Alan Campbell MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 27 Nov 2025 · Occupied Palestinian Territories: Support for Christians · Hansard source

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  I agree with the right hon. Gentleman. The Government are doing everything they can to ensure religious freedom, wherever it happens to be under threat in the world. We need a just peace in this region—not just in Gaza and the west bank, but across the region—and part of living in peace is respecting other people’s faiths.

• 27 Nov 2025 · Solar Power: Churches · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Lady’s local churches, which are leading the way for others to follow. St Bartholomew’s church in Brighton is just one example of what can be done with a listed building to reduce long-term running costs via the installation of modern heating and lighting. Grants are available for solar panels via diocesan schemes alongside technical support and match funding initiatives. The main obstacle to faster installation is civil planning authorities that see their role as protecting the look and feel of a building, rather than ensuring that the building can pay for itself. I will draw the hon. Lady’s comments to the attention of the Second Church Estates Commissioner, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova), who will, I am sure, give them consideration and write back.

• 27 Nov 2025 · Solar Power: Churches · Hansard source

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  The Church of England has committed to net zero carbon by 2030, and is actively supporting solar installations on churches and cathedrals to make the buildings more efficient to run, and to lower operating costs. Through its net zero carbon programme, the Church has allocated £30 million for the years 2023 to ’25, and a total of £190 million over nine years for energy efficiency and renewables projects.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman is right to express concern about the SEND system. The Government have acknowledged that it is broken; it does not work for parents or children. He is also right to say that there were signs that things were not as they should be, but this is one of the many issues that, when we came into government, we discovered was even worse than we had anticipated. I will not comment on what might or might not be in the Budget, but I gently point out that we have already invested an additional £1 billion in SEND and we are creating more specialist places in mainstream schools, with an additional £740 million on top of the £1 billion. We will bring forward the schools White Paper early next year, and the hon. Gentleman may wish to keep some of his suggestions for that, or perhaps secure a debate on it in order to give further clarity to what he is saying. I know that this issue is frustrating, including for our constituents, but we need to work with parents and teachers, and the most important thing is that we get it right.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Scottish football team. This is its first time qualifying for the world cup since 1998—in case Members need reminding, that was under a Labour Government too. I will absolutely join him in congratulating Fife Gingerbread on making it to the charity award finals, and I thank it and charities and volunteers across the country for the vital work they do to support families in tackling child poverty.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Before I answer, may I wish the hon. Gentleman all the very best wishes? He got engaged this week—indeed, he got engaged in this very Chamber. The Government respect the court judgment. This is a serious matter, and there are clearly different views on it, but the Government are absolutely committed to bringing forward proposals at the earliest opportunity and giving the House an opportunity to discuss them.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The business for the week commencing 24 November will include: Monday 24 November—Remaining stages of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (day one). Tuesday 25 November—Remaining stages of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (day two). Wednesday 26 November—My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver her Budget statement. Thursday 27 November—Continuation of the Budget debate. Friday 28 November—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 1 December includes: Monday 1 December—Continuation of the Budget debate. Tuesday 2 December—Conclusion of the Budget debate. Wednesday 3 December—Remaining stages of the Pension Schemes Bill. Thursday 4 December—Debate on a motion on the war in Ukraine, followed by a general debate on St Andrew’s day. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 5 December—The House will not be sitting.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman raises an important matter. He will know, having been in this House for quite some time, that it is a perennial problem. I will draw it to the attention of the Minister and see whether they might make a statement. The right hon. Gentleman might wish also to seek a debate on that matter.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This is a concern across many constituencies. I am sorry to hear of what is happening in the hon. Lady’s constituency. I invite her to seek a debate, because many Members will share her concern, and she can then put those questions directly to Ministers.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I invite the hon. Gentleman to request an Adjournment debate or a Backbench Business debate, because I think that would illustrate not just how many constituents, but how many of us personally—or our family and friends—have been affected by brain tumours, which can have terrible consequences. The Government are absolutely committed to doing as much as they can in this regard, not least through the 10-year health plan. A debate would be a great opportunity not just to hear about the problem, but to hear about what the Government intend to do about it.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to champion our creative industries. As well he knows, we have a proud record in this country. Many iconic films are filmed here, including in our region and in my beautiful constituency. As he alludes to, there will be four days of debate on the Budget, which should be ample time for him to raise those thoughts.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I certainly agree with my hon. Friend. That kind of investment speaks to the strength of our industrial strategy, which the whole of Government are focused on delivering. He is absolutely right to draw attention to how the strategy is unlocking opportunities for young people in every part of the United Kingdom, and I am sure he will amplify the success of that investment and what the new manufacturing centre means for Rochdale and beyond.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady raises another issue that is constantly in our constituency postbags and inboxes. The CMS is committed to ensuring that separated parents support their children financially. The powers should be used, but that is not happening in too many cases, as she says. If she supplies me with the details of that case in confidence, I will raise it with the appropriate Minister and see whether we can resolve it.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am very pleased to do that. I thank everyone who has responded to my hon. Friend’s survey. That is one of the very best ways of getting information from parents, and the scale of the responses demonstrates the scale of the problems in the system. I pay tribute to her for the work that she has done on this issue. As I said, we are committed to creating a SEND system that truly works for children and parents, and I am sure that her constituents’ comments will be reflected as the White Paper comes forward.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in thanking KeTech for its contribution over so many years, and I also thank her for her assiduous work for the people and businesses in her constituency. We have consulted on further procurement reforms to boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for local businesses. She could seek a debate on this, but as I have said in response to many questions today, we have four days of Budget debate in which some of these issues will be particularly relevant.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  There is absolutely no difference between what the Government are committed to and have said publicly, and what we are saying in private. Of course, some issues require a great deal of diplomacy. The Prime Minister himself went to COP30 with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. When the Secretary of State returns, I would expect one of them to make a statement on COP30, so the hon. Lady will be able to put those points to them directly.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I wish Jacques and all our athletes all the success in the world. We are very proud of them all. Sometimes funding is a major issue, but the Government are trying to put that right because we have great faith in our young people, and particularly the importance of sport in their lives. The hon. Lady might wish to call for a debate on these matters, and I am sure there are many others across the country who would be able to make similar points through their MPs.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on being a champion—it has been a good week for awards for us both. Huntington’s is a terrible disease. The fantastic work by people across communities has kept this in the public eye, and the NICE guidelines are addressing this. The need for speed, I am sure, is in the minds of those who are involved. I will raise this matter with the Health Secretary.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising such a serious and unreported issue. As ever, he is a real champion for religious minorities, and I commend him on his commitment to that cause. He knows that the Government are committed to defending freedom of religion and belief for all. The environment for freedom of religion and belief across China is restrictive and includes the persecution of the Falun Gong both in China and overseas. We continue to monitor the situation and review evidence. If these matters are true as he reports them, in our view they would constitute a serious violation of human rights. I will draw the issue to the attention of the Foreign Secretary, but the hon. Gentleman may have noticed that Foreign Office questions are on 2 December.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is absolutely right to raise this subject on the Floor of the House. This debilitating condition affects a large number of people across our constituencies. We will join him in any cross-party work to highlight the condition during that week, but I can also offer him a meeting with Ministers so that he can speak to them directly, not just about the scale of the problem but about what we are doing to tackle it.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for all his work on that issue. He has raised it with me a number of times—as have colleagues at business questions, so there is real interest in it. Ministers continue to meet the BCSSS trustees, but as my hon. Friend knows, I have just announced the future business, and he will have two opportunities to raise it further: first, we will have a debate following the Budget, when he may wish to go into more detail; and secondly, there is some pension legislation coming down the track.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the entire team, John McGinn and everyone involved. I gently remind my hon. Friend, if my memory serves me correctly, that Steve Clarke was a Sunderland manager who honed his skills when he was there. I remind anyone who did not hear me say this earlier that the last time Scotland qualified was in 1998 and the last time England won the world cup was in 1966—the link is that at both times there was a Labour Government.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend knows that I share very much his concern about the state of some coastal towns and his ambition to make them better. He is a tireless campaigner for Blackpool. There is clearly the potential for economic growth, investment and jobs in his constituency with the scheme that he talks about, and the Government want to see all those things in every part of the country, including in coastal areas such as Blackpool. That is another point that probably falls within the parameters of a contribution to the Budget debate, because supporting coastal towns is a very important part of what the Government seek to do.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue; he is not the first to do so today, and he is certainly not the first to do so in the past few weeks. This is an important matter, particularly at this time of year. It is true that there are rules on the use of fireworks, but, as we all know, they are not always kept to. That would be a popular topic for a debate, judging by the number of people who raise it with me.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The Government are absolutely committed to supporting local businesses and local high streets. That is why we are seeking to protect high streets by creating a fairer business rates system. My hon. Friend will know that at the end of this month, we will mark Small Business Saturday, giving us the opportunity to further celebrate the small businesses in our communities. Should he seek to raise this matter through either a debate of his own or the Budget debate, I am sure it will be a popular topic.