Leigh Ingham MP: speeches

Speeches

• 15 Sept 2026 · Immigration and Asylum Bill (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q Thank you for your answers so far. We heard some interesting evidence before you came in, and I am particularly interested in your perception of the increase in the application of article 8 to some immigration claims. The European Court of Human Rights has told me that even the Court has been surprised at some of the cases in the UK to which it has been applied. Do you have a position on that? Similarly, it was said earlier in evidence that there could be a counter-effect: that the reduced number of article 8 claims could lead to an increase in article 3 claims. Do you have a position on that as well? Jon Featonby: From the Refugee Council perspective, it is not something that we have focused on. It is not part and parcel of our day-to-day work, as it were. We certainly have not done the research into this that people on the previous panels have done. From our point of view, what is important is that those people arriving in the UK seeking protection are able to seek that protection and have their cases heard fairly and in a timely way, so that the people who need protection, as I said previously, are able to get it and people who do not qualify can be returned and removed from the UK safely and humanely. It is not part of our work to have the evidence on how particular articles of the European convention have been applied.

• 15 Sept 2026 · Immigration and Asylum Bill (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q I was pleased to hear you talk about fairness, which is a fundamental British value. Concern is sometimes raised about article 8, which I encounter in my role as a Council of Europe delegate. What protections will there be to prevent the wrongful separation of families when children are involved? That is a major concern for a lot of people who hear about what we are proposing in the Bill. Anna Turley: An important thing to clarify, and that we have not heard today, is that it will be up to the family to decide what they want to do. If somebody is removed, the family can go with them if that is what they want to do. We will always put the rights of the child at the forefront of everything. It is important for us to say that. It is also important that we set out our aims in doing this with article 8. There have been a variety of interpretations of article 8—it has been applied very loosely and inconsistently—so defining and codifying the concept of family life in primary legislation is important for fairness and consistency. We are bringing it in line with existing immigration regulations codifying and clarifying family life, and trying to ensure that it is fair, consistent and written on the face of the Bill. On safeguards, it is important to reiterate that our priority is always the welfare of the children.

• 15 Sept 2026 · Immigration and Asylum Bill (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q Thank you for your answers so far. It is good to hear that the overturn rate is reducing from the highs we have seen; certainly, the statistics you gave us right at the beginning, Minister, about the reduction we have seen since the general election are really welcome. I want to speak to that point because that is what comes up most in Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages. It is not just one side of the political spectrum that has concerns about our immigration system; it is across the board. It is interesting when we hear consistently from both sides that there is a lack of faith and confidence in the system, because that does speak to a fundamental issue. I hope you can explain how setting up the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority will help to address that across the board. Anna Turley: We are in a situation where there is a crisis in confidence and a crisis in outcome. That is why it is really important for us to restore that faith by building a professional, reliable and independent appeals process. We have talked about some of the ways in which the authority is independent, and those are on the face of the Bill. It is a statutory body in its own right; it is not a Crown body. Ministers have a statutory duty to uphold its independence, and it is really important to us that we maintain that independence. As we have heard, the adjudicators will be appointed by a chief executive, and these will be merit-based appointments. Importantly, there will be external annual reporting to Parliament, and there is still that right of appeal to the upper tribunal. However, it is important to recognise that the authority cannot operate in isolation—I think that that is part of the reason why there has been a bit of a crisis in public confidence. It is really important that it is part of the wider immigration and asylum process. It is going to be accountable for its performance through statutory reporting, scrutiny and oversight, which is not the case at the moment, with the separation of the judiciary. By making it accountable to Parliament, we are providing another mechanism to make it accountable to the British people, and to try to rebuild the trust and faith that they should have in their asylum process and in their Government to manage our borders.

• 15 Sept 2026 · Immigration and Asylum Bill (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  Does anyone else on the panel want to come in on that question? Dan Hobbs and Bas Javid indicated dissent .

• 3 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know that the Leader of the House agrees with me that pubs are an important part of British culture, especially in towns and rural villages. They often act as crucial community hubs. The Oxleathers pub in my constituency of Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages is the only pub from the west midlands to be shortlisted in the Pub Aid pub hero awards. I welcome the Government’s recent announcement of business rates cuts to pubs and hospitality venues, so would the Leader of the House agree to a debate on the importance of Government support for pubs, especially in rural towns and villages?

• 3 Sept 2026 · Access to Culture · Hansard source

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  6. What steps she is taking to improve access to cultural amenities in towns and rural areas.

• 3 Sept 2026 · Access to Culture · Hansard source

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  Mr Speaker, you know as well as I do that Stafford has brilliant cultural amenities, such as the Gatehouse theatre, which recently hosted a first-of-its-kind technical summer school, providing a unique opportunity for young people to experience technical theatre skills. However, it can be much more challenging for those who live in more rural areas, such as in those in my constituency, who do not necessarily get the same opportunities due to rural transport issues and a lack of cultural amenities. Will the Minister please tell me what the Government are doing to support cultural activities, particularly for young people in our rural areas?

• 3 Sept 2026 · Building Homes and Renewing Communities · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Secretary of State back to her place. I agree with her comment that the situation we are facing on high streets is not something we have created recently, but has been inherited after years of austerity. Particularly in Stafford, we welcome many of the high street initiatives taking place such as on vape shops and—this is a bit of a throwback one—the high street rental auctions, which are great. Could I have a meeting with her, because my local authority is really keen to pursue this, but with LGR going through and some stretched personnel situations with LGR and previously with austerity, it is finding the administration of this a little overwhelming? It would be great if we could get this in Stafford, perhaps with a little bit more support for such councils.

• 1 Sept 2026 · Face-to-Face Banking: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  This summer I did a rural tour in my constituency of Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages. Interestingly, a resident said to me that they had been directed to Stafford, where we are also getting bank closures. That is not a rural area; it is a town—quite urban. The issue they had is that their nearest bus stop was three miles away and they did not have good mobility. Where there are these interconnecting complex issues, rural communities in particular are being poorly served. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must consider access to proper local transport when making these recommendations?

• 1 Sept 2026 · Direction of Government · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Prime Minister to his place. According to the Office for National Statistics, manufacturing directly contributes 15% to the economy of Staffordshire—double the national average—so I really welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to reindustrialisation, which is vital for towns like Stafford. Will he meet me and other interested MPs, particularly those who are members of the Reindustrialisation Research Group, so we can speak about this issue, specifically as it relates to towns? We know that towns have more manufacturing employment than cities, so to have growth in every postcode, with manufacturing booming again in towns, is going to make such a difference.

• 9 Jul 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The flooding outside Tesco in Stafford is a great example of why holding local authorities to account on drainage really matters. I recently learned that the drains were last cleaned in 2020, during covid; without regular maintenance, they will continue to block. While I am glad that it looks like a fix is finally on its way, routine drain clearance should not require an MP’s intervention. Will the Minister tell me and the House what she can do to ensure that council leadership meets its basic maintenance obligations, before the next rainfall shows that maintenance has not been done again?

• 9 Jul 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year—not because it was the Leader of the House’s birthday but because my Stafford students came down for their summer school. They met the Chancellor, the Speaker, other MPs and a Minister. They are passionate and inspiring young people who are keen to use their voices for good. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking those people who gave their time for those young people yesterday? More importantly, will he thank those people around the UK who regularly volunteer to support young people and give them a safe space to be themselves?

• 9 Jul 2026 · British Industry Supercharger: Ceramics · Hansard source

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  What strikes me about the support we give to the ceramics sector as a Government is that, while we are making a big commitment—and the right commitment—to give British people homes by delivering 1.5 million houses, we could simultaneously support our bricks industry, and the building sector more widely. Does my hon. Friend agree that while we are backing British, building British and buying British, it is important that we ensure that that sector support comes through from Government?

• 6 Jul 2026 · Cadets · Hansard source

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  I recently visited the sea cadets in Stafford, and it was brilliant. They are somehow thriving, despite being about 70 miles from the nearest coastline. What they lack in coastline, they very much make up for in enthusiasm. Unlike some of the Army and air cadet units, sea cadets are run as a charity and miss out on the cadet expansion programme funding. Will the Minister tell me what support is available for sites such as Stafford, so that even those of us missing out on sea access do not miss out on fair funding access?

• 2 Jul 2026 · Access to Further Education · Hansard source

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  Investment in our colleges is essential to this country’s future and to our manufacturing sector, our house building targets and our NHS. In Stafford, it is clear that we have no shortage of ambitious young people—I know this, as I meet them weekly—but we must invest in their futures. We must invest in our colleges to make sure that their futures are all they can be. I am proud of what this Government’s investment has delivered so far. Our advanced manufacturing tech is going to change the landscape in Stafford, and that work, done in combination with our local employers—hand in glove—shows exactly what can be achieved by an ambitious Labour Government. I want to take this opportunity to raise something put to me directly by my local college and by Make UK, because it gets to the heart of the problem of how we fund our manufacturing and technical education. Right now, the payment per pupil is the same regardless of whatever course is being delivered, so an A-level student doing three A-levels in a classroom attracts the same funding as a student on a technical engineering apprenticeship, despite the fact that the equipment, the facilities, the staffing and the delivery costs are so different. At a place like Stafford college, which genuinely excels in exactly this kind of high-cost, high-value technical provision, that is really unfair and a direct disincentive to deliver the courses that matter most. If we are serious about making technical education genuinely world class, we have to fund it as though we mean it. That is why I am so pleased and it is such an honour— I talk about it all the time—to have the best college in the country in my constituency. [ Interruption. ] It is widely accepted to be the best college in the country! I am also very pleased that the Government have taken substantial steps to invest in further education and vocational courses, so I would like to ask the Minister: what further investment is planned in our college estate, and how can the course funding imbalance be addressed to ensure that we have the best facilities and the best staff, and that we create the best possible opportunities?

• 2 Jul 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The Leader of the House will know that I never miss an opportunity to raise the subject of the state of Staffordshire’s roads, but they may not have heard this variant before. Residents in Church Eaton have reported a sinkhole on their high street. I have seen it. Nobody seems able to get it filled in. It is on a main road, close to a primary school, and it has become something of a legend among local residents, to the extent that one constituent wrote a poem about it. Could the Leader of the House grant a debate on the condition of rural roads, so that we can get to the bottom of why repairs like this keep falling through the cracks?

• 2 Jul 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T4. In Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, 12.6% of the workforce, which is nearly 5,000 people, work in logistics and contribute about £400 million to our national economy. However, with over 85% of UK fulfilment warehouses expected to be automated by 2030, many of these jobs will face significant changes. Please can the Secretary of State tell me what assessment the Government have made of the impact of automation on working communities, and what support will be available to help communities such as mine?

• 2 Jul 2026 · Commonhold and Leasehold Reform: Managing Agents · Hansard source

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  I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. Given FirstPort’s record and the number of times that FirstPort has been called to Parliament—it has been called to speak before the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee and the “Labour for Leaseholders” group, which has worked really hard—it is an abomination that it is still getting contracts, to be honest. As someone who used to award contracts in my previous career, I think it is mad when previous behaviour is not taken into account when giving out contracts, and FirstPort is a case in point—absolutely atrocious behaviour. Learning from my own experiences, I am helping constituents on estates across the constituency, as I am sure many hon. Members are, to form residents associations to fight back, but I think we are beyond that. We should not need to be fighting back any more; we should have the regulation in place to protect us.

• 2 Jul 2026 · Commonhold and Leasehold Reform: Managing Agents · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green (Florence Eshalomi) on securing this incredibly important debate. This issue is the reason I got into politics in the first place. My first community activism was with my fellow neighbours against an unscrupulous developer up in Newcastle. What I learnt from that is that when people are trapped in their own homes by systems which have been designed to extract money from them rather than serve them, they need a Government who are on their side. For too long leaseholders have not had that at all. I am so glad that this Government have taken strong steps already on commonhold and leasehold. There is so much that does need to change. In the past, as many hon. Members have spoken about today, leasehold has been used as a system that has allowed developers to treat homeowners as a revenue stream: escalating service charges with no breakdown; poor maintenance resulting in unsafe parks; problems with footpaths and dying trees; and to make matters even worse and more insulting, really poor communication from managing agents, which makes it difficult to get your voice heard or your complaint addressed. On local estates such as Marston Grange, Sancerre Grange and Sheridan Grange, I have worked to help residents register and build residents’ associations, and to raise their cases with managing agents so that they get better maintenance. Working together, we have had some genuinely great results, but for residents on new build estates it should not depend on how active or vocal their local MP is; it should be written into law. I urge the Government to ensure that property managing agents are sufficiently regulated. I will give the House a couple of examples from my constituency. At my coffee morning last week, a case from Gateway Avenue in Baldwin’s Gate was raised. At their AGM, the residents wanted to form a management company, but they were blocked, and one is being imposed on them against their wishes. On St George’s Estate in Stafford, residents have reported that “it genuinely feels like the managing agent is stealing money from us” to the tune of £600 to £1,000 per leaseholder. Their charges have trebled. They now have to pay £2,500 to change the rent review period on their lease to be able to remortgage or sell. As a system, that is deeply unfair. At Deanspark Court, a retirement complex—other hon. Members have spoken about this—residents who own their own flats describe management charges as “extortionate”. The company refuses to engage meaningfully. At Adlington Brooklands House in Stafford, a constituent’s ground rent has risen year on year and now stands at almost £2,000, which is nearly six times the national average. I could go on—and on, and on, Madam Deputy Speaker—but I think I have made my point clear. The Government have taken bold and decisive steps already in capping ground rents, abolishing forfeiture and making commonhold the default for new flats. Those are really significant reforms, but the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has called the absence of independent regulation of property managing agents a “significant shortcoming”. Every one of my constituents would agree with that. As far back as 2019, Lord Best recommended an independent regulator with the powers to fine agents and revoke licences. It is now 2026. The case for that has been made consistently, and delivering it would be a tremendous contribution by this Labour Government.

• 1 Jul 2026 · Packaging Manufacturers: Extended Producer Responsibility · Hansard source

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  One of the largest employers in my constituency is Bostik, which is famous for Blu Tack. It also produces quite a lot of adhesives used in the DIY and home repairs sector. Bostik agrees with the scheme—it does not oppose the scheme in and of itself—but it does see one issue: although 95% of the company’s products go to site and are used by professionals, it will be charged the EPR on 100% of its products because it cannot trace every single item. It therefore supports the Builders Merchant Federation’s argument that commercial and industrial packaging should remain outside full cost recovery, because trade packaging waste is already covered through merchant distribution. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government could consider that in the implementation stage, right at the beginning of the process?

• 30 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Government’s £500 million of investment in victims’ services, which is a serious investment after years of neglect. In my constituency, Staffordshire Women’s Aid has been supporting survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence for 50 years. For every £1 spent on victims’ support services, £10.80 is returned to the public purse. What steps are being taken to ensure that brilliant local organisations, such as Staffordshire Women’s Aid, can access this funding, so that no area falls into the gaps?

• 29 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  On 17 July, I am hosting the Journey to Work expo in Stafford, bringing together successful major employers and local businesses, with the focused aim of getting young people into work. Last year, we had more than 300 people attend. Can the Minister tell me how the youth guarantee will reach young people in towns such as Stafford, and what support is available to communities already doing that kind of work?

• 29 Jun 2026 · Cabinet Office · Hansard source

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  I, too, was recently in Canada with the Business and Trade Committee, and there was significant talk about the infrastructure projects that people have invested in. Beyond that they talked about the “Canada Strong” policy, which is about supporting industries in Canada, and ensuring that money being spent for the benefit of public good is spent with Canadian companies. Does my hon. Friend agree that the procurement reforms made by the Cabinet Office in March are some of the most significant that we have seen in a generation, and should benefit British industry?

• 29 Jun 2026 · NHS Breast Screening · Hansard source

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  I recently visited the new breast care unit at County hospital, where Michelle Ellits and Mr Sekha Marla gave me a fantastic tour. One of the things they spoke about was having separate areas as people walk into the breast care unit for those who are having treatment for breast cancer and those who are there for a mammogram, because it scares women to go to the unit if they are not confident about what they are there for. Does my hon. Friend agree that although more scans, more mammograms and better support are important, something as fundamental as building design is integral in making sure that women take up the offer to get their mammogram?

• 18 Jun 2026 · Regional Innovation and Growth · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her report; I found it fascinating. A statistic I cannot get out of my head is that cities around the UK have seen growth accelerate at a rate of 10.7% in the past 10 years, but it has been 5.4% in our towns—almost half. Our towns were the hubs of innovation in the industrial revolution. Does my hon. Friend agree that any Government plan must have towns at its heart to support innovation and the good jobs that come with it?