Lucy Powell MP: speeches

Speeches

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important matter, which I know is of wide interest in this House; it has been raised many times over the years that I have been a Member of Parliament. I understand the concern about the imminent deadline, so I will ensure that either she has a discussion with a Minister or a Minister comes to the House and explains the future of the policy to everybody.

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

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  I also express our deepest condolences to Jordan’s family and friends. I know that consular officials are in touch and supporting his family. While I would not want to encourage people to go to Ukraine in that way, I absolutely share this Government’s commitment to ensuring that Ukraine wins in this war against Putin’s illegal aggression. We will do whatever it takes to support Ukrainians in that endeavour.

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

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  I perhaps will not celebrate Margaret Thatcher Day in quite the way the hon. Member wants me to, but on behalf of the Government I absolutely make clear our commitment to the Falkland Islands. I remember very well the passionate defence that the Prime Minister made of that at this Dispatch Box in recent weeks, and of his family’s involvement in the Falklands war. He raises the Chagos issue, and he will be aware that his own Government began those negotiations. I think there were 11 rounds of negotiations about the future of the air base there under his Government’s watch, so it is very much something we inherited and that was in train at the time.

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

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  Antisocial behaviour chips away at communities’ sense of confidence and pride, and makes people feel at risk in their own communities. Our new respect orders will begin to tackle this issue, and the crime and policing Bill, through which we can discuss this issue further, will be introduced to the House very shortly.

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

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  I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation. Scottish Labour and the Labour party have done more than most to stand up to the failures of the Scottish Government, of which there are many. That is why we have returned a record number of Labour MPs in Scotland who won seats directly from the Scottish National party. The Scottish National party and the Government there now have a huge amount of extra money thanks to this Government’s Budget. They have the powers to get that money to the frontline, and we want to see the lives of people in Scotland improved, but we believe that that will be done better when people vote for Scottish Labour in the future.

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

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  Absolutely. What a fantastic achievement for Hyndland secondary school. I join my hon. Friend in saying that young girls should get into computing and cyber-security. Let us not forget that Ada Lovelace wrote the world’s first computer program.

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

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  I am sorry to hear of the situation in my hon. Friend’s constituency. He will know that we inherited an asylum system that broke under exceptional strain. We are committed to ending the use of asylum hotels, but that will take time while we tackle the small boats, which we are doing; we have also put record levels of funding into the national health service. However, he is absolutely right to raise this issue. If we do not get on top of the illegal and net migration figures, which are incredibly high, this will continue to put pressure on our national health service.

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

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  Heritage railways such as Bo’ness and Kinneil often get mentioned in these sessions, and I join my hon. Friend in thanking them for the brilliant work they do and thanking the volunteers they rely on for makings sure that heritage railways, which are so valued, continue to flourish.

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

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  Absolutely. This is the right place for my hon. Friend to raise such an issue with me. I will ensure that Ministers look into the matter for her and get back to her with a full response.

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

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  Absolutely. Many of us are seeing the dangerous impact of the rise in ketamine use across our constituency and in young people. My hon. Friend mentioned the actions that Ministers have taken; we will do whatever it takes to clamp down on the growth in ketamine use.

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I think it is his first business question, and I welcome him. This Government will back only those new waste incinerator projects that meet strict new conditions. This issue is raised with me a lot, so I encourage him to work with Members from across the House—many other Members have raised the issue—and get a Backbench Business debate on waste incinerators.

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

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Audrey on her great achievement. Yet again we are hearing of the amazing work that our constituents do day in, day out to support others and to ensure that they can access the care and support they need. I will certainly consider a debate on the issue.

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

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  The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the green belt is, and remains, protected. The Government plan to unlock what we describe as “grey belt” —not particularly good-quality green belt—and we want a policy of “brownfield first” in planning decisions. He raises the issue of different aspects, including energy supply, infrastructure and transport, all coming together. Our planning and infrastructure Bill, which we will soon introduce to the House, will consider all those issues in the round, and I am sure that he will take part in those debates.

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

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating South East Harlow Sports and Youth Association for the great work it does. He is right to raise the vital role of grassroots sport facilities. That is why this Government have set aside budgets for them to continue and flourish. He might want to raise this issue with the Secretary of State in questions next week.

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

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  May I, too, wish you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the whole House a very happy new year? I send all our sympathies to the residents of Los Angeles who are being hit by wildfires—the situation unfolding there is very concerning indeed. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate a fellow northerner, Luke Littler, on winning the world darts championship? He might support the wrong football team, but he has been a great role model and is making darts a very compelling sport. It is the new year, but I am afraid it is the same old Tories. Their decision to try to vote down the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill yesterday was another huge misjudgment. They seem to have learned nothing and are incapable of accepting they got things wrong or having what it takes to rebuild trust. The victims of grooming gangs need politicians to hear their voices, to act without fear or favour, and to take all necessary steps to root out and bring justice to perpetrators and enablers, whoever they are. They do not need pathetic and blatant political bandwagon jumping. If Conservative Members were really interested in the victims and justice, their leader would have met with victims, but she has not. When she was Children’s Minister or the Women and Equalities Minister, she could have acted or spoken about the subject in the Chamber, but she did not. If this was really about addressing the root causes and making sure our institutions, culture and laws are fit for purpose, the Conservatives would have started implementing the recommendations of the Jay report, but they did not. Their wrecking tactics last night showed that they would rather play politics instead of supporting measures to safeguard children. I find it quite depressing to watch the official Opposition chase the spectre of Reform. These are very serious issues that require serious attention, with victims and their learnings at the centre. Yet again, the shadow Leader of the House raises the economy but, as ever, I will take no lectures from him. After all, he admitted that we inherited a “struggling” economy with “anaemic” growth. Our commitment to economic stability, sound public finances and meeting the fiscal rules is non-negotiable, as we have just heard from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. We are borrowing only for investment and we will see net debt fall. As the right hon. Gentleman knows well, the cost of debt fluctuates, often because of global markets. That is in stark contrast to the chaos we saw under his Government, when Liz Truss’s kamikaze Budget directly and immediately led to the gilt market crashing, needing the Bank of England to intervene to buy up Government bonds. She might want us to cease and desist, but we will not cease and desist from telling the truth that they crashed the economy. When we talk about fixing the foundations of our economy, we are talking about tackling the fundamental and huge structural problems we face: years of low growth; very low productivity; chronically low investment; poor connectivity; a labour market with high levels of sickness; a health service on its knees; low skills; and an overreliance on record levels of immigration, which, in turn, puts more pressure on the housing crisis. There are no quick fixes, but that is why the decisions we have taken, such as those in the Budget, are different and represent our vision of sustainable, shared growth. That begins with investment in health, investment in education and skills, and investment in the jobs of the future. It begins with providing a pay rise for the lowest paid, investment in transport and connectivity, and decent homes for people to live in. Our approach is fundamentally different from that of the Conservative party, which is based on short-term, deregulatory, trickle-down economics. Opposition Members cannot have it both ways. We would have had cuts now —huge cuts to health and education—if they had been in government. They cannot have the benefits of the Budget without the measures it took to achieve them. Their agenda saw living standards fall for the first time in decades, with stagnant growth, poor productivity, high waiting lists and sickness rates and, perhaps most telling of all, in their last year of office net migration at nearly 1 million. We recognise that it will take time and we are beginning to turn the oil tanker around.

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

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  As ever, the hon. Gentleman raises an important matter. We have been very clear in our discussions with the interim Government in Bangladesh about the importance of political consensus and stability, and the need for national reconciliation in the country.

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

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  We can all recognise the real issues that occur when unregulated HMOs take hold in communities and the challenges they bring to community cohesion and in poor housing standards. I just announced that the Renters’ Rights Bill will be back in the Chamber next week, and that will be a great opportunity for my hon. Friend to raise those issues.

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

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  That avenue in my hon. Friend’s constituency is becoming famous in Parliament. He is right that fixing potholes is a priority for this Government. That is why we have announced record levels of investment. The equivalent of an extra 7 million potholes could be filled just this year, if councils spend that money quickly and well.

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue, and for writing to me and to the Modernisation Committee about it. I absolutely understand her motivation —to ensure that the House of Commons and, indeed, the wider Parliament is a safe place for people to work, and that our constituents and others can feel safe in their interactions with us. That is why over recent years, we have developed more robust systems around those issues, and we are looking further at them. However, I say gently to my hon. Friend that we need to strike a balance that ensures we can also represent our constituents freely and openly.

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

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  I am well aware of this issue and the legislative time that would be required. The Government are completely committed to ratifying the BBNJ agreement, and work is already under way to implement provisions in the agreement before we can ratify it. My hon. Friend will be aware that we have a heavy legislative agenda—one of the most ambitious of any incoming Government. The legislation about the treaty will come forward in due course.

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

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising ADHD services and the broader issue of special educational needs and disabilities provision in this country, which is raised regularly in this session and in many other ways on the Floor of the House. He will know that we are not getting the outcomes we need, and families and children are not getting the support they need in this area, even though costs go up and up. We set aside £1 billion extra in the Budget to support special educational needs, but he is right that we need to look at these services and ensure that they are fit for purpose and that we are providing support and getting the outcomes we need.

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

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  The business for the week commencing 13 January includes: Monday 13 January—General debate on hospice and palliative care, followed by a general debate on the impact of food and diet on obesity. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 14 January—Remaining stages of the Renters’ Rights Bill. Wednesday 15 January—Remaining stages of the Non- Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill. Thursday 16 January—Motion to approve the draft Deposit Scheme for Drinks Containers (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2024, followed by a debate on a motion on the performance of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee (in unallotted time). Friday 17 January—Private Members’ Bills. The provisional business for the week commencing 20 January will include: Monday 20 January—Business to be determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 21 January—Remaining stages of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill.

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

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  My hon. Friend raises a very concerning case, and it is not an isolated one. That is why this Government are taking real steps against stalking, with our stalking prevention orders being strengthened. She will know that we have a debate this afternoon on ending violence against women and girls. She raises a particular issue about the responsibility of social media companies. Unfortunately, the previous Government did not include some of those in the Online Safety Act 2023, as they watered it down at the last minute. However, I will ensure that she gets a proper reply from a Minister about what powers the Government and the police have to take action in this case, and we will look at what needs to be strengthened further.

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

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  What a beautiful tribute to Criss and all the work he did. I am sure that Criss’s family and friends will have listened to my hon. Friend’s words with great comfort. Councillors up and down this country do an enormously valuable job for our country and our communities, and I am sure a debate on such a subject would be very well attended.

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

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising that issue, which I know is of concern to other Members across the House. She is right that we have taken the very difficult decision, due to the challenging economic situation and the inheritance we were left by the previous Government, to end this particular fund. However, we do remain committed to the community sector and community empowerment, and we will deliver on our manifesto commitment to replace the community right to bid with a strengthened right to buy assets of community value. I will ensure that further updates are given to the House in due course.