Janet Daby MP: speeches

Speeches

• 3 Feb 2026 · Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely correct; it is about supporting parents into better-paid work.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend—I call him that even though he sits on the other side of the House—for stating that so eloquently and accurately. This means that the previous Conservative Government got it wrong. I would also add that with rents rising and mortgages increasing, they got it wrong. Who suffers? It is babies, toddlers, primary and secondary school children, and that is wrong. Unlike the previous Government, this Government accept the overwhelming scale of this challenge. I am sure that Ministers will agree that more still needs to be done. To bring further reality to the situation, my own son has paid for a schoolfriend’s lunch on more than one occasion when they have not had enough money on their lanyard. I am sure that many other children also share food with their friends because they have compassion and do not want their friends to go hungry. I welcome the Government’s decision to lift the two-child benefit cap, which will provide crucial support to an estimated 3,530 children across my constituency. It is a significant step and I commend the Government for taking it. Breakfast clubs are absolutely fantastic, but they are limited to primary schools, meaning that secondary school children miss out. There could be three children from the same household where two children receive breakfast at primary school but the other goes hungry at secondary school. That is not right. Parents should not have to worry about their ability to feed their children and teachers should not have to subsidise parents or the state by feeding their pupils. As I come to an end, I must mention the remarkable football player Marcus Rashford, who knew what it was like to go hungry as a child and is now dedicated to ensuring that it does not happen to other children. I respect his efforts to reduce child poverty. I ask this Government to make the necessary effort to keep children out of poverty and to support them to ensure they have a full stomach and reach their full potential in life.

• 2 Feb 2026 · China and Japan · Hansard source

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  I thank the Prime Minister for his statement, but will he tell the House what steps the Government are taking to protect parliamentarians and others in public life against foreign influence?

• 28 Jan 2026 · Race Equality Engagement Group · Hansard source

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  3. What recent progress the race equality engagement group has made on helping to tackle race inequalities.

• 28 Jan 2026 · Race Equality Engagement Group · Hansard source

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  I represent a hard-working, diverse community, yet the latest Office for National Statistics figures on the median-adjusted pay gap for UK-born black, African, Caribbean or black British employees show that they earn 5.6% less than UK-born white employees. That means that many of my hard-working constituents are not being paid fairly. The Government have committed to enshrine in law the right to equal pay for black and other ethnic minority people. Will the Government say when this welcome manifesto commitment will be met?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure · Hansard source

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  Libraries and community centres are central to communities like mine in Lewisham East, and they make an excellent contribution to the local area. Can the Minister say whether there are any planned changes to their business rates and tell us how else they can be supported in our local community?

• 14 Jan 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q4. Mr Speaker, I am sure that you, and I hope others across the Chamber, will agree that we need to recognise and celebrate achievements. I say that because across the country knife crime offences are going down. Of course, more needs to be done, and more should be done, but this week’s figures have shown that London has had its safest year ever under the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan. In fact, the homicide rate in London is at its lowest since records began. Reform and the Conservatives repeatedly talk down our capital city. Will the Prime Minister join me in saying that they are wrong? Will he applaud those achievements?

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

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  Happy new year to you and your staff, Mr Speaker. I have some pleasing news: knife attacks in Lewisham have reduced by 23% over the last year, which is to be celebrated. I thank the council, the police, our Mayor of London and all the local community organisations that have helped to achieve this and to bring more peace to our streets. However, you will probably remember, Mr Speaker, that last year, there were two deaths due to knife crime in my constituency. Any knife crime, and of course any fatality, is awful news that nobody wants to hear. Can we have a Government statement on progress since the announcement on the coalition to tackle knife crime in September 2024, and on the knife crime action plan promised in the Labour manifesto?

• 8 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T7. My constituency is one of few places in the country that is overflown by flight paths for two airports: London City and Heathrow. Mr Baxter, a constituent of mine, continually writes to me on noise pollution, which is a real issue in the area. I would be very interested to know whether the Department has made an assessment of areas affected by multiple flight paths and what it is considering to manage the impact of that.

• 6 Jan 2026 · Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey) on securing this short but significant debate. I will not take up too much time. It is vital that healthcare is fully accessible for children. I do not think anyone would disagree that therapeutic play can be instrumental in putting children at ease, as far as that is possible, when they are experiencing medical treatment. The Government must do all they can to prevent and reduce child trauma. I know from my time as Minister for Children and Families that work has already begun to evaluate the benefit of our therapeutic approaches, such as dyadic developmental psychotherapy. I think all of us in attendance would appreciate an update on the Government’s progress in this area. However, while it is important for the Government to evaluate new approaches to providing medical care, it is also critical that medical staff have the skills and knowledge to support children with complex needs, with adequate pay and conditions to retain them long term. Before I conclude, I want to say how brave Hari sounds. I appreciate everything that the Minister has already shared in this Chamber, and I trust that the Government will keep all these things in mind as they develop their NHS workforce plan.

• 8 Dec 2025 · Child Poverty Strategy · Hansard source

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  Official figures show that over 4,000 children in my constituency are living in poverty, and many of those families have one parent in work. I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s child poverty strategy and all the work that she and her colleagues have done, as well as the lifting of the two-child limit, but would she agree that what we now need to see is children and families not needing to use food banks?

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely correct about better lighting. People need to feel safe using transport, especially women and girls, and anybody who feels vulnerable in those situations. We all need better lighting and accessibility, and other improvements, in our stations, so that we can all use them, and so that we have equal rights and choices when it comes to using stations and getting to where we need to go. I need to hear about plans and timescales for improvements at Grove Park station, so I am looking forward to the Minister’s response. Grove Park station is the centre of the community, and I want to ensure that it gets the upgrade that my residents and local businesses so rightly deserve. I ask the Government to get behind me on this, and to work with Southeastern on these much-needed upgrades to a station that is frequently used by my constituents. These renovations will lift the local area.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman is correct. I am just about to go into the additional accessibility options for Grove Park and many other stations. This is an issue that we need to keep raising, because we need improvements for our constituents. Grove Park station needs additional accessibility options. It has three steep ramps to each set of platforms, which makes access difficult for people with a mobility impairment, such as those in a mobility chair or using an aid to walk with. It is also challenging for parents who have pushchairs and small children to navigate the ramps. There is a separate bridge connecting the platforms, but it is not served by lifts, and there is also only one set of toilets. Imagine a parent who has a child who needs to go to the toilet, and who happens to be on the wrong platform. They have to go up and down a ramp to get to the toilet, and then make the long journey back. I think we can all agree—Members and constituents—that further options need to be considered in a wider consultation.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes a strong campaign argument for ensuring that stations are accessible to all. Much of Grove Park is made of corrugated metal, which leaks and is cold. When it rains, the waiting room is often flooded because of the leaky roof; things are even more difficult for my constituents when the door is locked. As I have said, I know that change can happen. We have campaigned for years and years for improvements at Grove Park station, and I know that campaigning works, because earlier this year, work began on upgrading Hither Green station, which is also in my constituency. It is exciting to watch the upgrade, which includes a new footbridge connecting all six platforms, new lifts, new closed circuit television and public address systems and a host of other improvements. This is a great scheme that construction workers and railway station staff are rightly proud of. More importantly, my constituents—and me, as I use both Hither Green and Grove Park stations—will benefit from this work. I am looking forward to benefiting from the improvements that will hopefully come about at Grove Park.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  I am grateful for this Adjournment debate on the merits of upgrading Grove Park train station, a historical station that has served the local community for 150 years. Originally opened in 1871 to serve rural communities and local farmers, the station helped to kickstart the development of the thriving neighbourhood that we know today. At the turn of the century, the area gained fame through its connection to Edith Nesbit’s beloved novel “The Railway Children”, which drew inspiration from the surrounding landscape. I remember watching the film adaptation as a child, as a teenager and as an adult. I am delighted that the film has this amazing link to my constituency. Grove Park station has grown to meet the community’s changing needs. From its origins as a small rural station, it has become a vital transport hub with five platforms, connecting local residents to central London and the wider south-east. However, the station has been left to deteriorate and requires significant investment if it is to continue serving the community that has grown and developed around it. I am sorry to say that the station feels grubby and dirty. There is what appears to be a makeshift roof along most of the inside walkway. Weeds have been known to grow inside the walkway. There is no style, no pattern and no one colour to the walls of the station. Frankly, it is unpleasant, and I know that Southeastern can do much better. My residents and local businesses deserve better. I have spoken to many of them, including a local hairdressers, the local nail salon, the café next door, the Harris chemist and the other café, the Filling Station Café. These are the people who, along with me, have been driving this campaign. I thank the over 100 constituents who signed the petition that I submitted to Parliament, calling for an upgrade to the station.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for his support for the Chancellor’s Budget and the lifting of the two-child benefit limit. I agree with what he said. I remind Members what my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier) said: 70% of children in poverty have parents who are in work. Children are not in poverty because their parents are not working. This Government are doing everything they can to lift children out of poverty. I also remind Members about the Children Act 1989, which states that the welfare of the child is paramount. If memory serves me correctly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs refers to food. Getting children out of poverty means ensuring that no child goes hungry and that children have their basic needs met. This Government are very much committed to that, which is why I am delighted that the measure is in the Chancellor’s Budget.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. I will indeed come to breakfast clubs—how could I miss them out? The Resolution Foundation has estimated that scrapping the two-child limit would bring 330,000 children out of poverty and prevent a further 150,000 children from falling into poverty over the course of this Parliament. Children in my constituency will therefore have an improved standard of living, which is exactly what I want for them, just as Labour Members—and others, I am sure—want for their children. In fact, it is estimated that in Lewisham East, 3,530 children’s experience of relative child poverty will be reduced. That builds on the vital work already begun by this Government, including on expanding access to free school meals, opening free breakfast clubs in every primary school and investing in historic amounts of affordable and social housing. Alongside that, we have the recently announced freeze of rail fares and prescription prices. Every child deserves to be free from poverty and the effects of poverty. For far too long, successive Conservative Governments allowed child poverty to skyrocket; this Government will not. As a result of that failure, almost a fifth of children in my constituency grow up in poverty, but with the policies announced today, it is evident that the Labour Government are tackling child poverty as the moral imperative that it is.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  Parents want to provide for their children. Parents make choices, and the Government are making choices to support parents. We are doing that by lifting the two-child limit; Opposition Members should support that. We must not forget that these announcements have been made possible by making tough choices. Following the previous Government’s mismanagement, the nation was faced with an appalling fiscal situation. I turn to defence. The Government are investing in capital investment over the course of the Parliament to kick-start the rebuilding of our armed forces, which is absolutely necessary when we consider how unrest in Europe is coming closer to our shores every day. Since 2010, economic growth in my constituency of Lewisham East has lagged 30% behind the national average—that trend has been repeated in many other regions. The investment that will support councils and communities across the UK is therefore desperately needed. Finally, as a member of the International Development Committee, I turn to international development. The UK has been at the forefront of global efforts in particular to prevent violence against women and girls, to promote peace and co-operation between different ethnic and religious groups, and to support the economic development of communities across the world. I am therefore pleased to see that paragraph 4.61 of the Red Book says: “The government remains committed to restoring ODA spending to 0.7% of Gross National Income” as their fiscal forecasts continue to improve. I am pleased that we are still focused on that, so that we can promote overseas the values and rights that we enjoy here in the UK.

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor and her team for a very welcome Budget. This is our Government’s second successive Budget, and it is focused on addressing the cost of living. It will ensure that everyone pays their fair share towards public services, and it invests in communities up and down the country. I will focus mainly on the cost of living, defence and overseas development aid. As Members will be aware, many people across our country are facing great challenges to meet the cost of essentials. Food banks should be a thing of the past. Through this Budget, the Government are working towards making them a thing of the past by focusing on getting children out of poverty and getting young people into work through apprenticeships, and by bringing down energy costs. I strongly believe that prevention is far better than cure. The Government know that that is so, which is why they are investing in and focusing on early family help and early intervention, and lifting the two-child benefit cap, which is a significant measure. I would hope the whole House would agree that no child should go hungry or without basic necessities, but from what I have heard from Conservative Members, I am not so sure that is the case. To those Members I say: child poverty damages the UK economy in the long term and makes those children less likely to perform as well as their peers in education and employment. Lifting the two-child benefit cap is, therefore, better for the economy. It will break the cycle of disadvantage and deprivation, and improve the life chances of children nationwide, wherever they are experiencing child poverty.

• 17 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Last month, there was an increase in knife crime across my constituency, and it was carried out not necessarily by younger people, but by older people. I know that the Government are determined to crack down on knife crime. What more are they doing to tackle knife crime?

• 17 Nov 2025 · Budget: Press Briefings · Hansard source

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  Can the Chief Secretary confirm that this will be a Budget that prioritises economic growth?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q14. Hurricane Melissa has devastated Jamaica and left the country in crisis. The Imperial College storm model states that the hurricane would have been unlikely without climate change. I know that the Prime Minister is representing the UK at the COP30 summit against climate change. Will my good and right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister ensure that the UK leads the way on preventing climate change?

• 4 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. I know that the Chancellor and her team are well aware that families, such as those in my constituency of Lewisham East, are struggling with homelessness and temporary accommodation. Will she consider increasing finance to local councils so that they can better support constituents and improve their wellbeing and security?

• 29 Oct 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I am wearing all black today to demonstrate my sorrow over a fatal stabbing that took place in my constituency yesterday. We all know that one death is one death too many, but I have had two deaths in my constituency in the last few weeks. My community needs reassurance. Knife crime must end. Will the Prime Minister say what more his Government are doing to tackle knife crime?

• 20 Oct 2025 · Grove Park Station · Hansard source

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  I am pleased to be standing here this evening with this petition on behalf of my constituents. It states: “The petition of Grove Park station users”— and local residents and local businesses— “Declares that the Station needs improvement.” It is shameful that these improvements have not already taken place. The petition therefore requests “that the House of Commons urge the government to work with Southeastern Railway” to undertake long-awaited improvements, which include enhancing accessibility, so that the station is accessible to everyone; improving safety by installing brighter lights, better CCTV coverage and regular security patrols; better shelter and seating; and better access to toilets. Local commuters deserve it. Following is the full text of the petition: [ The petition of Grove Park station users , Declares that the Station needs improvement . The petitioners, therefore, request that the House of Commons urge the government to work with Southeastern Railway to institute the following improvements : Enhanced Accessibility: Provide step-free access to all platforms to ensure the station is accessible to everyone . Improved Safety: Install brighter lighting, increase CCTV coverage, and ensure regular security patrols to deter crime and enhance passenger safety . Better Shelter and Seating: Upgrade the existing shelters to provide better protection from the elements and install additional seating to accommodate waiting passengers . Better access to toilets . And the petitioners remain, etc. ] [P003119]