Chris Evans MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 14 Jul 2026 · Social Prescribing · Hansard source

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  To provide treatment for alcohol and drug dependency, charities such as Change Grow Live need to use the NHS electronic prescription service, which has been unavailable to them until recently. The Government have agreed to allow access, but have provided no timetable. Will the Minister provide one today?

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend should not apologise for making an intervention like that. He is absolutely on the point there. We forget about the economic and the human costs of this. It is costing the economy billions of pounds, which could be saved if we nipped it in the bud right now. I hope the Minister will address that when she winds up the debate. If the Department deems the stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker successful, will it extend that provision to encompass all other customer-facing roles? If an answer cannot be given currently, will she set out a timetable for a review process? We are on the brink of real, tangible change. Vital protections for people in customer-facing roles are within reach, thanks to the efforts of the Co-operative party, USDAW, the British Retail Consortium, the RMT and the Institute of Customer Service, among others. Extending the stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker to all sectors would be transformative, vastly improving the lives of millions across the country, but that will be achieved only if this Labour Government continue to stick by the side of the workers and trade unions. These groups are the backbone of our economy and the heart of our communities. They must be protected with the full force of the law. I look forward to the Minister’s response. I know that she is level-headed and will come up with some good ideas. I thank her for listening.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right; we need a co-ordinated response, including across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. At the end of the day, this abuse does not stop at the border. It does not happen because someone is Scottish or English; it happens everywhere, and we should have a co-ordinated response from the four Governments of the United Kingdom to address it. He is absolutely right to bring that up. The “Service with Respect” campaign’s proposals would encompass 60% of the UK workforce, or around 18 million people. Of those, 42% say they experienced abuse from customers in 2025, up from 36% the previous year. Although these figures are alarming, they do not come as a shock to me. My first job was in a bookmaker’s. As a result, my first experience in a customer-facing role was marred by violence and constant abuse. I distinctly remember the undercurrent of aggression that ran through every shop that I worked in. That only intensified when I worked alone, and low-level verbal and physical harassment soon became the norm. That is not isolated to betting shops in south Wales. Across the UK, 90% of staff have witnessed violence or threats of violence by at least one customer, and 75% have been told that they or their colleagues will be assaulted after leaving work—abuse is not confined to the workplace. Before becoming an MP, I worked in a bank—for my sins—and banking is another sector in which employees routinely face abuse. They work directly with customers’ finances, often assisting them in times of stress and vulnerability. That can heighten tensions, increasing the likelihood that meetings will escalate into harassment, intimidation and threats of violence. Indeed, data collected from UK Finance members suggested that 10,503 incidents of abuse were directed at bank and building society staff in 2024. That is nearly double the figure in the previous year. Risks encountered by customer-facing banking staff are often overlooked in debates such as this. Given the sector’s important role at the heart of our communities, I would welcome an explanation from the Minister as to why the amendment sought by UK Finance to the Crime and Policing Bill was not taken forward by the Government. That amendment would have extended the offence of assaulting a retail worker to the banking sector—a timely development amid the growing number of protests organised against banking staff. Finally, I cannot ignore the scourge of harassment faced by public transport workers. In a survey of more than 600 RMT members, nearly two thirds had experienced customer violence in the past year. Of those, 70% agreed that abuse on public transport had increased on the year prior. For me, this is personal: both my mother and my stepfather worked on the valleys line and, sadly, abuse was part of their daily lives. In the light of the Crime and Policing Act, the RMT is campaigning with renewed vigour for the introduction of stronger legal protections for its members. At a station, a transport worker and a retail worker can be working in close proximity; nevertheless, if both are assaulted, they will be eligible for different levels of legal protection. That disparity is unacceptable. In addition, the Scottish Government have pledged to create a stand-alone offence of assaulting a public transport worker. When that comes into force, those working on a service in Scotland will be afforded significantly stronger protections than those assaulted south of the border—even on the same train service. I hope the Minister will meet representatives of the RMT to discuss how that problem can be alleviated. If the Department requires more evidence before doing so, I urge it to create a cross-industry working group composed of transport professionals, the unions and officials from the civil service. So far, I have highlighted the abuse faced by employees in just three sectors, but I could go on—to the call centre staff, the hospitality workers, the utility engineers or simply the caseworkers in our constituency offices—and we have yet to touch on the impacts of such abuse. The Institute of Customer Service reports that workplace abuse causes one third of employees to consider leaving their jobs and one quarter to take sick leave. When workers begin to disengage in that way, the services they provide suffer, the businesses they work for suffer and, ultimately, the communities they serve suffer. Incidents of abuse can have a debilitating effect on a workplace long after the perpetrators have fled and the immediate dangers have passed. In the most severe cases, staff are left with physical injuries, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression. Neither the human nor the economic costs can be fully explained, let alone calculated. Although sick leave has been priced at £1 billion a year, the costs of replacing those who leave their roles, training new staff and undertaking legal proceedings push that figure far higher.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. We need more funding and we need more police on the beat. It is vital that we treat these cases seriously. There is a serious underlying threat of violence if would-be shoplifters are approached. Shop and retail workers need the assurance that when they call the police, they will come out and take the incident—including any threat that came with it—seriously. I particularly understand that threat in rural areas. A shop owner might decide to close down, leading to the end of what might be the last shop for miles around. It is imperative that we do something about this, particularly in rural areas. Will the Minister meet representatives of USDAW to discuss how the Government can empower workers to speak out and report incidents of abuse? I want the measures introduced by the Government to successfully tackle retail crime. They have the potential to transform the lives not only of shop workers, but of every person in a customer-facing role. I say that because, should the Government’s legislation be successful, it must be implemented across all sectors. As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on customer service, I work closely with the Institute of Customer Service. The team there have campaigned tirelessly against the abuse of all frontline workers through their “Service with Respect” campaign.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  I agree with my hon. Friend. One of my first jobs was working on a fruit and veg concession in Kwik Save. Kwik Save is no longer on the high street, but I still remember the scourge of shoplifting there, and the fear of approaching would-be shoplifters owing to the threat of violence. Very often these are low-level crimes. We write them off as nothing, but they can lead to larger problems in society. We need to crack down on that, and I hope the Government will give some indication on that today. I will try to develop that point as my speech goes on.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  Again, I pay tribute to the Co-operative party, USDAW, the British Retail Consortium, the Institute of Customer Service and all the others who have worked so tirelessly and diligently to keep this issue on the political radar. The work they are doing is really important. I also pay tribute to everybody who spoke in this debate, including the Front-Bench spokespeople for the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, the hon. Members for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) and for Weald of Kent (Katie Lam). It has been proved again that even though we may disagree about our methods, we all ultimately want the same thing: for people to go about their work in a safe manner and enjoy their jobs like they used to. I also pay tribute to the Minister. I knew I would end up saying this, but the Minister really gets this issue, and I was encouraged by her comments. In particular, I am pleased that she has agreed to meet USDAW—I know she has already met it and the RMT. I know that the Crime and Policing Act is relatively new, as it passed only this year, and we have to see how it works out. I genuinely hope that it is successful, and I think it will be, but for legislation to be successful, it has to be properly enforced. I hope that will continue to happen across the country with various police forces. I obviously understand that the Minister has to see how the law pans out, but I am pleased that she has committed to looking again, at some point in the future, at bank staff and transport workers, who are also being abused on a daily basis. I thank everybody who took part in this worthwhile debate. It has been harrowing in parts to listen to some of the examples. We have quoted an awful lot of statistics in this debate—we do in this place generally—but behind those statistics are families sending somebody out to work who will unfortunately be in the line of danger. I am hopeful that, with this legislation, we can bring about the change that is desperately needed. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the matter of tackling abuse against people in customer-facing roles.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of tackling abuse against people in customer-facing roles. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I declare an interest as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on customer service. I am proud to speak on this issue as a Co-operative party Member of Parliament. For many years, the Co-operative party has been at the forefront of tackling abuse against retail workers. It has worked closely on the issue with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers. I had hoped to see a member of the union in the Public Gallery, but they have not yet made it. The sector is encumbered by appalling levels of aggression, harassment and violence. The British Retail Consortium estimates that 1,600 such incidents take place across the UK every day; 118 of those involve physical violence, and 36 involve a weapon. Sadly, many employees have had an experience—ranging from being followed home at night to being knocked unconscious by a shopping basket—that made them fear for their life. Those facing such violence are ordinary hard-working people, often with families they are supporting at home. They deserve kindness, respect and the guarantee that they will return home safely from work. In the light of the overwhelming pressure, the Government have begun to take steps to address the issue. The response has been fronted by the introduction of a stand-alone offence of assaulting a retail worker, established by the Crime and Policing Act 2026. Those found guilty of the new offence can be sent to prison for up to six months, receive an unlimited fine and be barred from entering certain shops. Alongside that measure, the Government are rolling out facial recognition technology in public spaces and using tags to carefully track the movements of serial offenders. Those policies have been warmly welcomed by campaigners, who believe they will curb the rising violence and bring attention to retail crime. The voices of our 3 million retail workers are finally being heard, after too many years of being ignored. We cannot, however, expect those voices to fall silent any time soon. They now call on the Government to ensure that the measures introduced by the Crime and Policing Act are successful. Therefore, I ask the Minister to explain how success will be measured. What criteria will her Department use to evaluate the policy and determine whether it adequately protects retail workers? I am also keen to hear how the Minister interprets the BRC’s latest findings, which record a 20% decline in incidents of retail violence and abuse in the past year. To what extent does she believe that Government policy has contributed to that decline? Or does she believe it has come about due to heavy investment by retailers, improved staff training and closer collaboration with enforcement officials? In addition, the police must make effective use of the stand-alone offence in order to reprimand criminals and deter would-be perpetrators. That will require a stronger police presence on high streets and at retail parks and shopping centres, as well as the continuing prioritisation of retail crime. I would be grateful if the Minister could explain how the Government are supporting police forces across the country to achieve that. What challenges may be posed as the policing framework evolves in the next two years?

• 17 Jun 2026 · Abuse of Customer-facing Workers · Hansard source

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  I will develop that argument further, but there is nothing more depressing than seeing a sign saying, “Abuse of staff will not be tolerated,” and we seem to see them everywhere now. That was not a sign we saw before. I think things have changed since lockdown. People seem angrier and more aggressive, but by shouting at people in these types of roles, particularly at GP surgeries, they are just stopping vital medical care getting to people who are ill and may need to be transferred to hospital. It has to stop.

• 15 Jun 2026 · Brain Cancer · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Barker. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones) for bringing up the case of my constituent, Owain James, whose wife is here in the Public Gallery looking upon us. I will be quick—I would love to talk more about Owain’s case, but my hon. Friend has done that quite eloquently. There should be no more cases like Owain’s. He was 34 years of age. There was an opportunity to save him. If we had frozen his tumour properly, there might have been an opportunity for more vaccines. Ellie and I recently met the Minister, who was helpful, to talk about freezers that freeze to minus 80°; I understand that NHS England is looking into that issue, and the Minister said that a mapping programme would take place. I wonder whether that mapping will take place, and how it will progress in the future. Further to that, the most important thing is updated guidance. The guidance should not compromise diagnosis, which must always come first; but once the tissue needed for diagnosis has been secured, services should be encouraged to maximise the amount of sustainable brain tumour tissue that is fresh-frozen and stored. Will the Minister confirm whether NHS England will issue or update guidance to relevant neuropathology units on fresh-freezing suitable brain tumour tissue, so that patients do not lose future options that might be valuable? Will the Minister also look at surgical consent protocols? One thing that came over from Ellie’s story is that Owain was not sure of the options available to him. Informed consent needs to be given, and it needs to be the consent of the patient. Will the Minister also look into that? On a personal point, I wonder whether, on those changes being put in place, they could be designated “Owain’s law”. That would be a tribute to Ellie, to her campaigning and above all to the daughter Owain left behind. I know the Minister is compassionate and caring—she was involved in this campaign since long before she was appointed Minister—and I know she will bring good news today.

• 18 Mar 2026 · Freedom of Religion or Belief in China · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for St Helens South and Whiston (Ms Rimmer) for securing the debate. This is not the first time that either of us have spoken on this topic in this place. I also pay tribute to the Father of the House for his speech. I hope that Pope Leo heeds his call and follows the example of his predecessor, John Paul II, in standing up to communism around the world. I am delighted to see present the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), who has previously spoken passionately about the Uyghur Muslims in China. I am disappointed that he came in late, because I was looking forward to hearing his remarks. I hope you can fit him in at some point, Ms Jardine. On 12 October 2020, as a member of the Petitions Committee I led a debate on China’s policy on its Uyghur population. The petition we debated asked the Government at the time to impose sanctions on China over its treatment of Uyghur Muslims, and had nearly 150,000 signatures. Many Members spoke of how Uyghur Muslims, a Turkic ethnic group native to Xinjiang, China, had been subject to mass detention, surveillance, forced labour and many other human rights abuses. It is a tragedy that, six years later, nothing has changed, and the Uyghurs still face unimaginable horrors. Just 1.8% of China’s population is Muslim; however, the Chinese Government are making it almost impossible to practice Islam freely, thanks to strict, unlawful restrictions. Under the guise of preventing religious extremism, they target any form of expression of Islam, even if it is practised behind closed doors in someone’s home. According to the House of Commons Library, over 1 million Uyghurs have been forced into re-education camps since 2017. These re-education camps are nothing of the sort. According to the BBC and other news sources, in these camps women were sexually assaulted, Muslims were forced to eat pork and detainees were subject to all forms of abuse. Simultaneously, in Xinjiang mosques were destroyed, halal food was hard to find and fasting during was Ramadan not allowed, making it impossible for Uyghurs to freely practice their religion and beliefs. China views any practice associated with Islam as extremism. The Chinese Communist party wants to completely erase the Uyghur population, their culture and their way of life. The BBC has also revealed that women have experienced forced sterilisation, forced abortion, rape, assault and separation from their children and families. The Council on Foreign Relations claims that children have been sent to boarding schools without parental consent. The injustices that women and children face are nothing short of horrifying. As a democratic Government, we must continue to speak up for women and girls’ rights around the world, just as we have been doing here in the United Kingdom. I think the same now as I thought in 2020, when I sat on the Opposition Benches. We as a country cannot be silent about China’s actions. They are not only a clear restriction on the ability to freely practice beliefs, but a threat to the existence of an entire group of people. It is nothing short of truly sickening. The so-called re-education camps may have largely been abandoned since 2023 because the Chinese Communist party has adopted new methods, but freely practising Islam is still forbidden and punished. The methods of eradication have changed; the aim has not. The changes indicate not an easing of China’s policy, but an erasure of Uyghur culture, which has been dismantled, attacked and stamped out for years. The formal justice system is now being used to imprison people for reasons such as attending mosque services, sending texts containing verses from the Quran or contacting people from any of the 26 countries that China considers sensitive. Their crime, in China’s eyes, is simply having been born a Muslim. Just last week, the Telegraph carried a story about a new shared identity law in China. The law, which my hon. Friend the Member for St Helens South and Whiston has touched on, was introduced to further assimilate Uyghurs by requiring pre-school children to learn Mandarin and giving Chinese characters priority over the scripts of minority languages. The Chinese Government also changed the name of 630 Uyghur villages. The end goal is the erosion of the cultural practices and rights of minority groups. I am sure that I speak for everyone in this room when I say that I am especially appalled by reports of organ harvesting. It is horrific, repulsive and inhumane. It has no place in the 21st century. There are truly no words to describe the operation that the Chinese Communist party has been running. China’s actions are affecting Uyghurs not only in China, but worldwide. The Thai Government deported 48 Uyghurs in February 2025, despite that Government’s incorporation of an international legal principle that bans countries from returning people to a place where they face the risk of persecution. China’s influence is evidently spreading: Beijing has pressured other Governments to repatriate Uyghurs who have fled China. China denies to Uyghur Muslims communication with the rest of the world. That is why it is up to democratic Governments who believe in the rule of law to speak up with one voice and condemn the actions of the Chinese Communist party. Equally, we cannot stand by and let China’s influence spread. People should feel safe to freely practise their religious beliefs, and we must continue to acknowledge the human rights abuses that China has been committing for years. Human rights abuses should be called out, whoever commits them. We should not be afraid to stand up to them and speak out when we see or hear about them. Given how difficult it is to hear from Uyghurs in China, the Government must listen to those around the world and their experiences. They provide a rare opportunity for us to hear about the brutality of their treatment. We must give them a voice and, more importantly, listen and respond to what they are saying. I therefore ask the Minister: in what ways are the Government communicating with Uyghurs around the world? I urge the Minister to continue making use of advocacy groups such as Stop Uyghur Genocide and the Muslim Association of Britain to truly listen to the horrific experience of Uyghur Muslims and understand how our Government can support them. The freedom of religion or belief strategy, which was published in July 2025, highlights China as a focus country. Can the Minister give more details on how the strategy has helped those who face religious persecution in China, specifically Uyghurs, and on whether there are any new updates or changes to the way the strategy works? Does the Minister have any plans to introduce stronger sanctions, given that China is not improving its treatment of Uyghur Muslims? Our Government cannot refuse to impose harsher sanctions or pose harder questions because economic questions are at stake. When an entire religious group’s existence is threatened, we must stand alongside them. Not only is that in line with the Labour Government’s values, but it should be in line with humanity. I would also like to know what the Government are doing specifically to support Uyghur women and children around the world. They, in particular, have been silenced and have faced gender-based violence. It is vital that we create new, different and tailored ways to give them a voice and support within the freedom of religion or belief strategy. I do not want to be standing here in six years’ time with the same things happening: more abuse and more erosion of human rights. I do not want to be standing here with a Government who are afraid to stand up to China because they see it as economically powerful. I want something done, and I want it done now. It does not matter whether someone is Christian, Muslim or whatever religion they subscribe to. We are all humans, and we should stand up for the human race.

• 11 Mar 2026 · UK-based Tech Companies · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts—and I genuinely hope you have some good news about Sheffield Wednesday in the next few days.

• 11 Mar 2026 · UK-based Tech Companies · Hansard source

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  I stand corrected, Mr Betts—I was in meetings all morning, so I have not seen the sports news yet. For constituencies like mine, which were dependent on heavy industry, the development of high technology offers new growth opportunities that we can harness in our valley communities once again. I want to focus my comments on a company called Academii. Academii helps organisations improve their workplace training by replacing one-size-fits-all learning with streamlined content, smart delivery and measurable outcomes. It is used by major employers in the energy and utility sectors, as well as by the NHS, community health boards and international clients. Earlier this year, the business secured £700,000 of investment from the Welsh Labour Government to further develop its platform and expand its workforce. Academii is a powerful example of what a talented team of entrepreneurs and technicians can achieve when united behind a cutting-edge idea. I firmly believe that this spirit can be fostered in our universities, which can become the powerhouse of technological change across south Wales. Clusters in university campuses can form the basis of spin-out companies, which, under the umbrella of a higher educational institution, take groundbreaking research and transform it into a market-ready product or service. Spin-outs are widely recognised for their highly effective, lucrative and sustainable business models. Their success is driven by their dynamic and entrepreneurial culture, which involves faster decision making, greater flexibility and a higher appetite for risk taking.

• 11 Mar 2026 · UK-based Tech Companies · Hansard source

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  I am always happy to take interventions, but my hon. Friend seems to have written my speech for me, because I will develop that argument as I go along. I note he is from Leeds—Leeds pinch all of Sheffield Wednesday’s best managers, do they not, Mr Betts? Spin-outs offer postgraduate students the sought-after opportunity to work in a start-up, allowing them to develop skills and experience outside of academia. At a time when many graduates are struggling to navigate the job market, spin-out companies can be a fantastic place to start their career. Places like Wales, Northern Ireland and the north-east have traditionally been reliant on public sector work and have a lack of entrepreneurship, but spin-out companies can remedy those problems. Young people can found these companies, and young people can work in them. Their success boosts employment, the economy and investment in higher education. In 2024 alone, spin-outs channelled a record £3.35 billion of investment into university research. Such investment not only benefits the economy but ensures that promising technologies are not abandoned due to lack of funding. While much of this funding is awarded to spin-outs in the golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London, Swansea University has bucked the trend. It has emerged as one of the UK’s leading academic institutions for generating spin-out companies, having established 58 spin-outs since 2011. Swansea’s recent successes include Ail Arian, a business that recovers silver from printed electronics, and Corryn Biotechnologies, which has designed wound dressing that mimics the natural healing process of the skin. Celtic Vascular Ltd is another Welsh spin-out that deserves recognition for its groundbreaking work. Its team of researchers has pioneered AI-driven software that detects coronary heart disease with 92% accuracy. I am proud that Welsh universities are leading the way in generating spin-out companies and inspiring others outside the golden triangle to do the same. However, the Government must do more to support spin-out companies. The biggest challenge that academics face when spinning out is finding the financial support to bridge the initial gap from the lab to the market. The UK Government recognised that challenge in their 2024 autumn Budget, in which £40 million was allocated to early-stage spin-out companies. Although that funding is welcome, it falls short of what is needed. For context, £40 million is approximately the cost of bringing just two drug-discovery programmes from inception to their first in-human clinical trials. Yet for a share of the Government’s first £9 million tranche in 2025, UK Research and Innovation was overwhelmed with more than 2,750 expressions of interest. There is a huge gap in funding at the point when researchers want to bring their discoveries out of the lab. UK-based investors largely avoid scale-up investments, unwilling to take risks on products that have not yet been prototyped or introduced to the market. The grants awarded by Innovate UK are simply unreliable. They reached a peak of £150 million in 2023, but the funding for spin-outs fell by 44.5% in 2024 to £83.3 million. That reflects a shift in the Government’s wider investment strategy: the allocation of research and innovation grants is becoming more targeted and selective. Early-stage spin-out companies have directly lost out to this new strategy. In January 2026, Innovate UK paused its smart grants programme, which was designed to bring original, high-impact innovations to the marketplace. In its place, a new growth catalyst programme has opened, targeted at spin-outs that are ready to scale. Grants for the scheme must be aligned with private investment, which means that eligible companies are expected to be market-ready. It has been said that a “valley of death” has subsequently emerged between the lab and the market, which many potentially game-changing innovations fail to span. To avoid that, as my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) said, they are forced to rely on the US for capital. In return, the facilities and workforce are based across the Atlantic. Ministers have a duty to turn the tide on this issue. With better UK-based support, this country’s technology, healthcare and life sciences sectors, let alone the economy, would be emboldened and much richer. I therefore ask the Minister whether the Government will provide more financial support for projects in pre-investment phases of development, beyond the £40 million set aside in the 2024 autumn Budget. Will they allow the British Business Bank to play a key role in providing that support, given its recent expansion and its position at the heart of the Government’s growth agenda? I do not need to tell the Minister, who is a fellow Welsh MP, that Wales is home to a wealth of talent, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. I want to see this nation thrive, but that will happen only if the Government provide the support and investment needed to unlock its full potential. I call on them to do just that, before other states around the world do it for us.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Armed Conflict: Children · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman speaks from experience, himself knowing conflict, and he knows that Belfast is now a vibrant European city, with education on the rise. Can he give some advice on what can be done to address the matter of children who grew up in that conflict and how they have adapted to modern life?

• 4 Feb 2026 · Armed Conflict: Children · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Sarah Smith) on securing such an important debate. The effects of war on children are devastating, as often seen in the media, but we must look beyond what we see. We see humanitarian disasters; we do not see the recruitment of child soldiers beforehand, the mental trauma and the loss of education. What we do see we must take seriously, as it reflects a sad reality that many children live in. That should never be overlooked. That is why the Government must invest in conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies. We need to address the root causes that make children vulnerable, such as poverty and lack of support within the community. We need to lead the way in preventing humanitarian crises. The UK humanitarian framework is committed to doing that, but I ask the Minister whether the Government are introducing or considering any new strategies. We need to act early and take precautionary and preventive measures. There needs to be investment in the way that children can report grave violations, and the stigma associated with them must be addressed. I ask the Minister to liaise with other leaders in the UK and internationally on how that can be done. In developing these strategies, we must find a way to give children a voice to express what they need, for they are very often the silent victims. I therefore ask the Minister: how are the Government giving children a voice in a safe, supported way, and will they liaise with charities such as Save the Children, which has conducted a vast amount of research on this topic and how to improve this? The UK, as a member of the UN Security Council, donated £450,000 to UNICEF’s monitoring and reporting mechanism in 2025. Do the Government intend to increase that donation, given that, in 2024, less than 2% of global security funds went towards peacebuilding and peacekeeping? That is a small sum compared with the weapons of war that are produced every day. The way to combat issues such as displacement, child soldier recruitment and denial of humanitarian aid is not to decrease spending on peacebuilding. Only recently, The Independent stated that nearly 23 million additional deaths are expected by 2030 as a result of cuts in overseas aid. Many of those will be children. They will be denied a future. What could they provide if they were allowed to live, and not live in these warzones? That is the tragedy of these cases. There needs to be more long-term investment to minimise the life-changing effects on children living in armed conflict. Just because war ends, it does not mean that the effects do. Children are left with mental trauma, with a lack of support, infrastructure and community, and, tragically, a lost education. We need to use our leadership and diplomacy to find new ways to protect children. The grave violations against them are rising, and it is imperative that our framework keeps up with that. This is not a political question; it is a moral one, and we should not be found wanting.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Ajax Programme · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. It would be easy to blame the last Conservative Government for the operational difficulties burdening the Ministry of Defence, General Dynamics and the British Army from the outset of the Ajax programme, but I could not do that with the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) sitting in front of me. He was often a critic when he sat on the Government Benches, and I have lost count of the number of times he said that heads should roll at Abbey Wood—it is a shame nobody listened to him at the time. When we stood here three years ago, 37 of 39 projects were marked as either red or amber by the National Audit Office. That is unacceptable. Criticisms of the Ajax project included realistic targets not being set for the vehicle’s bespoke capability, and its complex requirements being largely ignored. As we have heard, whistleblowers were not listened to, resulting in the Ajax demonstration and manufacturing phases overlapping, which posed acute technical safety risks. Progress reports were also often vague or overly optimistic, as we experienced in November. Ministers were assured that Ajax had achieved initial operating capability and was prepared for the Salisbury exercise. We have to ask why that was the case. A gross overestimation put the health of 30 soldiers at risk, and that is the nub of the problem. This is not simply economics; as the Minister knows, when we send someone into theatres with obsolete equipment, we are putting their lives at risk. If they lose their life, it is their family we have to be accountable to. That is what we have to remember. It is not about the defence companies or the equipment; it is about the soldier we are sending into theatre, and we should never lose sight of that. We also have to look at the cultural issue at the MOD, which the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford constantly spoke about. Between 2011 and 2023, the Ministry of Defence welcomed five project managers, and each served for approximately two to three years. The job was unsustainable due to the complexity and breadth of its portfolio, which did not allow for effective oversight. I will now turn to the Morpheus project, which was unfortunately delivered by General Dynamics land division. It was intended to supply the computing system for Ajax, but the system fell short of its requirements, even though the same company developed it. Ajax was expected to be the Army’s first set of vehicles based on one fully digitised platform, which was to include advanced sensors and enhanced communication systems, allowing vehicles to gather and immediately share information with other units. In stark contrast, Morpheus incurred significant costs and a delay of three years, during which time Ajax’s ability to exchange information was severely limited. The platform had the potential to significantly improve the British Army’s digital capabilities, and this country could have been a world leader in that sector. Its failure was nothing short of unacceptable. There is no doubt that the MOD has been and is a uniquely failing Department. In opposition, Labour called for the MOD to be the first Department subject to the new Office for Value for Money, with a commitment to commission the NAO to conduct an across-the-board survey of the MOD’s wants and needs.

• 7 Jan 2026 · Advanced Brain Cancer: Tissue Freezing · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady is absolutely right. We have to remember that a cancer diagnosis affects not just the person, but their family and loved ones. A lot of people have to leave work to care for those people, and they have to deal with the emotional impact too. Her economic point is absolutely right. The wider point is that we lead the world in life sciences. If we did what I am suggesting, we could be a world leader in brain cancer care and we could save lives too, so it is a win-win for everybody. As the hon. Lady said, the change is cost effective. It is estimated that it would cost £250,000 to £400,000 to ensure that all NHS trusts have the necessary capacity and capabilities for flash freezing. Every brain cancer patient should be able to access the latest treatment and research and the most accurate genome-sequencing techniques. In Owain’s case, there was enough freezer space, so storing his tissue in paraffin was a conscious decision not made out of necessity. That is why attitudes and established guidance protocols within the NHS about brain tissue freezing need to change. It should not be the norm to store removed brain tissue in something that makes it unusable for further research or treatment. I hope the Minister will commit to establishing national standards so that every suitable brain tumour sample is routinely frozen. A brain tumour can happen to anyone. It could affect us or any of our loved ones. This change needs to happen now to save lives in the future. It needs to happen for people such as Owain who are no longer with us, for people who are currently unwell with brain cancer and for people who will unfortunately become ill in the future. This Labour Government have a real opportunity to enact meaningful, positive and feasible change. We must seize that, especially if it is achievable and affordable. As I said earlier, we lead the world in life sciences, and brain cancer care is something that we can proudly be world leaders in. The national cancer plan, which will be published next month, must address the storage of brain tissue. Specifically, it must outline exactly how it will improve outcomes for patients with less survivable cancers. If we are serious about putting patients at the heart of cancer care, improving their awareness of the storage of their own tissue is one of the simplest places to start. The way that treatment is allocated is deeply unfair. The postcode lottery of cancer treatment must end. It is wrong that a person’s ability to access cancer treatment is dependent on where they live: 40% of people with cancer in the UK have struggled to access treatment or care because of where they live. That is ineffective, unfair and discriminatory. Those are not the values that a Labour Government should uphold. For the cost of a few hundred thousand pounds, we could eliminate the postcode lottery that affects brain cancer patients. We need to ensure that all types of treatment, including experimental ones involving freezers and vaccines, can succeed in all areas, not only some. That exceptionally small investment could have a lifesaving impact. It is not only treatment that is affected by current protocol, but research. Owain’s tissue was no longer suitable for research because it was stored in paraffin. It is also incredibly difficult for a person to have control over their own tissue post extraction. The confusion about who technically owns it makes it challenging for people such as Ellie to retrieve the remaining tissue for further testing or research. We need to stop putting unnecessary barriers in place. We are making things harder than they need to be, and these practices have a direct impact on people’s everyday lives. It is just as alarming that all this is done without informed consent from the patient or their families. The importance of the storage method for brain tissue cannot be overstated when someone’s life relies upon it. Brain cancer patients and their families should have an absolute right to be consulted on and to give informed consent on how their tumour is stored. While we have the opportunity to make these changes in the national cancer plan for England, we must do so. It is a small, affordable change that could have a huge impact and improve cancer treatment nationwide. This issue was debated in the Welsh Senedd in July, and I wonder if the Minister could liaise with the Welsh Government about introducing a similar plan. I understand that the Minister there said he was not minded to introduce legislation. Could she raise this topic with him in bilateral meetings at some point? I was also hoping to get a commitment from the Minister today to meet me and my constituent Ellie, so that Ellie can explain in detail her husband Owain’s experience and we can discuss how to prevent the same thing happening to current and future patients. In matters of great importance like this, patients must be aware of what is happening to their tissue during treatment and afterwards. Families should be able to access their tissue if needed for future testing and research. I urge the Minister to think of real people like Owain, Ellie and their young daughter, whose lives could be so different now if patients were consulted, if the tissue was stored differently and if there were more medical freezers. I would specifically like to know the Government’s plans regarding brain tissue freezing, given the impact it would have on diagnostics, treatment and research. Do the Government plan to invest in freezer capacity, and do they intend to make flash freezing the norm? While brain tumours will continue to happen to people like Owain or anyone in this room, diagnostics, treatment and research can get better. The Government can lead the way and begin to change the attitudes and practices surrounding brain tissue freezing—in fact, we must do so. I do not wish to hear another story like Owain and Ellie’s, which is absolutely tragic, and I want Ellie’s campaign to succeed; it can and must. The most devastating thing is that Owain’s outcomes could have been different if the established guidance protocol had been different. Perhaps if these things had happened, Owain could have been sitting with Ellie in the Public Gallery today.

• 7 Jan 2026 · Advanced Brain Cancer: Tissue Freezing · Hansard source

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  In a debate where tears were shed, it was good to hear the Minister’s positive reply. I look forward to meeting with her and Ellie to discuss Owain’s case further. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) for her work on this issue. From a position of great grief, she has tried to bring about something good. I think that we can all endorse what she has been trying to do in her campaigns. I am pleased that the Minister has committed to meeting with the devolved Administrations, because if one thing came out of this debate, it is that cancer is no respecter of age, where we live or boundaries. It affects everybody and we need a national effort to deal with it. I am pleased with the Minister’s response; I thought it was very positive. I look forward to working with her and all other hon. Members to provide the hope that we so desperately need in cases like these. Question put and agreed to. Resolved , That this House has considered patient access to tissue freezing for advanced brain cancer treatment, diagnostics and research.

• 7 Jan 2026 · Advanced Brain Cancer: Tissue Freezing · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered patient access to tissue freezing for advanced brain cancer treatment, diagnostics and research. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western—you look remarkably like the man I had breakfast with 45 minutes ago. I am pleased that this topic is getting the attention it deserves, and I am grateful to open this important debate, especially ahead of Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week, which begins on 13 January. I must confess I knew relatively little about the effects of brain cancer until I met my constituent, Ellie James. Ellie has travelled from Wales today and is in the Gallery. I admire how tirelessly she has campaigned in memory of her late husband, Owain, who has brought us all here today. Owain passed away from glioblastoma, the most common type of malignant brain tumour in adults, in June 2024. He was just 34 years of age. Since then Ellie has been campaigning for what she calls Owain’s law to be implemented in this country. Owain was young, fit and healthy, and he had his whole life ahead of him. He leaves behind a family, including a young daughter. Owain’s story highlights the importance of informed consent from patients and their families regarding treatment and the storage of their brain tissue. Owain was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September 2022. Half of Owain’s 14 cm tumour was surgically removed, but only 1 cm of the removed tissue was stored fresh or flash frozen. The 1 cm was used to treat Owain with a form of immunotherapy treatment that requires the patient’s frozen tissue. Owain received three rounds of the vaccine before the frozen tissue ran out, at which point further surgery was not considered possible. The remaining 6 cm of tissue was stored in paraffin, making it unsuitable for additional vaccines. Owain died a few months later, despite his cancer showing signs of regression during the treatment. If all the removed tissue had been fresh frozen, around 30 vaccines could have been created. If Owain and his family had been more informed about the practices surrounding brain tissue freezing and storage, and if the hospital had chosen the flash-freezing method for all the removed tissue instead of keeping it in paraffin, Owain could still be with us. His story is truly devastating, but what most stood out to me was that there was a real, achievable potential to extend, if not save, his life. The amount of grief that Ellie and Owain’s family face must be tremendous and unimaginable. However, out of grief great change can take place, and I pay tribute to Ellie for her determination to turn her unimaginable grief into something positive that can help others. There is currently no consistent national guidance or sufficient infrastructure to ensure that brain tumour tissue removed during surgery can be stored in the fresh frozen state required for advanced therapies such as immunotherapy and cancer research. It is fundamentally wrong that Owain and his family learned of the small proportion of tissue initially frozen only once the vaccines ran out. I am sure they are not the only people that that will have happened to. For every patient diagnosed with a less survivable cancer, the average one-year survival rate is 42%. That is compared with a one-year survival rate of 70% for all cancers. Those statistics need to improve. There are procedures surrounding brain tissue freezing that can be changed, which would have an undeniably positive impact on survival rates. There are already groups doing research and drawing attention to what can be done to improve outcomes for people with cancer, such as the all-party parliamentary group on the less survivable cancers. There are also charities such as Cancer Research UK and Macmillan that conduct valuable research and support cancer patients and their families. Again, I pay tribute to them. There are, however, specific recommendations that I would like to mention, which link specifically to Owain and many others who face similar situations. The NHS needs an appropriate number of medical freezers to store fresh frozen tissue. In many cases, there is not enough freezer space to facilitate this type of brain tissue freezing. That must change. That long-term investment would save lives.