Heidi Alexander MP: speeches 2026

252 published records · newest first.

Speeches

26 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I was grateful to my hon. Friend for his time a couple of weeks ago, when we discussed this matter. He is right to highlight the transformative benefit of the midlands rail hub expanding capacity into Moor Street station. I will come back to him on the potential around the south Staffordshire line.
26 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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The Government are today announcing one of the biggest ever investments in England’s major roads. That £27 billion spread over five years is a down payment on better motorways, smoother journeys and less congestion across the country. We will finally kick off dualling the A66 between Cumbria and north Yorkshire and unlock private investment to deliver the transformational lower Thames crossing. We will renew and repair our main highways with a record £8.4 billion of investment. But that is not all. Today I am giving the green light to 16 local road schemes that previous Governments left in limbo, including the Norwich western link, the Wigan east-west link, the A650 Tong Street in Bradford and the A259 south coast road in Brighton. We will get these projects built, strengthening local economies and breaking down barriers to opportunity. For too long, this country failed to tackle its crumbling infrastructure. This Government are putting our money where our mouth is, with fewer potholes and quicker journeys. We are building a road network that people and businesses can finally rely on.
26 Mar 2026 · Rail Renationalisation: East of England · Hansard source
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I think that is possibly a first for the Father of the House, and it underlines the strength of feeling that he and his constituents have about improved rail services. He is right; I did write to him on 17 March and confirmed that while we could run trains without major infrastructure changes, we would have to find additional funding to support the necessary service pattern changes. For LNER services to call at Market Rasen, significant upgrades would be needed to the station to enable safe and compliant operation.
26 Mar 2026 · Rail Renationalisation: East of England · Hansard source
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On behalf of the Government, may I associate myself with your remarks about David Winnick and extend our condolences to his family? Bringing Greater Anglia and other east of England train operators into public ownership will put passengers first. Since coming into public ownership in 2025, both Greater Anglia and c2c are delivering some of the lowest cancellation rates in the country, while new stations and upgrades across the region are improving reliability and accessibility as we move towards an integrated, passenger-focused rail network.
26 Mar 2026 · Rail Renationalisation: East of England · Hansard source
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I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his advocacy on behalf of his constituents and those using rail services in his area. I can assure him that Greater Anglia continually looks for opportunities to improve service frequency. Services will be strengthened for customers and communities on regional routes, including in the Stowmarket area, in the new timetable from Sunday 17 May. As we work towards the establishment of Great British Railways, we will continue to look for further opportunities to strengthen services.
26 Mar 2026 · Transport Connectivity: Dudley · Hansard source
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We are empowering the Mayor of the West Midlands to deliver the better, more reliable connections that communities in Dudley need and deserve. Mayor Richard Parker is already putting the £2.4 billion in more flexible, integrated funding that we are providing to good use, delivering on transformative local priorities such as metro expansion, bus franchising and light rail.
26 Mar 2026 · Transport Connectivity: Dudley · Hansard source
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The metro’s expansion represents a major boost for growth in Dudley and the west midlands, delivering fast, affordable and reliable connections to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and beyond. Together with the Dudley interchange, it will transform local transport, unlocking access to jobs, education and new opportunities for the community. I very much enjoyed my last visit to Dudley and the Black Country Living Museum, and I will certainly ask my office to check my availability for the opening of the metro.
26 Mar 2026 · Support for Motorists · Hansard source
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This Government are taking significant action to make journeys safer and smoother, while helping motorists to save money. We are investing £27 billion in motorways and trunk roads, and a record £7.3 billion to fix potholes and resurface local roads. We have extended the fuel duty freeze, launched a fuel price finder and introduced a £2 billion grant to support motorists who want to go electric. I know that events in the middle east will be unsettling for many, but I can assure the House that we have strong and diverse fuel supplies in the UK, and we will stand by the British people in the face of international turbulence.
26 Mar 2026 · Support for Motorists · Hansard source
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Secure, high-quality parking facilities and truck stops for HGV drivers are a part of that. I know that my colleague the Minister for Local Transport, formerly the Roads Minister, has met colleagues in the Home Office a number of times so that haulage firms and logistics companies can be sure that their vehicles are safe and their fuel supplies are secure.
26 Mar 2026 · Support for Motorists · Hansard source
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The Government have already taken significant steps to keep the costs of motoring low, extending the fuel duty cut that was due to end this month until September and launching the fuel finder tool. Together, those measures will save motorists £129 compared with previous plans. We will monitor developments in the middle east closely, and I repeat what I said in my original answer: we will stand by the British people in these times of international turbulence.
12 Feb 2026 · Commuter Safety · Hansard source
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I was as disappointed and, frankly, as angered as my hon. Friend when I learned of the council’s decision to withdraw funding from the Pokesdown station improvements scheme. I understand that a meeting is due to take place in the coming weeks, between the managing director of South Western Railway and the council, in an attempt to get the council to rethink its position on the scheme, which would have significant benefits for the travelling public in the way my hon. Friend has outlined.
12 Feb 2026 · Commuter Safety · Hansard source
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My Department is working across Government and with partners, including the British Transport police and the transport industry, to ensure that everyone both feels safe and is safe when travelling. Our mainline railway is among the safest in Europe, and our recently published road safety strategy sets out our vision for a safer future for all. The Government’s freedom from violence and abuse action plan features nine transport commitments to help ensure that everyone has the confidence to travel in safety and comfort.
12 Feb 2026 · Commuter Safety · Hansard source
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I do understand the importance of that junction to the hon. Gentleman’s constituents, and he has previously asked me about the scheme. It is a Transport for London scheme. I would point out that the previous Government—which, before switching to a different party on the Opposition Benches, he was a part of—provided very limited funding to progress the Gallows Corner scheme, and it is only this Labour Government who have provided substantive funding to allow construction to go ahead.
12 Feb 2026 · Road Maintenance Funding · Hansard source
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It is sadly a fact that we have seen a decade of under-investment in our road network. This Government are putting record money into local councils —£1.6 billion this year, which is £500 million more than the year before—and we will be doubling the amount of money spent on local road maintenance over the course of this Parliament. The hon. Member raises an important point about the importance of road surface and highways maintenance to road safety, and that is why we are putting our money where our mouth is.
12 Feb 2026 · Road Maintenance Funding · Hansard source
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I see that Reform Members care so much about the state of our roads that they cannot even be bothered to turn up to Transport questions.
12 Feb 2026 · Road Maintenance Funding · Hansard source
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Forgive me, Mr Speaker—they change so much at the moment that I have lost track. The facts speak for themselves when it comes to Reform. Of the 13 local authorities that were rated red last month for their action on fixing local roads, three were Reform-led councils. That is a quarter of all councils that are run by Reform failing to get the basics right. By contrast, Labour councils came out top.
12 Feb 2026 · Road Maintenance Funding · Hansard source
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Proper investment in maintaining our roads saves drivers shelling out hundreds of pounds for pothole-related repairs and makes journeys safer and smoother for millions of people every day. That is why we are investing a record £7.3 billion over the next four years to help councils maintain roads, and it is why we have introduced a transparency system to ensure that local people can see that their councils spend this money effectively.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I can tell the hon. Gentleman that we are already on this issue across the wider south-east. We are expanding the pay-as-you-go system with tap-in, tap-out technology, and further stations are due to come online. I am happy to talk about a further tranche beyond that, but we need to crack on with the ones that are already in the pipeline.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I am very happy to clarify that that is a disingenuous claim, at best, from Conservative-controlled Bexley council. The Government did not publish a ranked list of authorities, but it is clear that, of the many councils that achieved a green rating overall, Bexley was not one—it was ranked amber.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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Improving connections between the great cities of the north of England—making those connections into Liverpool and Manchester better—will have a knock-on impact on the whole region. If the hon. Gentleman wants to write to me about the south Fylde line, in particular, I will come back to him.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I recognise that for local people, road closures can be one of the most disruptive aspects of major projects. I know that HS2 works very closely with highways authorities to minimise the impacts. Doing the essential work on the A38 in a single 11-day closure will avoid around six months of repeated full-weekend closures.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I am pleased that the expansion of Lumo services from Cumbernauld to London will soon benefit my hon. Friend’s constituents. The Department’s position on open access is clear: there will be a place for it in the reformed rail sector where it adds value. Great British Railways will oversee a rail network that delivers better services for passengers, and we know that there is a role for open access in supporting that aim.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I am happy to arrange that meeting. Like my hon. Friend, I want Sunderland station to be at the heart of a vibrant community, and I pay tribute to him for his campaigning on the issue. I do expect Northern to work closely with him, businesses and the local community to further improve the station, and I look forward to that meeting taking place with the Rail Minister to discuss what more we can do.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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I appreciate that certain roads and certain parts of the country face different challenges due to their geology. I will certainly raise the hon. Member’s point with the Roads Minister, and we will come back to him.
12 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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Can I gently suggest to the right hon. Gentleman that he listens to the answers that I give? He claims that I am not across the details of the BTP numbers, but I can tell him that there has been a slight decrease from 2,910 to 2,852 full-time equivalents in the last year. I can also tell him that BTP has recently been given a 15% increase to its budget, worth £63 million over the three-year settlement. That will see over 200 more police officers recruited, including for a dedicated capability to tackle violence and intimidation against women and girls. The right hon. Gentleman will know—or should know—that sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary in this country. It is right that the operator took legal action in the case that he mentions, as persistent and prolific fare dodging not only undermines revenues for the railway, but is unfair for other passengers.

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