Josh Newbury MP: speeches

Speeches

• 2 Sept 2025 · Gaza: Ceasefire · Hansard source

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  16. What steps he is taking to help restore the ceasefire in Gaza.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

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  It is a privilege to speak in this summer Adjournment debate—named, of course, in honour of Sir David Amess. Sir David understood the quiet power of Back-Bench MPs in this House shining a light on issues that are all too often left in the shadows. In that same spirit, I rise to speak about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome—a group of rare inherited disorders that affect the body’s connective tissue. Though EDS is officially recognised as affecting around one in 5,000 people globally, the figure is widely believed to be much higher due to misdiagnosis and under-recognition. In the UK it is thought that around 460 people in every constituency are living with EDS, yet it remains one of the most misdiagnosed and neglected conditions in our healthcare system. One of those 460 people in my constituency is Connor Edwards. I had the chance to meet Connor earlier this year, and his story has stayed with me ever since. A few years ago while mountain biking on Cannock Chase, he was bitten by a tick and developed Lyme disease, but Lyme was only part of the story. It turned out that Connor also had EDS—a condition that affects the collagen responsible for supporting skin, joints, blood vessels and internal organs. For people like Connor, that can mean chronic dislocations, unbearable pain, neurological dysfunction and craniocervical instability, where the skull becomes unstable and begins to shift on the spine. As a result, Connor’s head no longer sits safely on his spine, and the instability is crushing vital areas like the brain stem and spinal cord. He lives with pain, frequent seizures and a level of disability that has robbed him of the life he once loved—fishing, mountain biking and simply going outside. He told me that he feels that his quality of life has been completely shattered. For a man, like me, in his early 30s to be in this position is heartbreaking. It should not be anybody’s reality in a country as wealthy as ours. The NHS currently offers no treatment for CCI, and it lacks both expertise and imaging capabilities—for example, the upright MRIs needed to diagnose this condition are not available on the NHS. Connor is now crowdfunding £50,000 to travel to a specialist clinic in Barcelona in the hope of receiving lifesaving surgery that will fuse his skull to his spine. Connor is not alone. According to Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, it takes patients up to 12 years to receive a diagnosis. Access to specialists is patchy at best, and those with the means often turn to private care. Those without the means suffer, deteriorate and navigate a system that does not see them. Let us be clear: EDS is not rare. It is rarely diagnosed. What begins as a physical health condition can quickly become a mental health crisis. A debate was held on EDS back in May last year, but the Members who spoke so powerfully that day never had the opportunity to meet with the then Minister. That cannot be where this conversation ends. I will be applying to the Backbench Business Committee for a debate on EDS, and I urge colleagues across the House to join me in this effort. Let us make space for the Connors in every constituency. This is not just about one young man in Cannock. It is about everyone who is waiting not only for treatment but for someone to believe them. Madam Deputy Speaker, may I wish you, all hon. Members, and especially all parliamentary staff, a restful summer break?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Orgreave Inquiry · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her statement and for launching the inquiry, thus keeping our manifesto promise. In coalfield communities such as mine, many former miners still bear the scars, physical and mental, of what happened at Orgreave 41 years ago, and our towns and villages still feel that collective sense of injustice. A great many men want to share their stories of that day, to ensure their own closure but also to ensure that the truth will out. Will the Minister assure my constituents, and ex-miners up and down the country, that they will have an opportunity to contribute to the inquiry?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Gene Editing · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman is making an important point about the potential for gene editing or precision breeding. Does he agree that one of the clearest examples of its promise is the humble potato? During a recent visit that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee made to the John Innes Centre, which he mentioned, we met Tropic and saw at first hand how researchers are using precision breeding to develop a blight-resistant potato, a breakthrough that could dramatically reduce the need for fungicide use. It could cut costs for farmers and improve yield resilience in the face of climate change. Does he agree that public engagement and clear, science-led regulation will be key to ensuring that those advancements deliver for both farmers and consumers?

• 21 Jul 2025 · Independent Water Commission · Hansard source

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  The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has heard unbelievable statements from 10 major water companies. We also took a long, hard look at Ofwat, as Sir Jon Cunliffe did, and found a regulator that is too cosy in dealing with water companies and too bureaucratic in dealing with customers. A weak regulator and fragmented powers have let the public down for far too long. Does the Secretary of State agree that while the Conservatives have failed and Reform and the Greens make unachievable, unfunded promises, it is this Labour Government who will call time on failure and protect bill payers?

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

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  Thank you. I really appreciate that from my hon. Friend. I think that everybody who puts themselves forward to be an adopter or a foster carer does so with a huge amount of compassion. It is a journey that is often fraught with difficulty, and it certainly presents its challenges, but I think that all parenthood does. Sometimes we need to recognise that parents, no matter how they come to their parenthood, are doing an awful lot to make sure that the next generation thrives—which is, after all, why we are all here today. This Government are putting in place massive support for kinship carers, with £44 million invested in kinship and foster carers and a new kinship allowance being trialled to provide financial stability to those stepping up to care for children in their wider family. Our national kinship care ambassador is working with local authorities to improve support and permanence pathways, and that is very welcome. Together with the child poverty taskforce, which will report in the autumn, and the expansion of free school meals, these measures underpin our mission to lift 100,000 children out of poverty, because no child should go hungry into their classroom. By investing in family hubs where families in Cannock Chase and beyond can access wraparound support, by rolling out early intervention programmes that build children’s language and confidence from birth, and by prioritising early permanence and fostering to adopt for children in the care system, we can deliver on the promise of giving every child—not just some—the best possible start in life and the opportunity to make the most of their potential. Every child deserves love, stability and opportunity. Whether they dream of becoming a doctor, a teacher or even a Member of Parliament, it is our duty to ensure that those dreams are possible and to allow every child to make the most of their gifts and potential.

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

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  It is a privilege to contribute to today’s debate on giving children the best possible start in life. As a father, this is an issue that matters deeply to me, not just politically but personally. We all understand that our experiences in our first years shape the adults we go on to become. The memories formed in those formative years, whether of joy and love or challenge and neglect, stay with us for life. They shape our confidence, our relationships and our view of the world. I am sure all of us in this Chamber have had the privilege of going into schools and speaking to children about what they want to be when they grow up. What a privilege that is, and what a responsibility it gives us to ensure that today’s children can dream just as big as we did, and feel just as supported in reaching those dreams. That is why it is vital that we do everything we can to make sure that every child, no matter their background, gets the same sense of possibility, the same support and the same opportunities to thrive. I know that I want that for my children. I am proud that this Labour Government are committed to rolling out Best Start family hubs. These hubs, along with the children’s centres that already exist such as the fantastic West Chadsmoor family centre in my constituency, provide vital wraparound support for families, offering everything from early education to parenting advice and mental health support. The announcement earlier this year of a new school-based nursery at Heath Hayes primary academy is another proud example of how we are supporting children in my towns and villages. As an adoptive parent and foster carer, I want to take a moment to speak directly to the needs of some of our most vulnerable children—those who grow up in the care system. In Staffordshire alone, the county council supports over 5,000 children, of whom 1,345 are in care. Because of the sadly increasing demand, the council has faced dramatic financial pressures, overspending by nearly £3.8 million, largely as a result of the costs of placing children in care. These figures underline the scale of the demand and the commitment needed to meet it. I am an evangelical advocate for fostering to adopt, also known as early permanence, and I should declare an interest because that is the path that I have taken in adopting my children. Fostering to adopt allows vulnerable children to move into stable, loving homes as soon as possible, avoiding the uncertainty and disruption that all too often characterise life in care. I would like to put on record my personal thanks to the Minister for Children and Families, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East (Janet Daby), for also being a strong advocate on this, and for giving her time to me today to discuss early permanence and support for fostered and adopted children. Evidence shows that early intervention, especially when speech and language support is provided before six months old, leads to lasting gains in expressive vocabulary, social and emotional development, and communication outcomes. Enrolment in support before three months, for example, delivers measurable gains in vocabulary at 18 to 24 months and even helps to close gaps with hearing peers by age five. Children in care are just as full of potential as any other child, but they need us in this place to fight a little harder for them, to make sure that they too, when asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, have the support they need around them to achieve whatever those dreams might be. Labour is delivering the biggest overhaul of legislation to protect children in a generation, because where others dither and kick political footballs, we on this side of the House will always act decisively to look after the most vulnerable.

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

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  Next week is Bees’ Needs Week, a chance to highlight the vital role that pollinators play in our environment and to encourage everybody to get involved to help these essential species. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Cannock Wood and Gentleshaw Gardening Club on its recent successful open gardens day, which I went along to? Not only does the club bring our community together in the most beautiful way, and inspire plenty of garden envy, but it also raises funds for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust—a fantastic example of local people making a national difference.

• 10 Jul 2025 · Children’s Social Care · Hansard source

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  I very much welcome the report, which I look forward to reading in detail. I thank the Committee for all its work on this important matter, and of course the Chair for introducing its many excellent recommendations so comprehensively. There is a lot to go on, but I wish quickly to touch on two points. I declare an interest as a foster carer and adoptive parent, and I fully endorse the report, which highlights the huge widening gap in foster care provision. The emotional appeal for foster carers is powerful, but as the Committee said, it simply is not enough. Does the Chair agree that properly recognising the effort and complexity involved in fostering placements is urgently needed, most importantly for children in care? On support for care leavers, I have heard from too many who, on reaching 18 or even before then, move out of the council area where they were taken into care, so I also endorse the call for a national care leaver offer.

• 10 Jul 2025 · Educational Attainment of Boys · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) for securing today’s debate. As others have done, I start by saying that the numbers are stark. By almost every measure, boys are falling behind. By the end of primary school, just 57% of boys meet the expected standard in English and maths, compared with 64% of girls. For a white, working-class boy from a low-income household, that picture is even bleaker. Just 33% of those eligible for free school meals meet that same benchmark at GCSE.

• 10 Jul 2025 · Educational Attainment of Boys · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I will come on to many of the issues that he refers to. He represents a community with a demographic that is similar in many ways to my own, so I very much welcome his efforts in this space. In Staffordshire, as across the country, boys are around 50% more likely to be excluded than girls, and twice as likely to be permanently excluded. We have to work out why that is happening, and why so many of our boys and young men feel out of place in the classroom and in school, and subsequently rebel against the system. As the first in my family to attend university, I know that our education system, particularly after the incredibly damaging reforms of a certain former Education Secretary, all too often feels like it is one size fits all. That is a particular barrier to opportunity for white, working-class boys, who often do not see themselves reflected in school. Cannock Chase sadly falls significantly behind the national average, with just 23% of over-16s receiving a higher education qualification, compared with 34% nationally. In ’22-23, 34% of men from Staffordshire had started in higher education by the age of 19, compared with 49% of women. As a man raised to be a proud feminist, the fact that the rate and numbers of women going to university have increased hugely since first overtaking those of men in the mid-’90s should absolutely be welcomed. It should not be seen, in any way, as something that is taking away from men, as it is sometimes falsely characterised. In recognising that, however, we must not ignore the fact that the rate and numbers of men going on to higher education have risen much more slowly. Even more stark is the fact that 22% of young people in Cannock Chase leave school with no qualifications at all, and only 57% of white boys from Staffordshire met the expected standard in English reading and writing and maths last year. For young boys, those are not just statistics; they are social problems. We must also recognise the danger of ignoring a growing crisis among boys—when they feel alienated from school and opportunity, others step in to fill that gap. Most worryingly, that includes the rise of toxic figures on social media who spread misogyny. Young boys are being fed a version of masculinity built not on resilience, education and kindness, but on dominance, grievance and hatred. As has been said, if we shame men as a whole, or characterise all of them as privileged, we not only fail to address this issue but push many boys towards those malign influences and risk losing a generation to that toxicity. I welcome the fact that the Government are working to address the root causes of violence against women and girls in schools, teaching pupils about healthy relationships and consent. We need to draw boys into education by showing them that it matters, and that they matter. We need to show them that they will play a role in our society, and that learning is not just for the academically gifted and the privileged. We must invest in mentoring, mental health and early intervention. We must back apprenticeships, technical pathways and, as a society, value them as much as we do degrees. We must understand why so many men are walking away from education and training. Is it a lack of support or financial pressures? Whatever the cause, it deserves real scrutiny from this House and real solutions. We must also explore reforming assessment methods, because not every young person thrives in a system built around high-stakes exams. Coursework, modular learning and vocational achievements must be valued equally, as they were when I was at school. Above all, as we have done today, we must talk about this openly, honestly and with urgency. We have to inspire boys to stay and thrive in education, and—as my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland so eloquently put it—not shame them or make out that they have privilege when they have anything but. Instead, we must guide them towards a future defined not by anger or exclusion but by achievement and respect.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Fossil Fuel Advertising and Sponsorship · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier), who is sometimes mistaken for my twin, for opening the debate in a very balanced and fair-minded way. What struck me when I saw the petition was that the petitioners are hitting on something so ever-present in our lives that it is almost background noise— one of those forms of advertising that we have grown up with, and are so used to that we would almost notice it more if it were not there. Of course, many types of advertising would fit that bill, but fossil fuel company ads are probably one of the most hotly contested; fizzy pop and cars do not feel quite so controversial. It is not just the big giants, such as BP, Shell, Texaco and Total, that we see on the top of petrol station canopies; in “Toy Story”—one of my favourite films growing up—the oil giant Dinoco loomed large in Disney’s fictitious advertising space. It is important for us to acknowledge, as the petition does directly, the risks of so-called greenwashing—confuddling consumers with a wholesome-looking image of a bright, clean, green future that reality may make up only a tiny proportion of an organisation’s work, spending or plans for the future. Greenwashing is one of the things that makes me angriest—though all forms of dishonest advertising make me angry, because at their core they are designed to hoodwink the public. However, we must acknowledge that the concept of greenwashing and what constitutes fossil fuel advertising is hotly contested. In his opening speech, my hon. Friend the Member for Burton and Uttoxeter mentioned the very relevant example of tobacco advertising being banned many decades ago on the grounds of harm to individuals’ health and the idea of the wider societal harm that can follow on from that. We did not ban tobacco, but we did ban its promotion. That is the central point in this debate, and the central question we need to address as parliamentarians. Sometimes, too, greenwashing can be indirect and even adjacent to an organisation. I am thinking in particular of a Greenpeace campaign some 11 years ago, which targeted Lego for a partnership with Shell. Eventually, the campaign led to Lego dropping said partnership. One person’s clear line in the sand, however, is another person’s nuance. As my hon. Friend mentioned, many fossil fuel companies are investing billions in the transition to net zero—on a bigger or smaller scale, and through compulsion or choice, but they are doing that—and, let us face it, that funding will be crucial to reaching net zero. Raising awareness of such efforts is crucial, as is ensuring that the generations to come are aware of the opportunities that are open to them in the green industries of the future. Unfortunately, few renewable energy companies or environmental non-governmental organisations have the resources that fossil fuel companies have to promote those opportunities. Turning to sponsorship, I can definitely see the argument for restricting or banning fossil fuel companies’ ability to put money into things such as sport, which are ever present on our TV screens—especially at the moment, as we cheer the Lionesses on in the women’s Euros. If we are to discuss that, however, we need to think about the alternative funding streams. If we ban fossil fuel advertising, will there be alternative funding streams for sports teams, to encourage the next generation to come through and ensure that there is cash there to support them, too? In conclusion, I fully support the motive behind the petition. Greenwashing is something we absolutely need to stamp out. We need stringent regulations to ensure that companies are not able to hoodwink the public, as I said, but we also need to be fundamentally honest about the transition to net zero, the role that fossil fuel companies and the like will have to play in it, and the expectations that we should have of those companies to help to promote that future, possibly giving them the freedom to do that within certain constraints. This has been an interesting debate; thank you, Mr Twigg, for allowing me to take part in it.