Keir Mather MP: speeches

Speeches

• 11 Jun 2026 · Transport Hubs: UV Index Alerts · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member is right to say that skin cancer affects people across the United Kingdom and we need to work as one United Kingdom to deal with it. I will certainly take what I learn from my meeting with my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East and reflect it through to colleagues in both the Department of Health and Social Care and the devolved Administrations, including in Northern Ireland.

• 10 Jun 2026 · Railways Bill · Hansard source

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  We certainly hope that it will. On the specific issues that my hon. Friend raises, will he consider writing to either myself or the Rail Minister so that we can think about how we can better integrate those live concerns about people suffering from mental health crises and how we might better protect them on our railway? That is an incredibly important point. Just to conclude—

• 3 Feb 2026 · Railways Bill (Ninth sitting) · Hansard source

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  We have repeatedly had this allusion drawn between NHS England and the NHS on the one hand and the Department for Transport and GBR on the other. I do not believe that these examples are analogous. NHS England replicated functions in a way that did not serve the interests of patients or taxpayers who paid into the health service. The entire principle here is to take decision-making power from DFT, which under this broken system remains the only body truly accountable for what happens on the railway, and to give it to GBR, in a way that empowers it to ensure that services run in the public interest and represent value for money. I cannot envisage that Members across the House would not think it reasonable, within very broad parameters, to retain some ability to have political accountability in the fare-setting process in exceptional circumstances, such as during the pandemic. That is wholly sensible in making sure the railway continues to offer value for money for both passengers and taxpayers, who are ultimately one and the same.

• 29 Jan 2026 · Railways Bill (Eighth sitting) · Hansard source

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  With respect to the hon. Member, I do not think that those two examples are analogous. The Secretary of State has a responsibility to set out the long-term rail strategy, to guide how GBR will work over the decades to come, but in terms of access, charging, passenger experience and making sure that our railway runs for every part of the United Kingdom, GBR will be solely responsible for that work. Therefore, I do not believe that the NHS England comparison works in this instance. Both amendments 98 and 236 would require the ORR to consider whether GBR procuring services from the private sector would be a more efficient use of public funds. In carrying out its monitoring role, the ORR is already under a duty to consider the efficient use of taxpayers’ money, alongside duties to promote the interests of passengers, the use of rail freight and the public interest. Prescribing a specific and focused test that the ORR must apply when monitoring the delivery and outcomes of GBR’s activities is ideologically driven and adds nothing to the already comprehensive monitoring role that the ORR possesses. The ORR’s monitoring and advisory role, His Majesty’s Treasury spending controls and external scrutiny will all ensure proper value-for-money scrutiny. If the ORR thought there was a significantly better value-for-money way of achieving a certain objective than the one proposed in the business plan put forward by GBR, the ORR could highlight that to GBR and the Secretary of State. The Bill therefore already delivers this intent. New clause 43 would require the Secretary of State to set a private sector growth target. I agree that the private sector has a vital role to play in our railways. That is true across the supply chain—in rolling stock, freight, open access services, ticket retail and innovation—and nothing in the Bill seeks to exclude or marginalise that contribution. However, we do not agree that imposing a statutory growth target for private sector involvement is the right approach. The Bill establishes Great British Railways as the single directing mind for the railway, responsible for balancing its statutory duties in the round. Those duties include promoting the interests of passengers and potential passengers, making efficient use of public funds, promoting the use of rail freight and enabling providers to plan for the future of their businesses. Those are the right incentives to create the railway that we want—one that is reliable, connected, effective and brings together the best of the public and private sectors to deliver for the general public. Private sector growth in isolation, without regard to those aims, could drive the wrong incentives and will not create the railway that we all want to see. The Bill is designed to secure the best of both worlds. GBR will simplify engagement and provide clearer long-term direction and greater certainty, while continuing to procure billions of pounds’ worth of goods and services from private sector suppliers. We expect that a substantial proportion of GBR’s expenditure, once established, will continue to flow through the private sector. Open access operators will continue to play a role where they add value and represent best use of the network, supported by fair and transparent access and charging arrangements, with appropriate regulatory safeguards. The supply chain will benefit from longer-term strategies and more coherent planning than the fragmented system delivers today, and the duties reflect the need for private sector providers to plan with certainty. What matters is not meeting an arbitrary target, but delivering better outcomes for passengers, freight and the taxpayer. A statutory private sector growth target would add rigidity where flexibility and judgment are required. In the light of all those reasons, I urge the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham not to press the amendments and the new clause.

• 13 Jan 2026 · Airport Drop-off Charges · Hansard source

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  That point is incredibly well made. Too often, when we discuss aviation policy in this place, we fail to recognise that the people who use our airports may well be making emotional journeys with their loved ones and dropping people off to travel around the world and explore new opportunities. They deserve to know that they can do so in a context where the airport is providing them with a good quality service. I also want to reflect briefly on the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton South and Walkden about our airports being a gateway to the United Kingdom. That is an incredibly important and useful lens through which we can view some of these policy considerations. The Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello), pointed out that travel to Bristol airport is a real challenge from his Dorset constituency. I visited Bristol airport a couple of weeks ago, and I got to see the fantastic local bus service that they are pioneering there. He raised a very good point, building on the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton: if someone has to go a longer distance they will be taking a car and will therefore need to access that drop-off zone. We need to think realistically about the impact on the constituents he represents. The Conservative spokesperson, the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham, raised the principle of fairness that lies behind the mechanism for payments of charges and how, in an opaque system where the rules are not clear, that can cause difficulty for people paying. Where is the fairness in that system? The point is well made. I will leave to him the legalistic determinations about how it relates to certain principles of contract law, but I am happy to explore the issue further with him. My hon. Friends the Members for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) and for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) and the hon. Members for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and for West Dorset made important points about accessibility. The CAA enforces the rules on accessibility at airport car parks, including through the Equality Act 2010. Passengers with a disability or reduced mobility are legally entitled to special assistance free of charge when they fly from UK airports. Many airports, including Manchester, offer exemptions from fees for blue badge holders. That is not to say that there is not still enormous work to do to make the system fairer and more transparent. I am always happy for hon. Members across the House to write to me with specific instances of where they feel the framework is not serving the needs of passengers with disabilities. I will happily look into that for them. Finally, the hon. Members for Reigate (Rebecca Paul), for West Dorset and for Broadland and Fakenham raised taxation. In the autumn Budget, His Majesty’s Treasury announced a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £1.3 billion in support to airports over 2026-27 and 2028-29. That caps airport bill increases at just over double by 2028-29, compared with the larger increases that there would have been without support. The Labour party’s view is that airports do not exist completely separately from the public services on which their workers depend. People need to travel to airports on the strategic road network, and workers at airports need to be able to access the NHS. It is incredibly important that airports should play their part in contributing to the public finances, but we want to ensure that is done proportionately. I am always happy to have conversations about that with hon. Members.

• 4 Dec 2025 · Seafarers’ Welfare · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. Before I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft), I pay tribute to Lord Prescott, whose unfortunate passing was just over a year ago. Beginning with his career as a trade union official in the National Union of Seamen, and then as Deputy Prime Minister and in his work on transport, he was a defiant champion of the rights of seafarers right across the country. He was—how shall I put it?—a salty sea dog to the end and passionately defended workers’ rights in a sector that he cared about so dearly. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock for bringing forward this important debate. I commend her for her thoughtful remarks and her continued advocacy on behalf of her constituents, seafarers and those who support them. Growth is this Government’s No. 1 priority. The maritime sector not only powers that mission, but is critical in delivering the goods and materials that people across the UK rely on in their everyday lives. As we approach Christmas, I hope we can take the time to appreciate our maritime workforce—their skill and hard work will mean that our tables and our stockings have everything we need for a very merry Christmas—while also recognising that lots of merchant seafarers will not be home themselves this Christmas, and the toll that takes on their families and their mental health. My grandfather on my mother’s side served in the merchant navy for 50 years, so my family is extremely cognisant of that. I am delighted to hear about the incredible work of the Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest in Tilbury in supporting those men and women. I again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock for supporting the Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest and for highlighting its important work here in Parliament. The Seamen’s Rest has a long and fascinating history. It has always been there—for more than 180 years, I believe—to support seafarers and provide them with accommodation and welfare. I have not yet had the opportunity to visit the centre at Tilbury, but I am aware of the work that the Seamen’s Rest has done through its centres to ensure that hard-working seafarers have well-deserved facilities and support when visiting ports across the UK.