Alan Campbell MP: speeches

Speeches

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know that my hon. Friend is a staunch supporter of local pubs in his constituency—and has a remarkable knowledge of them. As he knows, the Budget included £4.3 billion of support over three years to help pubs, but we recognise that pubs are still worried, which is why the Chancellor is actively considering a pubs support package to ensure that the right support is in place. As I said in answer to the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans), I expect that that will be announced in the coming days.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his update and for the work of his Committee. I will confirm the estimates days as soon as I can, and I have heard his request for more time. As he knows, we endeavour to comply with such requests as best we can. On the issue of the Al-Masirah TV channel, we keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. We will consider targets, guided by the objectives of the relevant sanctions regime and the evidence that is provided. We do not presently proscribe the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, but the situation remains under constant review, and we continue to use our full diplomatic toolkit, including sanctions, to constrain their activities. I will make sure that the relevant Minister hears the hon. Gentleman’s concern and that he gets a response.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Charities such as the Pilgrim Hearts Trust are the golden thread that runs through our communities, and I thank Elaine and everyone at Pilgrim Hearts for their 25 years of service to the local community. Homelessness is a moral stain on our society, and this Government will not stand idly by and allow it to continue. We are investing £1 billion to give homeless people the security of a roof over their head, to get them back on track, and to end homelessness for good.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The business for the week commencing 26 January will include: Monday 26 January—Second Reading of the Armed Forces Bill. Tuesday 27 January—Consideration of an allocation of time motion, followed by all stages of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill. Wednesday 28 January—Opposition day (16th allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition; subject to be announced. Thursday 29 January—General debate on Holocaust Memorial Day. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 30 January—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 2 February will include: Monday 2 February—If necessary, consideration of Lords message on the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill, followed by consideration of Lords amendments to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill. Tuesday 3 February—Second Reading of the Universal Credit (Removal Of Two Child Limit) Bill. Wednesday 4 February—Opposition day (17th allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition; subject to be announced. Thursday 5 February—General debate on road safety, followed by a general debate on obligation to assess the risk of genocide under international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 6 February—The House will not be sitting.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is an assiduous campaigner for his constituents, for which I thank him. As he knows, we have capped bus fares at £3 until at least March 2027, but he mentions the reality of what is happening in local areas. I will raise his case with the Secretary of State and ensure that he gets a meeting if he wants one. If not, he will certainly get a response.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  It is a matter of concern not just to the hon. Gentleman but to the family and friends of the young man involved. Overall, waiting lists are coming down, but there are issues in parts of the service, and we are doing our best to tackle them. We are also doing our best to recruit specialists in those services. I will ensure that the Health Minister hears of the hon. Gentleman’s concerns to see what further can be done and that if the hon. Gentleman wishes to go into further detail, he is able to do so at a meeting with the Minister.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a stalwart campaigner for his Cornish heritage. He consistently raises the profile of the Cornish language in this House, and I commend him for that because it is an important part of the identity of his constituents. I support him in calling for those who wish to respond to the consultation to do so before it closes next month, and I am sure that those at the ONS will have heard his words this morning.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I praise the efforts of local people in Grangemouth. As my hon. Friend knows, council funding in Scotland is a devolved matter, but as I have said on a number of occasions, the UK Government delivered the largest spending review settlement in the history of the Scottish Parliament, so there is nowhere for local authorities, and indeed the Scottish Government, to hide on these matters. Residents in Grangemouth should expect that record funding to deliver the services that they need and enjoy, and I wish my hon. Friend and his campaigners luck in their efforts.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join the right hon. Gentleman in praising the fantastic work of the Canal & River Trust. I am trying to work out exactly where its funding comes from, but when I have done that, I will raise this with the relevant Department. Because of the proud heritage of canals in our country, that sounds to me as if it would make an excellent topic for a debate—perhaps an Adjournment debate—so that other Members can contribute on this very important matter.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady raises a concern that is felt by Members across the House. I will ensure the Secretary of State is aware of her concerns and, if necessary, brings forward an update on our plans for improvement.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman will know the seriousness of this matter for every constituency. The Chancellor has made it clear that we are looking at this, and I shall put it this way: in the coming days, I hope that the hon. Gentleman will get what he asks for.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important issue and rightly points out that dental health is vital. We have provided £11 million of funding for local authorities to support toothbrushing programmes starting in April, along with a five-year partnership with the private sector. She raises the issue of schools’ involvement; it is ultimately a matter for the schools themselves, but I encourage them to make best use of that funding and to take part in the programme. It is so important to children’s health going forward. To add further detail, should my hon. Friend seek an Adjournment debate on these matters, I am sure other Members would join her in expressing their concern.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The shadow Leader of the House has clearly had his Weetabix this morning. Through you, Mr Speaker, may I wish everyone well who is celebrating Burns night this coming Sunday? This weekend is also the annual Big Garden Birdwatch, when the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds asks people to observe their garden for an hour and count the number of birds they see. I understand, however, that Members on the official Opposition Benches have been warned not to take part by the Leader of the Opposition, who says that they should be spending less time watching the bird table and more time watching the shadow Cabinet table. There is clearly concern about more migration from her party to join the lesser spotted Member for Clacton, but surely there is a limit to the number of cuckoos that will fit into the Reform nest. Before I get on to the remarks of the shadow Leader of the House, let me turn to some other things that have happened this week. We have announced a consultation on further measures to keep children safe online. It will consider the options of banning social media for children below a certain age and raising the digital age of consent. We are committed to keeping children and young people safe online, and colleagues from all parts of the House will have heard from their constituents on this matter, and the Government are listening to those concerns. The Government also published the water White Paper, setting out a new vision for water and transforming the water system for good. It sets out clear powers for a new regulator, delivering tougher oversight and stronger accountability for water companies, which is consistently raised with me at business questions. We also published the warm homes plan, and we are doubling down on support for home upgrades. We have set out our plans to help households and support thousands through more clean energy jobs. In response to the shadow Leader of the House, I certainly congratulate his constituency on the developments in higher education. He is a man who hides his light under a bushel—perhaps not quite so much this morning—because he has played a huge role in those developments in higher education in his constituency, and we should recognise that. The shadow Leader of the House said that no one disputes the importance of green energy, but I think he is stretching the point a bit. It is not simply Members of Reform; there are still Members in his party who dispute the importance of green jobs. He talks about the benefit to the better off, but I remind him that every household will benefit from the £150 cut to energy bills, and it is not just households that will benefit. The other side of it is the thousands of green jobs, not least in my constituency and my region. Finally, I welcome his conversion, perhaps belatedly, to Keynesianism. It is perhaps another sign of his not quite fitting in with the mainstream of his party.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Sometimes the delay of reports, which is regrettable but not uncommon, is due to the importance of the matter and the importance of our getting it right. If there has been a delay, it is, as I say, unfortunate, although the hon. Member rightly points out that the report is to be welcomed. Once the report has been considered, I will look to find time for Members to debate these matters, given their importance.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to champion the work of the YMCA centre in her constituency. I think we could echo that in every constituency where the YMCA has a presence; it does an absolutely fantastic job. We are committed to ending homelessness and have invested £3.5 billion over the next three years. I encourage her to apply for an Adjournment debate to highlight the important work the YMCA is doing, and the other measures necessary to support vulnerable young people to access safe, secure and affordable housing.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I encourage the hon. Gentleman to apply for an Adjournment debate, to hear from the Minister directly. I expect he would find that the Government share his ambition for contracts and work to go to British companies. That is at the heart of our industrial strategy.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises a very interesting issue. The Government want to ensure that people can look forward to a comfortable retirement, and there is a strong history of learning from best practice in other countries, not least on old age and employment-related pensions. The Pension Schemes Bill is progressing through the Lords, and I will raise my hon. Friend’s concerns with Ministers, because he certainly makes interesting points.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  We desperately need to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, as my hon. Friend has said not just on this occasion but on many others. I understand his frustration, because he cares deeply about these matters. We continue to press for the crossings to be reopened and for restrictions on aid to be lifted. We are members of various bodies that can be used to influence these matters. It is much more important that we are engaged in these organisations, so that we can work through the issues and ensure that aid flows as quickly as possible and in the quantities that are required. I will ensure that the relevant Minister has heard my hon. Friend’s point and that he gets an update on not only what we are doing, but what further plans we have.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important matter; this is a worrying development, given the known link between marketing and gambling participation and the harms associated with online gambling. I will draw that to the attention of the Minister responsible for gambling in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and ensure that my hon. Friend gets a response.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Gentleman acknowledges, the RAAC replacement scheme has been folded into the new hospital programme—a major Government plan to rebuild and refurbish NHS hospitals. We believe that this will give a greater return on investment, enhance digital technology and improve emergency performance. Patients and staff deserve safe, modern hospitals and an NHS that they can rely on. As the hon. Gentleman has said, the reality is that plans were announced by the previous Government without the money ever being there to pay for them. I can offer him a meeting with Ministers to raise his constituency matters, if that is what he wishes, but I will also draw to the attention of Ministers his remarks about the recent NAO report. I am sure they will be willing to update the House.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  First, I congratulate my right hon. Friend on her award in the new year’s honours, which was extremely well received and very well deserved. I thank her for raising this matter, and I know she has been very vocal about the replacement of the Kennington rail bridge. She has already raised this matter with Ministers, but I would be happy to facilitate a meeting with them to allow her to continue to make her case for her constituents.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  May I express my sympathies to concerned parents and students? From time to time, similar issues have arisen in my constituency, and I appreciate the concern and uncertainty that they create. My hon. Friend knows that this Government are committed to opportunity for all, and education, which is of vital importance, is central to that. I will ensure that she gets a meeting with a Minister, so that she can follow up on this issue as a matter of urgency.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will certainly draw the hon. Gentleman’s concerns to the attention of the relevant Minister. It is important that we make progress on this matter, and that does involve change, but it is also important that Members are kept up to date. I will get the hon. Gentleman an update.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in commending the GOAT sports bar’s fundraising efforts following that tragic loss. Our community automated external defibrillators fund has recently delivered thousands of new AEDs to local communities, but as always, local communities are best placed to take the lead in providing them where they are most needed. I think this would be a very good topic for a Westminster Hall debate, because I am sure that colleagues from across the House share my hon. Friend’s concerns.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important case and I commend Katie’s campaign. The murder of Sasha Brett was a tragedy, and my thoughts are with Katie and the rest of the family. We have invested a record £550 million over three years into specialist services to support victims and witnesses, but we are also clear that a lot more needs to be done. My hon. Friend is right to say that the Victims and Courts Bill is making its way through the House of Lords, and I will make sure that the Ministers responsible for the Bill, and the Ministry of Justice, have heard her today.