Harpreet Uppal MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 9 Feb 2026 · Money Laundering: High Street Businesses · Hansard source

  More

  Police operations last year saw hundreds arrested and thousands of high street shops raided across the country, including in West Yorkshire. What further steps are being taken to tackle money laundering, including by connecting information across agencies and flagging suspicious entities, so that such operations can be closed down quickly?

• 9 Feb 2026 · Money Laundering: High Street Businesses · Hansard source

  More

  17. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle money laundering by high street businesses.

• 5 Feb 2026 · National Cancer Plan · Hansard source

  More

  I join others in thanking the Minister for all the work on the national cancer plan. Last week I was lucky enough to visit the brand-new NHS community diagnostic centre on the national health innovation campus at Huddersfield University. Diagnostic radiographers are being trained on the second floor of that building. I also welcome the work of Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS foundation trust, which is ranked as one of the best performing trusts in the country for meeting cancer waiting times. How will we learn from that best practice across the country?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  Last weekend, I joined a thanksgiving service at Huddersfield parish church that paid tribute to local volunteers and residents who organised donations to Jamaica and the Caribbean islands following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to those residents in Huddersfield? Will he set out how the UK Government are supporting relief efforts in the region?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Sudan · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement and for the sanctions she has announced today. Her account of the impact on civilians is devastating, with more than 21 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity and 9.5 million internally displaced. What representations does she continue to make to parties to the conflict to secure unhindered humanitarian access, particularly for neighbouring countries that face destabilisation?

• 3 Feb 2026 · Town and City Centre Safety · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Derby South (Baggy Shanker) on securing this important debate. Huddersfield is my home town, and I am so proud of it. Regeneration is on its way, including investments in Our Cultural Heart, the George hotel, the TransPennine route upgrade and the national health innovation campus at Huddersfield University. Those investments are important because, like many towns across the north of England, Huddersfield has faced decades-long challenges from under-investment in our communities and town centres. That can be seen in the visible decline of our high streets, the increase in vape shops and stores dealing in counterfeit items—many of which are propped up by organised criminal networks—and in the drop in visible policing and growing concerns about public safety. It is also apparent in the feeling that institutions, agencies and Governments have let our areas down, and in the lack of trust in us to deliver. On a recent visit to Kirklees college, one of the key concerns raised by students was safety and the perception of safety in the town centre. Those concerns have been echoed in my meetings with town centre business owners and in contacts with residents at coffee mornings. I am proud to have stood on a manifesto that committed to supporting town centres, and we have seen that in the commitment to neighbourhood policing, which includes 12 additional officers in Huddersfield town centre. The Home Secretary announced plans to reform policing last week, which included the creation of a new police force to tackle serious crime and further restore neighbourhood policing. Those measures are all important, but will the Minister set out how we will tackle organised crime and county lines networks, and give us an update on the role of violence reduction units in providing youth-focused prevention networks in Huddersfield? More importantly, we must ensure that we continue to invest in young people. Investing in young people, alongside increasing policing and levels of infrastructure, is really important for our town centres.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Iran · Hansard source

  More

  I welcome the sanctions that have been announced, including those on prolific IRGC members. At the weekend, residents in Huddersfield took part in demonstrations to highlight the brutal repression in the region, particularly that of the Kurdish community in Iran and Syria. As my constituents have said to me, many of the UK-Iranian community are concerned for their safety and the safety of their families in Iran. What assurances can the Minister provide for my residents, and what else can he say about making sure that we proscribe the IRGC?

• 26 Jan 2026 · Police Reform White Paper · Hansard source

  More

  I welcome in particular the commitment to visible and neighbourhood policing. Many towns across the country continue to face challenges with organised crime and county lines networks. How will the reforms help to tackle that systematically? May I ask the Home Secretary about the future role of violence reduction units, which are really important in providing new focused prevention work?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

  More

  I welcome this significant investment. My constituents were badly let down by the previous faulty cavity wall insulation scheme. They were then chased for adverse legal costs. Ensuring confidence in future schemes will be really important. How are we supporting the really good suppliers under the ECO scheme and how quickly will the transition be in place to support them?

• 15 Jan 2026 · Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector · Hansard source

  More

  1. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector has access to adequate funding.

• 15 Jan 2026 · Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector · Hansard source

  More

  In recent months, I have met and heard from local charities that are doing incredible work in our communities, including S2R, Huddersfield Mission and Headway Huddersfield. Many of those charities have told me of the challenges they currently face as demand increases and the cost of their services rise and funding opportunities decrease, so what steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure charities in Huddersfield are given the funding they need to deliver vital services?

• 14 Jan 2026 · Northern Powerhouse Rail · Hansard source

  More

  Madam Deputy Speaker, like you, I am a proud northerner. For too long, we have had to face challenges of under-investment in the north, so this is good news, particularly for Yorkshire. The plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, alongside the upgrades to the trans-Pennine route, which are on time and on budget, will be a game changer for our communities and our economy. Will the Secretary of State outline how they will support regeneration and communities in northern towns such as Huddersfield, and how NPR will build on and connect to the trans-Pennine route upgrade?