David Burton-Sampson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 25 Jun 2026 · Draft Conversion Practices Bill · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on bringing forward the draft Bill and on all her work on it. Having grown up as a gay person in the early ’90s, I know what it is like to feel as if you are not normal and do not belong. There are some parties, particularly Reform UK, whose Members are not in their places, and seemingly, from the words of the shadow Minister, the Tories, who would take us back to the days of section 28. Does the Minister agree with me that alongside this draft Bill that prevents the evil practice of conversion therapy, we must also protect the freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community to be their authentic selves in our society?

• 4 Jun 2026 · Pride Month · Hansard source

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  May I start by saying what an honour it is to speak in this debate and in other similar diversity, equality and inclusion debates? I love the fact that across this House, so many Members come together to support the right cause. It is quite obvious that there is one party whose Members are never here for these debates, and it is the party that says it wants to be in government: the Reform UK party. They cannot be bothered to turn up to express their opinions on these vital debates, and I think that that is absolutely shocking. It is a little bitter-sweet that I am here today, and I will explain what I mean if you will allow me, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was not meant to be here today. Alongside a number of my colleagues, I was meant to be at the Royal Navy airbase in Yeovilton, but as we all know, a Merlin helicopter crashed yesterday and, sadly, three members of the Royal Navy were killed. For those of us, including my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Tim Roca), who have met these amazing people in recent months and seen their dedication, skill, commitment and teamwork and the camaraderie between them, this is devastating, and we know that they will be feeling absolutely awful and broken. On behalf of the Members of this House and the other place who should have been there today, I send our thoughts to the family, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives in the line of duty for this country. Let me turn to the debate today and the very important time that we stand in for the LGBTQ+ community. “What comes after Pride?” Those were the words on a flyer that was posted through my door when I was a councillor in Basildon, with the rainbow flag on the front of it. I thought, “That’s interesting—what’s this?” On the back, it told me that I should repent. I should not be who I was; I should repent. I should convert myself back to being somebody I was not. These flyers did not just come to my house; they went out right across Basildon, where I was a councillor. I got angry, as I am sure many in this House would on receiving such a direct attack on them and their community, especially after the years of discrimination that many of us who are maybe slightly older have gone through in our lives—

• 4 Jun 2026 · Pride Month · Hansard source

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  That is a real shame. I say to the Leader of the Opposition and anybody else who is concerned about this: do not be concerned, fly the flag and be proud of everybody in the community. It is a real shame and the Conservatives need to consider whether they are doing the right thing by ordering councils not to fly that flag. Now that Reform UK has taken over Essex county council, it has even sent out an order to Essex libraries not to allow LGBTQ+ and Pride events to take place in those libraries. What is next? Are we going to go back to section 28? I hope not. I remember section 28, because I was at school during that time, and what a horrendous time it was for me as a young gay man. I was not able to see a visible representation of somebody who I knew, deep down inside, was me. For many years, I therefore thought I was wrong. I thought that the way I felt—the fact that I fancied men, or boys at the time; I was only young—was wrong, and I really struggled with that. I and many young LGBT people during the ’80s and ’90s felt guilt because we could not see that representation, and we were being told that we were wrong. It took many, many years to overcome that. I will never forget going to my first nightclub. Many of the nightclubs outside of London were either in boarded-up buildings or down in basements, so that people could not see what was happening inside and we were hidden away. Men dancing with men or women dancing with women—disgusting! That is how it was. For me, it felt like we were being hidden away, but we fought against that, and we are now out there and proud. We have fought hard for this, and I am not willing to go backwards. We are at a turning point, especially with our trans community, who tell me that they feel unsafe, unwanted and like they do not belong. We are talking about 0.5% of our population here, but the way that the rhetoric is going at the moment, you would think they make up half of our population. Whatever our views on the code of practice, on the back of the Supreme Court ruling, we have a trans community who are scared. We have human beings who live in this country who are currently scared, and we cannot allow that to continue. The last time that Labour was in government, we created a tolerant country, and as a Labour Government we aim to do the same thing this time. We cannot go backwards on much of the work that we did. I know that this Government are committed to doing the right thing for the LGBTQ+ community, and the Minister outlined some of that to us earlier, so I am pleased to see that the draft conversion practices Bill will come forward soon. I do believe that the Minister will bring it forward soon, and I look forward to seeing that happen. On improvements to trans healthcare, we have heard about the work that my amazing friend the hon. Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) brought forward alongside many of us to tackle hate crime and make such behaviour an aggravated offence, alongside other hate crimes, so work is going on. Somebody reminded me a few days ago of a Martin Niemöller poem, and it really struck a chord with me. I want to share it with the House today: “They came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me”. I am glad that we have people to speak for us, such as our wonderful ally, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen), and many others across this place. Let me go back to the flyer. What comes after Pride? We are a long way from answering that question at the moment—much further away than I would like us to be at this point in time. For now, I commit publicly to my community: I am here for you, I will keep fighting for you, and I will keep speaking out for you. We must stand together against those who are trying to divide us and sow division. In this great country, we all belong in our communities, no matter who we love or how we identify. Like so many others, I have been made to feel that I do not belong in my lifetime. I have been unable to walk along the street holding my husband’s hand. We have been the victims of a homophobic hate crime at our house. I am not going to go back to those times— I am not willing to go back to those times—and I know many across this House will stand with me on that. As a former Pride organiser and a chair of trustees today, I thank all the amazing Pride organisers across the country who do so much hard work for their communities, often voluntarily and in their own time. I especially thank my local Pride, Southend Pride, and the Pride I founded, Basildon Pride. You all work so hard, because you believe in the cause you are fighting for; you believe in supporting your community and pushing forward to make things better. Do not stop, do not give up, and thank you.

• 4 Jun 2026 · Pride Month · Hansard source

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  Well, I was born in the ’70s! But I stopped getting angry. I thought, “Let’s turn this into something positive.” I brought together a group of people, and we formed Basildon Mini Pride. In two weeks, we arranged a march through the centre of Basildon town centre to the one local LGBTQ+ nightspot, where we had an afternoon of celebration, and we saw the support there was for us in that community. There is a lot more support than there is hatred. Off the back of that, Basildon Pride was born. I helped to build that into what I am proud to say is a brilliant organisation that operates throughout the year, supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Basildon today. While I might have moved on to Southend, I have remained chair of trustees of Basildon Pride, because it is my baby, and I want to make sure that it continues to thrive and that our amazing volunteers continue to be supported. Why? Because, as we have heard today, Pride is more important than ever. We have all heard about ILGA-Europe’s rainbow map, showing us consistently sliding from the top place in 2015 down to 22nd place this year. I do not know how others across this place feel, but for me, that is devastating. I have worked hard on the rights of LGBTQ+ people, but I have only made a small contribution. There are many people across this country who, over many years, fought the discrimination we have faced as a community to get us to the great place where we could have civil partnerships, get married and adopt—rights that we did not have—and where hate against us was actually seen as a hate crime. We earned those rights. I stand on the shoulders of giants who fought for those rights before I came along, so it hurts me to see where we are today. What also hurts me is the rhetoric that we hear across this country today—rhetoric that is driving wedges into our communities, and trying to drive wedges into the LGBTQ+ community. That is not acceptable. Much of that rhetoric comes from Reform UK. I am going to call that party out today, because some of its behaviour in our community is simply unacceptable. Many buildings will fly the progress pride flag for Pride Month. Last year, Reform UK started threatening law suits against councils that were flying the progress flag. It said that legislation meant that only the rainbow flag, with the six colours, and not the progress pride flag, which includes the triangle that represents the whole LGBTQ+ community, could be flown. Many people have accepted that the progress flag is the flag that we now fly. That flag means so much to so many: when they see it in their community for one day, one week or one month during Pride, they see that we are behind them and we support them. Reform UK was threatening law suits and councils were having to take that flag down because of a minor difference in the guidance that said that they could fly only the rainbow flag. A group of us are challenging that and working with Ministers at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to try to have the guidance changed. But for goodness’ sake, what does it matter to Reform UK? This is a flag flying that does not harm Reform but shows people in our society that they are included and part of that society. This rhetoric has to stop. We have seen Reform UK going further in councils that it controls, as has already been mentioned, by taking the rainbow flag down and not allowing it to be flown during Pride Month or at any time. Reform- led councils are even taking the Ukrainian flags down, even though a majority of us in this House are behind supporting people in Ukraine and we show that symbolically by flying that flag across many of our buildings.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his statement, and for the work that the Government are doing to protect the Jewish community. My thoughts are with all those who have been victims of these attacks, and of antisemitism and hate crime. In my constituency of Southend West and Leigh, we have quite a significant and diverse Jewish community—Orthodox, Reform and Haredi. They are scared and concerned, and my concern after meeting some of those communities over recent weeks is that some do not know how to access the support available to them. Could my hon. Friend give them some advice?

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Under the former Conservative leader of Southend city council, who is now the leader of the Reform group, £4 million was budgeted for road and pothole resurfacing works, even though highways engineers had estimated that £6 million was needed just to keep them in the poor condition they were in. I am therefore delighted that the now Labour-led council has increased that funding to £13 million over the past two years, with the help of the Government’s pothole fund, and has put in a full programme of resurfacing works. Does the Leader of the House agree that the council team should be congratulated on getting Southend’s roads and pavements back on track?

• 25 Mar 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  In my constituency, we have a cohesive and diverse community, with a significant Jewish population, a thriving Muslim community and many others from various different backgrounds all living together and supporting each other. I was therefore appalled to learn of the arson attack against the Jewish community in Golders Green this week, and was deeply concerned by the outrageous comments of the shadow Justice Secretary, the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy), last week about the community iftar in Trafalgar Square, which were seemingly supported by the Leader of the Opposition. Will the Prime Minister assure me and my worried constituents that he and his Government will do all they can to stamp out hate and hate speech in our communities?

• 19 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Southend recently held its second City Day to celebrate and recognise us officially becoming a city following the tragic murder of Sir David Amess. This year the celebration stretched right across the city, including to Leigh-on-Sea in my constituency—a town filled with heritage and culture, and which I am backing to become UK town of culture 2028. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Councillors Matt Dent and Daniel Cowan, and the whole team at the city council, on their excellent work in delivering another brilliant City Day?

• 2 Mar 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  I thank the Prime Minister for his measured response so far. I have spoken to former constituents and friends who are British expats in the UAE. While they feel confident that the local Government there are doing all that they can to protect them, for clarity, will they too be considered for evacuation by the FCDO should it become necessary?

• 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.

• 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.

• 20 Nov 2025 · International Men’s Day · Hansard source

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  Madam Deputy Speaker, you may or may not have noticed the unusual growth appearing between my nose and top lip. Yes, it is Movember, and for the first time I have had the opportunity to prove to everyone that I can grow facial hair—if that is what you can call it. My Mo is becoming the subject of much contention, with many suggesting that this premiere of what I now affectionately call Bob should remain after 30 November, while I am gaining a growing respect for those whose sensible opinion is that Bob needs the chop—and that is exactly what will happen. Movember is one of many great organisations focusing on men’s health, including improving men’s mental health. I am growing this Mo to highlight a plight that many of us will have been touched by: not just poor mental health but male suicide. As I have said in this place before, I have been personally impacted by male suicide, having lost a good friend a year ago last week. A year on, I know that for me and all those who were part of his life the initial shock may have gone but the sense of loss and pain still lingers, as do the endless questions of “What if?”—for no one more so than my friend’s husband. We often forget that suicide has a profound effect on those left behind, especially partners. Suicide survivors, as they are known, will often go on to develop depression or post-traumatic stress disorder and need psychiatric care. Most worryingly, people bereaved by suicide are 65% more likely to take their own life than somebody bereaved by a natural loss. The story of my friend is sadly a story that is repeated time and again. The stats around male suicide are simply shocking. Three in every four suicides are male, and it is the leading cause of death among young men aged 20 to 34, with the highest rates of suicide among men aged 40 to 54. Many of these men have been in contact with either their GP or other primary care services prior to their death, but men account for only 33% of referrals to NHS talking therapy, which does not match with the fact that 75% of deaths by suicide are men. What is leading to this? It is often thought that men just do not talk about their feelings, similarly to how they ignore signs of ill health, and that much of this is because of cultural norms around masculinity that cannot be broken for fear of appearing weak—but is that really the case? As I have just said, many men will reach out to primary care; an estimated 43% of men aged 40 to 54 who die by suicide saw their GP in the three months before their death. What men often do not do is talk about their feelings in environments where they are likely to get more peer support from their community. Some amazing work is being done in this space by organisations such as Movember, Men’s Shed and Andy’s Man Club.

• 2 Sept 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman has just listed a load of things that the Tories did with devolution. He cannot deny that the reason we need devolution and local government reorganisation is because his Government significantly underfunded local government, which is now on its knees. We therefore have to take action to get local government back in a good place, and devolution and local government reform is one of those actions.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

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  It is not lost on me that I have huge shoes to fill in this place, as I stand here representing the constituency that was Sir David Amess’s. I send my thoughts to his wife Lady Julia and all the family, and I hope that we can find a way to give them the answers that they need. This is my second year of contributing to the Sir David Amess summer Adjournment debate, and the last year has gone so quickly, but the passage of time has not eroded the memory of Sir David Amess. Many Members on both sides of the House, and many people in my constituency, will never forget him. He is very much missed. In my constituency, Tony Martin, who runs the Chalkwell lifeguards station, set up a temporary memorial to Sir David, with lots of pictures from his life and his time in Parliament. It was a fantastic temporary display, and I am delighted that over the last couple of months I have been able to work with Lady Julia and some of Sir David’s team to put in place a permanent display on the wall of the lifeguards station. I thank everybody who has been involved in that project. Of course, one of Sir David’s legacies is that his death led to Southend becoming a city. Every city needs a cathedral, and I have been trying to get one, but it is proving difficult, because Chelmsford has one and there can only be one per diocese. However, I am working with the Bishop of Bradwell to see what we can do about giving special recognition to the historic St Mary’s church, where Sir David had his Southend funeral. I hope that we can get this over the line and that I will get the support of the Church Commissioners in making it happen. I want quickly to recognise the charity Trust Links, based in my constituency, which turned 25 years old a couple of week ago. Its chief executive officer Matt King and its founder Cheryl Higgins have done absolutely fantastic work in transforming a derelict plot of land in Westcliff into an outstanding project, which tackles loneliness and social isolation through a range of different activities. The staff there work on mental health as well—it is a true example of what the Government want to do in moving from hospital to the community. We have been struck by two tragedies in Southend over the last couple of weeks. I want to recognise the death of seven-year-old Leonna Ruka, who was killed by a falling tree in Chalkwell park on 28 June. I send my sympathy to her family. On Sunday 13 July, we had the plane crash at Southend airport; again, I send my thoughts to the families of the four people who were killed. I sincerely thank the emergency services, Southend-on-Sea city council and its leader Councillor Daniel Cowan, the airport staff and the airport’s CEO, Jude Winstanley, for everything they have done on both of these tragedies over the last couple of weeks. Most importantly, I thank the amazing Southend community, who have come out, laid flowers and paid tributes to the family. It has been absolutely heartbreaking to see what has happened over the last couple of weeks. This is the end of my first year as an MP, and it has been an absolute privilege and honour to serve the people of Southend West and Leigh. We have achieved a lot, and there is plenty more to come. I am looking forward to it, and I wish all Members in this House a very happy and pleasant summer recess.