Gareth Snell MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 24 Jun 2026 · Antisemitism · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Minister’s comment that no Jewish person should have to change what they wear or how they go about their life, but she will know that this is exactly what is happening in this country, not least because antisemitism is perpetrated online by vile hate-mongers who seem to think that attacking Jewish people is fair game. What action is the Minister taking to ensure that those people online who pump out antisemitism and anti-Jewish hatred are brought to book very quickly?

• 22 Jun 2026 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests: I am a governor at two educational institutions, and I chair the all-party parliamentary group on sixth form education. My question is on access to the apprenticeship register, because in Stoke-on-Trent, great companies such as the Spark Group are struggling to get the registration they want in order to grow their offer to young people. They are limited by the £100,000 de minimis for subcontracting, but they have young people who want to take on the apprenticeships they are offering. Will the Minister set out what this Government might do to change that, and will he agree to meet me and the Spark Group so that we can look at ways it can give young people the opportunities they want?

• 22 Jun 2026 · UK Politics: Pro-Israel Influence · Hansard source

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  Thank you for calling me to speak, Mrs Harris. I congratulate the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) on his opening speech. As my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones) said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with engaging in deep scrutiny of the things that may or may not influence our politics, but it should not just be focused on Israel. China, Iran, Russia and Belarus are all bad-faith actors that seek to change the way we do things in this country, yet there often seems to be very little attention given to them. That worries me, for two reasons. For those who do not know, my wife is Jewish. I am not “declaring” that, because it is not something that I need to declare, but it is relevant for the purpose of this conversation. She is a British Jew, a British citizen. She had the audacity in a previous life to stand for election and get elected, and she was a much better MP than I ever will be. [Hon. Members: “Hear, Hear.”] [ Laughter. ] To fund that election campaign, my wife took a donation from a British citizen who happened to be Jewish. What happened? Her name appeared on a list propagated by the Green party’s deputy leader, Mothin Ali—it continues to be propagated to this day, by the way—which talks about politicians being “bought and sold for Israel.” My wife was not alone on that list. There are also members of the current Cabinet, members of the shadow Cabinet and Members of the House of Lords—individuals whose only contribution has been to try to make a difference in society. They are British citizens being funded by British citizens. The only difference is that the British citizens offering those donations are Jewish. Unfortunately, that is where debates such as this one lead to in society. When someone expresses a pro-Israel position, one starts to ask, “Why do you think that? Are you Jewish? What is your opinion on Israel?” before a conversation with them about anything else can start. It drives debate to a place where we are sceptical of people who are Jewish, because they might have some tenuous link to a country far away. What does that do? That stops Jewish people wanting to participate in any form of public life. I know that to be true, because other Jewish people tell me that, and I have seen it in conversations around my dinner table. I was in a synagogue in Manchester on the day that the Heaton Park synagogue was attacked. I saw British citizens who were scared—scared because of the pervasive narrative that has been allowed in this country that because Israel is a Jewish state, Jewish people are rightful targets for attack and scrutiny disproportionate to the impact that they have on society. Although I welcome any debates that allow us genuinely to scrutinise the impact that foreign Governments have on this country, the fact that we are yet again spending all our time talking about just one—the only Jewish state—says more about the petitioner than about the people here to debate it.

• 22 Jun 2026 · UK Politics: Pro-Israel Influence · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman made a big claim about “pro-Israel donors”; could he clarify what he actually meant by that? Does he have a particular definition about what that actually means—who those donors were and the purpose for which he believes that money was given?

• 22 Jun 2026 · UK Politics: Pro-Israel Influence · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

• 16 Jun 2026 · Russian Oil Sales · Hansard source

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  The Minister will be aware that the sanctioned oil and gas that is sold by Russia to Turkey and China is often used by companies in those countries to manufacture products, including ceramics. Those products are then dumped into the UK, distorting our domestic manufacturing base. That is a secondary impact of the profits coming from that sanctioned material. What evidence is the Department sharing with the Department for Business and Trade so that it can put in place the trade remedies necessary to protect our domestic manufacturing from the impacts of this illegal trading?

• 3 Jun 2026 · General Strike Centenary Commemorations · Hansard source

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  I just want to add to that list the 19,000 members of the National Society of Pottery Workers, which now forms part of the GMB, who, even when the strike ended, still found their jobs at risk because the supply of coal was not available to power the kilns. The local community came together at the time to form solidarity and support committees to ensure that the workers’ families were fed while alternative sources of coal were being found. I think the Minister would agree that that is a testament to the strength and power of the solidarity of the labour movement when it comes to supporting not just the workers but the families of those workers as well.

• 21 May 2026 · Middle East: Economic Response · Hansard source

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  I declare an interest as chair of the all-party group on ceramics. I thank the Chancellor for today’s announcement, and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton North (Chris McDonald) for their support. This is a big step towards support for a sector that offers so much to this country. I thank Sharon Yates and Finbar Bowie from the GMB, as well as Rob Flello and Hannah Ault from Ceramics UK, for their leadership in this matter. May I extract from the Chancellor a commitment that this is the next stage of a new partnership between the UK Government and UK ceramics? Today’s announcement will absolutely help us survive, but with more working together, we can thrive as a sector and do our bit to boost exports, boost growth and create well-paid, unionised jobs in this country.

• 27 Apr 2026 · Ernest Bevin · Hansard source

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  Just nine days before Mr Churchill invited Ernie Bevin to become the Minister for Labour in his Government, Mr Bevin was stood in Hanley town hall in my constituency giving a public rally address on the importance of the working class towards the war effort, and it is believed that the coverage of that speech in The Times two days later is what caught Churchill’s eye and encouraged Mr Churchill to invite him into his Government, which is a testimony to the power of oratory that sometimes we miss in today’s debates—although obviously not this one—and also that, wherever we look, there is a Stoke-on-Trent connection to most parts of our social history.

• 27 Apr 2026 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  As someone who was a parish councillor in a previous life and now represents a seat that has no parish level of governance whatsoever, I wonder whether the Minister sees a role for arbitration over where there is conflict between what that local mechanism might look like—for instance, where a residents association encroaches on another set of streets that might be considered another part of a residents association. Where do the Government see their role in facilitating resolution so that those powerful local bodies can exist in a way that is representative, fair and equal?

• 27 Apr 2026 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  I will be brief. I completely understand the principle that the Minister is outlining of not wanting to force areas to have something that they do not want. She talks about consent, but what does that actually look like? In some areas, the board will have one or two intransigent members who will not allow progress—they could hold up a majority view that is in favour of a combined authority. What is the Government’s role, if they are removing their ability to tell parts of the community that they do not have the right to hold up something that a majority of local component units want?

• 27 Apr 2026 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  In Stoke-on-Trent, we are outside a mayoral combined authority, but have oodles of old industrial brownfield. We are itching to get our hands on it, but we do not have those compulsory purchase powers that sit with Homes England. Once the strategic combined authorities are up and running, how soon will we be able to use those powers to purchase that land, so that we can build the houses that the Minister talks about?

• 27 Apr 2026 · Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill · Hansard source

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  I want to be clear in my own mind. Opposition Members seem to think that they have extracted from the Government a commitment that social media for under-16s will be banned as a result of the amendment. The wording does not say that— [Interruption.] Let me finish— [Interruption.] Honestly, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am asking a question to the Minister, not the Opposition. Can she clarify that point, so that what I have heard from the Opposition is confirmed by the Government?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement Strategy · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Leigh Ingham), my Staffordshire neighbour, on securing this urgent question. The Government are taking the right steps towards this procurement strategy, but there is a lot more that could be done if they wanted to truly buy British, back British and build British. That could start with the Government Car Service. The Minister will know from the answers that he has sent to my written parliamentary questions that one third of the Government Car Service uses foreign cars, and that police services in this country use foreign-made cars. He will know that we import bricks to build houses that are paid for by Homes England, which is funded by taxpayers. Will he look at the easy wins that he can make by looking at how the Government are a consumer of products? He could reorientate that spend towards British companies this week.

• 20 Apr 2026 · Antisemitic Attacks · Hansard source

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  To follow the point of the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith), too many aspects of antisemitism are being normalised in this country. That does not start with attacks on places of worship or on clearly Jewish buildings; it starts with the words and actions of individuals who seek to demonise Jewish people in day-to-day language. It starts with the deputy leader of the Green party publishing a list of British Jews and calling them part of the Israeli lobby, or putting out a list of British-Jewish donors and saying they are part of the Israeli lobby. It starts with the soft approach of demonising a small group of people because of their faith, as my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (David Taylor) said. What action is being taken across Government, not to deal with the instances after the event, but to tackle the root cause—that scourge of virulent racism—that is being normalised by too many people who ought to know better?

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

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  On 28 April, it will be Staffordshire Day across the Houses of Parliament. There will be a marketplace in the Jubilee Room from 12 pm till 2 pm, and there will be Staffordshire oatcakes in the Tea Room for breakfast. Could I, through a question to the Leader of the House, invite the whole House to come and sample some of the delicacies of what I think is the greatest county—after Lancashire, of course, Mr Speaker—in the country? On a serious note, would he consider holding a debate in Government time on the importance of county identities? Given local government reorganisation, county identities are important, as is how we bolster them as we look to the future with our new councils.

• 16 Apr 2026 · British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme · Hansard source

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  Let us start with the positives. I am glad that there is now some form of recognition that there is an industrial energy crisis, and that the Secretary of State has brought forward something that helps some sectors. The bad news for the sector that I and many colleagues in the Chamber represent is that the ceramics sector is not included. There is nothing for tableware or giftware, nothing for ceramic tiles, clay pipes or clay tiles, and nothing for bricks. We have a Government with an objective of building 1.5 million homes, but there is no support for bricks in the scheme, which means that we will have to import bricks from Pakistan, on diesel-chugging super-tankers—bricks made by indentured labour in coal-fired kilns. We will not make them in Walsall, north Staffordshire or your constituency, Madam Deputy Speaker. The same applies for sanitaryware. This sector has seen exports of half a billion pounds, employs 20,000 people directly across the supply chain, and puts £1 billion back into the UK economy. We have spoken to the Chancellor, to the Secretary of State’s predecessor, to the Energy Secretary, to Ministers across all Departments, and to the Treasury. They promised us help in the Budget, in the industrial strategy, in another Budget, and in the autumn statement. Then we were told, “Wait for BICS.” I suspect that the line from the Secretary of State will be, “The sector is gas-intensive, so wait for the supercharger scheme.” Frankly, that is not good enough. Factories will close and jobs will be lost as a result of this announcement. Bluntly and directly, may I ask the Secretary of State how many job losses and factory closures it will take, and how many brick kilns need to be mothballed, before the Government step in and do something for the ceramics sector? Is it now the Government’s policy objective to oversee the end of UK ceramics production?

• 14 Apr 2026 · Draft Energy Prices Act 2022 (Extension of Time Limit) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  It is within the powers that are being extended by today’s SI. The Minister rightly talks about the SI’s impact on the power of the Secretary of State to vary domestic bills, but the Act is quite comprehensive. What is being extended today by the SI is a suite of powers that are available to the Secretary of State to undertake significant market intervention on a range of fronts in the next six months—it is covered by the SI that is before us—to make life easier for businesses, manufacturers and heavy industries in my constituency and, I would wager, in yours, Ms Vaz. I know you have brick manufacturers who face the same industrial energy crisis— [ Interruption. ] As does the shadow Minister in his constituency. Given the powers that are being granted to the Secretary of State under this SI, companies around the country could be given help and support. I therefore ask the Minister, once he has granted the Secretary of State additional powers through the SI before us, will he go back to his Department and come up with a scheme, a plan and a package of support for those non-domestic users of gas and electricity that are not covered by the industry supercharger scheme that will come into place well before the British industrial competitiveness scheme is floated, and allow some breathing space for those manufacturers who, frankly, are the lifeblood of the economy in so many constituencies and who, in places like Stoke-on-Trent, employ thousands of people?

• 14 Apr 2026 · Draft Energy Prices Act 2022 (Extension of Time Limit) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  That is a nice introduction, Ms Vaz, and it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I have no issue in principle with the regulations, which extend the powers of the Secretary of State. The issue I want to raise, given this opportunity, is the other aspects of the Energy Price Act 2022 on industrial energy, which are also extended by virtue of extending the timescale for the legislation. The Minister will know that I have been persistent in trying to seek a meeting with him, which I have not been able to secure. On the last attempt we were told that his diary was too busy for a meeting. I thought, therefore, that I would come along and detain the Committee for 20 minutes this morning for a meeting that we could have had privately in the Department. I apologise to other members of the Committee. The Minister will know that section 9 of the Energy Prices Act allows for the reduction of energy charges for non-domestic customers in Great Britain. That is industrial energy which keeps the lights on in factories, and allows us to make things, build things and do things. It is the life source of British manufacturing. The Minister will also be acutely aware that too many businesses in this country, especially those in foundational sectors, are unable currently to meet the cost of their gas and electricity because of the price of industrial energy. For reference, two weeks ago the price of gas was 140p per therm. It is currently trading at between 113p and 115p per therm. To put that into context, in 2020, before the various shocks and energy crises, it was 47p per therm. Gas-intensive manufacturers are today paying roughly—including other costs that are part of the measures the Minister mentioned—three times what they were paying. We cannot make glass, bricks, cement, paper, steel or—crucially for me—ceramics without a credible and affordable supply of industrial gas. There are also challenges with electricity pricing. I am sure that the Minister will respond to what I am saying by talking about the supercharger scheme, and will note the excellent extension of the scheme from a 60% reduction to a 90% reduction, but that covers only 500 of the most energy-intensive industries in the country; 5,000 others could be included, but unfortunately are not, so while we are seeing an increase in support for some of the industry, it is very narrow and does not support most of the manufacturing in this country. I am sure the Minister will also reach into his big bag of tricks to talk about the British industrial competitiveness scheme, the consultation for which has only just gone out. That scheme was promised in last year’s Budget and will almost certainly not be in place until late 2027. The Minister wants to extend the powers under the Energy Prices Act using today’s statutory instrument, and I think that is a good thing, but I would ask him to do three things. The first is to think about what other parts of the Act he will use when he has extended those powers. When he has extended the powers of the Secretary of State until the end of this year, will he use the powers under section 9(1) by regulation to reduce charges for non-domestic energy supply? Will he use the powers that are extended under this SI to reduce the amount that would be otherwise charged for the GB non-domestic gas supply by licensed gas suppliers? The Minister could, if he wanted to, under section 13(3)(a), give financial assistance to non-domestic users of energy, whether it be gas or electricity, using powers that are in the Act that are being extended by today’s SI. Under section 13(2), “The Secretary of State may take such other steps as the Secretary of State considers appropriate in response to the energy crisis.” I think it is quite clear that we are in an energy crisis. We are facing enormously high energy costs, not just in our own homes but in the factories that employ thousands of people across this country in highly skilled, proud, working-class communities. Following today’s extension to the powers under the Energy Prices Act, the Government will have the power to meet the demands being made of them by various sectors—not just ceramics but glass, steel, bricks, cement, lime, paper; all the things that we need—to make an intervention as soon as the SI is passed. The Minister could go back to his Department and say, “We have the power, the political will and an interest in doing so; therefore we are going to make regulations.” He could say to the 4,500 businesses that are not covered by the industry supercharger scheme, “Here is a mechanism by which we can simply put you in that scheme.”

• 14 Apr 2026 · Draft Energy Prices Act 2022 (Extension of Time Limit) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  rose—

• 13 Apr 2026 · Southport Inquiry · Hansard source

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  As the Home Secretary will be aware, there are 28 Prevent priority areas across the country—there used to be 40, and Stoke-on-Trent was one of them until 2023, when the last Government changed the criteria. She will also know that for an area to become a Prevent priority area, the local authority normally has to demonstrate that it is a hotspot for either right-wing extremism or Islamist activity—or, in the chequered past of my own city, both. If Jonathan Hall’s legislative suggestions come into force and there is a new offence of non-ideologically based fixation with violence, how does the Home Secretary see that playing into the Prevent priority areas, given that the locality will be much more difficult to consider? Following the events of August 2024, when there were riots in Stoke-on-Trent, has she given any thought to whether any recommendations for where new funding should go to help deal with some of these issues should take account of the places where there was rioting at that time—particularly places, such as Stoke-on-Trent, that do not currently qualify for Prevent priority funding?

• 24 Mar 2026 · Oil and Gas · Hansard source

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  Very, very briefly.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Oil and Gas · Hansard source

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  Very briefly.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Oil and Gas · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. If we want to make fertiliser or other industrial gases in this country, we need natural gas to power those processes. There is no other way—the chemistry simply does not exist to create the gases we need without using natural gas. As such, although I absolutely support transitioning towards net zero and towards electricity, we have to recognise that great swathes of our industries simply cannot do so, and if they can, they do not have the capital to make the research and development investments that are necessary. We cannot yet fire a kiln with hydrogen in this country. We cannot get a stable supply of electricity to kilns in this country, not least because in the places where those factories are, such as Stoke-on-Trent, the grid capacity to do the hook-up simply does not exist and will not exist for generations to come. When we talk about the transition towards net zero and more electrical generation, what are we going to say to the places that cannot do it? When we say, “It’s all going to be done through renewable energy”, what message do we send to workers in Stoke-on-Trent and in Denby in Derbyshire whose sector simply cannot transition away from gas? I want there to be more renewable energy. I want that technology to exist, but it is not there yet, and every time we forget that, we are talking about writing off jobs and livelihoods in the places that need them most.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Oil and Gas · Hansard source

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  I accept the Minister’s point about having more home-grown energy, and renewables can be good for insulating ourselves from economic shocks, but he will know that great swathes of our industrial base are gas dependent, not least the ceramics industry. What message does he send to them? The current price per therm is twice what it was three weeks ago. Those business are renewing their contracts. This is going to kill industry in certain parts of our foundational sector that we need to meet our mission, so what is the Government’s message to those industries?