Alan Campbell MP: speeches

Speeches

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I remind the House that the only time we have won the world cup was under a Labour Government. I will take up the hon. Gentleman’s point with DCMS. The reality is that the world is a different place now, when it comes to international football—in some ways for the better, but in many ways not. It is important that fans can access matches at a reasonable cost, so I will raise the matter with DCMS Ministers and see what representations they have made to FIFA on seeing sense on these matters.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Ava and the whole of Burradon primary school on winning the competition. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that last year’s winner was Shiremoor primary school, which used to be in my seat by is now, I am jealous to say, in that of my hon. Friend. I wish them well, too. I also take the opportunity to thank the teachers, teaching assistants and all the hard-working staff in our local schools and across the country, and wish them all a very peaceful but merry Christmas.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  A Rotary Santa is certainly very much a part of Christmas tradition now. I join my hon. Friend in thanking volunteers for their fantastic work and generosity, particularly but not exclusively during the Christmas season. Rotary clubs play a really important part in our local communities across the country. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for championing them.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I certainly wish Leo well; it is great news that he is to get the treatment he needs. I also place on record our thanks to those who sign up to donate. Families, often in tragic circumstances, are faced with a decision and recognise that, out of that tragedy, some good news can come. I will certainly draw the hon. Gentleman’s remarks to the attention of the Health Secretary and see whether we can have a debate in the new year, because the issue is of such importance.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for again raising this important issue, which is hugely important to her constituents. I reassure her that Ministers are currently looking at the case of these dismissals and will keep my hon. Friend updated. Should she seek a meeting with Ministers to put the case herself, I will arrange one.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I certainly respect the huge achievement of getting through to the third round of the FA cup for the first time—a massive achievement. It is good that that is on the record. I wish both the Seagulls of Weston-super-Mare and the Mariners of Grimsby Town the best of luck when they come together for what will be a coastal derby in the new year. The fans, the team and the club staff are all part not just of a local game but a national game, and I congratulate them on that fantastic milestone. I wish both teams well. I wish everyone involved in seasonal matches across the country all the very best for this festive period.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I praise my hon. Friend for raising this matter many times in this Chamber. We remain committed to working for faster progress on Mr Johal’s case, and the Foreign Office continues to support Mr Johal and his family. I can reassure my hon. Friend that the case has been raised directly with Prime Minister Modi, and we continue to raise concerns around Mr Johal’s prolonged detention with the Indian Government and to remind them of the need for a prompt resolution.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In my opening remarks, I paid tribute to charities in the homelessness sector. I repeat my thanks for their work, which they do throughout the year but which is particularly prominent during the Christmas period. Charities provide invaluable support to people experiencing homelessness. As I said earlier, we are backing them through the homelessness strategy. Our aim is to halve the number of long-term rough sleepers.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating St Mirren football club and Johnstone Burgh FC on their achievements. I hesitate to go further, because what I am quickly learning in this job is to tread carefully where the often tribal matters of local football are concerned.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Liz. Fifteen years is a wonderful achievement; clearly, she did a great job. Volunteers like Liz are the absolute backbone of our communities. It is right that they get a mention in this place and that we celebrate the work they do.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in welcoming the Pride in Place funding, which his constituency and many others are receiving. The reality is that the previous Government let down local communities, and the Scottish Government are doing the same, despite the fact that they received the largest funding settlement since devolution. We, on the other hand, are giving constituents not only the investment but the powers that they need to make changes locally so that they can deliver on the real change they want to see in their local communities.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The business for the week commencing 5 January 2026 will include: Monday 5 January—Debate on a motion on mobile connectivity in rural areas. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 6 January—Second Reading of the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill. Wednesday 7 January—Opposition day (15th allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition, subject to be announced. Thursday 8 January—Debate on a motion on the effectiveness of Magnitsky-style sanctions for serious human rights abuses, followed by debate on a motion on high street gambling reform. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 9 January—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 12 January includes: Monday 12 January—Committee of the whole House on the Finance (No. 2) Bill (day one). Tuesday 13 January—Committee of the whole House on the Finance (No. 2) Bill (day two). Wednesday 14 January—Remaining stages of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill. Thursday 15 January—General debate on new towns, followed by general debate on financial support for small businesses and individuals during the covid-19 pandemic. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 16 January—The House will not be sitting.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will certainly draw the hon. Lady’s remarks and concerns to the attention of the relevant Minister and make sure she gets a response.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  If the hon. Gentleman gives me the details of the case afterwards, I will certainly take it up with the Health Secretary, who takes these matters really seriously—not least because of his personal experience. One thing that is very clear is that communications across the NHS are not always joined up. One of the priorities of what the Secretary of State is trying to do is making sure that these situations do not arise in future.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I invite the hon. Lady to seek a debate in the new year on these matters, which have been raised in business questions and elsewhere on a number of occasions. I would have expected local planning authorities to take into account some of the situations that she described, as far as possible, when giving permission. The Government are absolutely clear about the difficulties of unadopted roads for people who move on to new estates, and we will be bringing forward proposals on how to hold developers to account.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her question and join her in recognising the fantastic support that the Premier League has provided to Ingles FC. I pay tribute to the volunteers—football clubs depend very much on the work of volunteers. The commitment is also from the Government to support clubs to improve environmental sustainability and reduce energy costs through Sport England’s movement fund. It is good to see that the resources are being wisely spent.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I certainly will. Our racecourses are very important, and not just at this time of year but throughout the year. It is clear that they are much more than just a place that people go to watch racing; they are very much part of local communities. I very much support the hon. Lady’s comments and wish Sandown a great future.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will indeed. I congratulate Wokingham in Need and Sue Jackson on the award, which is an incredible achievement. I thank them for all their work, and I extend those thanks to volunteers across our country who are involved in similar good actions.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a champion for SEND matters, and I thank him for that. The SEND system is broken, but we are working to fix it, investing a total of £12 billion in SEND this year. As my hon. Friend knows, we will bring forward a schools White Paper early in the new year, but politics is about choices and priorities, and it is a great pity that the council he refers to appears to have set itself at odds with so many families in his area by taking the position it has.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with the Father of the House, and in taking this job I made it one of my priorities to see if we could move restoration and renewal forward. I am pleased to be able to tell him that there is a degree of consensus between the two commissions and the client board on these matters, and a report will be forthcoming early in the new year. It is important that we get that report right, rather than rush it, but it will set out what the future might look like and where decisions might lie. I hope that report will give Members the opportunity to consider these matters carefully, because it is important that we make progress, but whichever route we choose will not come without a considerable cost. I am absolutely clear that once that report is out there and Members have had a chance to digest it, it will be up to this House and the other place to have the final say on how we move forward on this, as I hope we will.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important case. We are committed to improving the lives of those who, like Sam, have rare diseases. Integrated care boards have a responsibility to commission services to meet the needs of those in their care, so I will refer the case to the Department of Health and Social Care, and will ensure that my hon. Friend gets a meeting, if she wants one, to see what progress can be made on these matters.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I have to admit that even though I am a coastal MP, I have never come across that situation, although there are often historical anomalies that result in people being held responsible for such matters. I will certainly raise this question with Ministers on the hon. Gentleman’s behalf. We are acutely aware of the cost to homeowners of the buildings that they live in, and legislation that we are bringing forward will provide an opportunity to raise this, which I hope is an anomaly, and to do something about it.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter. The CMS has a range of enforcement powers to ensure that parents meet their financial responsibilities in full and on time. I understand that this will be a worrying time for his constituent and her family, and indeed for others across our country, so I will ensure that the relevant Minister writes to him as a matter of urgency. There is a pattern emerging here; this is the second time this matter has been raised this morning. We therefore need to give some consideration to how best to air these views more fully.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Christmas Adjournment · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to close this debate, and I thank all Members who have contributed this afternoon. I am grateful to the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), for granting time for this debate. Next time he asks me to protect time for debates because it is getting squeezed, I will have a bit more sympathy with him. Like any other Member, particularly those from earlier intakes, I am reminded today of the legacy of Sir David Amess, and of his dedication to the people of Southend and to this place. I know that he is more associated with the summer recess Adjournment, but this is a time when we think of him. We are also reminded of the loss of our honourable friend Jo Cox as we head towards what will be the 10th anniversary of her murder. My thoughts, and I hope those of the House, are with Sir David’s and Jo Cox’s families at this time. We remember colleagues and friends, but we are also reminded of the importance of Members’ security; I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and Mr Speaker for making that a priority. However, it is also important that we ensure that respect is at the core of our debates in this Chamber—by and large, today has risen to the occasion—and that we encourage kindness, both in this place and in our constituency. We have heard from a range of Members on various subjects. Unfortunately, I will not have time to discuss each speech in turn; there were 26 Back-Bench contributions, and there will have been three Front-Bench contributions, which is quite an achievement, given the time available. I will just recognise those who spoke: my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell); my hon. Friends the Members for Newport East (Jessica Morden), for Brent West (Barry Gardiner), for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor (Alan Strickland), for St Austell and Newquay (Noah Law), for Normanton and Hemsworth (Jon Trickett), for Blackpool South (Chris Webb), for Luton South and South Bedfordshire (Rachel Hopkins), for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard (Alex Mayer), for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury), for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin), and for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Luke Myer); the right hon. Members for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), and for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn); the hon. Members for Harrow East, for Eastbourne (Josh Babarinde), for Romford (Andrew Rosindell), for Bath (Wera Hobhouse), for Strangford (Jim Shannon), for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone), for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore), for Leicester South (Shockat Adam), and for Brigg and Immingham (Martin Vickers); and, last but not least, my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Dave Robertson). If I have omitted anybody from that list, I apologise, and if Members have made specific requests for a response from me, I will endeavour to respond in the coming days. I want to pick up on one or two of the themes of today’s debate. As the shadow Deputy Leader of the House, the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), has said, the highlight of today has been the passionate way in which Members in all parts of the House have spoken about their constituency and their constituents. In this wide-ranging debate, we have seen that Members’ knowledge of and closeness to their constituency, and the amount that they care, are sometimes underestimated and underrated by people who follow our proceedings. That is about pride in place, as my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool South demonstrated—he is a fantastic advocate for the fine town of Blackpool. We learned a number of things that we did not know before, or at least I did not know before. We learned that in Romford, there is a Margaret Thatcher House, which I had not come across before. [ Interruption. ] It is the hon. Member for Romford’s office. He talked about a roundabout; I was very surprised that he has not named that roundabout after Mrs Thatcher, but perhaps you can turn any direction on that roundabout, not just right. We have learned from a number of people about the importance of volunteers and community organisations. I pay tribute to all of them, including those in my constituency. They act selflessly and work tirelessly—not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. We owe them a great deal, because as I have said on a number of occasions at business questions, they are the golden thread that runs through our communities. Rightly, we also paid tribute to all the people who will be working throughout Christmas—the emergency services, NHS staff, local authority workers, shopkeepers, shop workers and so on—at what will be a particularly busy time for them. I put on record my thanks, and those of the House, for all they do. The hon. Member for Strangford reminded us about the central message of Christmas. He was absolutely right to do so, as was the hon. Member for Brigg and Immingham, and I thank him for that. We were also reminded by my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay about what is happening in Ukraine, and what has been happening there for far too long. We hope that the new year will bring a lasting and just peace to that country. He highlighted the importance of our own national security—that is central to what the Government are doing—throughout the year, not just at this time. A number of Members raised the hunger strikes. It would be remiss of me not to comment on them. The right hon. Member for Islington North was very gracious when he said that he had raised the matter at business questions, and I had taken it up. He asked if I would do so again; I will certainly make that commitment to him, but I have to say to him, and to others who have raised the issue, that the welfare and wellbeing of prisoners, whether they are on hunger strike or not, is absolutely central to the Prison Service and for Ministers. It is really important that we appreciate that the Deputy Prime Minister takes a keen interest in what is happening, and hopes that we can find a suitable outcome. I also say, very gently, to those in this House and outside, that we could not get further from the truth than to say that the Government or the Prison Service were trying to break the bodies of the people on hunger strike. We want to find a settlement to this, and I give a commitment to take back to the Deputy Prime Minister what has been said here. Hopefully, we can find a suitable way forward. MPs speak movingly in this place; they rightly speak their mind. I include among those MPs my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase, who talked about tragic loss in his constituency. He was absolutely right to do so. We also found common ground in paying tribute to not just the volunteers who sometimes make the political system work, but our office staff, who are, quite frankly, the unsung heroes on these occasions. I pay tribute to my office staff, as well as the staff of every other Member. I want to express my gratitude to House staff, including the Doorkeepers, cleaners, Clerks, catering, security, broadcasting and Hansard , those involved in visitor experience, as well as our constituency teams, and the civil servants who come together to make this place function. They continue to show an amazing commitment to this place and, through that, to the democratic process. Of course, Madam Deputy Speaker, our thanks go to you, Mr Speaker and the other Deputy Speakers for everything that you do on our behalf. As we rise for the Christmas recess, I offer my best wishes to all Members and staff, and to those watching and listening, and I hope for a peaceful, safe and happy Christmas and new year.

• 11 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As usual, my hon. Friend pays tribute to the good people of south Wales and to her constituents. Apart from her song, let me pick out an important bit in what she said: this started on her kitchen table. It would not have happened and would not be the scale that it is without her fantastic dedication. It embodies the very best of community spirit, and I praise her and people across her community for making it happen. I am very sad that she is not releasing a Christmas song of her own this year, but there is always next year.