Jacob Collier MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 10 Mar 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill · Hansard source

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  The campaign to introduce clause 17 was supported by my Conservative predecessor, Kate Kniveton, who bravely spoke about her experience of sexual violence. Will the Justice Secretary join me in congratulating Kate and all the other campaigners who have been involved in this change?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Support for Road Users · Hansard source

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  9. What steps she is taking to support road users.

• 12 Feb 2026 · Support for Road Users · Hansard source

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  In a recent incident at Uttoxeter’s McDonald’s roundabout, a car lost control and ploughed into the restaurant seating area. It is a miracle that no one was injured or killed. That is a collision hotspot, and the incident presents further evidence that the A50 needs to be urgently upgraded. I hope that there will be good news in RIS3—the third road investment strategy. What steps is the Minister taking to make roundabouts and roads like the A50 safer?

• 2 Feb 2026 · China and Japan · Hansard source

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  The Prime Minister may have noticed that the Japanese ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hiroshi Suzuki, was in Manchester recently, trying Boddingtons bitter. The Prime Minister will be aware of the importance of brewing to my constituency, and perhaps, in celebration of these trade deals, he would like to encourage the ambassador to come and sample some of the best beer in the brewing capital of Burton-on-Trent.

• 28 Jan 2026 · Ivanhoe Line: Restoration · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend stressed the importance of rail freight. The Railways Bill, currently in Committee, will introduce a target to increase rail freight. Does she share the concerns relayed to me about the potential for this line to be closed to freight? Does she agree that we should be getting lorries and haulage off our roads and on to rail freight, as we are doing with Great British Railways?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Business Rates · Hansard source

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  I welcome support for pubs in Britain’s beer capital of Burton and Uttoxeter. I thank the Minister for his continued engagement with me on this issue; I know that we will continue to speak about measures that could be included in the future, such as draught relief. The Minister will remember that I stressed the importance of hospitality more widely, and of breathing life into our high streets, so I welcome the high-street strategy announcement. How can businesses feed directly into it, so that we hear from those affected?

• 19 Jan 2026 · SEND: High-quality School Places · Hansard source

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  Parents in Burton and Uttoxeter tell me that, under Reform-run Staffordshire county council, their pleas for help are too often ignored, leaving children in unsuitable settings or out of education altogether. Communication is extremely poor, and too often meaningful action comes only at the point of crisis. What action is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that councils such as Staffordshire act earlier and are properly held to account when they fail children with SEND?

• 19 Jan 2026 · SEND: High-quality School Places · Hansard source

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  14. What steps she is taking to ensure high-quality school places for children with SEND.

• 13 Jan 2026 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  As the MP representing the home of British brewing, Burton-upon-Trent, it will come as no surprise that I will speak to clause 86, and focus my contribution on pubs and hospitality. For me, this not just political; it is personal. As a Burtonian, I grew up with the smell of hops permeating the air and Burton’s famous water flowing from the taps. My very first job was in a pub. This industry is who we are. Pubs are woven into the very fabric of our country. They are the heart of our high streets and villages, and are among our last shared spaces. When we talk about growth, and supporting wellbeing and employment, pubs and hospitality sit at the heart of that conversation. Yet this is an industry that has faced years of challenge. Navigating the pandemic, absorbing high energy costs and managing rising prices have left many venues operating on very low margins, if any at all. That is why the decisions we make in this clause matter so much. We must look carefully at the overall effect of alcohol duty and how it interacts with consumer behaviour. There is a case for strengthening differential rates of duty between supermarkets and pubs, known as draught relief. Drinking in a pub is not the same as drinking at home. Pubs are supervised, regulated spaces. Landlords ensure responsible drinking, with pubs providing social connection and supporting mental health in our communities. Pubs give character to our high streets and town centres, yet the tax system makes it cheaper to buy alcohol in bulk from a supermarket than to go down the local pub. If we are serious about encouraging people back into our town centres, into these shared protected spaces, alcohol duty must work in favour of pubs. I encourage Treasury Front Benchers to read the letter from those of us on the all-party parliamentary beer group, which calls for the multiplier to be increased from around 13% to 20%. Our proposal is supported by the Campaign for Real Ale, the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the British Institute of Innkeeping. This is not about encouraging more drinking; it is about encouraging better drinking in places that strengthen our local communities and our local economies. I recognise that the Government have put in place the permanently lower multiplier on business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, but any wins in this space have been wiped out in many cases by the new rateable values published by the VOA. In my constituency, the rateable value of the Devonshire Arms—the Devvie, my favourite pub—is set to increase by over 60%. Down the road at the Roebuck, the rise is more than 70%. At this rate, I am not going to have much of a pub crawl. We must stay true to the manifesto commitment we made to level the playing field between online retailers and the high street. An average 76% increase for pubs compared with just 14% for online retailers means that we must think again on this policy. It is no good having transitional relief in place when the bill at the end of the three years is simply unaffordable. Industry voices are clear that further support is needed in the short term while longer-term changes and reforms are worked through. Operators such as Punch Pubs, which is headquartered in my constituency, have called for a higher business rates discount—up to the maximum permitted—to help offset the valuations and the cumulative tax burden that pubs face. UKHospitality has similarly warned that even after reduced multipliers and the transitional relief that the Government have put in place, the average pub faces a significant increase to its business rates bill, alongside other cumulative impacts that hon. Members talked about earlier. The Government are right to listen to Labour Members who have been raising the voices of pubs, brewers, restaurants and small business owners. I want to thank those publicans, business owners and representative bodies that have engaged positively with me; it is only through working together constructively that we can bring about change. Businesses that I speak to want to invest and grow, but they need the space and certainty to do so. I really welcome the recent hospitality investment that my constituency has seen—from Lowe’s on Carter Street to Nathan Dawe’s expansion of Isabel’s and Bespoke Inns’ redevelopment of the Hart and taking on of Tutbury Castle. Such businesses need to be supported by Government so that we can meet their ambitions. We must create more well-paid jobs and revive our high streets and town centres. That means a fair approach to alcohol duty under clause 86, a recognition of the difference between pubs and supermarkets, and targeted support on business rates while deeper changes are delivered. If we get this right, the reward is clear: thriving pubs, stronger high streets, more resilient local economies, and communities that are not just better off but happier and more connected. That is why pubs and hospitality must continue to be listened to, supported and championed in this House and by this Labour Government. I shall continue to do that.

• 12 Jan 2026 · New Medium Helicopter Contract · Hansard source

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  Issues such as these are why the new defence industrial strategy is so welcome, and it places a prioritisation on British firms. That is welcome news to local Rolls-Royce, which has been awarded billions of pounds of contracts under this Government. What more will that investment do to support neighbouring areas such as mine in Burton and Uttoxeter?

• 8 Jan 2026 · Road Safety Strategy · Hansard source

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  I recognise the Minister’s dedication to this issue over many years, and I am glad that today she is in a position to introduce this strategy, which rightly focuses on reducing death and injury on our roads. We all know of places in our communities that are accident or speeding hotspots, where it is only a matter of time before something happens, yet too often safety improvements follow only when there has been a serious injury or a fatality. That mentality has to change. How will this strategy give communities the power to take action before it is too late?

• 8 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Before Christmas, I attended Burton addiction centre’s inspirational celebration of recovery. There, we celebrated hundreds of people who are in recovery—people who had overcome huge battles with addiction to rebuild their lives. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating all those who were there and the staff at the centre, and recognise the importance of residential rehab services?

• 7 Jan 2026 · European Convention on Human Rights: Belfast Agreement · Hansard source

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  7. What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK’s membership of the European convention on human rights on the Belfast agreement.

• 7 Jan 2026 · European Convention on Human Rights: Belfast Agreement · Hansard source

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  The European convention on human rights is foundational to the Good Friday agreement. Given that Reform and the Conservatives want to crash us out of the convention, does the Secretary of State agree that that would put at risk the Good Friday agreement and that they really ought to think again?