Louise Sandher-Jones MP: speeches

Speeches

• 25 Jun 2025 · Nuclear-certified Aircraft Procurement · Hansard source

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  May I say how much I welcome this announcement, and the extra capability that it will bring? Will the Minister outline how this decision will support jobs across the UK, particularly for those in my constituency of North East Derbyshire who work in defence?

• 23 Jun 2025 · UK Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  Businesses in my constituency are heavily reliant on great connections and making sure that our young people can access the skills they need, so I really welcome this industrial strategy, which recognises the many different aspects that go into supporting our local economy. Can the Secretary of State expand further on what we can do to support better transport connections and a better skills pipeline for the young people in my constituency?

• 19 Jun 2025 · UK Infrastructure: 10-year Strategy · Hansard source

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  I know that my constituents in North East Derbyshire will warmly welcome the infrastructure strategy, because we have been on the sharp end of Government Departments failing to co-ordinate when building infrastructure. Can I make a bid for a place-based business case pilot in North East Derbyshire? Our unique mix of urban, rural and semi-rural communities, as well as the fact that we are in the east midlands and close to South Yorkshire and Sheffield, makes us an ideal area for a pilot.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Constituents, particularly those from Cutthorpe, Old Brampton and Ashover, have raised concerns about the behaviour of drivers passing horse riders on our roads. The guidance is to pass at least 2 metres wide and at speeds of no more than 10 mph. What more can we do to spread this message and ensure that our roads are safe for all users?

• 19 Jun 2025 · Social Mobility: Careers Education · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger) for securing this important debate. I want to touch on a couple of points that hon. Members have already eloquently made. First, on careers education for those with special educational needs and disabilities, the SEND system in Derbyshire is failing many of our young people. Many of my constituents are struggling to get their children adequately cared for in school or to secure them a place in school at all. I would like to highlight Landmarks specialist college in Eckington, which does a fantastic job in weaving careers education throughout the general education it provides, and sees the core of its mission as preparing its young people to enter the world of work and achieve their full potential. In careers education, as well as highlighting the many fantastic careers that young people can go on to do, it is important to have an industry approach to careers and advise young people of the breadth of careers available within a specific industry, if that is what excites them. Many young people tell me that they are excited about becoming a YouTube influencer, or something related, and there are many fantastic careers in the industry, such as being a video or sound technician, that they might get just as much out of. My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North East (Maureen Burke) spoke eloquently about the social mobility opportunities available later in life. That reminded me of my mother, who could not go to university until she was my age, and what a difference it made to her life. I have often seen that at first hand when people leave the military. Many people serve in the military for only a few short years before they go on to another career. It is important to say to young people aged between 12 and 18 that the decisions they make now will not lock them in for the rest of their lives. Many of the opportunities that are available—such as university and further education—will be there for them in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even beyond. One of the people I served with started her A-levels in her early 30s and is now a fully qualified doctor. It is never too late to change your future. I hope that the Minister will be able to give us some assurances when it comes to careers education. Although we should tell young people about the opportunities, jobs and so on that could be out there, we should also tell them to focus on the industries that they are interested in. Although the decisions they are making have a large impact, they should not forget that they will have plenty of time throughout their adult lives to take advantage of other opportunities.

• 11 Jun 2025 · Spending Review 2025 · Hansard source

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  With a £2.5 billion investment into nuclear in Derby, £2.5 billion into nuclear fusion in north Nottinghamshire, and half a billion into steel suitable for use in the nuclear industry in Sheffield, my constituency is surrounded by wonderful opportunities in these industries of the future. Can the Chancellor outline what more we can do to support young people in my constituency to access careers in those industries?

• 2 Jun 2025 · Strategic Defence Review · Hansard source

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  As a veteran and on behalf of my constituents in North East Derbyshire who are serving or who have loved ones in the armed forces, may I say how much I welcome the commitment to supporting armed forces personnel in the review? It recognises that we need to improve the defence medical services, proposes £1.5 billion for housing, and commits to a second, above-inflation pay rise for our personnel. That will mean that for the first time in a long time, no member of our armed forces will receive less than the national living wage—it is shocking that that was ever the case. Does the Secretary of State agree that while the Conservatives left us in this mess and Reform Members could not even be bothered to turn up to the debate, this review shows that Labour is the party for our armed forces personnel?

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for his comment. It is important to stress that this was a policy that the Labour party brought in, and the Conservative party voted against it at the time. The inheritance that this Government got from the previous Government was so dire—we really cannot forget how big a black hole £22 billion is. The economic situation of this country as a whole, and the finances that the Government inherited, meant that even the Labour party knew we had to make tough choices that we would never had made if we had had the inheritance we gave to the Conservatives in 2010.

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  Child poverty and the two-child benefit cap are unfortunately sad signs of the legacy that we have inherited. We need to fix the foundations of the economy so that we can start to take measures such as that that may have an impact. We have set up the child poverty taskforce so that we can start to look at that and ensure we make a real and significant difference over the next few years. We have inherited a shameful situation, and we are working very hard to do what we can to change it. I turn to the triple lock, which I and other hon. Members have spoken about. The commitment to the triple lock is pivotal; it will see the state pension of thousands of people, including people in my constituency, increase by more than £470 this year. Additionally, as a Government we have run a campaign to increase the uptake of pension credit, meaning that we have had an 81% increase in claims, which is good to see. We have also extended the household support fund, so that help is available for all age groups.

• 4 Mar 2025 · Economic Growth: East Midlands · Hansard source

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  2. What steps she has taken to help increase economic growth in the east midlands.

• 4 Mar 2025 · Economic Growth: East Midlands · Hansard source

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  The town of Staveley in my constituency of North East Derbyshire hosts one of the three sites for the east midlands investment zone, which is a fantastic opportunity for us. The Chesterfield-Staveley regeneration route is, however, vital to making the most of the site and it has been long campaigned for by my hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Mr Perkins). It is a huge priority for my constituents. Will the Treasury work with us and our excellent Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, to bring this hugely beneficial project to fruition?

• 26 Feb 2025 · British Indian Ocean Territory · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is exactly right. Those in the armed forces would have liked to have heard about the support they need to do their jobs, the improvements to their accommodation, what we are doing to improve their forces and of course how we are ensuring the future of a very important base that many of them are relying on.

• 13 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last week, I had the honour of visiting Unstone junior school in my constituency, and I pay tribute to the fantastic work of the staff. There was also the opportunity for some of the children to ask me questions, and a range of issues were raised, including the environment. Crucially, I was asked this question: what more can we do to support the school in providing healthy eating and, in particular, allowing the children to have watermelon and strawberries for their lunch?

• 6 Feb 2025 · Coalfield Communities · Hansard source

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  Last weekend when I was out door-knocking in Eckington, one gentleman told me of his frustration with politics and his disbelief that it would ever achieve anything for him. I have to admit that I am sometimes frustrated by this attitude, because I do not believe that the answer is never to try, but I was none the less mulling over exactly why he had given up so much. Also last weekend, I went to an exhibition and talk organised by women to show what they had done to support the miners. Like many members of my generation who grew up after the strikes, I was aware of them but, as with so much working-class history, we were never taught about them at school. It was therefore a huge privilege to hear Janet and Kate give such a fascinating talk about the huge role that they had played, and about the sheer strength of the mining community who had fought so hard to support each other during this period. How little they had, but how much they shared! It is clear that the roots of my constituent’s apathy do not lie just in the past 14 years of Conservative-imposed national decline, but go all the way back to the miners’ strikes, when the British Government said, “We will take your jobs away and there is nothing you can do about it. Get on your bike, we are not interested, you are on your own.” If the Government in Westminster did that to you, why would you ever look at them again? The fact is that the closure of the mines did not just remove employment, but showed huge contempt for areas such as North East Derbyshire, and ripped the heart out of the social cohesion of communities. We in Labour knew when we came in that we had to deliver for those communities. One of their biggest champions was the late John Prescott, and I applaud his work in establishing the Coalfield Task Force and then the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, which has been doing excellent work ever since. However, despite the general rise in living standards that we delivered, along with an improvement in the NHS and a huge push for aspiration, we could not close the gap between our coalfield communities and other places, and what work we did achieve was rapidly slashed by the coalition Government and many Tory Governments after that. Let me just say, as an aside, how disappointing it is, when I see so many of my Labour colleagues in the Chamber, to note how few representatives of the Conservative party are present—and how few representatives of smaller parties such as Reform, who profess to care. My message to my constituent in Eckington, and to everyone else, is that I am not going to give up fighting for them and for the step change in opportunity that is so desperately needed in North East Derbyshire, and I know that I have hundreds of colleagues in the Labour party with me in that fight. In communities like mine, we do not need charity; we just need the tools to build our own future, and then we will just get on and do it. We need infrastructure so that we can access jobs, customers, markets and education. That is why I am campaigning for the Staveley bypass to better connect Staveley, Barrow Hill and Mastin Moor. That is why I am campaigning for more buses and better buses, so that so people in Killamarsh can get to work on time when work starts at 8 am—remarkably, the first bus is too late for that. That is why I am campaigning to make better use of our existing rail links, so that Dronfield, a town of 20,000, does not just have one train an hour to Sheffield. It is a 10-minute train ride, and we have one train an hour—it is ridiculous. That is why I am campaigning to explore bringing light rail back to communities across North East Derbyshire, to connect us from Clay Cross and Killamarsh to places such as Chesterfield and Sheffield. It is about the social infrastructure that we have lost as well. We need youth facilities, to show early on that our Government care about young people. We need support for our high streets, so that they can be the heart of our communities. We need to crack down on petty crime and antisocial behaviour, so that we can feel safe. We need our rural roads to be safer, so that we do not see families devastated by loss. Underlying this is the vital work that the Government have already started on fixing our NHS, improving our schools and growing our economy. For my constituents in North East Derbyshire, I am fighting for our Government to give them the tools they need, and we will put in the hard work together to build a better future. We have done it before, and I know we will do it again.

• 30 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Constituents in the village of Killamarsh in my constituency, a community of just over 9,000 people, do not now have any access to cash—not even an ATM—in the village. Will the Minister grant a debate on access to cash in semi-rural communities and make sure that my constituents’ voices are heard?

• 28 Jan 2025 · Water (Special Measures) Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  The Bill looks at the result—the impact. I do not understand why we need to look at the volume if we are looking at the impact. A huge amount has been spent on bosses’ bonuses: over £9 million in 2023-24. To put that into perspective, the average salary in my constituency is just over £30,000. If bonuses are received, we expect it to be for work well done and not just as a matter of course for the failings those bosses are responsible for. Time and time again, we heard from the former Government that the water industry would change. Unfortunately, it did not under the previous measures, and that is why I welcome the action to ensure results as soon as possible. The Bill will mean cleaner rivers, which is my hope for the River Amber and what my constituents deserve; better infrastructure; better protection for those who use our waters for leisure activities; and better protection for the nature in our beautiful constituency. That is why it has my full support.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Russian Maritime Activity and UK Response · Hansard source

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  Although out of sight, our offshore infrastructure is absolutely vital to the smooth running of the economy, and any disruption would have a huge impact on my constituents in North East Derbyshire—it would be truly catastrophic. Can the Secretary of State assure me that we will not take the security of that infrastructure for granted and that we will take the necessary steps to provide that security as part of the SDR?

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  With the recent poor weather, too many of my constituents have had sleepless nights watching river gauges, fearing a repeat of last year’s flooding. Could the Leader of the House assure me that we are doing everything we can to combat flooding, and update me on our progress?

• 9 Jan 2025 · Public Finances: Borrowing Costs · Hansard source

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  I want us to get serious for a minute here. [ Interruption. ] Many of my constituents in North East Derbyshire, who will have just heard the guffawing from the Opposition, have been really struggling with the cost of living crisis. They voted the Government in, and we are committed to restoring the foundations of our economy. Will the Minister assure me that we are doing everything we can to deliver on that promise?

• 5 Dec 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I have been supporting constituents in North East Derbyshire who face many issues with their new build homes. The construction quality can be poor, communication with the developers unsatisfactory, and key landscaping left unfinished. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the responsibility of developers?

• 4 Dec 2024 · Employer National Insurance Contributions · Hansard source

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  A former Conservative leader once had the famous phrase, “There is no magic money tree.” Sadly, that is a lesson that Opposition Members have yet to learn. Let us be clear about the economic situation that we are facing. In July, when the Conservatives left office, the tax burden was at a 70-year high, and they left us with a £22 billion black hole in our public finances. This is their legacy and they must live with it: confidence in public services is at an all-time low, and the tax burden at an all-time high. They could not even deliver on their promises in my constituency. If they had chosen to invest the money needed into our NHS, they would have seen the benefits. If they had invested the money in our schools, they would have seen the benefits. If they had funded our armed services to take on the challenges of tomorrow, we would all see the benefits. Instead, when I look at the primary care centre in Clay Cross, I see hard-working health staff let down by the former Government. When I look at Killamarsh junior school, again, I see hard-working staff and young children let down by this former Government. As I speak to my former Army colleagues, I see no improvement in the situation there either, thanks to the former Government. We must take action. It is our duty as a Government to take the hard choices necessary. I believe that in the long run, this is a positive and necessary step for our UK economy, public services and workforce. National insurance contributions are the backbone of funding for our essential services such as healthcare and pensions, and my voters chose that.

• 4 Dec 2024 · Employer National Insurance Contributions · Hansard source

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  I could not agree more. I have heard from so many small business owners in North East Derbyshire who are so thankful for the changes that we are making to support them. If we fail to make these decisions today, we risk the prospect of cuts to crucial services or an increased burden on future generations, which would fall on the most vulnerable in society.

• 4 Dec 2024 · Employer National Insurance Contributions · Hansard source

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  I am going to make progress, as I know other Back Benchers would like to speak. Instead of austerity mark II, we choose to invest in our services, our children and the people who fight every day to keep us safe. These increases will strengthen our public services, promote economic stability and invest in the future of our workforce. They are an investment in our long-term prosperity, and I fully support them.

• 4 Dec 2024 · Farming and Inheritance Tax · Hansard source

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  This talk of data reminds me that over 12,000 farmers and agribusinesses have gone out of business since 2010. Will the Minister reassure me about what we are doing to improve profitability in British farming?

• 4 Dec 2024 · Farming and Inheritance Tax · Hansard source

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  Can the Minister confirm that in the case of farms worth several million pounds, any mortgageable value is not included for the purpose of inheritance tax? Might that explain the discrepancies in some of the figures that are being bandied around, in which I believe mortgages have not been taken into account?