Blair McDougall MP: speeches

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Speeches

4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source
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In a moment, I will come to our plans to reduce the mountain of red tape that the right hon. Member’s Government left us with, and to reduce the cost of that red tape. Conservative Member after Conservative Member spoke about the Employment Rights Bill. I should say at the outset that we want the rights in that Bill to be fit for the 21st century—the last time that we properly reviewed our employment law and the relationship between employer and employee was in the last century. However, I am astonished that right hon. and hon. Members on the Conservative Benches do not seem to see the connection between how much money people have in their pockets and the ability of their local high streets to thrive. Giving people more secure work and higher wages means that the money in their pockets ends up in the tills of local businesses.
4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source
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The cost of the Employment Rights Bill is around 0.4% of wage costs across the country, and the additional help that the Bill provides will have a huge impact on small businesses and high streets. Many Members raised the issue of crime, but let me reassure the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), who spoke of the character of local areas, and suggested that there should be greater local powers to control the spread of gambling shops. We intend to deal with that when time allows. For 10 years we waited for a small business strategy, and in July we introduced one. We are taking action on late payments for businesses, on access to finance and on cutting red tape. Across this Government there is an urgency—it is there today, and I wish it had been there before—to support small businesses and help to get our high streets back on their feet. Question put, That the original words stand part of the Question.
4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend makes an essential point about the importance of the postal service in rural areas. The hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire (Mr MacDonald) made that point as well. I know from my relatives in highland areas how essential that connection is. My hon. Friend raises the issue of NHS appointment letters—that point was also raised by my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) and the hon. Member for Bridgwater. The trials of barcodes on those letters have been very successful, and I am happy to continue discussions with the Health Secretary to make sure that those barcodes are rolled out as widely as possible.
4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source
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I can certainly do that. Through Ofcom, Royal Mail has obligations in terms of the accessibility of post boxes, and I will raise my hon. Friend’s point with the chief executive of Royal Mail when I meet with him next week. The challenges faced by Royal Mail are shared in most European countries, which are taking steps to reform their USOs. On 10 July, Ofcom announced reforms to put the USO on a more sustainable footing, and to push Royal Mail to improve reliability. However, changing those obligations alone will not be enough to guarantee a better service, so today, Ofcom has launched a call for input as part of its ongoing review of affordability, which will inform its consultation early next year. Reform of the USO is an ongoing process, which is being undertaken by Ofcom, the independent regulator, so I will not directly insert myself into that. However, I will certainly make sure that the voices of hon. Members are heard, widely and clearly. Many Members raised issues relating to the quality of service. Experiencing delays is so frustrating, as many Members said. That is why, when EP took over Royal Mail, we secured the commitment through our golden share that before its new owners take value out of Royal Mail, quality of service must improve. Ofcom has powers to investigate and take enforcement action when failures in quality of service are identified, as it did recently when it fined Royal Mail £21 million for contravening its service conditions in 2024-25. Ofcom has told Royal Mail that it must urgently publish a credible plan that delivers significant and continuous improvement. The changes to the USO that I referenced earlier include changes to Royal Mail’s quality of service targets, as the hon. Member for Bridgwater mentioned. They are intended to enable the business to more predictably deliver mail without delays, but I share his view that flexibility must ensure reliability, rather than lowering ambitions. Ofcom has committed to closely monitoring Royal Mail’s performance, and to ensuring that it meets the business regularly to have those conversations. It is evident from the contributions of hon. Members across the Chamber that Royal Mail’s quality of service has not been good enough. The Government have discussed that with the chief executive of Royal Mail, and I will do so again on behalf of the hon. Members who have raised issues today. I will return briefly to the subject of the constituency of the hon. Member for Bridgwater. I know that there have been service issues because of resourcing difficulties in the Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea and Taunton delivery offices. I understand that Royal Mail is now actively recruiting staff to deal with that. Again, I will discuss that with the chief executive of Royal Mail next week. Royal Mail has publicly committed to delivering improvements to its quality of service, and is taking action to recruit additional frontline staff, improving delivery office efficiency and simplifying the network to make it more reliable and resilient. I am encouraged to see that Royal Mail is recruiting 20,000 temporary workers across the country to help deliver the Christmas items that we all expect during that peak period. As I have set out, the Government remain committed to ensuring the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service, one that is accessible and affordable for customers, and that works for workers and businesses. I fully recognise that delays in postal deliveries can have serious consequences for those, including small businesses, who rely on the post for important information. Now that Ofcom has made changes to the USO specification to ensure a modernised service, we need Royal Mail to work with its workforce and unions to deliver the service that we expect. I hope that hon. Members will see Royal Mail’s service quality improve in the months and years ahead, but rest assured, I will continue to work with Royal Mail and Ofcom to make sure that that is the case. I emphasise that whatever criticisms we might have of Royal Mail, and whatever concerns we might have about the quality of service, we, across the House, are so grateful for the quality of service and the commitment of individual posties, who are an absolute lifeline to communities up and down the country. Question put and agreed to.
4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I congratulate the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Sir Ashley Fox) on securing this important debate on Royal Mail and the USO, an issue that matters deeply to households and to businesses across the country. Royal Mail is an iconic part of the UK’s infrastructure. The postie remains a familiar part of every city, town and village, providing a vital service to communities around the country. As other hon. Members have done, I pay tribute to the dedication of posties. I know, from spending time out on delivery with posties from the Barrhead sorting office in my constituency, the care that they have for their customers, and particularly their vulnerable customers. The USO underpins the network, guaranteeing that letters and parcels can be sent anywhere in the UK at a uniform price, six days a week. That principle ensures that businesses can reach customers nationwide and that families can stay connected.
4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source
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I certainly will. As I mentioned a moment ago, the more dispersed geography of Scotland means that the postal service is often even more of a lifeline in our part of the world. I will certainly follow up that point with Scottish Ministers, and with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care. On the future of the universal postal service, I reassure the hon. Member for Bridgwater that we remain committed to a comprehensive USO that is financially sustainable and efficient, and that meets user needs within the open and competitive market. That is why the six-days-a-week, one-price-goes-anywhere universal service remains at the heart of the regulatory regime that is overseen by Ofcom, but of course the universal postal service faces challenges, as many Members have said.
30 Oct 2025 · Small and Medium-sized Businesses · Hansard source
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I gently say to the hon. Member that he did not do that in 14 years in government. Indeed, the Conservatives were set to remove the reliefs on small businesses. Rather than repeating the mistakes of the Liz Truss Budget with unfunded tax commitments, we are giving real support to businesses now, including by increasing the employment allowance so that more and more of the small businesses that he describes do not pay national insurance contributions at all.
30 Oct 2025 · Small and Medium-sized Businesses · Hansard source
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The Government have launched our small business plan, which my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow West (Gareth Thomas), did so much great work on. “Backing your Business” outlines how we will make thriving small and medium-sized businesses a reality across the UK. We are unlocking billions of pounds in finance to support businesses, including through the most significant reforms to tackle late payments in 25 years. We will support businesses further by revitalising high streets and delivering growth-boosting support for digital adoption through a new online business growth service.
30 Oct 2025 · Small and Medium-sized Businesses · Hansard source
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I thank the shadow Minister for her welcome. She is absolutely right about the anchoring effect of post offices on high streets all over the country. We know not just that, as we mentioned in the Green Paper, if people go to their post office they are likely to spend money in local shops, but that post offices are essential—as I found out during a visit to one the day before yesterday—in giving small businesses somewhere to take their takings. The Green Paper set out the options for maintenance of the post office network, and it is certainly our intention to maintain it.
30 Oct 2025 · Small and Medium-sized Businesses · Hansard source
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As ever, my hon. Friend is a great advocate for all things Doncaster. The beauty sector is a vital driver of innovation, sustainability and wellbeing across the economy, but also locally, through businesses like the Beauty Lounge. That is why we are backing small businesses through the small business plan, as I just set out, but we are also reforming business rates and have increased the employment allowance, enabling employers to hire up to four full-time workers without paying national insurance contributions. I am always told on social media that I am in need of a glow-up—perhaps the next time I am in Doncaster, the Beauty Lounge can help me out.
30 Oct 2025 · Small and Medium-sized Businesses · Hansard source
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I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his constructive question; I am very happy to pursue that within Government. The wider point is that both the small business strategy and the industrial strategy are important because they are cross-Government strategies, as lots of sectors and individual businesses are facing challenges that are not just the responsibility of one Minister. I will certainly follow up on that.
30 Oct 2025 · Small and Medium-sized Businesses · Hansard source
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I know my hon. Friend is a great believer in Leigh and Atherton’s untapped potential, and so are we. We have launched the small business strategy, with action on late payments, action to unlock access to finance, and better, simpler support through the business growth hub. In addition to that, Leigh will receive £20 million through the pride in place programme. I know my hon. Friend fought hard for that on her community’s behalf.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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I can absolutely give the hon. Member that reassurance. I have already met with my opposite number in the Northern Ireland Executive. The hon. Member mentions defence industries in particular, and it feels like every single month there is a significant defence order as part of the industrial strategy. It shows that these are not just words on paper, but that we are delivering within the real economy.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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I share my hon. Friend’s frustration at the lack of an industrial strategy from the SNP Government in Edinburgh. It has meant that workers at Alexander Dennis in his constituency are on furlough rather than doing what they do best: making world-class buses for public transport. For our part, we are supporting combined mayoral authorities to co-ordinate the procurement of buses through a Crown Commercial Service commercial agreement, and we are publishing a 10-year pipeline of future bus orders to provide the much-needed certainty that the sector requires. That includes providing advice on using social value criteria that suppliers such as Alexander Dennis are well placed to meet when procuring new buses, such as creating and retaining jobs in a way that respects our legal obligations. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for keeping this issue on the agenda.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am glad that those on the Opposition Benches recognise excellence when they see it.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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To stand up and raise uncertainty, and then complain about it, is quite something. The shadow Minister said that we are slowing growth; we were the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2025. We are now the fourth-largest exporter in the world, and we have had five interest-rate cuts in a row—
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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I thank the hon. Lady for her kind words on my new appointment. I will not get ahead of announcements on that, but given the importance of skills to the industrial strategy, we are not waiting for those announcements. We have had TechFirst, a £187 million investment in secondary school pupils, undergraduates, PhD students, entrepreneurs and businesses, to help them get ahead on that. We have the engineering package of over £100 million, and the defence package of £182 million. We are making those investments now to ensure that the pipeline is there for those industries, which are the priority within the industrial strategy.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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I know from holidaying in my hon. Friend’s constituency that it is a place of incredible beauty, but I know from his constant advocacy that it is also a place of huge industrial potential. Cornwall will benefit from access to the £200 million investment fund, which provides debt and equity finance of up to £5 million for businesses in the south-west. That has already delivered £51.8 million of direct investment, leveraging an additional £48.1 million. I know he has big plans for industry in Cornwall, and we will work with him, especially on access to finance, to ensure that we can unlock that potential. We will of course work with our colleagues in MHCLG.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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The whole of Government are focused on delivering the industrial strategy, and significant progress has already been made. This month, we published our new quarterly update, which reports on the key economic indicators for growth-driving sectors, delivery milestones and major investments. With over £250 billion of investment committed and over 45,000 jobs supported since July, we are delivering on that vision.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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As I said to the hon. Member for South Antrim (Robin Swann) a moment ago, we have already met with the Northern Ireland Executive on these issues. Skills are an essential part of the industrial strategy because we see, again and again, industries around the country that are desperate to grow, and have the orders, but are unable to create the high-paying jobs that we need. That is an absolute priority for us as we implement the industrial strategy.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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We are fast approaching the time of year when I have to tell my children that they will have to wait until Christmas to find out what their presents are. The hon. Gentleman knows that he has to wait until the Budget to find out what is in the Budget. He mentioned planning. We have made huge changes to planning rules, which have resulted in a saving of about £272 million in red-tape costs for business, so we are ensuring that that sector, in particular, has the environment it needs to contribute to growth.
30 Oct 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend has been a constant advocate for the energy potential of Pembrokeshire. That is why the industrial strategy supported south-west Wales’s clean energy potential through targeted investment in infrastructure and workforce development. The strategy will build on that using the potential of the port of Milford Haven, floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea and carbon capture technologies. The £800,000 skills pilot that he refers to underpins that clean energy industries sector plan. The National Wealth Fund will also benefit Wales, as it will invest in the sectors he mentions that are prevalent in that area.
30 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. One of my constituents is in a similar case, and it is devastating. For a large business, fraud and economic crime is an inconvenience; for a small business, it can be existential. That is one of the reasons why, this week, we are communicating with small businesses to ensure that they up their cyber-security. I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman on this issue.
30 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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Businesses led by entrepreneurs from ethnic minority backgrounds make a huge contribution to all our constituencies. Indeed, I met two such remarkable business people in Acton a couple of days ago. My hon. Friend is right to mention that finance is a barrier for under-represented groups, including ethnic minorities. Dealing with that is a key part of the small business strategy, and it is why we have put billions more into the British Business Bank. She has led on these issues, and I am of course happy to meet her to discuss the future of the programme that she mentions.
30 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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The hon. Member raises an important point, particularly for small businesses, which rely on those schemes. I pay tribute to the Royal Mail for the speed at which it reacted to those de minimis changes to ensure that businesses were able to continue. We keep working with Royal Mail as well to ensure that that is possible.

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