingstoke, as in his constituency, two thirds of adults and nearly half of children did not see a dentist last year. Does he believe this goes beyond a postcode lottery and is in fact a systemic failure?

    Ben Goldsborough

    My hon. Friend makes an extremely good point—as though he had read the next part of my speech.

    The Secretary of State has described our area as the Sahara of dental deserts. I agree, but we need more than just a diagnosis; we need solutions. I urge the Government to invest in a new dental school in the Edith Cavell medical campus in south Norfolk. We need to train dentists where they are needed and keep them there. I also encourage all dentists to complete the Government’s new survey before 16 June. Insight must lead to reform, starting with the broken NHS dental contract. Norfolk has been taken for granted for too long. Our county is ready for change, and I know that my hon. Friends will work together to deliver it, because only by working together can we unlock the dental revolution that we need across Norfolk.

  • John Milne – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    John Milne – 2025 Speech on Access to NHS Dentistry

    The speech made by John Milne, the Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham, in the House of Commons on 22 May 2025.

    Since being elected to represent Horsham, I have been approached by many residents facing impossible prices for urgent dental treatment. Annie is 67 and caring for a husband with terminal bowel cancer. You would think that she has enough things to worry about, but given the state of dental services in the Horsham area, she has been unable to find an NHS dentist within a 20-mile radius. Forced to go private, she paid £80 for an assessment and was then quoted £150 for an extraction. She asks simply:

    “When will an alternative to private dentistry be available?”

    I also heard from Sally. Her family were denied NHS root canal treatment, with an £800 private option as the only alternative. She asks:

    “How can we trust their advice when it feels like it’s all about the money?”

    Of course, this is a crisis not of dentists, but of dentistry. The NHS contract—based as it is on units of dental activity—is simply no longer fit for purpose, if it ever was. The conflict of interest between public and private is the result of more and more dentists being forced to subsidise their NHS contracts through private work. The Government have committed to providing more support and more urgent appointments, but it is hard to get enough new employees through the front door when so many continue to leave by the back door.

    In the area covered by my local integrated care board, there are more people leaving than joining across many key dental roles. Over a six-month period to the end of March last year, there were 41 general dentists in and 43 out; one orthodontist in and two out; 48 dental nurses in and 60 out; and 48 receptionists in and 54 out. In fact, five out of nine roles in dentists’ clinics have been losing staff faster than they can get new ones. The result is ever-declining access to NHS dental services, with children losing their teeth before they even reach the age of 10 and the horror stories of do-it-yourself dental treatment.

    I will leave the House with the words of the West Sussex local dental committee, which contacted me just weeks after my election last year regarding the NHS dental contract. Its warning was simple:

    “If we don’t act quickly, there may be very little NHS left to adopt a new NHS contract.”

    I accept that the present Government were not responsible for causing this problem, but they are responsible for fixing it.