Liz Saville Roberts MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 8 Jun 2026 · Progression of Bills through Parliament · Hansard source

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  We all know the amount of public concern following what happened in the House of Lords. The hon. Gentleman touched on how the Labour manifesto said there would be considerable modernisation. I wonder whether he would be interested in the private Member’s Bill of my colleague, Baroness Smith of Llanfaes. Her House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Bill calls on the Secretary of State to run a public consultation, and I think the public should have a say in how the House of Lords operates. I imagine that many of the public feel very strongly about the legislation we are discussing today.

• 8 Jun 2026 · Water Companies · Hansard source

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  Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lefarydd. Local people are appalled that there were nearly 95,000 hours of sewage pollution in Dwyfor Meirionnydd last year, to the point where there are dedicated local groups in the constituency. I must mention Forum Llyn Padarn who stepped in to monitor water quality in the magnificent glacial lake in Llanberis, home of the rare Torgoch char. However, we cannot rely on citizen scientists to fix the system in its entirety. What update can the Minister give me on the UK Government’s White Paper plans to devolve further water powers to Wales, so that we have the means to establish a separate independent economic regulator, and further prioritise sustainable water management over commercial interests?

• 3 Jun 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q2. Last month, Welsh voters elected a Plaid Cymru Government with a clear message: fairness and hope. That means tackling years of neglect by securing funding owed from High Speed 2, a new financial settlement that reflects our nation’s needs and more powers for Wales—especially over our natural resources. Would the Prime Minister be open to turning a conversation into real action to fulfil the democratic wishes of the people of Wales? Now, surely, is a time for us to work together rather than facing the chaos that threatens us from every corner.

• 1 Jun 2026 · Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response · Hansard source

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  All of us have a significant amount of reading to do to fully understand how the good friend of a convicted sex offender was rewarded with a top job, but it remains obvious that Epstein’s victims simply were not on the radar of the boys’ club in control at No. 10. The Minister can come to his place again and again and again, but how does he justify the culture that was in power at the time?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Equality Act 2010: Code of Practice · Hansard source

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  As we begin Pride Month, I reiterate my party’s solidarity with trans people, who are valued members of our communities in Wales and deserve continued protection from harassment and discrimination. We will uphold the rule of law through the Welsh Government, but as we have heard on numerous occasions today, in this guidance it appears that there is a lack of clear, workable guidance for services supporting transgender people, which is causing huge concerns. The Minister has mentioned consultation with devolved Governments, but what assurance can she give me that the UK Government will work with the Welsh Government to support inclusive services?

• 21 May 2026 · Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill · Hansard source

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  For the reasons that the Secretary of State has mentioned, the nationalisation of the steel industry is a noble endeavour, with which many of us from across the House will agree, but there are people in Wales pointing to the fact that, despite there being legislation, Port Talbot has lost thousands of jobs. Does he recognise the feelings that remain in Wales because the option of nationalisation by this Government was not on the table at the time?

• 21 May 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  The Minister talked earlier about accountability. My constituent Chris Hill was kidnapped and held in captivity by Israeli forces this week. I raised concerns about his wellbeing in a point of order on Monday. It has taken three days for the Government to come to the House with an update, during which time people legitimately engaged in supplying humanitarian aid and bearing witness to the Israeli Government’s aid blockade in Gaza have been subjected to public humiliation and physical harm. As the Minister said, we know what happens when the doors are not closed; we can only surmise what happens when the doors are closed. Why is the Government’s reaction characterised by hesitancy?

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

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  Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lefarydd. People are very aware that President Trump’s war with Iran is worsening the cost of living, but there are long-term measures within the gift of the Government that could improve heating costs for households. In north Wales and Merseyside, we pay the equivalent of £255 a year on standing charges, compared with £160 in London. When will the Chancellor address the structural inequality in heating costs?

• 21 May 2026 · Humble Address: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor · Hansard source

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  indicated dissent .

• 18 May 2026 · Youth Justice · Hansard source

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  Devolving youth justice powers is hardly a novel argument, and the White Paper itself acknowledges Wales’s action on the prevention of youth offending. Will the Secretary of State clarify whether Labour will finally listen to the people of Wales, who have elected a Government clear in their stance on devolution, and allow Wales full powers over justice?

• 18 May 2026 · Points of Order · Hansard source

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  On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Have you received any notice of a statement from the Government following the interception today by Israeli forces of more than 50 boats carrying aid for Gaza in international waters west of Cyprus? There are UK citizens on these vessels, including my constituent Chris Hill from Clwt-y-Bont near Caernarfon. Can you advise me on how UK citizens’ right to provide humanitarian aid and their right to freedom of navigation in international waters can be guaranteed in this case—as well as, of course, their right to immediate and unimpeded access to British consular officials?

• 13 May 2026 · Debate on the Address · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Lady recognise that the communities in which energy infrastructure is placed, be it large or small, must start seeing real advantages from that energy? In parts of Wales, we pay the highest standing charges in the United Kingdom, yet we have historically exported energy and still do so. That has to change in order to make a difference to people’s lives, and in order that people welcome having the infrastructure that we need in Wales and possibly in the rest of the United Kingdom too.

• 13 May 2026 · Debate on the Address · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

• 13 May 2026 · Debate on the Address · Hansard source

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  Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lefarydd. I listened with interest to the speech made by the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Brash), and heartily agreed with very much of what he said. Of course, we know that something momentous happened in Wales last week, although there was no mention of Wales from either of the Front Benchers. It is as though Wales, and possibly many other places in the UK, do not matter that much to this place, but of course I am a Member for Plaid Cymru, so it is my job to talk about Wales. Across the campaign that ended last week, people responded strongly to our message of hope and fairness, and of putting their nation of Wales and their communities first. Plaid Cymru has won at least two representatives in every one of the Senedd’s constituencies. That is unheard of; it is momentous. We came first in 11 out of the 16 constituencies in Wales—all across Wales. The message that we only reached out to certain people has gone. Our party is now active and representing everywhere in Wales. I am proud to say that 60% of our group in the Senedd are women. This historic result represents a decisive break from the past. It gives a Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government a clear mandate to act on urgent priorities, including reducing child poverty, cutting NHS waiting times and unlocking our economy’s latent potential. Our Cabinet was announced at 4 o’clock this afternoon. We will now need to work to deliver the progressive and stable government that Wales craves. In doing so, our priority is to form a Government who reflect the seriousness and ambition that Wales—our nation—expects and deserves. The groundbreaking result was a rejection of the stale status quo of the Labour Welsh Government and the divisive politics of Reform. It also demonstrated the Welsh public’s expectation that the UK Government end their neglect of Welsh communities. People are crying out for change, not for more of the same. My party’s manifesto and the plan for the first 100 days of government set out the areas where we will be pressing Westminster to deliver fairness for Wales, and we look to the King’s Speech for inspiration. We need to see steps taken to devolve the Crown Estate, justice and rail, and to deliver fair funding that reflects Wales’s needs. We need parity with Scotland. In a United Kingdom that puts equality first, there is no reason for devolution to be so unbalanced between the different nations of the United Kingdom. These powers are not constitutional fripperies; they are the means to realise better lives and better communities. They are the building bricks to lift people out of poverty and desperation. Wales needs control over our natural resources so that our communities directly benefit from their wealth, ending the scandal of high energy prices in an energy-rich country like ours. Wales needs full control over our justice system, in line with Scotland—why is that such an extraordinary thing to ask for?—so that we no longer hold the infamous status of having the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe. Instead, we would be able effectively to promote rehabilitation, and thriving communities would follow. We need to see the end of the great Welsh train robbery that is HS2 and other English rail projects. Doing so will deliver billions in funding to our crumbling, inadequate transport network so that people can travel quickly and affordably across our nation. Wales needs to see the scrapping of the Barnett formula, and its replacement with something that reflects the reality of our population’s needs. Despite the mountains of evidence and popular support, the UK Government have stubbornly refused to engage with these issues. That has been the reality of the partnership at both ends of the M4. That, in part, is why we have had these results in Wales. After last week’s election result, it is no longer possible to ignore Wales’s voices and people’s demands for fair treatment. In his speech on Monday, the Prime Minister did not even acknowledge Wales once, and the King’s Speech today has again failed to provide the answers that we know the people of Wales need and want. There was no acknowledgement of the structural inequality that means that the powers begrudged to Wales since the birth of devolution have so far only allowed us to manage poverty, but never ever to build our way out of poverty. In the over-centralised, chaotic Government of Westminster, that is something that we need now to address. None of the chaos we are seeing now serves the people of Wales—or many people in many communities across the United Kingdom—and that is now in particular focus. We can now see how that chaos ill serves the people of Wales. Whoever the Prime Minister is going forward, he or she must respect the mandate that the new Welsh Government have to deliver new powers and fair funding for Wales. My party will therefore be tabling an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for a new Wales Bill, so that Wales can gain the tools we need and the means to thrive. I hope that the Prime Minister will finally have seen the error of his ways from after he warned his Government—I think in March—against over-deference to the devolved Governments. Over-deference? Where is the respect to our communities and to democracy? Those are the changes we need to see. Sadly, I do not see them in the King’s Speech as it stands, but there is potential. I urge the Government to think seriously about the need for a new Wales Bill.

• 13 May 2026 · Debate on the Address · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman talks about the successes of Reform in England; does he recognise that it is possibly because of Reform’s bombast and predilection for foreign money that Plaid Cymru is now in government in Wales, and Reform is not?

• 27 Apr 2026 · Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response Update · Hansard source

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  Today’s statement is interesting, but we need to remember how we got here in the first place: the Prime Minister is facing allegations that he misled the House about the process by which an individual was appointed who had well-documented associations with a convicted paedophile and human trafficker. The Chief Secretary said yesterday that the Committee of Privileges is reserved for the most serious allegations. Does he recognise how that belittles what has been suffered by the victims and survivors?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Mountain Rescue · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman makes an argument that I have heard before—that, to maintain certain rescue services, they must not be vulnerable to policy decisions making cuts to public services. There is a “but” though, as those services must have sufficient funding to survive. The RNLI is a very well loved and established charity, but it is much more difficult for some of the smaller charities. It is important that we move forward knowing that we need to maintain these services, even though we may have different funding models.

• 22 Apr 2026 · Mountain Rescue · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Lady give way?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Mountain Rescue · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady very much for mentioning Owain Llewellyn of North Wales Police. Of course we see immense increases in the population present in the North Wales Police region; given the present police funding arrangements, it is very challenging to deal with those tourism pressures, which are only increasing. Does she agree that, alongside volunteer rescue teams, the funding for all emergency services needs to reflect the reality of population pressures?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Mountain Rescue · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) on securing this debate, because it has been very interesting. There have been speakers from every nation and region of the United Kingdom. This issue is significant to us all. I beg your patience, Ms Lewell, but I will, of course refer to Eryri, which is the mountain region that I represent much of. It is one of the busiest and most hazardous mountain regions within the United Kingdom. In 2025, we had around 600,000 visitors. Sadly, however, there are fatal incidents every year, due to falls, exposure and incidents in water. Of course, it is the mountain rescue volunteers who play such a key role in interacting with the emergency services, in rescuing people and in dealing with dangerous incidents, many of which are tragic. I will refer to just two of them today. In February, there were two very young men—they were aged 19 and 20 —from Norfolk who tragically died on Yr Wyddfa, the Snowdon range, after a really huge winter search and rescue operation that involved multiple rescue teams, in conditions that involved snow and ice, and severe exposure. We have to recognise the diligence and the commitment of the people who go out in such difficult circumstances. There are also falls from ridges and from scrambles, particularly in the areas that are risky in Snowdonia, or Eryri. I will put those areas on the record, because it is important that people are alert to the risks there. I am talking about places such as Crib Goch and Tryfan, where there is no marked path. I am also talking about the Watkin Path pools, where—sadly—two young women died last June. I am also talking about Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr. Such deaths are so difficult for the people involved with the search and rescue teams, but my heart goes out to the families of people who have lost loved ones. This area is very important; it is full of leisure activity and is part of our economy in north Wales. The emergency services and the volunteer rescue services both play their part in making the places that I have mentioned as safe as possible. There are 11 mountain rescue teams in Wales. Six of them are in my constituency: Llanberis, Aberglaslyn, South Snowdonia, Aberdyfi, North East Wales, the North Wales Cave Rescue Organisation, and Ogwen, which is in the Bangor Aberconwy constituency, but serves the same mountain massif. In addition, and to give people an idea of how significant the rescue services are in my constituency, there are the RNLI stations at Porthdinllaen, Abersoch, Pwllheli, Criccieth, Barmouth and Aberdyfi. Again, they all serve the leisure industry of tourism, which is so critical to the constituency. We have the search and rescue helicopters at Dinas Dinlle, which are run by Bristow on behalf of the coastguard. Of course, this situation is demanding for the police as well. Earlier in the debate, it was mentioned that the population in parts of a constituency can go up by five times in the high season. That is not reflected in police funding, but none the less it is something that the police have to respond to. We should also notice, of course, the timing of this debate, given that we will soon have the May bank holidays. For many of us here in Westminster Hall, if the weather is good, those bank holidays will be some of the busiest times that we have in the season, and they will probably also be times in which the search and rescue teams will be called out. I will talk particularly about two of the rescue teams operating in my constituency. First, there is Llanberis, who are the busiest rescue team in the United Kingdom. Last year, they responded to 360 call-outs, which was 10% of all the incidents in England and Wales in 2025. Of course, they work with other rescue teams as well, but their busiest day last year was 12 July, when 716 incidents were recorded in north Wales. Sadly, the number of fatalities is rising too—from 18 in 2024 to 23 in 2025. Evidently, the work that these teams do is absolutely critical, but the sheer pressure on them as they perform their role needs to be recognised, both in the UK Government and in the Welsh Government, as well as the fact that they are so critical for our local economy. There is another rescue team that I want to mention. It told me that although all the mountain rescue teams face funding challenges, when it comes to North Wales Cave Rescue Organisation—the problem is in the name—it is far less visible than the other rescue teams. I have seen the areas that it has to deal with in my constituency: we have old mines, slate caverns, quarries and natural caves over towards the east of north Wales. Again, I am going to put those on the record because these places seem to attract people. Blaenau Ffestiniog’s old slate caverns attract people on social media and are extremely dangerous; I want to use this debate to put that warning out. In Cwmorthin, Rhosydd and Wrysgan, people can go on what sounds like a wonderful adventure underground—from one side of the mountain to the other through the caverns—but it is extremely dangerous. People are putting themselves and others at risk. It is not a glamorous activity for Instagram and not something that people should do without professionals and experts. I am a member of the APPG and I support its manifesto. I welcome the Minister to her place, but I am very much aware that she can speak only on behalf of the Department for Transport. What we are talking about today cuts across many Government Departments and the message needs to go back to them. My final point, as raised by Owain Llewellyn of North Wales police, is about whether we can find a way of addressing the temptation that people feel through social media. I referred to Instagram, where people see wonderful pictures and want to emulate them and be part of that lifestyle. Can we somehow have a conversation with the social media platform providers about how to get across to people that although it looks so good on a phone or on a device, “You need to be safe, because for your families, it could be a disaster”—and of course for the teams that come out? I want to express my greatest appreciation and gratitude to all those involved in the voluntary rescue. Without them, I do not know how we would keep people safe in such wonderful and precious places.

• 22 Apr 2026 · Cost of Living · Hansard source

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  The Secretary of State’s tight-lipped quibbling is just an excuse—a shadow of an apology for what her party has failed to do, having been in power for the past 27 years. It is no surprise to anybody that voters are ready for a change. Last night’s YouGov poll shows that Plaid Cymru and Reform UK are neck and neck in Wales, with Labour trailing far behind. Will she accept that a vote for Labour on 7 May risks handing power to Reform UK, which will wreck our NHS? Will she recognise that only Plaid Cymru can stop that?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Cost of Living · Hansard source

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  Families in Wales under Labour are struggling, with inflation in bills, wages flatlining and childcare costs higher than anywhere else in the UK. Plaid Cymru’s universal childcare offer would be a game changer. With full roll-out, that universal offer will be worth more than £30,000 a child, and it has been independently assessed as affordable and deliverable. Does the Secretary of State recognise how Labour’s chronic lack of ambition is keeping families in Wales in poverty?

• 21 Apr 2026 · Peter Mandelson: Government Appointment · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Member give way?

• 21 Apr 2026 · Peter Mandelson: Government Appointment · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Member realise that to people outside, this argument—these fine details of process—morphs into a defence of ignorance and then into a defence of incompetency? That is actually doing the Prime Minister as much harm as all these arguments about his honesty.

• 21 Apr 2026 · Peter Mandelson: Government Appointment · Hansard source

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  Yesterday the Prime Minister apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, but where was that sense of responsibility when he made the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson? Where was that sense of responsibility when he actively chose to ignore information that was already in the public domain? This morning, the Energy Secretary said, “Prime Ministers make errors. Prime Ministers are fallible. Prime Ministers are human”, but I am struggling to understand how the gravity of the misjudgment in this political appointment can be explained away by simple human error. This was not a split-second judgment or a decision made of urgent necessity under pressure in the heat of the moment; instead, it was a deliberate, considered political appointment made in full knowledge of the political priorities involved. Morgan McSweeney even swore it through. What is more, Government Members were given lines to take yesterday, prompting them to quote a victim of Epstein in defence of the Prime Minister. The suffering of Epstein’s victims was of no consequence to the Government when Mandelson was appointed; they weighed it in the scales and found which side they wanted to come down on. In truth, it is thanks to the bravery of victims such as Virginia Giuffre that Epstein’s crimes are even in the public domain. Her sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts, said this of Mandelson’s sacking last year: “Our governments have allowed these people to hold their status and their title without shame…It’s unfair we continuously pull these skeletons out, that survivors have to continuously point the finger for us to do the right thing.” These were women and children who were trafficked and abused by a network of men who acted with the confidence that they were untouchable—too powerful to be challenged and too protected ever to be brought down. It truly raises the uncomfortable question of whether Peter Mandelson’s familiarity with that world was treated as a skillset rather than a red flag. Was he chosen precisely because he was comfortable rubbing shoulders with the sort of men who shared private jets with Epstein, rather than in spite of it? How can the Prime Minister now express sympathy for the victims of crimes committed by a man whose closest associate he chose to elevate? How can he claim to share their pain when he made the very decision that caused them such distress? Just this morning, Sir Olly Robbins told the Foreign Affairs Committee that Downing Street asked the Foreign Office to find a senior diplomatic role for the Prime Minister’s then communications chief, Matt Doyle, even though Doyle had campaigned for a friend charged with possessing indecent images of children. This is the Government who promised to turn the page on Tory sleaze and restore trust and integrity to British politics; instead, the Prime Minister pressured the civil service not once but twice to appoint friends of known sex offenders to senior diplomatic roles. In closing, the facts were known, the associations were known and the public record was clear. This was a public decision. It was a wrong decision of such magnitude that the only conclusion will be to end the Starmer Administration, and that will happen when the Labour party decides to do so, because it is the Labour party’s responsibility.