Lucy Powell MP: speeches

Speeches

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

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  We make no apology for having the most ambitious house building programme in a generation. That programme is locally led; it is about local plans that bring together a strategic view of what land is available and its best use. Those decisions should be taken locally.

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

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  Water quality has been shocking in recent years, whether in our rivers, seas or lakes. It is a huge public concern and, as the hon. Gentleman rightly points out, it has a number of consequences. That is why one of the Government’s first acts was to bring in the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which is now an Act, and we will go further. We have the commission on wider water governance reform, and further details of that will come shortly.

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

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  My hon. Friend is right. The SNP’s record on the NHS is shocking. We have seen years of mismanagement and growing waiting lists, including eight-hour waits in accident and emergency and 100,000 Scots stuck on NHS waiting lists for more than a year, which is truly shocking. The SNP Government have had the biggest settlement they have ever had under this Government, and they now have no excuse not to sort it out.

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

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  May I start by wishing two Deputy Speakers a happy birthday? [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] As the right hon. Gentleman said, this is Armed Forces Week, when we thank and show our support for the men and women who serve, or who have served, in our armed forces over many years. It is nice to see the right hon. Gentleman in his place again this week, because we have missed him quite a bit recently, but I might gently suggest that if he had been here last week, he could have asked last week’s questions last week instead of asking them this week. He asks me about the welfare Bill. As I have just announced to the House, the Second Reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill will take place next Tuesday, and the remaining stages of the Bill will take place on the Floor of the House the following week. I want to reassure colleagues that we take parliamentary scrutiny and the process of Bills extremely seriously. That is what our parliamentary democracy is all about: Bills are introduced; principles are considered at Second Reading; and the details receive robust debate and discussion, and are often amended in Committee, before we consider Third Reading. As the House would expect, the Government actively engage with parliamentary opinion throughout a Bill’s passage, as we are doing intensively with the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. I am sure that the whole House can agree that our welfare system needs reform. Too many people are consigned to benefits for life without support to work and to get on. During the pandemic in particular, the number of those on sickness and disability benefits rose significantly, and the previous Government did nothing to re-engage people with the labour market afterwards. One in eight young people are now not earning or learning. Many post-industrial communities have been scarred over generations by worklessness and little job creation. As constituency MPs, we have all seen the inadequate and, frankly, degrading nature of disability benefits reassessments. Addressing these deep-seated problems is at the core of our Labour principles and what we are trying to do with our welfare reforms. I just remind colleagues that these include: the biggest permanent increase to the standard out-of-work benefit since 1980; an end to reassessments for all those with serious health conditions; creating a more holistic and professionally-led assessments process; the biggest back to work programme in a generation; the right to try work; and ending the era of consigning people as unable to work. To be clear, it is the Conservatives’ legacy that this Government now have to sort out—their legacy of one in 10 working-age people on sickness or disability benefits; their legacy of a generation of young people with no mental health support and poor skills; their legacy of over 7 million people on NHS waiting lists; and their legacy of inaction on welfare reforms over years and years. Quite honestly, the right hon. Gentleman has a brass neck, because the Conservatives have written the book on Government chaos, have they not? There were three Prime Ministers in three years; they sent the markets into chaos, with Budgets done on the back of a fag packet—they really did write the book on that one—there was by-election after by-election for misconduct; over 40 Ministers resigned in a single day; billions were wasted on crony covid contracts; public services were left on their knees; and industrial action was sweeping the country, costing us all dear. All of that left ordinary people paying the price with higher bills, higher mortgages and longer waiting lists. However, this is not just about welfare reform; it is also about the context in which this sits in, and that is what this Government are getting on with doing—this Government’s mission to create good, decent, well-paid jobs in every community; this Government’s mission to bring down waiting lists and deal with the deep-seated health inequalities in this country; this Government’s mission to tackle child poverty; this Government’s mission to build more affordable and social housing, giving people a bedrock in life; and this Government’s mission to revolutionise skills and opportunities for young people. That is this Labour Government, with our Labour values, getting on with the job and delivering for people.

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

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  I am pleased to confirm that the hon. Gentleman is a very plucky Back Bencher indeed. I am sure that many will be interested in his Adjournment debate. I look forward to hearing what the Minister has to say, because it sounds like a great idea.

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

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  I thank the hon. Member for mentioning that matter, which was raised earlier. I am sorry to hear of the impact on the Oswestry livestock market. As I said earlier, Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working closely with devolved Ministers to try to resolve this issue. Obviously, people want to hear an update via a statement from Ministers, so I will look into that. She also mentioned the length of DEFRA questions, a matter that is raised with me and others regularly. We look at how many people apply to ask questions, especially on Thursday mornings, so if colleagues want that question time to be longer, they need to get more people to take part in the lottery to ask questions.

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

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  I join the hon. Lady in thanking Yvonne and all the volunteers for what sounds like a really good campaign. I did not realise that blister packs are so recyclable, and it is so important that people do so. In bringing that to the House today, she has shared that with everybody else, and I am sure the campaign will go from strength to strength.

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

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating those at Eccles RFC and Boothstown FC on all the great work that they do. Grassroots sport is often raised at business questions, so I am sure that it would make a popular topic for debate. We are committed to the “This Girl Can” campaign. I am sure that girls’ grassroots sport would also be a popular topic for debate.

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

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  I am sorry to hear of the crime and antisocial behaviour in Falmouth and across my hon. Friend’s constituency. She is absolutely right that we are committed to our neighbourhood policing guarantee, which will put 13,000 more police officers into our neighbourhood policing areas. I am sorry to hear that the funding is not being directed in the way she would want, and I will ensure that the Minister gets back to her about it.

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

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  As we mark nine years since the murder of Jo Cox, I thank my hon. Friend for raising the issue of loneliness, which was an issue dear to her heart. She did much work to raise awareness of the issue. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw the link between loneliness and health and wellbeing, and that is why the Government will continue to support those who want to tackle loneliness.

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

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  I know that the issue of HMOs causes a lot of concern for communities and for Members across the House. My hon. Friend is absolutely right: local authorities must establish and maintain a register of licensed HMOs in their area. In the Renters’ Rights Bill we are strengthening rights to ensure that HMOs are held to account by communities and local authorities.

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

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  I am sorry to hear of that story. Everyone deserves dignity and respect in our society. We committed in our manifesto to reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004. Our immediate priorities for the trans community are a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices and strengthening the protections from hate crimes, which we discussed in the House yesterday.

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

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  What a great initiative by Doug Smith to set up Volunteers Count; I am sure we all recognise that it is a really good and important way of collecting this data and information. The subject of volunteering gets raised with me every week, and I am sure that a debate, probably on the Floor of the House, to celebrate our volunteers would be very well attended.

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

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in congratulating Anne MacDougall and James McLaren on their honours. I am sure the whole House would agree that our honours system is an opportunity for us to thank and reward all those in our communities who do the work that Anne, Jim and many others across the country do.

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

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  We are working hard with industry and health leaders to resolve issues with the supply of those capsules. I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets a full update.

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

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  I absolutely join the hon. Gentleman in paying a warm tribute to Norma Burton, and I am sure the whole House will want to do so, too. Her partnership with her granddaughter Jess was great, as I am sure many would agree. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to point to the importance of intergenerational relationships, and of always respecting our elders and doing exactly what they say.

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

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  I am sure that the Deputy Prime Minister has a very full diary; she will be washing her hair and the like, so it might not be possible for her to have dinner with the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage).

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising the issues facing the bioethanol industry. We are working closely with the industry to find a way forward and I will ensure that the House is updated.

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

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  I know that road tax raises lots of issues with our constituents. I was not aware of the issue that my hon. Friend raises, but I will ensure that she gets a ministerial response.

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

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  I join my hon. Friend in thanking Lisa Fleming and all those involved in the House of Hope for supporting those with breast cancer at some of the most difficult times in their lives, providing support, hope and all that they need.

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

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  We are boosting schools funding significantly, whether that is funding for special educational needs, or funding to support teachers in doing their work. I will ensure that the hon. Lady and the rest of the House are kept up to date on how that money is distributed.

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

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  I know the whole House will be following the unfolding events in the middle east carefully and with a great deal of concern. I assure the House that the Government are working with our partners to urge de-escalation and diplomacy, as well as continuing to engage very closely on the situation in Gaza, for aid to get in and for a sustainable ceasefire. This week was the ninth anniversary of the murder of my and many other Members’ dear friend Jo Cox. This week we remember everything that Jo stood for—her values, her passion, and her commitment to building bridges and resolving conflict, and to international development. I send my thoughts, and I am sure the thoughts of the whole House, to Brendan, Cuillin, Lejla, Jean and Gordon, and of course to Jo’s dear younger sister, my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater), who I know Jo would have been incredibly proud of, especially in recent weeks. It is a pleasure to be joined once again by the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Joy Morrissey), who I have a great deal of respect for and enjoy working with. I am sure that she and I are happy to take whatever plaudits we can for the exchanges that we have at business questions, because I know that the Prime Minister and many others follow them incredibly closely. Her contribution is certainly an improvement on the normal exchanges that I have with the shadow Leader of the House, the right hon. Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman), who is not in his place today. I accept the hon. Lady’s invitation to say a little bit about child exploitation, but I do not accept her characterisation of there being any kind of U-turn. I thank her for her tone, which is really important in these debates, because in the midst of such unforgiveable injustices, it is essential that we come together across the House to lower the temperature, and to put victims and their experiences at the centre. As a Government, we have always said that we would leave no stone unturned to uncover the truth, get justice for victims and lock up the perpetrators, which is why the Prime Minister commissioned Baroness Casey’s review in the first place. We never ruled out returning to the issue of a national inquiry; we have always been guided by what would be the most effective way of getting the action, truth, justice and accountability in the most effective way possible. Some of those measures, including implementing the recommendations in the Jay inquiry around mandatory reporting and the introduction of new aggravated offences for grooming offenders, were included in the Crime and Policing Bill that we voted on last night. I was surprised to see Conservative Members voting against the Bill, which strengthens those measures, so perhaps they can reflect on that next time they criticise the Government. The hon. Lady raises job creation and the economy— I happy to debate that subject with her. She did not mention the three unprecedented trade deals that we have secured. The Conservatives were once the party of the trade deal and free trade, but they seem to have set themselves against the trade deals that are already securing jobs and investment. Since we came into government, economic activity has reached a record high; we have created half a million new jobs, moving people into employment; and real wages have grown more in the 10 months since last July than they did in the 10 years of the Conservative Government, so we are happy to stand by our record on job creation and the economy. The hon. Lady talked about the Employment Rights Bill, which is absolutely not something that this Government will be U-turning on. We are incredibly proud of giving the biggest boost in a generation to workers in this country, and it is about time too. We are giving them rights on sick pay, abolishing exploitative zero-hours contracts for the first time, as called for by many Members for a long time, and introducing fair pay agreements and many other things. in a Bill that we are incredibly proud to be delivering for this country. Finally, in this week of all weeks, Parliament has found itself at the centre of the national debate—a place where we should always find ourselves. There are big issues at stake, globally and here at home, which Members of Parliament from all parties have been grappling with and taking decisions on to the best of their abilities, whether about the conflict in the middle east, the publication of the Casey audit, or votes on abortion and assisted dying, among many other issues. I put on record my thanks to all those across the House who have approached those issues with the respectful, non-partisan tone that they deserve. We are all elected to this place to make hard decisions, to represent our constituents with integrity and to work in their best interests. I know that every single Member of this House takes that job incredibly seriously. However, we also have a duty not to slide into personalised, over-politicised, clickbait attacks on each other which, if we are not careful, undermine us all and democracy as a whole, and threaten the safety of individuals. I was disappointed to see that members of the shadow Cabinet were doing just that this week, and I hope they will reflect and withdraw some of the dangerous attacks that they launched, particularly as we remember Jo Cox. We have a responsibility to take the heat out of the political debate— [ Interruption. ] Personalised political attack lines—exactly. We have a responsibility to approach these difficult challenges with the thought, respect and humility that they deserve, and I think the whole House will want to do its job without fear or favour.

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

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  I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman is aware, but Governments have always had the policy that we do not comment on what advice the Attorney General has provided, or indeed whether he has provided any advice at all. That ensures Ministers can get the advice they need to carry out Government business and make decisions without fear or favour.

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

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in thanking all teachers for the amazing work they do. I hope that I will still be saying the same after my daughter’s year 10 parents’ evening later today.

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

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  This matter has been raised with me before, and it is concerning. We want people to enjoy the countryside and, specifically, the great countryside in her constituency. It is great that people on social media are advertising it, but if they are not also telling people what steps they need to take to keep themselves safe on our mountains, then that is a challenge. I will certainly raise that point with Ministers for my hon. Friend.