Gordon McKee MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 8 Jul 2026 · Rearmament and Warfighting Readiness · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Does he agree that embedding that culture of innovation and iteration in the MOD is critical to ensuring that we can move as quickly as possible?

• 7 Jul 2026 · Fraud Strategy 2026-29 · Hansard source

  More

  I will make my intervention very quick, Mrs Harris. Unfortunately, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government have not opted to join the Report Fraud scheme. That means that my constituents do not benefit from it. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that they should make progress in joining it?

• 2 Jul 2026 · Air Pollution · Hansard source

  More

  Will my hon. Friend give way?

• 2 Jul 2026 · Heart Disease and Stroke: Premature Deaths · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is making an important and passionate speech, especially in the light of the personal circumstances that he mentioned. I agree with him about deprivation. Does he agree that access to fresh, affordable food is incredibly important, particularly in the most deprived areas? In Castlemilk in my constituency, it is much easier to get a bottle of vodka than it is to get a banana. Does he agree that fixing that is part of the solution?

• 30 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  What work is the Department doing to learn from international best practice—for example, in Estonia—when it comes to using technology in the justice system to help deliver swifter justice for victims?

• 24 Jun 2026 · Elections: First Past the Post · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Lady is making a very passionate speech, and she is certainly right that we have to change our political culture, but I would slightly challenge her. We have a slightly more proportional system in Scotland, but it has not led to a different culture in the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government get elected on 30-odd per cent of the vote and pretend they speak for the entire nation, unilaterally. Does the hon. Lady agree that although proportional representation could be part of how we resolve the issue, a wider change in culture is required as well?

• 24 Jun 2026 · Elections: First Past the Post · Hansard source

  More

  Like my hon. Friend, I have constituents who use proportional representation to elect people to local government or the Scottish Parliament. Does he agree that we have to learn lessons from both the positive and the negative elements in those electoral systems?

• 24 Jun 2026 · Media Green Paper · Hansard source

  More

  I welcome this Green Paper, which is both timely and forward looking. The Government are right to respond to the fact that people get much of their news from social media nowadays. As more and more people turn to artificial intelligence chatbots for news and information, what work are the Government doing to ensure that trusted sources of information are given prominence?

• 24 Jun 2026 · Public Libraries: Bournemouth East · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend the Minister is being very generous with taking interventions. Does he agree that SNP-run Glasgow city council’s decision to cut school librarians was a mistake and has a detrimental impact on kids’ education?

• 23 Jun 2026 · Role of Big Tech in Society · Hansard source

  More

  I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on securing this very important debate. He is making an interesting speech. When we talk about big tech, we are primarily talking about companies based outside the UK—particularly in the United States. Does he agree that this argument is really about sovereignty and about how more of this technology can be developed and owned in the UK or across Europe?

• 23 Jun 2026 · Fly-tipping: Residential Areas · Hansard source

  More

  I feel honoured to intervene on the hon. Gentleman; it is often the other way around. Fly-tipping is a big issue in my constituency, as it is in his. There is frequent fly-tipping around the cemetery in Carmunnock, for example. Does he agree that part of the problem with tackling this is a lack of proper funding for local government? In Glasgow, for example, the Scottish Government have not properly funded Glasgow city council. Does he agree that tackling this requires resourcing for local government?

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

  More

  My hon. Friend is being extremely generous with his time, and he is making an important speech. At a supermarket in Muirend in my constituency, there is a strong connection between other criminal actions—particularly shoplifting—and abuse of staff and sometimes physical violence towards staff. Do you agree that the UK Government must work with the Scottish Government and the police to ensure that we take a co-ordinated approach to resolving all retail-related crime, because that often leads to abuse of shop workers?

• 17 Jun 2026 · Mental Health: Parity of Esteem · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is being very generous in giving way. I know that this is a topic she understands deeply and has campaigned on for many years. She is right to highlight the Milburn review. Does she agree that part of the response has to be developing a mental health support system that is preventive, not just reactive? We see that in child and adolescent mental health, particularly in Scotland, where there are enormous waitlists. We have to tackle those, but we also have to have a system—in education, for example—where we prevent people from reaching crisis, whether in childhood or when they become adults.

• 17 Jun 2026 · National Security (State Threats) Bill · Hansard source

  More

  The right hon. Gentleman is making an important point. As AI develops, the threshold for non-state actors to conduct cyber, physical and other attacks against our democracy is lowered further, and that is happening almost weekly. Does he agree that we need to move quickly on this legislation, and on the effective regulation of artificial intelligence?

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

  More

  My hon. Friend is being typically generous in taking interventions, and I congratulate him on securing a debate on such an important topic. Will he join me in recognising the tradition of the Red Clydesiders in Glasgow, who were a huge part of the trade union movement and its history in this country, and in particular Jimmy Maxton, whose nephew ended up becoming one of my predecessors as the Member of Parliament for what was then Glasgow Cathcart?

• 3 Jun 2026 · Youth Mental Health Support · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is making an important speech about the state of child and adolescent mental health support in England. I will just make the point about what is happening in Scotland, which is also very poor. In January to March this year, almost 40% of referrals to CAMHS support were rejected by the NHS in Scotland. I think that is ultimately a way of managing waiting lists so that they seem like they are meeting their target, even though young people are being failed. Does my hon. Friend agree that supporting young people in Scotland is critical, and will she join me in calling on the Scottish Government to get a grip of that?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Milburn Review: Interim Report · Hansard source

  More

  My generation and the generation after me have been systematically failed. The scale of the NEETs crisis is not because of young people but, as the Minister said, due to a widespread problem across education, health and the welfare system. May I take this opportunity to welcome the report, praise the work of the excellent jobcentre staff in Castlemilk in my constituency, and invite the Minister to come to a jobs fair for young people that we are hosting later this year?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Glasgow City Region Economy · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and an important contribution. We have seen in other UK cities the difference that city region mayors can make, whether in Manchester or in Liverpool and whether on bus franchising or attracting investment. Does he agree that one of the things Glasgow needs is greater devolution from Holyrood to our city to help to attract investment?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Glasgow City Region Economy · Hansard source

  More

  The Minister is making an excellent speech. In the conversations that she has had with the Scottish Government, have they ever articulated a reason and an argument for not devolving that power to Glasgow? That devolution is what my constituents want. We can see from cities such as Manchester and Liverpool that it would benefit our city.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Relationship between Social Security Scotland and the DWP · Hansard source

  More

  I congratulate the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) on raising a very important issue that our constituents face. Does the Minister agree that the prolonged confusion and delay in Social Security Scotland taking over the administration of devolved benefits from the DWP has contributed to a sense of confusion among people about who is responsible for providing the support that they receive?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Community Pharmacies · Hansard source

  More

  An excellent example of community pharmacies in England embracing innovation is their interaction with the NHS app. My constituents in Scotland do not have access to a similar app because the Scottish Government have not got on with fixing it. Will the Minister join me in calling on the Scottish Government to produce a proper equivalent NHS app, so that constituents in Scotland can benefit in the same way?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Preparedness for National Emergencies · Hansard source

  More

  I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who is being typically generous in taking interventions. Last week, the director of GCHQ spoke about Russian hybrid warfare against the UK and how pervasive it consistently is. That is understood by defence experts, but is perhaps not well enough understood by the general public. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is a duty on Government to educate people about the scale of Russian hybrid warfare against the UK, so that we are properly prepared?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Russia: Level of Threat · Hansard source

  More

  17. What assessment he has made of the level of threat from Russia.

• 1 Jun 2026 · Russia: Level of Threat · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr Rand) mentioned the annual lecture delivered by the GCHQ director last week, which is important, and we should all reflect on the comments about Russia’s hybrid warfare. It is well established among security experts that Russia is conducting this kind of hybrid warfare, but that is not well understood by the general public. That is a problem, because deterring the attacks requires significant investment and inevitably, at some point, trade-offs. Will the Secretary of State produce a strategy internally—or increase its urgency, if it exists—for communicating the scale of Russian hybrid warfare against the United Kingdom?

• 21 May 2026 · Women’s Health and Wellbeing: Online Censorship · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech on an important topic. She is very kind to give way. Does she agree with me that social media and the internet are great tools for people who suffer from unusual conditions or are a part of small communities? It is important that tech platforms do not penalise those communities by letting their algorithms stop those topics being discussed.