Cat Eccles MP: speeches

Speeches

• 14 Sept 2026 · Speciality Steel UK · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for his positive announcement. Downstream businesses in Stourbridge, Brierley Hill and Netherton used to source many items from Speciality Steel UK. I spent a lot of time working with it and the Department and Ministers to update product codes ahead of the tariff that Spain introduced. I am grateful for their engagement during that time. I understand that the upscaling of production will take time, but will he commit to continuing to work with the industry as the products come back online in the UK, so that none of the businesses in my constituency or elsewhere in the country are unfairly penalised?

• 9 Sept 2026 · Draft Code of Practice on the Right of Trade Unions to Access Workplaces; Draft Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  May I also declare my membership of the RMT parliamentary group and that I am a proud trade unionist? I welcome these regulations and the Government’s efforts to strengthen trade union access rights, but we have a concern specifically about how that will be applied to seafarers. As we heard from my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell), as drafted, these regulations simply replicate the existing regulations, meaning that enhanced access rights will apply only to crews on UK-flagged vessels. In practice, that would exclude seafarers who are working from UK ports every single day, including those employed on services operated by P&O Ferries, Irish Ferries and other vessels that are registered overseas. During the passage of the Employment Rights Act 2025, Ministers recognised the need to consider how employment protections should apply to seafarers with strong connections to Great Britain, and committed to continue discussions with the maritime unions on this issue. Baroness Jones, in the other place, specifically undertook to explore how the objectives behind Lord Hendy’s amendment could be secured. Could the Minister therefore please confirm that the Government will work with the RMT and other maritime unions on a review of how these access rights and wider employment protections can be extended to seafarers working on vessels with a sufficient link to Great Britain, regardless of the flag they sail under?

• 9 Sept 2026 · Draft Code of Practice on the Right of Trade Unions to Access Workplaces Draft Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  May I also declare my membership of the RMT parliamentary group and that I am a proud trade unionist? I welcome these regulations and the Government’s efforts to strengthen trade union access rights, but we have a concern specifically about how that will be applied to seafarers. As we heard from my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell), as drafted, these regulations simply replicate the existing regulations, meaning that enhanced access rights will apply only to crews on UK-flagged vessels. In practice, that would exclude seafarers who are working from UK ports every single day, including those employed on services operated by P&O Ferries, Irish Ferries and other vessels that are registered overseas. During the passage of the Employment Rights Act 2025, Ministers recognised the need to consider how employment protections should apply to seafarers with strong connections to Great Britain, and committed to continue discussions with the maritime unions on this issue. Baroness Jones, in the other place, specifically undertook to explore how the objectives behind Lord Hendy’s amendment could be secured. Could the Minister therefore please confirm that the Government will work with the RMT and other maritime unions on a review of how these access rights and wider employment protections can be extended to seafarers working on vessels with a sufficient link to Great Britain, regardless of the flag they sail under?

• 8 Sept 2026 · Israel and Palestine · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement and the moral courage the Government are showing to sanction trade with the occupied territories and condemn expanding illegal settlements. The Israeli state will not listen to the UK alone, and collaboration with global partners gives the strongest leverage. Will he say some more about how he is acting alongside international colleagues to demonstrate co-ordinated opposition to illegal settlements and human rights atrocities and reinforce international support for the two-state solution?

• 2 Sept 2026 · EU Membership Referendum: Impact on the UK · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I thank the hon. Member for Perth and Kinross-shire (Pete Wishart) for introducing this important debate. We were told that Brexit means Brexit, but what does that mean? We have heard a lot about sausages this morning; perhaps Brexit means breakfast—that certainly makes a lot more sense than that three-word slogan. A decade on from the EU membership referendum, we face higher costs, lower growth and less influence. Brexit has made the UK poorer, more isolated and less competitive. The promised trade deal with the US has failed to materialise; instead, Trump has threatened the UK with crippling tariffs. The post-Brexit trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand negotiated by the previous Conservative Government delivered only marginal economic benefits, while the deal with Singapore merely rolled over the arrangements that we enjoyed prior to Brexit. As for Canada, after years of negotiations, the UK has still been unable to secure an enhanced agreement. Rather than unlocking a new era of prosperity, those deals have largely fallen short of the promises. Since Brexit, trade with our largest market has become slower, costlier and more bureaucratic. British exporters now face customs checks and regulatory barriers that did not exist before, and goods exports to the EU remain below their pre-Brexit levels. The OBR estimates that UK trade will ultimately be around 15% lower than it would have been had we remained in the EU. Brexit’s worst effects can and must be reduced, and that is why this Government’s efforts to rebuild our relationship with the EU matter. By pursuing closer co-operation and greater regulatory alignment where it serves our national interest, the Government are helping to make trade easier, but we need to go much further. Europe remains our biggest trading partner, and a pragmatic relationship with our closest neighbours is not an ideological choice but an economic necessity. We cannot erase the damage and costs of Brexit overnight, but we can reduce them to help British business and industry thrive.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Extreme Heat: Preparedness · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Christopher. I congratulate the hon. Member for Waveney Valley (Adrian Ramsay) on securing this important debate. I recently attended a screening of the national emergency briefing in my constituency. One sentence stuck with me, which was, “this is the least extreme climate we will experience in our lifetime.” As we swelter through another heatwave, many people are welcoming the hot and sunny weather, but it is unprecedented to have record-breaking temperatures three months in a row, and that is only set to continue. Experts estimated that there were more than 2,700 excess deaths during the May and June heatwaves attributed to heat-related causes. We are now seeing dangerous climate change-fuelled heat claiming lives, disrupting schools and hospitals, and shutting down transport and infrastructure. We need to adapt urgently. In recent weeks, I have heard from teachers and workers across my constituency who have struggled to keep buildings at a comfortable temperature. Teachers cited the guidance from the Department for Education, which suggested opening windows as a solution, as deeply unhelpful. The National Education Union rightly criticised the Department for underestimating the scale of the problem. Although I welcome the £710 million of funding to improve school and college buildings, which includes funding to install solar panels to bring down energy bills, it must be coupled with measures to provide good ventilation and cooling systems such as air-conditioning. Remember that not every school can simply open the windows, particularly not schools for children with special educational needs and difficulties, where it could be contrary to risk assessments. I have also been contacted by train drivers, bus drivers and delivery drivers who have been working in extreme temperatures with no air-conditioning. I have even heard that some supermarkets deliberately chose new delivery vehicles without air-conditioning to reduce their costs. That is unacceptable, as workers’ wellbeing should always be a priority over saving a few pounds. I have long supported the campaign for a law on a maximum working temperature, led by all the major trade unions, but it must be matched with the mitigating adaptations to ensure that productivity and the economy can continue in the face of climate challenges. When I worked in the operating department before coming to Parliament, maintaining temperature and humidity at certain levels was crucial to reducing infection risks while balancing the need to maintain a patient’s core temperature. Operating theatres are usually windowless rooms filled with electrical equipment, and even the best laminar flow and ventilation systems would struggle in hot weather. The lack of legislation on working temperatures and the pressures of waiting lists meant that we often had to carry on regardless and try to minimise the risk along the way. We need to act now to adapt to extreme heat to outpace the health risks and impacts on daily life. That requires a combination of immediate operational changes and long-term architectural upgrades to maintain safe and comfortable learning, working and living environments. What are the Government doing to adapt to this new normal, Minister? Will comprehensive guidance and support be provided to help schools, workplaces and public buildings mitigate the impact of extreme heat? Will the Government follow the lead of Spain, Belgium, Latvia and others, and answer the calls from trade unions to implement a maximum working temperature in this country? This country is built for a climate that no longer exists. Without immediate action, we will see more health implications and more disruption. We are at a tipping point. Adapting to extreme heat will strengthen our national and economic resilience and improve everybody’s lives.