Josh Fenton-Glynn MP: speeches

Speeches

• 24 Jun 2026 · Nottingham Maternity and Neonatal Services · Hansard source

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  In her remarks this morning, Donna Ockenden noted that maternal deaths are at a 20-year high, and total clinical negligence costs are greater than the money spent on maternity services. That should give us pause for thought. It is a national emergency, one that is causing unimaginable pain. The failure of the regulation is stark, so will my right hon. Friend confirm that we will tackle the culture of defensiveness across medical regulators that has caused such harm?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Women’s Safety: Walking, Wheeling, Cycling and Running · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on running. It is a pleasure to speak in the debate, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) for securing it and for her constant work on this issue. Running should be available to everyone as a form of exercise, stress relief and mental regulation, but it simply is not; it is available only to people who feel safe to do it, and the reality is that too many women do not. Put plainly, 70% of women say they have experienced an intimidating incident while running. Two out of three women have faced harassment. Those are not isolated experiences; they show a pattern that forces women to adapt their behaviour. Women change their routes, avoid running in the dark or stop altogether. That is not freedom; it is women adjusting their lives because of the behaviour of men. I am a member of a running club, and there are many running clubs in my constituency, which make women feel safer because there is safety in numbers. I pay tribute to those clubs—particularly the all-female ones, such as the St Pol Striders—for creating these spaces, but they should not be relied on, and women should not have to do things differently. Men who make women feel unsafe have to face consequences, because serious offenders begin with acts of harassment. If we want to prevent worse crimes, we cannot ignore the early ones. We need to make reporting easier and the follow-up stronger. We need systems that take women seriously when they come forward. I represent a constituency with large rural areas, so simple solutions such as better lighting or planning just cannot be relied on. Fundamentally, it comes down to how seriously these complaints are taken. I am reminded of two very similar incidents about five years apart of men exposing themselves to female walkers, which happened while I was a councillor. In one, the police did not take the act very seriously at all—I suspect that the policeman spent more time complaining to me about people posting about the crime on social media than he did following it up—and in the other they did. Things have changed in West Yorkshire, not out of the ether, but because of leadership. Alison Lowe, our deputy mayor for policing, has really changed how things are looked at, and that has made a huge difference. Fundamental to good outcomes is an institutional recognition of the problem. We need our police to lead from the front, take victims seriously and be proactive in their information and support. Running should be for everyone; it should not depend on gender, postcode or the time of day. If we want more people to enjoy the benefits of running, we must make sure women feel safe enough to take part. That means consequences for harassment, proper lighting, easier reporting and support for the communities that bring people together.

• 17 Dec 2025 · Puberty Suppressants Trial · Hansard source

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  I hope we can all agree that the young people involved should not be used by anyone as a political football. Can my right hon. Friend please assure me that the process and trial will be clinically led, not defined by rhetoric—in this place or anywhere else?

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

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  I am often put in mind of that scene in “Casablanca” where the official expresses surprise at gambling taking place in the casino when I hear Conservative Members say that briefing might have taken place. Perhaps in 2017, when the key stamp duty measure in that Budget was leaked, the right hon. Member for Central Devon (Sir Mel Stride) was equally surprised, as he was then the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. While there is always briefing, I am sure the Minister agrees with me that the job of the Chancellor is to get the best deal for this country.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. There is a complete lack of contrition about the Conservative legacy of neglect. The Tories let our valued pubs and shops close. I once explained to an American friend—they have a different culture—the difference between pubs and bars: a bar is just somewhere you go to drink, but a pub is your community living room. That is why this Labour Government are giving communities the right to buy a much-loved pub, post office or community hall that is under threat. Local people can step in and save businesses. That was pioneered by the then unique community ownership scheme that took over the Fox & Goose in Hebden Bridge. This Labour Government are cutting red tape and tackling late payments so that businesses can focus on serving customers, rather than fighting to survive. It is not just that the vast majority of our high street businesses in my survey said that they want to grow, and they can do with the right support; they told me that they chose to be in Calder Valley because of the brilliant community spirit that makes our places special. It is the same spirit that Sally Wainwright has put on our screens with “Happy Valley” and “Riot Women”. I know that every community represented across this House has its own story, its own community spirit and its own pride. Labour is backing that pride. The Labour Government know that local communities matter, and they require real capital, not failed platitudes from across the House. This is about pride: pride in towns, pride in communities and pride in place. The Conservatives left our high streets to die. Labour will bring them back to life town by town, community by community, in Calder Valley and across the country.