Lucy Powell MP: speeches

Speeches

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

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  Let me take this opportunity to pay my respects to the right hon. Gentleman. The way in which he has conducted himself since leaving office and remained here as a parliamentarian, active on behalf of his constituents, provides a model for others to follow. I do, of course, join him in commending Mark and Steve for the work that they do. The whole House wants to support Ukraine and, indeed, we have continued to do so, as have many of our constituents in a range of ways. I am very pleased that we will have that debate when we return.

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

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in thanking David and all our nuclear test veterans. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for what they did and what they put themselves through for this country. We are looking into the unresolved questions about the medical records. It is a priority, and I hope that the House will be updated on the matter as soon as there is something to say.

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

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  Absolutely. Without apprenticeship reform, and without increasing the number of young people who can access apprenticeships, we will not be able to meet our big ambitions for house building, infrastructure and other programmes. That is why we have begun the process of reform: we have made announcements this week about functional English and maths, the Bill to establish Skills England will come before the House after we return from recess, and there are many other things that we are doing. I join my hon. Friend in that call.

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

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  I am really sorry to hear of what could happen to Alan and June—it is just unthinkable—and of the proposed closure of the care home. It will not help my hon. Friend’s constituents right now, but the Government are obviously committed to sorting out the social care crisis, and that is why we have a special commission led by Baroness Louise Casey. But I hope that Derbyshire county council has heard his question and will ensure that every step is taken to ensure that his constituents can stay together in the final days of their lives.

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

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  Absolutely. Colleges such as Corseford in my hon. Friend’s constituency, which provide education and support for those with complex needs, are vital for our young people, and I am sorry to hear about the uncertainty it has faced. This Government have boosted funding for colleges, but this is a devolved matter, so I hope that the Scottish Government, who have now received a significant increase to their funding, will follow suit and ensure that colleges such as Corseford are secured for the long term.

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

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  May I first update the House on the work of the Modernisation Committee, which I chair? We established the Committee to rebuild trust in politics, raise standards, improve culture and make Parliament more effective. In recent years, the role of an MP has changed significantly, with many more demands and expectations in the constituency. The make-up of the Commons has changed a great deal too; many more parties are represented and Members better reflect the country we serve. So how we do things needs to change, too. I thank all of those who contributed to our wide-ranging call for views. Work is already under way, with the Standards Committee’s inquiry on Members’ outside employment and the Procedure Committee’s inquiry on proxy votes and call lists. Today, we have set out three further areas for consideration: improving accessibility; ensuring that the Chamber remains the crucible of national debate; and how we can provide more certainty on parliamentary business. The right hon. Gentleman raised a number of points and gave a list of economic statistics. I might give him some alternative ones, if I may. Inflation is down, mortgage rates are coming down, wages are growing at their fastest rate in three years, business investment is at the highest level for 19 years, and the International Monetary Fund and the OECD are both saying that Britain will be Europe’s fastest growing major economy in coming years. He supported the former Prime Minister —not the right hon. Member for Richmond and Northallerton (Rishi Sunak), who is in his place, but the one who crashed the economy and sent mortgage rates flying and inflation to record highs—so I will not take lectures from him. Yet again, the right hon. Gentleman raised the Attorney General. Quite honestly, the way in which the Conservatives and their friends in the right-wing media are trying to undermine the Attorney General is pathetic. They were once the party of law and order, and now they seek to undermine law and order at every turn. As someone who works closely with the Attorney General, I can tell the right hon. Gentleman that he is an asset to the Government and a formidable partner in our attempts to restore integrity to how we make and implement laws in this country. The Conservatives’ laws did not fit that remit, and that is why in many cases they never got off the ground. They were challenged time and again in the courts, wasting everyone’s time and money and not delivering the outcomes that they wanted. We will not take lectures from them on that. The shadow Leader of the House did not want to talk about the substance of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which we debated this week. That is because the previous Government lost control of our borders: net migration rose to a record high of almost 1 million in their last year in office, and small boat crossings increased by one hundredfold. To be fair to him, he knew that the Rwanda plan was a gimmick and would not work—he said as much when he resigned as a Minister—but I am at a loss as to why he and Conservative Front Benchers voted against giving the Border Security Command new counter-terrorism powers and other measures. They are chasing the tail of Reform so much that they are going around in dizzying circles, leaving the incredible sight of the modern Conservative party voting against strengthening our borders. I also noticed that the right hon. Gentleman did not take up my invitation last week to celebrate the Leader of the Opposition’s first 100 days in office. Earlier this week, however, he did mark the anniversary of another leader being elected. Those were the days, weren’t they? Back then, the Tory party knew what it stood for—back when it was a serious party and represented large parts of the country. I am not sure Margaret Thatcher would even recognise the Conservative party today. It is no wonder the Conservatives herald and respect their former leaders far more than their current leader. Let us be honest: like their current leader, their party is a shadow of its former self.

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

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  I thank the hon. Lady for raising that matter. She will be aware that there are long-standing rules that prevent those who arrive illegally in this country from being granted citizenship. We have strengthened those rules in a small way for those who arrive on small boats, so that they also will not be able to become British citizens. It is important that we take away some of the pull factors that bring people to this country and that we take tough action to control our borders. She makes a very important point about safe routes, which I know the Home Secretary has been taking action on and updates the House on regularly, but I will ensure she continues to do so.

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

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  I am getting a lot of invitations to pubs today. I have become a complete lightweight, so I am generally on zero-alcohol beer these days, but the Bird in Hand in Stafford sounds like a great hospitality venue. I congratulate it on being shortlisted. Pubs really are at the heart of our communities; they provide great fare and great company, and are a warm place for many people in these winter months. I think my hon. Friend might be inviting me to her constituency soon anyway; I am sure that we can pay a visit to the Bird in Hand soon.

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

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  I wish Caerau Ely all the best for this weekend’s game. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that grassroots sports play such an important role across our communities for young people, particularly in keeping them fit and healthy and giving them the skills for life they need, including through team sports. That is why the Government continue to be committed to grassroots sport.

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising that matter, which has very recently come to light. She is absolutely right; that is against protocol. It is against the protocol of this House to speak without permission, particularly in Speaker’s Court. If the Leader of the Opposition is hearing this today, she should offer Mr Speaker a full and speedy apology. Also, we have high standards that we are all judged by and using ministerial and publicly paid-for cars for party political campaigning purposes is not allowed—and rightly so, because our constituents would not expect that to be the case. I hope the Leader of the Opposition has heard my hon. Friend’s question today and takes action to put that right.

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

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  The business for the week commencing 24 February includes: Monday 24 February—Remaining stages of the Crown Estate Bill [Lords] . Tuesday 25 February—Second Reading of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [ Lords ]. Wednesday 26 February—Opposition day (5th allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition, subject to be announced. Thursday 27 February—General debate on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, followed by a general debate on St David’s day. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 28 February—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 3 March will include: Monday 3 March—Remaining stages of the Finance Bill. Tuesday 4 March—All stages of the Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill. Wednesday 5 March—Estimates day (1st allotted day). At 7 pm the House will be asked to agree all outstanding estimates. Thursday 6 March—Business to be determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 7 March—Private Members’ Bills.

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

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Let us be honest: the Scottish Government have failed on apprenticeships, with a 10-year decline in apprenticeship starts and numbers. This new Labour Government are absolutely determined to turn around the problems we have seen with apprenticeships in England and elsewhere. That is why we are unlocking 10,000 new apprenticeship starts this week with some of our changes. The Scottish Government should follow our lead and ensure that young people in Scotland get the opportunities they deserve.

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

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  I am pleased to hear that action is being taken in my hon. Friend’s constituency on crime and antisocial behaviour, because it is such a blight on our communities and gets raised with us as Members of Parliament all the time. As part of our safer streets mission, the Government are committed to reducing antisocial behaviour and crime. My hon. Friend described some of the measures that we have brought in, and many more will be in the upcoming crime and policing Bill, including respect orders, dispersal orders and tough action on quad bikes.

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

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  The right hon. Gentleman is right that there have been severe problems, which have let everybody down. The problems, which stem from severe failures in the governance and regulation that underpin the water sector, are completely unacceptable. We passed the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will shortly receive Royal Assent, to stop these erroneous bonuses being paid for poor performance. We will soon be introducing wider water reform, and the measures are currently under review. I will ensure that the House is updated and that the right hon. Gentleman’s opinions are included.

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

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  I join my hon. Friend in thanking Rye News and the Hastings Independent Press, on the occasion of their 10th anniversary, for all the amazing work they do. She is absolutely right that local journalism—however difficult it might be at times for us as local MPs—is vital to our media and our communities in unearthing and reporting on important stories that are often missed by many.

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

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  My hon. Friend is right: the Bill has gone into line-by-line consideration in Committee this week. She will be aware that it is a private Member’s Bill and that the Government remain neutral on the issue, as it is a matter of conscience, but the Government have been clear that we will work with the Committee—indeed, there are Ministers on the Committee—to ensure that the Bill is workable and operable, and any such assessments will be made available in due course.

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

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  My hon. Friend is right to raise the issue of the vital role for semiconductors in future technologies and in our current industry. We are a world leader in this space, particularly in his region. Semiconductors are covered in our industrial strategy; we have a new one for the first time in many years, and academia, business and others rightly welcome it. This is also about our economic security—making sure that we have these home-grown technologies and all that is needed to support them. I will ensure that he gets a full reply.

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

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  The figures are shocking: over 7 million people are, like my hon. Friend’s constituent, on NHS waiting lists. Behind every single one of them is a story like the one he describes—someone in pain, someone debilitated, someone unable to work or get on with their life. That is why getting the waiting lists down is one of the Government’s first priorities. We have set an elective reform plan, and we want to hit the 18-week referral target by the end of this Parliament. That is incredibly ambitious. I hope that, thanks to those ambitious plans, his constituent gets the hip replacement that he desperately needs.

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

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  I am very pleased that my hon. Friend had such a good meeting with the Board of Deputies, and I thank her for all the work that she does—along with other Members on both sides of the House—to organise multi-faith gatherings and bring people together. She is right to refer to the fantastic contribution that the Jewish community have long made, and continue to make, at the heart of our country, and I am sure that others will support her call for a British-Jewish culture month.

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

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  As my hon. Friend can see, I am particularly keen on hairdressing apprenticeships. Hairdressing is one thing that we will never be able to do on the internet, so it is a job for life for people who go down that route. He is absolutely right that we need to open up more apprenticeship opportunities to more young people. That is why, as we mark National Apprenticeship Week, we have announced changes to flexibility on maths and English requirements, which we think will open up far more opportunities for young people such as those in his constituency.

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

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  The hon. Gentleman will know, I am sure, that the UK Government oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, including in the case that he raises. The right of individuals to express their belief or non-belief is essential to a free and open society. We have raised, and will continue to raise, those matters with the Nigerian Government. I thank him for raising them today.

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

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  I would strongly encourage the young people of my hon. Friend’s constituency to have access to watermelon and strawberries for lunch. How refreshing that is, because they would certainly not be at the top of my children’s list of things for lunch, so the school is obviously doing a great job on educating its young people on healthy eating.

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

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We do need to take further steps to secure our borders, because the levels of illegal immigration coming into this country are not acceptable. That undermines the whole system that he has described, and trust in that system, which is there for those who need it most and are fleeing persecution, or who want to make a home for themselves in this country. We will always do our bit to help those who are fleeing persecution. It is a long-standing policy that those who arrive in this country illegally are not eligible for citizenship, but I will certainly make sure that the Home Secretary keeps the House updated on these important matters.

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

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for announcing the forthcoming Backbench Business in the Chamber and in Westminster Hall. I am sure he will understand that I cannot guarantee him every Thursday between now and the end of June, but we have been allocating Backbench Business debates regularly and often, and hopefully they will be filled in the usual way. I am really glad to hear about the debate on International Women’s Day, which he and I have discussed. I will let colleagues know about this more formally, but we are hoping to arrange to get all the women Members of the House together for a photo in the Chamber to mark International Women’s Day.

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter. I am sure that the whole House will join me in sending our condolences once again to the families of those who were killed in that horrific attack. The Prime Minister met those families this week, and he confirmed that a retired judge will be appointed in due course, that the process will begin to ensure there is a proper inquiry, and that the families get answers to all those unanswered questions. The details of the inquiry will be announced to Parliament in due course, and I will ensure that my hon. Friend is informed.