Lucy Powell MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in that call. We want more neighbourhood police officers patrolling our streets, particularly at the times of day when crime is most likely to be committed and people want to feel safe.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Dé Buddha sounds like a fantastic restaurant. I congratulate its staff on winning the “best dining experience” award. Maybe an invitation will follow.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  That sounds like a great visit. I am pleased to hear that my hon. Friend had such a sunny summer packed full of events in his constituency. I am delighted to join him in congratulating all the organisers.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  First, I congratulate my hon. Friend on becoming a new dad earlier this summer. I thank him once again for being such a brilliant champion for proper investment in our northern rail and connectivity, which is absolutely vital to the rebirth of our regions.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know it is of great concern to many Members across the House when they see properties becoming HMOs and they do not have any recourse over that, particularly where they see Government agencies such as Serco going in and undermining the needs of local communities. We are looking at this, and I will ensure the House is kept updated.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Can I pass on my congratulations to that employee of local butcher Ben Barnes on the birth of his first child? I am really pleased to hear the hon. Gentleman advocate so strongly for stronger maternity and paternity leave and pay; that has not always been what we have heard from the Conservative party and some of his colleagues. We are committed to strengthening rights and supporting pay. Just this week, we brought in the free childcare package, which will be worth £7,500 a year to families that qualify, and we are extending that further. I look forward to working with the hon. Gentleman on strengthening it in the coming months.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue, which is raised with me all the time in business questions. I know that there is nothing more concerning to a local community than the closure of a bank or post office on the high street or in the town centre, knowing what that will mean for accessing cash. I will ensure that my she gets a full response about the roll-out of banking hubs.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in that call. When post offices close, especially at short notice, it causes huge consternation in local communities. I call on him and other Members of Parliament to stand up against the Post Office on those decisions and get the best for their constituents.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As ever, the right hon. Gentleman is a very big presence with his short question. He raises a topic that I know we all get many emails and complaints about. The Secretary of State for Transport has given an update to the House on these issues, and we are delivering 10,000 additional driving tests. The right hon. Gentleman raises an important issue about how bots and others are using technology to secure those tests, and I will ensure that he gets a full response.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Train station accessibility is an important issue to many Members. I am sure that if he joins together with some of the Opposition Members who have raised that issue with me today, it would attract the interest of the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman).

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know how hard it is for people to see churches go in their area and to transition to going to a new church. She raises an important issue, and I will ensure that she gets a response.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Libraries are vital to our communities and high streets, and they provide people with access to knowledge and information, as they have done in decades gone by and will do in decades in the future. I support all my hon. Friend’s efforts to support Lindley library in his constituency.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for reminding me about the brilliant Lionesses’ triumph in the Euros earlier in the summer. I take this opportunity to congratulate them on that. The hon. Lady raises the important issue of neighbourhood policing. Community policing has been hugely diminished over the last 10 to 15 years, and we are determined to fix it. The nature of how policing is done has changed, but we are providing the funding and the additional police officers for community and neighbourhood policing to flourish in constituencies like hers.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know the new guidance from the EHRC is of great interest to many Members across this House; it is something that I get many emails and correspondence about myself. A parliamentary process will sit alongside that, but I will absolutely ensure that there is appropriate time to debate and discuss these issues, which I know are important to the House.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising that issue. We are unashamedly pro house building as a Government, but as he says, that does not mean we are pro developers getting away with poor developments. That is why communities need to continue to have a say in what they are doing. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is in the House of Lords at the moment and will come back to this place soon for further debate.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know how busy my hon. Friend has been over the recess, meeting many of her constituents and celebrating the volunteers and the communities that she represents. I join her in doing that this morning.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Food poverty remains a huge blight on our country. This Government are absolutely committed to tackling it, which is why we have extended free breakfast clubs and introduced this huge expansion in free school meals, which is something I am sure we can all be proud of. I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on her marriage over recess. She looked absolutely beautiful and incredibly happy on her wedding day. I am sorry to hear of the multifaceted challenge that she faces in changing her name everywhere. I am sure that, were it to be developed, digital ID would address some of those issues. I am happy to ensure that those issues are looked into.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating all those who got their GCSE results this summer, in his constituency and around the country, on all their hard work, particularly those at Worden academy. The headteacher and leadership team there have turned that school around and are getting fantastic results this year.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As ever, alongside legislation we publish all the necessary documents, including the costings, which we have been transparent about. I gently say to the right hon. Gentleman that before the election his Government embarked on 11 rounds of negotiations; they knew that the Government needed to resolve this issue in order to protect our defence and security for generations to come. I am pleased that we have managed to get that deal across the line.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As ever, the hon. Gentleman is a strong advocate for jobs and businesses in his constituency. He knows that this Government are committed to new nuclear power and to the most ambitious nuclear programme in a generation. I am really sorry to hear that the SNP Government are, as ever, likely to set themselves against this new investment and against new job opportunities in Scotland. Frankly, that is a pattern that we are seeing time after time, and I join him in calling on them to look again.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The business for the week commencing 8 September will include: Monday 8 September—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill. Tuesday 9 September—Second Reading of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill. Wednesday 10 September—Remaining stages of the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [ Lords ]. Thursday 11 September—General debate on regional transport inequality, followed by general debate on suicide prevention. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 12 September—The House will not be sitting. The provisional business for the week commencing 15 September includes: Monday 15 September—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. Tuesday 16 September—Second Reading of the Sentencing Bill. The House will rise for the conference recess at the conclusion of business on Tuesday 16 September and return on Monday 13 October. Hon. Members will also wish to note the written statement made this week confirming that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will deliver her Budget statement on Wednesday 26 November.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am sorry to hear that false claims have been made on social media. My hon. Friend has just outlined how irresponsible that can be and the devastating impact that it can have on jobs and investment in constituencies such as his. I am sure that Mayor Houchen has heard his question and will rectify the situation.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising the issue of step-free access at her local station—this issue is raised with me all the time at business questions. I am sure that a debate on the topic would be very well subscribed, if she wanted one, but I will ensure that she gets a ministerial response. I am pleased to hear about her written question.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to say that bringing rail back into public ownership and our Employment Rights Bill are flagship policies of this Government, and I am particularly proud of them. We will ensure that as we take rail back into public ownership, it is done in the best interests of passengers and ensures that staff are well looked after and do not take industrial action, as they did under the previous Government.