Alan Campbell MP: speeches

Speeches

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am sure the whole House will join me in sending our most heartfelt thanks and best wishes to those six brave firefighters. I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Staffordshire fire and rescue service and all the community organisations that have come together to look out for one another. It really is the best of community in very challenging times.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Given Mr Speaker’s introduction at the beginning of this session, I think that I may well be a candidate, either to be a commissioner for older persons or, indeed, the beneficiary of having such a commissioner. It is an interesting idea. There is an important campaign for a such a commissioner in England, and I encourage my hon. Friend to seek a Westminster Hall debate to further develop her arguments and hear directly from Ministers.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman will have to wait for the Budget for some of the reassurances that he seeks, but I would gently point out to him—and he should know this, given the jobs he did in government—that there are international pressures, such as concerns about inflation, and competition around the world for money to invest in things like artificial intelligence. The difference between this Government and others in comparable situations is that the rates he talks about are the direct result of the Liz Truss Budget. Businesses and households are still living with that, and with higher mortgage rates than are necessary.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  There has been a £3 billion boost to bus services for millions of people across the country. The Government have capped bus fares at £2 from 2027, and the Buses Services Act 2025 will let local leaders take back control of those services. I hope that local leaders will take advantage of that because, as my hon. Friend knows, the Prime Minister is particularly interested in good bus services because he realises that interconnectivity is so important to people, particularly for getting to work.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Functional neurological disorder can have a significant impact on the lives of those affected, as my hon. Friend says, and the Government recognise that access to appropriate support can vary between areas. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local populations and for ensuring that providers deliver services, but I will raise my hon. Friend’s specific concerns with Health Ministers. Perhaps she can meet the relevant Minister to see what further can be done.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I do not recognise all the names that will be going into the hall of fame, but I recognise some of them, and they were remarkable individuals and fantastic and pretty tough footballers. Their names are to be etched on a wall of fame, and rightly so. I pay tribute to all of them and to Scottish football—the organisers and the clubs but also the supporters, who are very much part of the success of football north of the border—and wish them well in the future.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in thanking everyone involved in tackling the fires—the emergency services, the farmers and local residents. The Government are spending around £100 million to strengthen the country’s response to wildfires and extreme weather, and, as he points out, we will chair the wildfire summit in the autumn to consider how national response capabilities can be strengthened across the UK. I am sure that Ministers will continue to update the House on any further developments.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I hope that Openreach has heard what the hon. Lady has said. I agree absolutely on the importance of data in our modern lives. The Government take the matter very seriously, as they do the matter of resilience, and they are doing some in-depth work on how we can improve the situation. At the appropriate time, I am sure they will want to bring forward any further proposals to the House.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend will have heard from the murmurs behind me that that is not just a matter for her constituency; it is a matter for others, too. It is an important point, and she is right to raise it. The Government’s priority is to maintain the current size of the Post Office network and ensure that communities continue to have access to post office services. I will ensure that the relevant Minister hears what she has said and writes to her with an update on what further steps can be taken.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Recess truly is an opportunity for all Members to engage even further with constituents and see the fantastic work that they do in local communities. The Government are committed to supporting local businesses and high streets. Later this year, we will bring forward the high streets strategy, and our Pride in Place programme is giving up to £5.8 billion over 10 years to support 284 towns. I join my hon. Friend in congratulating businesses in her community; I recognise the names and places very well since it was the land of my birth. I encourage her to apply for what I am sure would be a popular Westminster Hall debate, so that others can also praise the fantastic work of similar businesses and organisations in their constituencies.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend has been a relentless campaigner on the matter of ground rents, and I pay tribute to him for that. As the Prime Minister confirmed earlier this week, the Government intend to bring forward legislation to reform this unfair system. It is not right that Members are ignored by organisations when they raise matters of interest to their constituents; that is a discourtesy to them, and it is also a discourtesy to this House. I hope that Berkeley Homes has heard what he has said and will up its game.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am honoured to do as my hon. Friend says. I am sure the House will join me in sending our condolences to the family and friends of Alan Knight. He will be fondly remembered not just for his exceptional charity work but also, of course, for his football career. Let me stray slightly more widely than that, Madam Deputy Speaker. The football community can be rightly proud of the way in which it has highlighted issues around prostate cancer. I want to pay tribute not just to Alan but to the wider football community.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will try to reassure my hon. Friend: even though ministerial responsibility might change, there will still be departmental and ministerial responsibility for such really important matters in this place. We will continue to have an opportunity to question, and to request statements from, Ministers who are accountable to this House.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As my hon. Friend points out, local authorities have planning powers to limit the proliferation of HMOs. He might want to raise the matter in a statement that is about to take place. Local authorities have powers, but I encourage them to use those powers. We keep regulations under review, but it is not always a case of more power being needed but rather of the powers that exist being used better by local authorities, including that of my hon. Friend. The matter concerns Members across the House, so it seems that a Westminster Hall debate would be an appropriate opportunity to discuss it further.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises a very serious matter. The UK National Screening Committee has just run a public consultation on evidence relating to screening for cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in young people. It is important that we increase the number of people in the country with valuable lifesaving knowledge of CPR, and we are extending that to all NHS staff. I will make sure that the relevant Health Minister is aware of my hon. Friend’s concerns, and I wish her well in her efforts to raise not just funds but awareness.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman will know that this is a really important matter for the Government, and we are making progress in all sorts of ways, but I accept that there is further progress to be made. He may wish to apply for either a Backbench Business or Westminster Hall debate, though the Government do update the House when necessary on these matters. On services not being properly funded by the SNP Government, I repeat what I have said before: the SNP Government have had the best settlement ever, and it is just not appropriate for them to not fund services of such critical importance to his constituents.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his work and the work of his Committee; I will take away what he says about vacancies on that Committee and make sure that we fill them as quickly as possible, so that he can depend upon having at least a quorum at his meetings. I also thank him for updating the House on the future debate topics. He will know that I refer to that baby loss debate quite a lot, because I recall that situation very well. He will also know that I was extremely concerned about it and have tried since to do everything that we can to ensure that does not happen again, and indeed that other similar topics are given a proper time and a proper place for debate. I will take that point away and see whether we can make sure that happens. On the issue that the hon. Gentleman raises about children in his patch, he will know that as they return to school, they return with help from this Government. Their parents were helped with the cost of uniforms, free school meals have been extended and there has been help for travel costs. The Government are always looking to help families with cost of living issues. I will take the hon. Gentleman’s question away, because I have heard those concerns from my constituency as well: what happens during term time is great, but what happens for some families outside term time? I will refer the matter to colleagues to see what further help we can provide.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As my hon. Friend points out, in England we have launched the places of worship renewal fund. I am pleased that the SNP has finally listened and opened its own scheme, but as my hon. Friend says, it is a rather disappointing scheme. I have already said today, and I have said it previously, that the Scottish Government have had the biggest funding settlement since devolution, and they should be using it for what matters most to the people of Scotland. Scotland’s heritage is of such importance to the nation, and I hope that the Scottish Government have heard what my hon. Friend has said today.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  It seems like a timely opportunity for the hon. Member to seek a debate on those matters, given what is coming up. I pay tribute to her and her father for the initiative and the work that they are doing. It is so important that we have ways of tackling inclusion and loneliness, and I wish them all the very best in that. Let me remind her very gently that the new Prime Minister has confessed to being a poetry addict as well.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Let me pay tribute to my right hon. Friend’s work and the diligent way in which he stands up for his constituents. He raises a concerning matter, and I will get the relevant Minister to write to him.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am happy to congratulate everybody involved in the Newcastle-under-Lyme jazz festival—the organisers, businesses and everyone else. It is a great boost for towns and cities when festivals such as this are held. I look forward to it being a success in the future, and I will think about my hon. Friend’s invite very carefully.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As ever, the right hon. Gentleman raises an important issue for his rural constituents. We have taken measures to improve the situation, stamping out the resale of tests, limiting changes to bookings and locations to stop bots, and doubling the number of permanent examiner trainers, but there is still, in some areas, a great deal of work to be done. I will make sure that the Transport Secretary hears his specific concerns and urge the Minister to write to him.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to raise this important matter, and I know that it will resonate across the House. We recognise that some parents’ experience of the Child Maintenance Service does not meet the standards that they and we expect, which is why we are committed to reforming the system. As she said, legislation will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows. In the meantime, we continue to take forward work on wider reform and improving outcomes for separated families.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will indeed, because it is important that we recognise that not all of the country is covered by devolution in the way that the Prime Minister has set out. It is important that no area is left behind, and I will seek to arrange that meeting.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The Government do not comment on individual firms’ commercial decisions, but I do understand that some of the decisions the hon. Gentleman mentions will cause concern to employees and, in the case of easyJet, to travellers too. We are working to reform UK capital markets to make it easier for companies to raise capital, go public and grow. We do have some of the most innovative businesses in the world, and the most talented leaders and entrepreneurs of any nation, and we continue to work closely with business groups and industry leaders to understand the pressures facing industry and to develop measures to support it, including the measures the hon. Gentleman mentioned. There will be an opportunity to debate these matters up to and around the Budget, but the Liberal Democrats can also ask for one of their Opposition days, on which they might wish to choose this as a topic; it is entirely up to them.