Ed Davey MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 14 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I thank the Prime Minister for that reply. It is a good first step, but we will still see people earning more in Amazon warehouses and supermarkets than in care homes, and that will mean our loved ones going without the care they need. Turning to the middle east, for more than 10 weeks Israeli forces have blocked food, water and medicine getting into Gaza. There is now a humanitarian catastrophe, with 2 million people at risk of famine and one in five facing starvation. Rather than ending this crisis, the Netanyahu Government are planning to seize all Gaza indefinitely. I know the Prime Minister will agree that the blockade of Gaza should end and I am sure he will agree that it would be appalling if Netanyahu proceeds with that escalation, but will he act now and pick up the phone to President Trump for a joint plan to recognise Palestine and get food, water and medicine into Gaza?

• 7 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  As we celebrate 80 years since Britain led our allies to victory over fascism, I pay tribute on behalf of the Liberal Democrats to all those who struggled and sacrificed so much for our freedoms today. I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks about the conflict in Kashmir and, with him, urge restraint and de-escalation on both sides. Among the messages that voters sent to Ministers last week, one stood out: bring back the winter fuel payment for millions of struggling pensioners. People will therefore be disappointed that the Prime Minister failed to do so today. He says that he wants to “go further and faster” to clean up the mess left by the Conservatives, but on social care, which is so crucial for our NHS, he is going slower and slower. Not only will the Casey commission take three years, we learned on Friday that the Government plan to take an extra seven years to implement it—it will not be implemented until 2036. Will the Prime Minister rip up that timetable, make sure that he does not repeat the mess made by the Conservatives, and get on with fixing social care this year?

• 7 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I am disappointed by that answer, and I will keep coming back to hold the Prime Minister to account. People also want a Government who will stand up for our country against Donald Trump. First, he came for our steelworkers and our car makers with his outrageous tariffs. Now, Donald Trump is coming for our world-leading British film industry. Will the Prime Minister work with our allies in Europe and the Commonwealth and make it clear to President Trump that if he picks a fight with James Bond, Bridget Jones and Paddington Bear, he will lose?

• 30 Apr 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I am very disappointed by that reply, and the lack of a yes or no response. We want a vote, and we will keep pressing the Prime Minister and his Government on that. Turning to a domestic issue, my hon. Friend the Member for Dorking and Horley (Chris Coghlan) has taken up the cause of Fiona Laskaris, whose autistic adult son Christopher was horrifically exploited and then murdered by a convicted criminal. As “ITV News” has reported, when Fiona tried to get a mental capacity assessment for her son, she was dismissed, so Christopher never got the support that might have saved his life. We are going to try to change the law so that families’ concerns over a loved one’s mental capacity have to be considered. Will the Prime Minister give his personal backing to that change, to prevent another tragedy like Christopher’s?

• 30 Apr 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  On behalf of my party, may I send our congratulations to Mark Carney and the Liberal party of Canada on their historic victory? We wish them well, as Canada continues to stand up strongly to President Trump’s tariffs and threats. Canada has learned what happens when a trade deal is done with President Trump; he cannot be trusted to stick with it. The Prime Minister did not answer my question last week, nor he did answer my hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) just now. Let me ask again. Will the Government give Members a vote on the Floor of the House on any deal he agrees with President Trump—yes or no?

• 23 Apr 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Unlike the Prime Minister, we had a funded programme at the election. I am disappointed with his reply—I hope he will actually visit some of these hospitals to see the urgent need for rebuilding. At Merton Mead farm in Oxfordshire last week, I saw world-class British beef farmers at work. Farmers want the Prime Minister to be careful in a trade deal with President Trump. They were let down by the Conservatives’ appalling trade deals and worry that a bad US deal could allow American agribusiness to undercut them with inferior meat. Will the Prime Minister guarantee a vote in this House on any trade deal that he agrees with the United States?

• 23 Apr 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I also wish the House and the country a happy St George’s day, and join the Prime Minister in paying tribute to the late Pope Francis. As a Christian, I found his compassion absolutely inspiring. My prayers are with Catholics in the UK and across the world, who will feel his loss particularly deeply. I have previously raised with the Prime Minister the issue of North Devon district hospital. The previous Government promised to rebuild it, as they did hospitals across the south-west, in places such as Torbay and Musgrove Park. Unfortunately, they broke that promise, leaving appalling conditions like sewage leaks and patients being treated in corridors. Will the Prime Minister reconsider his decision to delay further the construction of new hospitals, and ask his MPs to vote for our motion today for new hospitals?

• 12 Apr 2025 · Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill · Hansard source

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  We will scrutinise this Bill today, but we want to do so in a constructive fashion. Given the huge damage that President Trump’s tariffs have done to the British steel industry, accelerating this crisis, does the Secretary of State agree that any Member of this House who actively campaigned for President Trump’s election and cheered him on has behaved shamefully unpatriotically and should apologise to British steelworkers?

• 2 Apr 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I hope the Prime Minister is able to cut a deal, but I increasingly fear that the deal will not be good enough to avoid a global trade war. That is why one of the options must be to work with our European allies, our Commonwealth allies and others, because if we do not tackle Trump’s tariffs we could be saying goodbye to free trade for a generation. Turning to a domestic matter, three years ago the American private equity firm KKR bought a 25% stake in Northumbrian Water. Since then, people across the north-east have seen their water bills soar, while in the last year alone Northumbrian Water has dumped nearly 1 million tonnes of raw sewage into Durham’s Whitburn coast conservation area. KKR is now poised to buy into Thames Water, because Ministers have ruled out a special administration regime. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that Thames Water will not be allowed to repeat the same trick of putting up bills and dumping raw sewage at the same time? The Conservatives allowed it; he should not.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s earlier remarks, particularly about Myanmar and Thailand. I support the aid; despite the budget cuts, I hope we can be as generous as possible because of the humanitarian crisis there. The Prime Minister has shown commendable leadership over Ukraine, with his plan for a military coalition of the willing against Putin. Will he now provide similar leadership with an economic coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs and for free trade, so we can avoid a global trade war and a global recession?

• 26 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  The British drama “Adolescence” has shone a much-needed spotlight on the enormous damage being done by social media to the minds of many of our young people, especially teenage boys. We have argued that social media giants should be much more toughly regulated and pay more tax, so that we can defend our young people from this harm. We have had disturbing reports that the Government are considering scrapping the digital services tax and watering down Britain’s online safety legislation to appease President Trump and his co-president, Elon Musk. Will the Prime Minister categorically rule out both those things, and make it clear that he will guarantee that British laws on tax and social media will be written in this House, and not the White House?

• 26 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I am grateful for the Prime Minister’s reply on the social media laws, but he did not answer the point on the digital services tax. We will come back to that. Moving on, after President Trump’s national security adviser accidentally added a journalist to a group chat that was discussing military action in Yemen, and given all the concerns that we share about President Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin and JD Vance’s insulting disdain for Britain and our armed forces, will the Prime Minister order an urgent review into the security of the intelligence that we share with the United States?

• 19 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I think the whole House is disappointed by that reply. I hope that, ahead of the spring statement, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor will think about taking that money from the NHS, and reverse that. I would like to turn to the issue of illegal hare coursing. Criminal gangs are terrorising rural communities across our country, from Cambridgeshire to Devon, from Oxfordshire to Wiltshire. Men in balaclavas are threatening and abusing farmers, as these criminals tear across their fields in 4x4s. Farmers are warning that it is only a matter of time before someone is killed. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that we must act urgently against this appalling criminality? Will he back our calls for a comprehensive rural crime strategy, so that we not just stamp out hare coursing but keep our rural communities safe from all crime?

• 19 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks on Ukraine and Gaza. I also pay tribute to Group Captain John “Paddy” Hemingway and all our heroes from the battle of Britain. Members across the House will, like me, have heard from GPs, dentists, community pharmacists and care homes who are all deeply worried about the impact of the national insurance rise on the services they provide to patients. That is why the House of Lords passed a Liberal Democrat amendment to exempt NHS and care providers. That amendment comes before this House this afternoon, but we are hearing worrying reports that the Prime Minister will order Labour MPs to vote against it. Will the Prime Minister reassure the House and patients across the country that those reports are not true?

• 12 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I would like to begin by giving a shout-out for Young Carers Action Day, which is today, but I promise the House that I will not sing. The Prime Minister has rightly spoken about the need to get more people into work—he has repeated that today—so that people have more dignity, we can get the economy going, and we can cut the benefits bill after the disgraceful legacy left by the Conservatives. Does the Prime Minister recognise that the best way to help many disabled people into work is to support them properly, through more special equipment, training, better healthcare and so on? Will he also today calm anxieties that he himself has raised for many of us by saying that disability benefits for people who simply cannot work will not be cut?

• 12 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Turning to international issues, can I congratulate the Prime Minister on helping to secure the restoration of US military and intelligence support for Ukraine? Can I press him on progress to persuade President Trump against the damaging metal tariffs that are already hitting British industry? The Prime Minister knows that we on the Lib Dem Benches believe that we must be more robust with President Trump, like the Europeans and the Canadians. Will the Prime Minister fly out to Canada as soon as possible to show its new Prime Minister and the Canadian people that Britain stands with its Commonwealth allies against Trump’s threats and Trump’s tariffs?

• 5 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  The Prime Minister knows that we all support him in that effort, but may I take him back to President Trump’s reliability? Four British women have accused Andrew Tate of rape and human trafficking. British police have issued arrest warrants. The Tates have tried to escape justice, first to Romania and now to the United States. I am delighted that Florida has, thankfully, opened a criminal investigation. Does the Prime Minister agree that people who are wanted by British police for such appalling crimes should stand trial in our country? Given his assessment that President Trump really is a reliable ally, will his Government request an urgent extradition of the Tate brothers?

• 5 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Yesterday I visited Kingston’s Army Reserve centre and met members of the Royal Army Medical Service who had served bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s initial remarks. On Monday the Prime Minister rightly said that a minerals deal only was not a sufficient security guarantee for Ukraine. The Trump Administration has since said that a minerals deal is the only guarantee on the table, and President Trump has removed military aid from Ukraine and said that the British cannot share American intelligence with Kyiv. Both those decisions mean that more brave Ukrainians will die, while further emboldening Vladimir Putin. Will the Prime Minister tell the House whether he still believes that President Trump is a reliable ally? If Ukraine does not get a sufficient security guarantee from the White House, what is the Prime Minister’s plan B?

• 3 Mar 2025 · Ukraine · Hansard source

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  I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement. We were all horrified by Friday’s scenes in the Oval Office. President Trump’s attack on the brave and dignified President Zelensky left everyone shocked and appalled—except, it seems, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage). Nobody else watching those scenes could fail to understand that we have entered a new era—one in which the United States prefers to align itself with tyrants like Putin, rather than its democratic partners. On these Benches, we have supported the Prime Minister’s actions and leadership—Britain leading the world, as we have so many times in the past, bringing together Europe and Canada in London to work towards a just peace that guarantees Ukraine’s sovereignty and security—but we need to reduce our dependency on the United States. With deep regret, I fear that President Trump is not a reliable ally in respect of Russia. In that regard, did the Prime Minister discuss with our European allies our proposals for a new rearmament bank and for seizing the tens of billions of pounds-worth of Russian assets to support Ukraine? In his conversations with the Canadian Prime Minister, was he clear that we stand with our Commonwealth ally in the face of President Trump’s threats? Many of us were confused by Lord Mandelson’s comments yesterday, so can the Prime Minister confirm that they do not represent Government policy? Does he agree that the British ambassador should not be freelancing on American TV? The Prime Minister will have our support if the UK continues to lead with our European and Commonwealth allies for Ukraine’s defence and our collective security.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I hope the Prime Minister is successful in keeping the US on board with our European allies. I am glad that he is talking about finance and defence. If he were to push this European rearmament bank at the summit of European leaders on Sunday, I think that he would be pushing at an open door. Certainly, Prime Minister Tusk is supporting the idea from the Polish point of view. Let me turn now to domestic matters, with the cost of living crisis hitting so many of our constituents. Families in my constituency are really angry that Thames Water is sending them bills this April that will cost them £150 a year more. Thames Water has already let down so many people, whether it is through leaking pipes or pumping its filthy sewage into our rivers. A third of customers’ bills are already used just to pay the interest on Thames Water’s debt, and now the company will borrow £3 billion more. Is it not time to stop making people pay for bailing out the vulture funds that are drowning Thames Water in debt? Will his Government just put this firm out of its misery and put it into special administration, so that we can sort out that mess and the mess left by that lot on the Conservative Benches?

• 26 Feb 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  May I start by wishing the Prime Minister well on his trip to the White House? It will not be an easy meeting, but we are all behind him for the sake of our national interest. It is already clear that, sadly, under President Trump, we will not be able to rely on the United States to help ensure our security against Russian aggression, which is why we strongly welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to increase Britain’s defence spending. But Europe must do far more to rearm in the face of Putin’s threat and the UK must lead on that. That is why we back the idea of a new European rearmament bank, so that we can finance a big increase in manufacturing capacity without the need to cut Britain’s vital soft power. Will the Prime Minister look at this idea, work across this House and across Europe, so that we can make a European rearmament bank happen?

• 26 Feb 2025 · Future Skills Programmes: Universities · Hansard source

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  I have listened to the Minister’s speech. I was really impressed by all that she and her colleagues are doing, and I am delighted to know that she studied at Kingston University—she would be welcome back. I know that she is going to extend the invitation to her noble Friend, but could she also extend it to the Secretary of State? Part of the reason why Kingston University wants to partner, work and roll these programmes out with other universities is that it knows that there are a number of potential partners in the north and the north-east, which would be particularly pleasing to the Secretary of State.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Future Skills Programmes: Universities · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for future skills programmes at universities. It is really a pleasure to speak in your presence, Sir Desmond. I also thank the Minister, who knows that my aim in this debate is to give the Government a present—a present in the form of an idea that would revolutionise higher education, boost skills across our economy and be an engine of real growth. But it is more than that; it is an idea that could enhance the quality of life of millions of people, as it is also about social mobility and social justice—equality of opportunity in action. It is an idea that has already been fully and professionally researched, with thousands of businesses across the UK inputting into the completed research. This well researched idea has also been piloted and tested on real, live students. Moreover, it is an idea in its third year of practical roll-out. This is happening now, and it is being fully evaluated as it is put into action. It is a present that is, shall we say, oven ready.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Future Skills Programmes: Universities · Hansard source

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  I am very happy to have that sign of support from the Government Benches already; we are making progress. After the navigate and explore phases, the final stage of the future skills programme for third-year undergraduates is called apply. Students take stock of what they have learned with the nine skills, and refine and tailor their learning of future skills towards their careers. The apply stage of future skills is being piloted, tested and finalised with some students as we speak, with a full-year roll-out for all third-year Kingston students from September 2025. I hope that that quite long description of Kingston University’s future skills helps the Minister and others to see that it is a well-thought through, properly researched and piloted programme, and it is happening. There is lot that Ministers and their officials can come and see for themselves, so I repeat my invite. If what I have said so far has not convinced the Minister—I find that hard to believe—here is another major argument. Big UK and international businesses, brands and organisations are coming to Kingston University because they love future skills.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Future Skills Programmes: Universities · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He is a real champion for his university and the students there. My hon. Friend backs up my point that major businesses are loving the future skills programme at Kingston. The home-grown talent and skills are what employers actually need. I am talking about the likes of IBM, Adobe, Deloitte Digital, John Lewis, Formula 1, and Salutem Care and Education, to name but a few. Public sector managers are also coming to Kingston for the programme, from the NHS to the Met police and the Civil Aviation Authority. They are helping to shape the future skills curriculum, to innovate and to identify talent. I am sure that the Minister will be unsurprised at the excited interest in the AI element of future skills, where Kingston is linking digital competency with an understanding of the human aspects of exploiting AI—the added value of being a human, if you like. Another reason why I would like the Minister to visit soon is that the idea from Kingston University is already exciting interest from around the world. I fear that if someone in the Department for Education does not run with it now—frankly, this year—it will be yet another example of a great British innovation that is developed here but exploited elsewhere, because there has been interest from Korea and Singapore already. Education and political leaders in Korea and Singapore are engaging. Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, ranked 15th globally, is conducting research through its prestigious Centre for Cross Economy. It is speaking to thousands of businesses in the same way that Kingston University did in the UK, but Nanyang has far more resources and it is working at speed. But Kingston University is smart: it is partnering with Nanyang to explore international and business skills from perspectives in the east. With Korea and Singapore at the cutting edge of digital and AI innovation, the partnerships that Kingston is building have huge potential. That is just another aspect of the present I am bringing to the Government today. I should perhaps declare another constituency interest. Along with my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler), who is in his place, I represent more British Koreans than any other Member. As trade Minister between 2010 and 2012, I helped to push the EU-Korea free trade agreement, which had a major impact on international trade discussions at the time. If only we could resurrect such trade moments now. I would like to quote some students who have been living the future skills programme, and then I have a few more asks of the Minister. First, Abdurrahman, a computer science student, said: “Taking part in the Future Skills programme has helped me understand just how important and necessary these skills are for everyone to progress in their chosen career pathways. From simulating how to talk to employers in industry to prototyping a start-up company, it’s brought to life how to use these skills in an employment or business setting.” Paulina, a forensic psychology student, said: “Future Skills has been integrated so well into my different modules and all my different modules really highlight the importance of these skills. It has reignited the passion I came to university with, by enabling me to reflect on why I started my forensic psychology course and giving me a deeper insight into the career I want in the future.” Two Kingston University students, Amber and Rahman, are in the Public Gallery listening to the debate. They would be pleased and excited to talk to the Minister, or indeed other hon. Members, about their experience of the future skills programme after the debate. This is a full-on lobbying exercise. I will turn to my final asks of the Minister and Department. The main ask remains: please visit. Please engage soon. I invite the Minister to ask herself, “Is this a present? Is this an idea we can accept and get behind?” If she wants to get properly behind it, just a bit of cash would really help Kingston University to take it forward. So far, it has been funded by a combination of philanthropic support from the fabulous Mohn Westlake Foundation and the university itself. The Mohn Westlake Foundation has a commitment to making education accessible to the most disadvantaged students, and I put on record my thanks. I hope that is another reason why the Minister and the team at DFE will want to look at future skills at Kingston University: the role that it can play in social mobility, social justice and equal opportunity. I have some final suggestions for things that the Minister might consider when the team visits Kingston University—I hope she noticed the “when”. First, is there a way for the Government to help even more businesses to engage with Kingston University on future skills, perhaps by using the apprenticeship levy or the existing UK Research and Innovation budget? Secondly, will the Government help Kingston University as it continues to evaluate this approach and secure a long-term evidence base that can be shared with other higher education institutions? I am talking about something like a small research and development grant, which might cost as little as £500,000 over the next five years. Thirdly, will the Minister consider making a small innovation grant to enable a pilot expansion of the future skills programme into a secondary school or, indeed, another university? This approach could be taken down into secondary education, and it must surely be tried in other universities. Kingston has already identified potential partners in secondary and tertiary education, so deploying this idea elsewhere really will not cost much. It would be great to trial it with others. Fourthly, will the Minister request that the Office for Students fund some competitions to support others in higher education that might wish to consider developing and rolling out their own version of Kingston’s future skills? Finally, perhaps after a visit to Kingston University, which I know is going to happen, will the Minister and her team join me in the House of Commons on 18 June, when Kingston University will be launching its research with Nanyang to leading UK and international businesses, policymakers, academics and students? [ Interruption. ] That is 18 June—I see that the Minister is writing that down. I am sure that the Minister will see this idea as a very special present, and I want her to enjoy it with some amazing students and businesses. I thank you, Sir Desmond, and the Minister; I hope that she is as excited by the future skills programme as I am.