Alex Brewer MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 16 Dec 2025 · Planning Reform · Hansard source

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  I am pleased that the Government have listened to my calls, and to those of other Liberal Democrats, to mention the explicit protection of chalk stream rivers in the statement. The Minister mentions the consistent application of policy. Will he confirm whether those policies might include, for example, exclusion zones around chalk streams to protect them fully as unique and irreplaceable habitats?

• 15 Dec 2025 · Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman talks effusively about the benefits of our biggest trading partner, Europe, and the disaster of Brexit. Does he agree with me that we should be forging a new customs union as soon as possible?

• 4 Dec 2025 · EU Relations · Hansard source

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  10. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.

• 4 Dec 2025 · EU Relations · Hansard source

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  Given that Brexit has left a £90 billion hole in the UK’s tax revenues and that small business owners in my constituency of North East Hampshire are telling me that the last two Budgets have been “catastrophic” for them, why are the Government not pursuing a bespoke UK-EU customs union to cut red tape, boost economic growth and support British businesses?

• 18 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T5. In North East Hampshire, small energy-intensive businesses such as hair salons are struggling, because they cannot reduce their consumption. What plans does the Minister have to support those kinds of small businesses?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill · Hansard source

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  As I am sure the hon. Member knows, chalk streams are among the rarest habitats in the world. This is not the first time I have mentioned them in this Chamber. Only 11 of the more than 200 chalk streams are protected, and even those 11 are in decline. The problems are over-abstraction, significant pollution and inappropriate development caused by poor planning. Does he agree that protecting these habitats through this Bill is essential, not optional?

• 16 Sept 2025 · Ambassador to the United States · Hansard source

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  Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the reasons that Epstein escaped justice for so long was that he was protected by other powerful men, and that if we are truly to protect young people from predators, we need to ensure that the protectors of paedophiles have absolutely no place in public life?

• 15 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  People in my constituency have raised with me problems of hare coursing, thefts, speeding and fly-tipping. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how we can tackle the wide range of crimes in rural areas?

• 8 Sept 2025 · Strategic Defence Review Recommendations: Timetable · Hansard source

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  10. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the planned timetable for implementing the recommendations of the strategic defence review.

• 8 Sept 2025 · Strategic Defence Review Recommendations: Timetable · Hansard source

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  With RAF Odiham celebrating its centenary this year, I am proud of the many close military ties that we have in my constituency of North East Hampshire. One of the recommendations of the strategic defence review is to improve accommodation, where we are letting our military personnel down. Given that there is widespread agreement with the Liberal Democrats on this issue, including in the other place, will the Secretary of State support bringing all military housing in line with the decent homes standard in today’s Renters’ Rights Bill vote?

• 21 Jul 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T4. Children in receipt of funds from the adoption and special guardianship support fund often have significant mental health, wellbeing and educational needs. For many of these children, their individual therapy is the single biggest factor enabling them to continue at school. What assessment has the Minister made of the implications of cutting funding for this therapy?

• 15 Jul 2025 · Household Energy Bills · Hansard source

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  Almost 10% of people in my North East Hampshire constituency live in fuel poverty. I agree with the Minister that investing in renewable energy would help to tackle that, so how is she working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to empower local authorities to develop renewable energy generation locally—by following Europe’s lead in putting solar over car parks, for example—in order to make energy cheaper and more sustainable?

• 15 Jul 2025 · Household Energy Bills · Hansard source

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  18. What steps he is taking to help reduce household energy bills.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Pension Schemes Bill · Hansard source

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  In Hampshire, we have a super-ageing population, so pension and post-retirement financial concerns are frequently raised in my North East Hampshire constituency casework. One of my constituents wrote to me to say: “I want my pension to be put to work delivering sustainable, long-term growth and prosperity that allows every community in the UK to thrive.” This Bill should require full transparency from pension schemes to empower people to support sustainable, long-term growth in their communities. Does the hon. Member agree that requiring transparency would be the most effective way of incentivising investment?

• 30 Jun 2025 · Supporting Veterans · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Government’s investment in supporting veterans, but as my hon. Friend the Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) mentioned recently in the House, female veterans are about 10% less likely to be employed after service than male veterans. What specific steps are the Government taking to address that imbalance?

• 30 Jun 2025 · Supporting Veterans · Hansard source

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  18. What steps he is taking to ensure that veterans receive adequate support after leaving the armed forces.

• 24 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Fifth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I rise to speak in favour of new clause 12. We agree in principle that victims should have access to the court transcripts—indeed, it has been a long-standing campaign by my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney). That is very important for victims, especially if they have been subject to coercive control, gaslighting or sexual abuse; victims at the end of the court process may be left questioning, “Was this my fault?” or, “Did this really happen to me?” We have heard from victims that having the transcripts gives them the peace of mind and validation that they need. We disagree with the Opposition, however, on two fundamental points. The first is the requirement that the court transcripts be provided within two days. We think that is completely impractical, and that two weeks is much more reasonable. Secondly, we do not believe they should be made public. Many people commit crimes who have been coerced into them, or there may be retaliatory crimes; we think making court transcripts public presents an unnecessary public shaming of a criminal, whereas providing them to the victim provides closure and clarity.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move amendment 24, in clause 3, page 6, leave out lines 1 and 2 and insert— “for a serious sexual offence committed against a child.” This amendment would extend the provision of restricting parental responsibility where a parent is sentenced for a serious sexual offence committed against a child, regardless of whether it is their child or on the length of sentence handed down.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move amendment 25, in clause 3, page 6, line 19, after “justice” insert— “or of a child and the non-offending parent”. This amendment would mean that a judge could have discretion to decide not to make a prohibited steps order when it was not deemed in the interest of a child and the non-offending parent. This is a small amendment that would continue to put children at the heart of this Bill. There are times when a court should not make a prohibited steps order in relation to a child. In the evidence session, we heard from many charities that children are not sufficiently heard as victims of crimes, and that their voices are not carried forward. We would like to include a small amendment that would put children and the non-offending parent at the heart of that decision making in the courts.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Member believe that people capable of such violence would be equally violent with a probation officer or a police officer taking them to court?

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her assurances. As with our previous amendment, I look forward to working with her on improving the family court. However, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, women’s and children’s charities, and victims strongly urged us all to ensure that children and non-offending parents are at the heart of the criminal justice system, so I believe that this is an important amendment. Question put, That the amendment be made.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her comments. While I understand that this is a novel approach and I welcome the measures in the Bill as a first step, we believe that they do not go far enough and still leave children at risk. Question put , That the amendment be made.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  There are mechanisms in place, but they put undue onus on the non-offending parent. Does the Minister agree that the onus should be shifted to the offending parent?

• 19 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is very clear that a child of a sex offender is at risk, regardless of whether the sex offender has committed that offence against their own child or another child. The amendment would seek to broaden the provisions for removing parental responsibility from children of sex offenders. I would like to share some of my professional experience. I used to work in a domestic abuse charity, where I ran a women’s refuge and had safeguarding responsibility for the families that have fled violent and often sexual abuse. There were numerous occasions when we had to facilitate parental contact by enabling a mother and her children to meet the perpetrator of that abuse, which was court mandated, even though they had fled that abuse, supposedly to a position of safety. As a person with safeguarding responsibility, that puts professionals in an impossible situation, but that is nothing compared with the position in which it places the parents, who have to take their child to a position that is desperately unsafe. We would seek to broaden the measures in clause 3 so that somebody who is convicted of a serious sexual offence, regardless of the length of the sentence and of who that sexual offence was committed against, would not have parental responsibility for their children. If they have been convicted of a serious sexual offence against any child, their own child is at risk. At the moment, the children of sex offenders are at more risk than other children in society. We believe this is a very important measure, and it needs appropriate resource allocated to it.

• 17 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q What will be the impact of the new definition of “victim” for the purposes of the victim contact scheme? Do you think that the Bill should do more to recognise children as victims? Paula Hudgell: That is a difficult one, because I do not really know about it—sorry. Glenn Youens: I do not think that we know enough about that side of it, but I think anybody who has been affected by a crime is a victim.