Jas Athwal MP: speeches

Speeches

• 25 Nov 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls: London · Hansard source

  More

  My questions to the Minister are: why do the majority of women not report crime? Why is the prosecution rate so low? Why do men feel it is okay to inflict pain on women and girls?

• 25 Nov 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls: London · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Apsana Begum) for securing this debate. I admire her courage and her continued fight for a better future when it comes to tackling violence against women and girls. I support her quest to make the lives of women and girls safer. In 2023, the Metropolitan police recorded 8,800 cases of rape, which translates to a staggering 24 reported rapes per day. However, when we consider that recorded rapes make up only about 20% of cases of sexual violence, we realise that the true extent of this crime is—shamefully—much larger. Nearly every woman in London has a story to tell. Hundreds of thousands of women carry around the hurt and trauma of sexual violence, even if their stories never make it on to the front pages. Since becoming an MP, I have received many distressing emails from constituents, some as young as 14, who have recounted their experience of sexual violence and harassment: women and girls who told me that this time they had escaped, but they dreaded to think what might have happened if they had not. Women and girls should not have to live their lives as a series of lucky escapes, constantly feeling relieved that on this occasion they were not assaulted. To be able to walk around safely without fear is a bare minimum—it is a basic human right. Yet the lived reality of so many women and girls in London and across the UK is a cycle of fear and relief, with their terror assuaged only by a sense of gratitude that they are safe—this time, at least. Women and girls who do experience sexual harassment or violence are blamed for it: blamed for walking alone at night, for wearing the wrong item of clothing or for sending the wrong signal. In my constituency of Ilford South, a young woman called Zara Aleena was walking home. CCTV footage showed another young woman running into a shop because she saw the horrible monster who was following her; she felt threatened and went into the shop for safety. A second woman on the same journey, on the same fateful night, ran to her home. She was on the main road, Cranbrook Road, and she lived very close. She ran home, and she too was safe. That meant that the monster moved on to Zara, who was tragically killed. She was only walking home—that was her crime; she was simply walking home. What gives anybody the right to sexually assault, rape and then kill somebody simply walking home? A young law graduate with a career in front of her was taken in her prime. Sadly, there is a new form of sexual violence that shows these rape myths for the empty victim-blaming narratives that they are. The growing prevalence of technology facilitates the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes. Recently, there have been growing reports of boys as young as 12 using nudification apps to create deepfake nudes of their classmates and teachers. Girls are seeing realistic images of their faces superimposed on to a naked body that they do not recognise. Such images are then often sent to their friends, classmates and even family members, shattering girls’ self-esteem, body confidence and trust in others for years to come. This debate is about sexual violence in London, but this type of technology-facilitated abuse transcends borders and regions. With these technologies, the perpetrators do not even need to be in the presence of those who they choose to victimise. Ten years ago, we could not have conceived of this type of crime; now teachers have to tackle a crime that did not even exist when they were growing up, unequipped with guidance to support pupils, parents or themselves. That scares me. I think about the constituents who have written to me. This is a new type of crime that they will have to hope that they are safe from. This is a new way in which men can assert power, control and entitlement over women and women’s bodies. I know that the Government are working hard to tackle the growing prevalence of such gender-based abuse, including by criminalising the creation and sharing of intimate images and deepfakes through the Online Safety Act, but we must do more. First, we need a joined-up approach between the Home Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to ensure that women and girls are protected from technology-facilitated abuse and that the advancement of AI technology does not come at the cost of women. I desperately urge the Government to enforce an outright ban on nudification apps, as recommended in Baroness Bertin’s pornography review. Many such nudification apps are widely available and advertised specifically to appeal to young men and boys, operating on a premium business model and encouraging users to share the app with others. A few weeks ago, the Government announced an updated curriculum—

• 24 Nov 2025 · Gaza: Humanitarian Obligations · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for introducing this debate. I would like to turn the debate back to what it is supposed to be about, which is the suffering in Palestine. For the people there, there is no ceasefire. Bloodshed, slaughter and starvation remain the reality on the ground. Since the ceasefire was supposedly agreed, 63 children have been killed, according to UN sources—that is two children every day who have been murdered under the so-called ceasefire agreement. Those children who are alive are almost certainly suffering in some other way. They are injured or grieving, having lost their parents, friends or loved ones. Regardless of the constant violations and airstrikes, and the continued starvation, the illusion of a ceasefire has allowed many to take a moral holiday from the crisis in Palestine. They are patting themselves on the back for having solved this international crisis. Meanwhile, children are still paying the price and most families in Gaza remain trapped in crowded makeshift camps with little or no aid. We must be under no illusions: as we approach winter, the situation for civilians will only get worse. In the last few weeks, rainstorms and flooding have plunged Gazans into further misery, destroying the little shelter they have left. Tents have been broken; mattresses have been soaked. Because Gaza’s sanitation system has collapsed, much of the water saturating tents, mattresses and even food supplies is contaminated with sewage. There is virtually no dry land left; there is no new safe space to create new camps—there is nowhere else to go. We cannot allow the pretence of a ceasefire to slow our efforts to fulfil the humanitarian obligations to Gaza, or to excuse a lacklustre approach to supporting civilians. The humanitarian degradation and destruction in Gaza and the west bank remain as urgent as ever. I know that the Minister cares immensely and works tremendously hard. Does he agree that we have entered a situation where the Israeli Government can claim the moral high ground of operating under a ceasefire deal while continuing their assault on Gaza? If so, what representations has he made to Israel and our American partners to urge Israel to act in accordance with its moral obligation under international and humanitarian law and let aid flow into Gaza?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Support for Victims of Crime · Hansard source

  More

  7. What steps she is taking with the Crown Prosecution Service to support the experience of victims in the criminal justice system.

• 13 Nov 2025 · Support for Victims of Crime · Hansard source

  More

  I welcome the Government’s ambitious mission to reduce violence against women and girls. Many survivors who experience sexual assault will never go to the police or press charges due to appallingly low conviction rates and fears of being retraumatised during court proceedings. Given the alarming statistic that one in four women over the age of 16 have been sexually assaulted, what steps are the Government taking to make reporting and pressing charges a more realistic prospect for survivors?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  My constituent Michelle would like to move closer to her children, but as a leaseholder, she is trapped in her property. There is only a short term remaining on her lease, and she has tried to extend it, but the freeholder is demanding a sum that is disproportionate to the property value. On top of that, she would have to cover the freeholder’s administrative fees, making the cost entirely unaffordable. For constituents like Michelle, who are essentially subject to the whim of the freeholder, leasehold reform could not be more urgent. Can the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to provide an update on the Government’s plans to fix the broken freehold system?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  The Metropolitan police have decided not to close a small section of the eastbound A12 during the annual remembrance service at Ilford war memorial, although it has done so for decades. That choice diminishes the solemnity of the occasion and the memory of those who gave their life for our freedom. In comparison, the community across Europe honour their fallen at Menin gate without hesitation every single day. Simply pausing traffic once a year for two minutes for the parade to pass is surely not beyond us. Will the Leader of the House assist me in urging the Metropolitan police to think again and reverse this deeply regrettable decision?

• 28 Oct 2025 · World Stroke Day · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. I, too, thank the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) for securing this important and timely debate and for sharing her personal stories. We have heard the statistics: stroke is the UK’s fourth biggest killer and the single largest cause of complex disability. Stroke survivors’ lives are completely altered. Some are left paralysed, their fondest memories are lost and old personality traits and mannerisms are erased by new, unfamiliar ones. Loved ones experience the heartbreak of seeing someone they love become a shell of their former self. The aftermath of a stroke often extends beyond the physical changes. Many survivors are left with the trauma and grief of being sick and of losing within a matter of minutes the ability to do some of the things they were once able to do, and overwhelmed by the fear they might experience stroke all over again. However, there is a reason to be hopeful. How fast we act when someone experiences a stroke can have a profound impact on their journey to recovery. The minutes and hours after a stroke can be the difference between a good and a poor quality of life, and even between life and death. That is why I was very pleased that last November the NHS expanded its FAST stroke campaign, reminding us of the key signs of stroke: F for face, A for arm, S for speech and T for time to act. By recognising those warning signs, we can act and improve survivors’ futures. The NHS campaign demonstrates that stroke signs can be less pronounced, like someone being unable to finish reading a bedtime story to their grandchild or someone suddenly feeling that they are unable to smile. I was particularly pleased to hear that the new campaign has been making its way to ethnic minority TV channels and on to social media to raise awareness. Researching for this debate, I came across an alarming study revealing that ethnic minority patients tend to have strokes about five years earlier and are at least twice as likely to face serious complications or death. The study highlighted the fact that that disparity co-exists with many chronic health conditions such as increased rates of diabetes, a condition that also increases the risk of stroke. That is why this World Stroke Day we need to focus our efforts on prevention and awareness. We need to continue promoting a healthy lifestyle to all, and ensuring that those from ethnic minorities have the same awareness about stroke, so that they can benefit from better health outcomes. World Stroke Day provides us with the opportunity to pay tribute to carers at home and in the NHS, to raise awareness of the signs of stroke—remember the FAST acronym—and to acknowledge the bravery and perseverance of stroke survivors. I say to the Minister, “Please end the postcode lottery and improve the care in the community.” Stroke strikes indiscriminately, so the 10-year plan must address the inadequacies and differences across the country. I appeal to the Minister to reach out.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Hospital to Community Care · Hansard source

  More

  17. What steps he is taking to transfer care from hospitals into the community.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Hospital to Community Care · Hansard source

  More

  I thank my hon. Friend for his answer, and for the brilliant work that the whole team is doing to put the NHS 10-year plan into action. Transferring care into the community will give many more patients quick and easy access to specialist care when they need it. However, access to Parkinson’s nurses—who are worth their weight in gold—remains deeply unequal. Too often, patients are left without nurses and have to travel a long way to see a specialist nurse. Worse still, the few Parkinson’s nurses who are available are predominantly funded by Parkinson’s UK. Can the Minister set out what steps are being taken to increase equitable access to Parkinson’s nurses across the country?

• 10 Sept 2025 · Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian Access · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. It was deemed irrefutable by the UN-backed agencies that this is a man-made famine. That man-made famine becomes a genocide if it can be proven that it was used as a tool to destroy a specific group of people—and I believe that there is only one group of people there. Journalists and international monitors, who we rely on for all our information—for reality on the ground—have been banned from entering Gaza, leaving brave Palestinians to tell us their story. Even though there is a growing consensus among genocide scholars that Israel’s actions in Gaza do meet the legal definition of a genocide, without access to information on what is happening, and until mainstream journalists are allowed in, we are left in the dark over the true extent of the horrors on the ground. How will we gather the evidence needed to assess that Israel is committing genocide? How much more slaughter will the Palestinians have to suffer in the meantime? On all fronts, entry into the occupied Palestinian territories for journalists, monitors and aid workers has been shut. Food and essentials for Palestinians have been banned, blocked, barricaded and destroyed.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian Access · Hansard source

  More

  What I agree with is that we must never give up the diplomatic option, because that is the way that we will get across. We must avoid more bloodshed at any cost, and we must work harder for the diplomatic solution. Mr Stringer, I will not abuse my position; having had two interventions, I will relinquish the floor for my colleagues to contribute.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian Access · Hansard source

  More

  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that this has to come to an end straight away. While I welcome the Government’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine and to condemn the Israeli Government’s dehumanisation of Palestinians, we must face up to the unfortunate truth that this is simply not enough, as it has not stopped the violence. Instead, every day the reports grow bleaker, the suffering is deeper and the need for intervention grows more urgent.

• 9 Sept 2025 · Planning Reform: Economic Growth · Hansard source

  More

  I have been banging the drum for some time now that Ilford is the best place to live, and with four Elizabeth line stations, that has never been more true than now. Barking and Dagenham council and Redbridge council are both capitalising on ambitious regeneration plans, like the developments at Billet Road and Padnall Lake. What are the Government doing to encourage businesses to seize on this investment by making investments of their own, backing Ilford, its community and its economy?

• 9 Sept 2025 · Planning Reform: Economic Growth · Hansard source

  More

  7. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase economic growth through reforms to the planning system.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  T2. UK doctors and nurses have been volunteering their time in Gaza. There are shocking reports this morning that Israel’s ground offensive in central Gaza has compromised the efforts of the World Health Organisation after its facilities came under attack. In the light of that extremely concerning news, does the Secretary of State agree that those supporting the health response in Gaza, including UK doctors, nurses and volunteers, must never be targeted, and that Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law?

• 21 Jul 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

  More

  The Israeli Government’s unrelenting denial of aid to civilians is turning an entire population of Palestinians to skin and bones, starving them to death. As kids die, the Israeli Government are pushing ahead in defiance with their humanitarian plan for Gaza—a plan that has been described as a “concentration camp” by the former Israeli Prime Minister. Can I press the Foreign Secretary to enforce further sanctions, and can he lay out what tangible pressure this Government are putting on Israel to stop using hunger as a weapon of war?

• 10 Jul 2025 · Electricity Market Review · Hansard source

  More

  I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and for his vision. On inheriting zombie systems from the previous Government, does he agree that it is remarkable that the Conservatives have shown no contrition whatsoever about the dire state in which they left our energy system? That resulted in the worst cost of living crisis in memory, and families in Ilford South and across the country are still paying the price.

• 10 Jul 2025 · Children’s Health · Hansard source

  More

  In London, 20% of reception age children are overweight or obese, and that nearly doubles to 39% of children in year 6. The crisis of childhood obesity does not just pose future health risks; rather, it is impacting children right now. Factors include a lack of after-school activities, deprivation and poverty, the constant bombardment of fast food adverts and the concentration of fast food chains near schools. However, for the sake of brevity, I will focus on the proximity of fast food outlets to schools and the constant advertising campaign against children. In Ilford South, there are nearly 50% more fast food chains than there were 15 years ago. Despite planning restrictions, applicants always find loopholes to exploit. That is compounded by the fact that healthy food is double the price of fast food and that the closure of youth centres means there are limited places for kids to exercise. Fast food outlets have become the cheapest, most convenient and easiest choice for kids to go after school. I welcome the new national planning policy framework, which empowers local councils with stronger powers to block fast food outlets from opening near schools, allowing authorities to prioritise children’s health. The second insidious factor coercing these children into consuming fast food is the relentless barrage of advertising. Alarmingly, many adverts are specifically designed to target children. Bite Back, a youth-led movement challenging the food system, surveyed some of the UK’s largest companies and reported that 78% of products specifically aimed at children were classed as unhealthy. For children from deprived areas, the advertising campaign is even more severe, because junk food ads are six times more likely to appear in deprived areas than wealthier areas. These companies are exploiting children—especially those in poverty—for profit. Bite Back puts it just about right: fast-food advertising is “enticing, effective and everywhere”. Childhood obesity is not simply the result of poor personal choices or bad parenting; structural factors coerce children into making unhealthy choices. As a Government, it is our duty to recognise the social and financial cost of allowing this to continue, and we are showing courage and making progress. By empowering local councils, banning advertising and delivering the NHS 10-year plan, which centres prevention, we are laying the groundwork for lasting change. We may not reap the benefits tomorrow or next year, but in five or 10 years we will see children living longer and healthier because of the choices we make today.

• 10 Jul 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  This week, Sky News reported the testimony of an anonymous Israeli soldier, who admitted that the killing or capture of Palestinian civilians often depended on the day and on the mood of the commander. That chilling account adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting a systematic disregard of Palestinian civilian life. In the light of the ongoing reports of killings, violations and forced displacement, will the Leader of the House press the Foreign Secretary to clarify urgently that the UK Government are considering further sanctions, and what concrete representations have been made to the Israeli Government to ensure compliance with international law and the protection of civilians?

• 10 Jul 2025 · Resident Doctors: Industrial Action · Hansard source

  More

  I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement, which was delivered with the humility and pragmatism that is his usual professional style. After a 28.9% pay rise thanks to this Labour Government, does the Secretary of State agree that the public are not only dismayed by the actions of the BMA, but distraught and that, once again, it will be the patients who will suffer the most by this action, which is so unnecessary at this particular moment?

• 8 Jul 2025 · Road and Rail Projects · Hansard source

  More

  I thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for her pragmatic approach to government, rather than the previous “pie in the sky” approach. It would be remiss of me not to mention Broadmead Road bridge in Redbridge, which has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2023. After 14 years of austerity, Redbridge council does not have the funds to reopen it, and I am sure she knows from her previous role that the Mayor of London also does not have any money. Given that the bridge affects five constituencies, runs over the Central line and connects to the M11, the A406 and the M25, can she please include its restoration in her plans to upgrade roads and railways across the country?

• 7 Jul 2025 · Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Minister for her statement. In Ilford, our engagement hubs bring together family services, citizens advice, revenues and benefits teams, and enforcement officers—in effect, the council is taken into the community—so I particularly welcome today’s announcement of Best Start family hubs that will operate on a similar model. Will the Secretary of State explore the opportunity to co-locate services as per the Redbridge model, and confirm that trained SEND co-ordinators will be placed in the new hubs to identify needs, work with parents and ensure easy access to early years support?

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

  More

  The Conservatives are responsible for the dangerous dismantling of all our public services, stagnant wages and inflation rates that peaked at 11%. Does the Chief Secretary to the Treasury agree not just with me, but also with former Chancellor George Osborne, who said that the Leader of the Opposition has no “credible economic plan”? We should not be taking advice from a party responsible for 14 years of degradation.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Points of Order · Hansard source

  More

  indicated assent.