Keir Starmer MP: speeches 2025

1393 published records · newest first.

Speeches

10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
The Secretary of State for Justice will look into the matter and take up the suggestion, and I will arrange for a meeting as soon as possible.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I am pleased that we have made progress on the NHS. We promised 2 million extra appointments in the first year of a Labour Government, and we have delivered not 2 million, not 3 million, but over 4 million extra appointments, with 2,000 extra GPs. We are clearing up the dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in our hospitals. The national league tables that we published this week will ensure that investment goes where it is needed most, and our 10-year health plan will see neighbourhood health centres in every community, treating patients closer to home. There is more to do, but we have made a lot of progress.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
We have very clear and strict rules in relation to this, and we have taken action in relation to arms sales.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
Our deputy leader contest started this week and ends on 25 October. The Conservatives’ leadership contest has been going on for months, and will continue for a very long time. [ Interruption. ] All this noise from the arsonists while we are putting out the fires that they left behind! Interest rates and waiting lists are down. Wages, investment and deportations are up. Now we are stepping up defence spending, creating new jobs, driving up standards in our NHS and rebuilding our crumbling schools and hospitals. This is a Government of patriots fighting for working people.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
The previous Government shattered the dream of home ownership. We are reforming the outdated system so that leaseholders receive stronger rights, powers and protections. We will bring to an end the feudal leasehold system, reinvigorate commonhold and deliver the biggest boost to social affordable housing in a generation.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I start, Mr Speaker, by expressing our sincere condolences to His Majesty the King and the royal family on the death of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent. Her life was filled with compassion and dignity. She dutifully supported our late Queen Elizabeth II, comforted the runner-up at Wimbledon, and worked anonymously as a music teacher in Hull—typical of her unassuming nature and human touch. I am sure the thoughts of the whole House are with His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, his family, and all those whose lives she touched. Turning to other events, I condemn the strikes that Israel carried out in Doha yesterday. They violate Qatar’s sovereignty and do nothing to secure the peace that the UK and so many of our allies are committed to. I spoke to the Emir of Qatar last night, soon after the attack, to convey our support and solidarity. He was crystal clear that notwithstanding the attacks, he will continue to work on a diplomatic solution to achieve a ceasefire and a two-state outcome, on which he and I are of the same mind. That is why I met President Abbas on Monday and will meet President Herzog later today. I will be absolutely clear that we condemn Israel’s action. I will also be clear that restrictions on aid must be lifted, the offensive in Gaza must stop, and settlement building must cease. But however difficult, the UK will not walk away from a diplomatic solution. We will negotiate, and we will strain every sinew, because that is the only way to get the hostages out, to get aid in, and to stop the killing. Last night, Russia launched drones into Poland in an unprecedented attack. I have been in touch with the Polish Prime Minister this morning to make clear our support for Poland. We will stand firm in our support for Ukraine. With our partners and through our leadership of the coalition of the willing, we will continue to ramp up the pressure on Putin until there is a just and lasting peace. This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
As the right hon. Lady and the House would expect, full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors. The ambassador has repeatedly expressed his deep regret, and he is right to do so. He is now playing an important part in the US-UK relationship.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
Hefin was a proud Welshman and a champion for Caerphilly. We send our love and support to his partner, Vikki, and his daughters, family and friends. Wales has a thriving defence sector and I am delighted that it will host one of our new defence growth zones. That is investing £250 million to make defence an engine for jobs and growth across the United Kingdom. That is what we get when we have a Labour Government in both Cardiff and Westminster working together to deliver for Wales.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
May I start by thanking and paying tribute to my hon. Friend for her work as my Parliamentary Private Secretary for the past 14 months? She has worked tirelessly and with huge commitment and respect across the whole of this House. I think that suicide prevention matters to everybody in this House. I will reaffirm our commitment and I will work across the House with all Members to deal with suicide prevention.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
We will ban fracking for good, and let us be absolutely clear that the biggest risk to energy prices is staying hooked on volatile international fossil fuel markets. In stark contrast, Reform is ignoring local communities, putting green jobs and investment at risk and committing to higher bills by warning renewable companies not to invest. That is shocking.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
As I say, full due process was gone through in relation to this appointment, as would be expected. As the right hon. Lady well knows, the publication of documents is subject to a procedure that includes an independent element. This would have been subject to the usual procedure.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
Let me tell the House what we are doing. We are working with the former President of the National Farmers Union, Baroness Minette Batters, to review farm profitability—that is the key issue. We are delivering the 25-year farming road map, and we have struck a deal with the EU, which is of great benefit to farmers, and which of course the Conservatives say they will reverse. That is on top of the £5 billion that we put into farming in our last Budget.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
As I have made clear to the House, full due process was gone through when the appointment was made.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
My hon. Friend has been a tireless campaigner for investment in her high street. I can give her good news: thanks to funding committed by the Chancellor and this Labour Government, I can confirm today that subject to business case approval, we will approve millions to transform Kirkaldy’s high street and sea front. I will make sure that my hon. Friend gets the meeting she wants with the Business Secretary. The SNP has squandered the potential of high streets for two decades. Next year, people can vote for positive change with a Scottish Labour Government.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I agree with the right hon. Gentleman; there are too many hurdles and too many hoops that have to be gone through. That is why we are simplifying the system, and we will, of course, work across the House with all those who want to achieve that outcome. May I also thank those dealing with suicide prevention? Probably everybody in this House knows someone who has taken their life. It touches all of us and we must do everything we can, together, to prevent suicide.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
For the record, we have suspended arms that could be used in Gaza, we have sanctioned extremists and we have suspended trade talks. The point the right hon. Gentleman raises is a very serious one. We all want an outcome that ensures that there is peace, that the hostages get out, that aid gets in and that there is a two-state outcome. It is the only way we will get peace in a region that has suffered conflict for a very, very long time. I will not give up on diplomacy—that is the politics of students.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
It is important that we move to renewables in order to have energy independence and to keep our bills down, and this will benefit lots of communities, including the hon. Member’s. I want to reassure her constituents that we will of course follow process and that they will always have a say in any decisions that we make.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
The Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing. People should feel safe in their communities, and that is exactly why we have committed to putting 13,000 additional police personnel back in our town centres and communities. That means there will be a named police officer in every community, armed with tough new respect orders to break up antisocial behaviour. These powers are contained in our Crime and Policing Bill, which the Conservatives and Reform voted against.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I am pleased that the employment rate is up, that inactivity is down and that we have created over 380,000 jobs since we have been in power. Going further, I know that my hon. Friend, as a proud Yorkshireman, will welcome the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield airport just yesterday, which was made possible by the decisions we have made. That is a Labour mayor working with a Labour Government to create jobs across the country.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I have read through the details of Connor’s case, which has just been summarised. It is heartbreaking. I thank my hon. Friend for consistently campaigning and championing all those affected. I will make sure that he gets the meetings he needs so that we can hear from Connor and others and learn from their experience.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I am very sorry to hear about the case that the hon. Gentleman raises, and I am sure that the thoughts of the whole House will be with the friends and family of the constituent that he referenced. Indeed, our thoughts are with all those affected, particularly farmers, and I want to join him in thanking our firefighters, who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe. We have provided Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue authority with an increased budget of almost £75 million, but I will ensure that he gets the meeting he has asked for to ensure that we can properly support our firefighters and protect our farmland.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
The relationship between the US and the UK is one of our foremost relationships, and I have confidence in the ambassador in the role he is doing.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
Let me start by saying that the victims of Epstein are at the forefront of our minds. He was a despicable criminal who committed the most heinous crimes and destroyed the lives of so many women and girls. The ambassador has repeatedly expressed his deep regret for his association with Epstein, and he is right to do so. I have confidence in him, and he is playing an important role in the UK-US relationship.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
My hon. Friend speaks with great authority, and I am proud that Labour is protecting 500,000 children by rolling out chickenpox vaccines. In stark contrast, the man who wrote Reform’s health policy has made shocking and baseless claims that vaccines are linked to cancer, and that has been endorsed by the Reform leader, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage)— [ Interruption. ] They laugh at it. These dangerous conspiracies cost lives, and this shows that Reform cannot be trusted with our NHS.
10 Sept 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
More
I am sorry to hear about the hon. Gentleman’s constituent. That is an awful situation for anyone to find themselves in. I will of course look at his Bill.

Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →