Leigh Ingham MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 18 Jun 2026 · Tourism and Leisure · Hansard source

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  Next week Stafford’s Gatehouse theatre will launch its annual Shakespeare festival with Richard III. Last year we had over 180,000 visitors. I know that the Government are committed to cultural venues. They have put £1.5 billion into supporting them, but please can the Minister tell me what more the Government are doing to support local theatres, and would they like to attend the gala night with me next week to get away from all the drama?

• 18 Jun 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Morrisons has proposed closing its shop in Highfields, which hosts the local post office. Closing it would remove a vital service from our community, which people rely on every day for banking and bill payments. For many residents—particularly older people and those without access to a car—the nearest alternative in Rising Brook is not a realistic option; it is also open for much shorter hours, which would not serve the needs of many of my constituents. I have already met Morrisons and the Post Office to raise these points. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the role of post offices in local communities—something that impacts not just my community, but communities across the country—recognising that accessibility is key? This would allow Members to discuss the impact of the loss of those services on residents who depend on them for day-to-day activities.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Steel Tariffs · Hansard source

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  In my constituency, Xtreme Stainless builds exhaust systems and would always want to buy British steel. The company believes it is better made, and wants to back British jobs and manufacturing, but the owner is watching firms get around the tariffs by sending finished products to the UK, which undermines British manufacturers. Could the Minister please tell me what the Government are doing to close the gap so that the tariffs protect the whole supply chain, not just the first step of it?

• 17 Jun 2026 · Private Sector Investment: Lancashire · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, particularly around growth in cities and towns, which I am particularly interested in. Over the last 10 years, we have seen growth of around 10% in our cities whereas growth has been around 5% in our towns. Does she agree that if we do not invest in our towns, particularly where they are outside of city regions, we will miss a crucial opportunity to uplift everyone?

• 17 Jun 2026 · Private Sector Investment: Lancashire · Hansard source

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  It was interesting to hear the Minister name a number of towns in relation to manufacturing roles. In our towns, we have on average 9% employment in manufacturing, whereas in cities, that figure is 4%. Does the Minister agree that in towns, if we really push our manufacturing sector, we can massively increase the number of good, unionised jobs available to people in those areas?

• 8 Jun 2026 · Digital Safety: Children · Hansard source

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  A little while ago I ran a consultation in my constituency with 60 young people and teachers, which the Minister kindly attended. While they would welcome the action taken today, they wanted to see significant regulation of tech companies, because a ban is easily avoided. What further steps are the Government considering to protect young people through regulation?

• 21 May 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  In my constituency we are seeing good growth in our large employers and a great skills pipeline coming through from our advanced technical college, but we need a little support for our SMEs. Will the Minister say what targeted support is available for SMEs in towns like Stafford?

• 21 May 2026 · Middle East: Economic Response · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor for her statement, which is welcome for those of us who are serious about buying British, building British and backing British. Will she say a little more about how she believes the measures will help the British brickmaking sector, a subject that I know Madam Deputy Speaker will also be interested to hear about?

• 21 May 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I pay tribute to Councillor Angela Loughran, who has sadly passed away. She first represented the Manor ward in ’97, and worked tirelessly for her residents for nearly 30 years. A previous teacher, she was a true public servant, and she will be greatly missed by her friends, family and the wider Stafford community. In a recent survey of more than 500 residents, 61% cited the return of an indoor market in Stafford as their top priority. I am campaigning with residents for that: a lively, all-day destination that draws in people from across the town and beyond, and will create local jobs. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the contribution of indoor markets to local economies in towns like Stafford?

• 14 May 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Given that it is marathon season, will the Leader of the House join me in recognising the new endurance event in my constituency: the 39-week Creswell roadworks? Before the scheme started, many of my constituents were deeply concerned about safety, disruption and delays, and they were right to be. This week was the first week, and constituents have reported children being late for school in exam season, public transport issues, vehicles driving the wrong way down a one-way street, and confusion after changes to the route were decided but not communicated to anyone. Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate in Government time on how roadworks are planned and communicated, so that disruption is minimised, the cost to businesses is considered, and communities such as mine are not left to bear the burden once again?

• 13 May 2026 · New Developments: Unadopted Roads and Public Amenities · Hansard source

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  I thank my genuinely honourable Friend the Member for Hitchin (Alistair Strathern), for securing this debate. He has been a tireless campaigner for leaseholders as long as I have known him. Having a safe, well-maintained neighbourhood and a home to call your own should be in reach for everyone, which is why I have backed this Government’s mission to build more homes, albeit the right homes in the right places and with the right infrastructure. It is the job of government to give families, couples and individuals their homes, and it is one that I am proud to support. My first home was on a new build estate, like many of the ones we are talking about, and it meant the world to me to get my foot on the property ladder. I was proud and I felt as though I had really achieved a dream. But living on an unadopted new build estate, as I did, the reality was very different from what I had pictured. The nature of unadopted estates means that residents are paying for a service that many people get through their council tax, meaning that simple maintenance is often just not done. It can result in unsafe paths, roads and parks. I have one constituent at Sancerre Grange in Eccleshall who uses a wheelchair. The footpaths on the estate were so badly maintained and uneven that she fell and was unable to move for 20 minutes until a passer-by found her. She now has to pay for taxis to get to and from appointments that she should be able to reach independently. That is a basic failure of accessibility, and it should not be happening in 2026. On The Crossings, residents have been waiting nearly 20 years for their roads to be adopted, which tells us everything about how slowly this system is working. We must take action now to fix the historical problems and give those families the safe neighbourhoods that they deserve. I am proud to support this Government’s draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, which is a huge step forward for homeowners and shows real progress in fixing an outdated system. I support my hon. Friend’s ten-minute rule Bill—the things it would deliver sound excellent—but I also ask the Ministers what more the Government can do to protect those in fleecehold situations and to make sure that their roads, paths and parks are safe and fit for purpose.

• 28 Apr 2026 · Park Home Owners · Hansard source

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  Park home owners across my constituency of Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages have contacted me about the deeply unfair 10% commission charge. It is a levy that has not been changed in almost 45 years, and it falls hardest on the older residents, who make up about 80% of park home owners, so I was delighted to see the Government announce the long overdue review in March. Does my hon. Friend agree that after years of neglect by previous Governments, park home owners deserve real, meaningful reform that finally gives them the financial security that they need?

• 28 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement: British Businesses · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor for her answer. In Stafford, world-class manufacturers such as GE Vernova are producing the technology that powers our national grid, yet for far too long these British employers have not had money given to them through British Government contracts. I therefore warmly welcome the Government’s commitment to reform public sector procurement to grow British industry, British skills and British jobs. Can the Chancellor tell us how this new approach will ensure that Government spending reaches manufacturers and businesses in constituencies like Stafford and towns across our country, so that when the taxpayer spends, Britain builds?

• 28 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement: British Businesses · Hansard source

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  9. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure Government procurement supports British businesses.

• 27 Apr 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We in Stafford welcome the announcement that Stafford college will become an advanced manufacturing technical hub, but we have a gap: more skilled jobs are needed than there are people to fill them. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the potential for Stafford to have a youth hub as soon as possible?

• 23 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement: British Companies · Hansard source

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  14. What steps he is taking to increase levels of procurement from British companies through Government contracts.

• 23 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement: British Companies · Hansard source

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  Happy St George’s day, Mr Speaker. GE Vernova, in my constituency of Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, is creating 400 new jobs to add to the 1,400 people it already employs. I believe that companies like this, which are already backing Britain by investing here, should be given more consideration when they are competing for Government contracts. Can the Minister assure me that when UK Government money is being spent, particularly in industries that are key to our national security such as energy, we will prioritise those companies already investing in British manufacturing, British skills and British jobs?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement Strategy · Hansard source

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  Through a change in procurement policy that is more focused on backing British businesses, investing in Britain to help secure thousands of good, unionised jobs, and remaining community-focused, the Government will make sure that local people are reaping the full rewards from this move. I welcome it, and I welcome the Minister’s response to my urgent question. Could he please outline the first steps to deliver this procurement reform, and what it will mean for manufacturers in my constituency and in constituencies around the UK?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Government Procurement Strategy · Hansard source

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  (Urgent Question): To ask the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the Government procurement strategy.

• 20 Apr 2026 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  Stafford college already delivers an outstanding apprenticeship achievement rate of 77.5%, which is an extraordinary 15% above the national average. Last week, it was announced that it will be one of the four new technical excellence colleges for advanced manufacturing. Its bid was built on its existing brilliant relationships with local employers, such as GE Vernova, Hitachi, Siemens and Moog. However, we know that there is always more to do, so will the Minister set out how the Government will support those extending colleges, such as the Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, and those employers already backing Britain by investing in skills here, so that more apprentices can go through our programmes?

• 16 Apr 2026 · Women’s Health Strategy · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Minister’s statement and the strategy. I want to speak specifically about one constituent who has contacted me, who has waited over 200 days without receiving the results of a gynaecological test—200 days of anxiety, uncertainty and delays to her treatment. Please forgive me while I read her actual words: “this complaint is not simply about one patient having an unfortunate experience. It concerns what I believe to be a broader and deeply concerning failure in the way menstrual and gynaecological pain is recognised, assessed, investigated, and acted upon”. I completely agree with her. Does my hon. Friend the Minister agree that yesterday’s renewed women’s health strategy allows us to commit to streamlining and improving gynaecological care, and can she tell me more about how she believes this will make a real difference for my constituents?

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Mr Speaker, I know that you, like me, are incredibly passionate about youth services. My constituents are very concerned that under the previous Conservative-led local authority, Staffordshire faced the third worst youth service cuts in the country. While I welcome the new Government report, the national youth strategy and the £500 million being invested in youth services, the first wave of those hubs announced is concentrated on cities. Will the Leader of the House guarantee a debate in Government time on youth services in towns, which have been so decimated under Conservative-led authorities?

• 16 Apr 2026 · British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for coming to the House to give the statement. I also welcome the expansion of the scheme; I know it is desperately needed across our manufacturing sectors. However, as my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) has already highlighted, there is a missing sector, in that ceramics does not feature heavily. It is not just pottery—not that potteries are not very important in Staffordshire—but our brick-making factories need support because as a Government we are committed to building homes. We are also committed to buying British, backing British and building British. How does the Secretary of State intend to support a sector that is a linchpin for our wider economy?

• 24 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The Minister knows that Stafford residents are passionate about solar power, and they would like to see the Government go further, with a commitment to solar panels on all new car parks and industrial buildings, like they see in Europe and in France particularly. Does the Minister agree that this policy would help to reduce energy bills for homeowners, as well as protect our rural land, and will he meet me to discuss my campaign?

• 19 Mar 2026 · Flood Preparedness: Esher and Walton · Hansard source

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  Although the Minister knows that good progress has been made by my flooding taskforce on Sandon Road in Stafford—we have cleared the brook and the installation of a non-return valve is planned—a long-term fix will likely require Government investment. Can she please say a little more about the new schemes, and how new flood groups such as mine can access some of the funding?