Alan Campbell MP: speeches

Speeches

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman will know, because he is an assiduous attender at these sessions, that the shortcomings of Royal Mail have been raised on a number of occasions. He refers specifically to the forthcoming local elections, and I can reassure him that the defending democracy taskforce has this issue clearly in its sights. As far as is possible, the taskforce gives reassurance that this is a priority in the run-up to the local elections.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am genuinely very sorry to hear of the constituency case the hon. Gentleman raises. If he will let me have details—I know it has been resolved to some extent—I will make the Minister aware of them. We are busy trying to get on and resolve the situation, but I am sure that when the time is appropriate we will want to return to this issue, debate what has happened and learn lessons from it.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Where there are job losses, if they are inevitable, it is important that staff are supported. This is a local matter, and I am sure that if the hon. Gentleman seeks an Adjournment debate, he will get a response directly from a Minister.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises a very concerning matter. We stand for unity, not division. Racism or any other form of discrimination has absolutely no place in our society. There is a real political choice at these local elections. Pride in Britain and our communities up and down the country stand united against those who would exploit division for their own ends. Where political parties are aware of this situation, they should have the courage to stand up to individuals and they should, even at this late stage in the process of local elections, distance themselves from them.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I do not know where we are with the appointments, but I will certainly take that up with a Minister and find out, and I will let the hon. Gentleman know.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right to bring this matter to the House, and I join him in congratulating and thanking everyone who supported the response to the fire and ensured the safety of the local community, including Miss Cook and all the others he mentioned. The contribution of emergency first responders has been raised with me on a number of occasions, and I encourage my hon. Friend to apply for a Westminster Hall debate, where I am sure others will join him, so that he can raise these matters in greater detail.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  We have taken action to improve the system that we inherited and to try to make it fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers. Interest on plan 2 and plan 3 student loans will be capped at 6% from this September until August 2027. In the long term, we are looking for ways to improve the system and make it fairer, particularly for students and graduates from low-income backgrounds. The Treasury Committee is looking into this matter, and I will certainly give consideration to my hon. Friend’s plea to ensure that it is debated when that report comes out.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady raises issues that have affected a number of constituencies across the country, not least my own. This Government are doing everything we can to ensure that there is provision and access to services, not least through dental hubs. She has done the right thing in writing to a Minister, and I will follow that up by raising it with them.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman mentions food security and the climate crisis, and he will know that the effects of the current instability in the international situation have brought these issues into starker focus. I will give consideration to what he says, but the Prime Minister is absolutely focused on matters such as food security, because we understand that this is a particularly turbulent time. He is entirely focused on ensuring that we are resilient and emerge from the current situation not by getting back to some kind of normality, but by being in a much stronger position than we have when coming out of previous crises.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating Labour-led Southend city council on its exceptional work in turning that situation around. We are providing £7.3 billion over the next four years for councils to fix potholes, and I am glad that Labour councils are using that money to improve their communities—unlike, as he points out, some Tory and Reform councils.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to highlight the action taken by the Government to ensure that councils have the necessary resources to tackle potholes, so it is inexplicable that the performance of Conservative-run councils such as East Sussex on potholes, which has been raised with me on a number of occasions, is falling below the standards we would expect. If they get the resources, they should spend the resources. I hope that residents are making their voices very clear on these matters.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a champion for the great sport of golf, and I commend him for that. We are investing £400 million in grassroots sports facilities in communities across the UK to support the champions of tomorrow. I encourage him to apply for a Westminster Hall or Backbench Business debate, so that hon. Members across the House can raise their voices in support of community sport as he has, but also hear about the excellent work that the Government are undertaking.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The business for the week commencing 20 April will include: Monday 20 April—Consideration of Lords message on the Victims and Courts Bill, followed by consideration of Lords message on the Crime and Policing Bill. Tuesday 21 April—Consideration of Lords amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Wednesday 22 April—If necessary, consideration of Lords message on the Pension Schemes Bill, followed by, if necessary, consideration of Lords message on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, followed by, if necessary, consideration of Lords message on the Crime and Policing Bill. Thursday 23 April—General debate on the contribution of allied health professionals, followed by general debate on reform of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 24 April—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 27 April includes: Monday 27 April—If necessary, consideration of Lords message on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, followed by, if necessary, consideration of Lords messages. Tuesday 28 April—Consideration of Lords messages. Wednesday 29 April—Consideration of Lords messages.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I do not always disagree with the right hon. Gentleman, but I disagree with his analysis of where we have got to with this matter. I agree that there should be a voice for residents, but there should also be rights and responsibilities for local authorities, who walk a difficult line. We need to protect our environment wherever we can but, as he recognises, we walk a difficult line because our residents need more houses. Housing is a good thing in driving the economy, provided that the protections in place are available to protect the areas he talks about. I understand that can be frustrating for residents, including, as he points out, my own constituents. At the same time, they realise that there is a housing shortage in our country and that housing is at a premium in many areas, so frankly we need to get on with it and build some new houses.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join the hon. Lady in paying tribute to Mr Humphrey-Taylor and everyone involved in the work that she talked about. These people are the backbone of our community and we rightly celebrate our industrial heritage, which is so important. I will write to the Secretary of State and find out what the plan is going forward, and I will ensure that the hon. Lady is updated.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Given the legacy that we inherited—the number of people not in employment, education or training—access to work is a big priority for this Government, and through the Milburn review we are looking at what further steps we can take. Should my hon. Friend seek a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss how this can be done in a joined-up way, I will certainly support him in trying to get that meeting.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to champion the work of Community Rail Network and the dedication of its volunteers. As I said earlier, community groups and volunteers are the golden thread that tie our communities together. I absolutely thank the people he is talking about in Derby, and indeed those in other parts of our country.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman will know that there are concerns across the House about the way that spinal injuries have been treated in the past. I am pleased that he paid tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald), who has an exemplary record in this regard. Because people, including my hon. Friend and the right hon. Gentleman, are concerned about this, if he wishes to meet the appropriate Health Minister, I will help to arrange a meeting for both of them, and for other Members if they are interested.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Mr Speaker. I certainly echo what you have just said about applying for an Adjournment debate, if that is what the hon. Gentleman wants. He will know that my very strong view is that Members of this House who ask reasonable questions—indeed, any questions—should get an answer wherever possible. I will follow up on his behalf and see if we can get the answer he seeks.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right to continue to raise these matters on behalf of his constituents. I will do everything I can to ensure that he gets that meeting with the relevant Minister.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The business for the week commencing 23 March will include: Monday 13 April—Debate on a motion on SEND provision and reform. The subject of this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 14 April—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill. Wednesday 15 April—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Pension Schemes Bill, followed by consideration of Lords message to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Thursday 16 April—General debate on the Modernisation Committee’s first report of the 2024-26 session on “Access to the House of Commons and its procedures” and the House Administration’s response. Friday 17 April—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 20 April includes: Monday 20 April—If necessary, consideration of a Lords message to the Victims and Courts Bill, followed by, if necessary, consideration of a Lords message to the Crime and Policing Bill. Tuesday 21 April—Consideration of Lords amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. I can also announce to the House that the state opening of Parliament will take place on Wednesday 13 May 2026. As is usual, the current Session of Parliament will be prorogued ahead of the King’s Speech and this time will be used to enable logistical and security preparations for the state opening of Parliament. The date of Prorogation will be confirmed in due course.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to raise that concern. As she points out, similar concerns were raised earlier. I am sorry to hear of the issues faced by her constituents and I understand her frustration. We are committed to strengthening the regulation of managing agents to drive the standard of their service. I will make sure that Ministers are aware of the case. I hope that they will be able to provide her with an update on our plans, but I have also listened to her call and that of others for time to hear further about these matters.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I hope that Bradford council has heard the hon. Gentleman’s concerns, which will obviously be shared by his residents. I invite him to apply for an Adjournment debate to raise not just this specific issue, but the wider issue of utility works going forward.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising that matter. We will reform the SEND system, because we need to transform the life chances of every child with additional needs. We have already committed £4 billion to make every mainstream school in England an inclusive school. I join her in welcoming Marie Hunter and all of the staff at the new Pens Meadow school. I have just announced that there will be a debate on SEND on the first day back after the Easter recess, and I hope that my hon. Friend can make her case then.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her question on behalf of not just the Loughborough estate, but her wider constituency. Many tenant management organisations provide excellent resident-led housing services, but when they go wrong it is right that they are held to account. We are reviewing the relevant regulations and guidance with the help of an expert steering group, and we will set out our next steps once the review concludes. I will make sure that the relevant Minister hears of my hon. Friend’s concerns and that she gets an update when those next steps become clear.