Callum Anderson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 12 Dec 2024 · Chancellor’s Mansion House Speech: Funding Plans · Hansard source

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  9. What steps his Department is taking to support the delivery of the funding plans outlined in the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Mansion House speech.

• 12 Dec 2024 · Chancellor’s Mansion House Speech: Funding Plans · Hansard source

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  High-growth companies across Buckingham and Bletchley rely on foreign direct investment for their growth and innovation. Will the Minister set out the steps her Department and the Minister for Investment are taking to ensure that the Office for Investment can attract more foreign private investment to help the high- potential industries in which Britain excels?

• 4 Dec 2024 · Farming and Inheritance Tax · Hansard source

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  I will not on this occasion. Just last night, the former Conservative Chancellor Lord Clarke agreed with our approach, saying that he was team Chancellor. He said it was “a strange exemption…which is why so many rich people buy agricultural land”. He is not wrong. As others have said, in 2021-22, the top 7% of wealthiest claimants accounted for 40% of the total value of APR, at a cost of £219 million to the taxpayer, as my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (John Slinger) said. The majority of claimants will not be affected. Couples inheriting farms can still pass up to £3 million tax-free, and any additional assets will be taxed at half the standard rate, with payments spread over 10 years. This Government are delivering a new deal—a square deal—for farmers, including measures to ensure that British produce is prioritised in Government procurement, that farmers are not undercut by low-welfare imports and that energy costs are reduced through innovative solutions. Our farmers deserve a Government who listen, support and invest in them, and this Government are committed to doing just that.

• 4 Dec 2024 · Farming and Inheritance Tax · Hansard source

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  I associate myself with the excellent speeches by my hon. Friends the Members for Ribble Valley (Maya Ellis), for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) and for Forest of Dean (Matt Bishop), who were all absolutely right to say that this Government are committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with British farmers and ensuring their voices are heard and their future is secured. Nowhere is this more vital than in Buckinghamshire, where farming is not just an industry, but an integral part of our local identity. It supports our economy, shapes our landscape and is woven into the fabric of our communities. Since I was elected in July I have engaged closely with farmers across north Buckinghamshire, and I have been grateful to meet local agricultural and rural businesses in my constituency such as Boycott farm in Stowe and Hogshaw farm and wildlife park; I thank them for welcoming me to their world. These visits have reinforced my commitment to representing their interests and addressing the challenges they face. I have been struck this afternoon as I listened to speeches from across the House by the inability of the Conservatives to confront and defend their own record in office. Time and again, the previous Government failed to stand up for Buckinghamshire farmers. As has been said, they failed to spend £358 million of the UK’s agricultural budget, and that money should have gone straight into the pockets of Buckinghamshire farmers. Instead, the Conservatives left it on the table, not because it was not needed, but because they could not be bothered to make sure that their policy to replace the basic payment scheme was completed on time. That was their attitude when in office. The gaps and the unanswered questions in the schemes left many farmers in my constituency in limbo, undermining their confidence and threatening their livelihoods. When in government, the Opposition failed again when they negotiated trade deals with Australia and New Zealand, removing most tariffs on beef and lamb. Even the Conservative Cabinet Member responsible for negotiating the deal said it was a bad one. These deals have opened the floodgates to imports that threaten to undercut our domestic producers, leaving British farmers struggling to compete against lower-welfare and lower-cost alternatives. Our farmers deserve better. That is why this Government are determined to do things differently. We have committed, as others have said, £5 billion to the farming budget over the next two years. That is the largest investment in sustainable food production in our history, because we know that food security is national security. In the coming year alone, £2.4 billion will go directly to supporting British farmers, ensuring that they can thrive in a rapidly changing and uncertain world.

• 4 Dec 2024 · Farming and Inheritance Tax · Hansard source

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  I would be happy to were there not too little time. These investments are about more than money. They represent a vision for a resilient and sustainable future. On the inheritance tax point, the Government’s approach is balanced and fair.

• 4 Nov 2024 · Income Tax (Charge) · Hansard source

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  I must say that I am not quite sure how I can follow that. I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal), for North Somerset (Sadik Al-Hassan) and for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger) on their excellent maiden speeches. I am pleased to add my support to the Budget that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor put forward last week. It provides a fresh start for our families in the towns, villages and cities that comprise the constituency of Buckingham and Bletchley. Given this Labour Government’s dire economic inheritance, the Budget has done a great job not only of addressing the immediate challenges that my constituents face, but more importantly of laying the foundations for a resilient economy that will spread opportunity and deliver the down payment that we need on the Government’s ambition to tackle child poverty. To understand why this Budget is so crucial, we need to take a moment to recognise the scale of the economic and social challenge that we face. Since the financial crisis, the UK’s productivity has grown at just 0.7% per year—a sharp drop from the 2.1% annual growth rate that we saw in the 14 years beforehand. While other advanced economies have experienced a similar slowdown, the UK has been hit particularly hard, not least as a result of the previous Government’s shying away from taking the proper long-term decisions for our economy. This has led to the UK’s productivity being 28% lower than that of the United States and far lower than that of our European competitors such as France and Germany. For many working people across the country and in my constituency, the consequences are stark, with a loss of almost £11,000 a year in potential wages over the past 15 years. Members across the House will have seen how that has manifested itself in rising child poverty and in the routine use of food banks, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions mentioned. That is why measures such as the fair repayment rate and the extension of the household support fund are so vital, as they provide the lifeline that families in my constituency and across the country so desperately need. Another key issue correctly identified by the Chancellor is the low level of public and private investment in the UK compared with our peers. For almost my entire lifetime, the UK has been a laggard in that area—we have been at the bottom of the G7 rankings for public and private investment for 24 of the past 30 years. I am pleased that this Budget represents a vital first step in correcting course, with a credible package of investment in infrastructure, schools and hospitals. That includes East West Rail in my constituency, and my constituents in Bletchley and Winslow are looking forward to the opportunities from that. I am pleased to support this Budget. It gives working people and their families a hand up, builds strong foundations and ensures that our economy will be competitive in the long run.

• 17 Oct 2024 · International Investment Summit · Hansard source

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  It is with deep humility that I rise for the first time in this House as the Member of Parliament for the new Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, and I am pleased to contribute to this debate. I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Ossett and Denby Dale (Jade Botterill) and for Congleton (Mrs Russell) on their excellent speeches. Their constituents are fortunate to have such formidable representatives. I should of course begin my remarks by paying tribute to my two direct predecessors. In Iain Stewart, this Chamber had a calm, measured advocate for the former Milton Keynes South constituency who, among other things, consistently championed better transport connections for the city and the United Kingdom more broadly. I also thank the now hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith), whose kindness and generosity I have valued as I have navigated these early months in Westminster. They followed in the footsteps of John Bercow, who served as the Member for Buckingham for 22 years, and Dr Phyllis Starkey, who served as the last Labour Member of Parliament for Bletchley, as part of Milton Keynes South, for 13 years. They all exemplify what it means to be a dedicated public servant, and I will do my utmost to meet their standard. Although Buckingham and Bletchley is a new constituency for this Parliament, it is in fact a reunion of old friends. For nearly a century, those communities were connected as one, but in 1983, Milton Keynes, along with Bletchley, had the temerity to split away and flourish into the formidable modern city that it is today. Although the towns of Buckingham, Bletchley and Winslow are different in character, all have deep-rooted, rich histories. And between those towns lie many villages, breathing life into the heart of our constituency. Be it Westbury, Quainton, Stewkley or Nash—I could go on—all contribute to the fabric of our collective identity, and I must never forget Tattenhoe in Milton Keynes. Although each community is unique, they share common values: a deep sense of civic pride, patriotism and a belief that opportunity should be available to everyone if they work hard. I pledge to serve each of them with the same level of diligence, be they urban or rural and regardless of their size or affluence. One of the great privileges of representing Bletchley is that I carry the legacy of Bletchley Park and the remarkable codebreakers who worked there in the 1940s. The ingenuity and tireless efforts of those brave women and men—including Alan Turing, a very British hero—who together uncovered key strategic military plans of the Nazis, not only shortened the second world war and saved countless lives, but laid the foundation of today’s technological age. That is why Bletchley Park remains an iconic institution of national and global significance, and why it was such a fitting host for the AI summit last year. That legacy of technology and creative thinking remains at Bletchley’s core today. As we speak, the South Central Institute of Technology is inspiring the next generation, providing young people with the skills to thrive in the digital age. The expertise does not end there: the University of Buckingham is innovating in higher education, enabling students to pursue accelerated degrees and equipping them with the agility and knowledge to navigate an ever-changing world. Just as Bletchley and Buckingham lead in education, Silverstone—of which the southern half of the track is located in my constituency—leads on the world stage for motorsport. It convenes the best drivers, including our very own Sir Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, alongside cutting-edge engineers, technologists and designers. Silverstone is where the pinnacle of innovation meets the thrill of competition, and inward international investment has been pivotal to achieving that status. From Formula 1 teams to global technology giants, international investors are choosing Britain because they see a country where creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship can flourish. But the value of international investment is not just financial; it is also a vote of confidence in us—in our workforce, our infrastructure and our unique creative spirit. It strengthens our relationships with key global players, ensuring that we continue to be the country that others seek out for collaboration, whether in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence or established ones such as financial services and advanced manufacturing. That is why this Government’s achievement in securing the commitment of £63 billion of private investment, 10% of which will help turbocharge Britain’s AI capacity, is so important. I congratulate my right hon. and hon. Friends across Government on their hard work to secure that historic investment. But, Madam Deputy Speaker, the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency offers so much more. Farmers and rural businesses across north Buckinghamshire work tirelessly to feed our nation, using the latest methods to produce high-quality food while safeguarding our local environment, as I saw at first hand when I met the Edgcott and Winslow Young Farmers earlier this summer. I am committed to being their advocate in the House, ensuring that they receive the support and recognition that they deserve. If the House will indulge me for a few more moments, I want to close my maiden speech by thanking the people who believed in me and supported me on my journey to this place. First and foremost, I owe an unpayable debt to my mother, who brought me up alone in a council flat and sacrificed everything to help her son reach heights that neither of us could have dreamed of 33 years ago—be that the City of London or the home of our democracy—and whose simple values of hard work and quiet perseverance taught me that everyone has value and deserves respect. Her example has been a guiding light to me, and for that I will be forever grateful. There are so many others to whom I also owe so much, be they family members, my partner of 10 years, or my friends of 15, 20 and 30 years—all of which I mention to warn my constituents that I generally invest only in the most long-term of relationships. It is on that note that I wish to address the young people in the towns, villages and city that comprise the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency: regardless of who your parents are, where you come from or what you look like, never stop believing that if you work hard, anything in Britain is possible. Every moment I am granted in this place will be spent working towards ensuring that you have the power to write your own life story and live the life that you have imagined for yourself on these islands of ours. That is the Britain I believe in, and the one I will be fighting for.