David Burton-Sampson MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 29 Jan 2026 · Ukraine: Non-recognition of Russian-occupied Territories · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Jeremy. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel) for securing the debate but, most importantly, for his significant commitment to the people of Ukraine and everything he does. It is great to see Members across the House continuing to be united on this issue. Jesse Jackson once said: “If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.” Ukraine has embodied that spirit from the first day of Russia’s illegal invasion. Today, Putin insists that any peace deal must involve Ukraine surrendering territory. His agreement to any draft peace deal can only proceed, he claims, if Kyiv gives up land. Ukraine is right to reject that. Conceding territory would not be peace; it would be capitulation. International law is unambiguous: territory cannot be acquired by force, and the international community has consistently refused to legitimise borders drawn through coercion. Along with our NATO partners, we maintain a firm policy of non-recognition of Russia’s illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Sevastopol, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The Kremlin may talk about peace, but its actions and continued demands show no willingness to retreat. Ukraine is not about to raise the white flag, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with her citizens. Putin refuses to acknowledge the strength of Ukraine’s fight—its ingenuity, sacrifice, bravery and unshakeable determination—but we refuse to ignore it. The Ukrainians’ resolve in defending what is right has been nothing short of extraordinary. Beyond politics and principles lies the human reality. In cities such as Mariupol, which has been occupied since 2022, citizens have lived through devastation, forced Russification and the dismantling of Ukrainian civic life. Residents describe it as “hell on earth”. Some 350,000 people fled; many are now refugees trying to build their lives away from home. As the right hon. Member for Maldon (Sir John Whittingdale) said, those who stayed faced unimaginable hardship. Some sheltered in the basements of bombed-out buildings, including 75-year-old Angela, who refused to leave the stray animals she cared for and is living in a damp, windowless, freezing apartment. Others, including Larisa, said the only way to survive was to accept Russian documents. Without a Russian passport, they cannot get medical care, employment or even keep their own home—all while living under constant surveillance. Up to 90% of Mariupol’s buildings were damaged or destroyed, and there is no credible evidence that there has been any meaningful change in the situation there. When I visited Ukraine last year, I saw the destruction at first hand: shattered buildings, disrupted communities and daily lives reshaped by war. What stood out more, though, was not the physical damage but the unbroken spirit of Ukrainians, whose resolve in the face of aggression is extraordinary, exceptional and enduring. They remain clear: they are Ukrainians, and they will remain Ukrainians. As we have heard, the forced transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied territories into Russia raises grave concerns. It is a huge, serious humanitarian violation, and those children must be returned. We must stand firm in demanding that. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter), who is no longer in her place, for her outstanding work in continuing to champion this issue, and I congratulate her on her award and recognition this week from President Zelensky. The road to restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity will be complex, but the foundations of international law are solid. Sovereignty cannot be overwritten by force, and despite the scale of suffering, there is some hope. The Ukrainians’ resilience, the unwavering support of allies and the strength of international law point to a future in which Ukraine’s territory is restored. We should continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainians until that day comes.

• 26 Jan 2026 · Armed Forces Bill · Hansard source

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  Like many Members across the House, I am on the armed forces parliamentary scheme, and I get to meet some incredible people through training, including people who are serving. They are totally committed and ready to serve this country when they may need to. Does my hon. Friend agree that this provision for decent housing is the least that we can do to thank them?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Sale of Fireworks · Hansard source

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  In my constituency, over 300 people have contacted me about this issue—100 just this year. I have also been aware of my own dog’s trauma over fireworks. However, there is another issue. What the hon. Gentleman is saying about reducing the decibel limit is the right way to go, but there is also the issue of safety. I witnessed the house opposite mine being set alight on new year’s eve as a result of its close proximity to fireworks; the people involved were made homeless for a time. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that we should also consider restricting the use of fireworks to public displays, rather than letting them be used in private residences?

• 12 Jan 2026 · Higher Education: Government Support · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Southend East and Rochford (Mr Alaba) for securing the debate. He knows that we both care passionately about this matter, especially given the impact that the closure of the Southend campus of Essex University will have on both our constituencies and our constituents. It is a great shame for the students of today and the students of tomorrow, and a great loss for the city. Let me begin by expressing my backing for my hon. Friend’s positive moves to support students who have expressed concerns to both of us in recent weeks. I understand and share those fears, which is why my hon. Friend and I, together with the leader of Southend city council, are pursuing the university’s leaders to create a workable plan at least to alleviate the worst effects of this deeply disappointing decision and find some resolution for the staff, the students and the city of Southend. I was so fortunate that my own university experiences told a very different story. It is said that education opens doors to worlds you never knew existed. I look around me now; when I started out as a child of a working-class single-parent family—the first to attend university—I could never have imagined standing here today. The opportunities afforded to me by attending university and completing my degree have helped to shape my career and make me the person I am, both personally and professionally. It might come as a surprise, when hon. Members look at the shrinking violet I am now, to learn that I trained as an actor; I took a degree in performing arts at the world-renowned Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The end of the acclaimed East 15 acting school in Southend, a casualty of this campus closure, is therefore a loss very close to my heart. I spoke to a course lecturer over the weekend who is devastated at the loss of this facility—not just the loss for her, as she will not be able to transfer to Colchester, but at the loss for the students, and for the city; it loses the Clifftown theatre, a much-loved cultural resource. Like the rest of my generation, I was lucky enough to get a grant for my degree. That experience changed my life. My degree gave me lifelong skills and abilities and expanded my horizons. The days of grants are sadly long gone, but the ambition should not be gone. That is why the closure of the Southend campus is a disaster. It denies the students of the future opportunities to train in their chosen area. Many of the courses are for key workers, including vitally needed nurses, dental technicians and midwives, who have trained at that campus in Southend for the past 18 years. Now, all that is to end, and local youngsters will have to go elsewhere to fulfil their dreams. If they do not have the means to do so, this could snuff out their ambition and deny their potential, with lifelong repercussions.

• 12 Jan 2026 · Higher Education: Government Support · Hansard source

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  I agree with my hon. Friend’s analysis. We have been left in this situation by the last Government, and this Government have the job of getting our universities back on to a good footing. I hope that they will do all they can to address her concerns. I have grave concerns about the impact that the closure will have on the skills pipeline and much-needed jobs in south Essex, in particular for future generations. If the facility is no longer in existence, how will we attract people to train in these vital subjects? Will the Minister give me an assurance that promotion of, and attraction to, vital skills courses elsewhere in Essex for young people in my constituency and the wider south Essex area will be considered, as well as ease of access, now that the Southend campus will no longer be there? The challenges that students in the middle of a course face are obvious and too numerous to expand on here; they range from the expense of commuting to the campus in Colchester, to being forced to abandon caring duties for their families. The future of this cohort is fundamentally at risk, and we are fighting hard to make sure that no one is forced to drop out. My hon. Friend the Member for Southend East and Rochford and I have heard terrible stories about students already quitting mid-course, despite being in deep debt. This must not happen. Can the Minister give me assurances that the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care will do all they can to ensure that no one is forced to abandon their course because of this closure? My hon. Friend has outlined the work that the Government are doing to bolster higher education after 14 years of Tory neglect. I am delighted to see that the Government will reintroduce targeted means-tested maintenance grants by the end of this Parliament for disadvantaged students on priority courses. These grants will provide financial support that does not need to be repaid, helping to remove barriers to opportunity and making sure that no one is left behind. I want to see opportunities retained locally for my constituents in Southend West and Leigh, so that even if the university campus is no longer with us, the crucible of the ideas that were forged there for so many futures is not lost.

• 5 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

• 5 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  In my constituency I have launched the We Love Westcliff campaign, which, as well as promoting greater civic pride, aims to drive down antisocial behaviour such as fly-tipping and drug dealing. What support will the new neighbourhood policing teams provide to help us to achieve that goal?