Mark Pritchard MP: speeches

Speeches

• 20 May 2026 · Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions · Hansard source

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  I pay tribute to the Minister, who has been tough on Russia for many, many years. He is sanctioned in Russia, as am I, and we have both previously chaired the all-party parliamentary group on Russia, so I know today’s announcement will sit uncomfortably with him. I welcome the new sanctions through third countries, but I am very concerned—there will be more concern in Kyiv, quite frankly—about what he calls temporary licences. How long is “temporary”? Unfortunately, this money, through these imports, will continue to fund Putin’s illegal war machine against Kyiv. It will kill women, children and men. While the Government are denying a licence to drill in the North sea, they are, unfortunately, giving Putin a licence to kill.

• 20 May 2026 · Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Lady.

• 19 May 2026 · Criminalisation of Children in Care · Hansard source

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  Of course, the youngest children in care are babies. It might shock the House to learn that there are 36 babies residing, through no fault of their own, in mother and baby units around the country. Given that babies are taken away from their mothers on a case-by-case basis after 18 months, I wonder whether part of the sentencing review should be about whether it is appropriate at all for mothers and babies—particularly the babies—to be imprisoned, apart from in the most serious criminal cases.

• 18 May 2026 · Youth Justice · Hansard source

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  Let us be honest: tens of thousands of young people have been let down in this country by successive Governments. The right hon. Gentleman said that those in care are drawn “disproportionately” into the justice system, and all that talent—in my view, forgive me, God-given talent—is wasted. We talk about productivity in this country, but what about social productivity? What about social justice for those young people in care homes? It is completely wasted talent. People go from children’s homes, paid by the state, into prison, also paid by the state. Although I welcome some of what the Secretary of State has said, the fact is that the Government, and previous Governments, have lectured parents on how to parent, but the worst parents of all—look at the evidence; look at the data—are the Government themselves. Will the right hon. Gentleman work with the Secretary of State for Education to ensure that social workers in whatever part of this country keep an eye on what young people are doing at school, follow up when they are failing in their exams, and ensure that they leave school with qualifications, so that fewer of them end up in the criminal justice system?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  One way to support growth in Wales, and indeed in Shropshire, is to support the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midland Railway’s open access application to the Office of Rail and Road. Will the Secretary of State make a commitment, similar to that of the Transport Secretary, that the Government will not get in the way of this application and will allow growth in Shropshire, Wales and the border market towns?

• 16 Apr 2026 · Children and Young People · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Lady write to the Local Government Minister, because I think some councils are a little bit timid when it comes to faith-based organisations? The dioceses of Lichfield and Hereford, which fall under The Wrekin constituency and are partly in the Telford constituency, do a fantastic job, but I think there is a problem between central Government, local government and the Church of England in communicating, sharing resources and actually delivering new services for young people together.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Chapter 4, paragraph 23 of the North Tyneside local plan, which covers an area that includes the Leader of the House’s constituency, talks about protecting the green belt. As there is green-belt land in the north of his constituency, I am sure that he shares my concerns about over-development, which is referred to in that chapter, so will he join me in supporting my constituents in Albrighton in Shropshire, where a speculative development for 800 houses on green-belt land was recently thrown out by Shropshire council but is now going to appeal? Is it not the case that my constituents, like his and those of many Members of the House, are not against housing? They are just against housing on the green belt. Housing has to be built in the right place and at the right scale, but unfortunately this Government seem more concerned about sitting on a bulldozer and bulldozing through Shropshire’s green belt than getting that housing balance right?

• 23 Mar 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  Six days ago, the UK Government’s security group rightly launched a leak inquiry into the leaking of very sensitive information from the National Security Council. I do not expect the Defence Secretary to comment on an ongoing inquiry, but does he agree on these principles? First, the very least that our armed forces should expect when they are being sent into harm’s way is for the political leadership of this country to not leak secret and top-secret information. Secondly, whoever it is—a Cabinet Minister, a senior official or a junior official—when caught, they should be sacked.

• 23 Mar 2026 · Hatzola Ambulance Attack · Hansard source

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  The United Kingdom remains one of the most tolerant nations in the world, but social cohesion can never be taken for granted, as the Minister knows. As well as the welcome work to increase security around faith schools and places of worship, what more can the Government do through the Secretary of State for Education to teach all communities that tolerance and respect for all is a fundamental tenet of being British? The Minister mentions the Bell review. I welcome the £7 million of funding, but the review is looking at schools and colleges, not at universities. A recent report showed that 49% of Jewish students have witnessed glorification of Hamas and Hezbollah on campus. What more can the Minister do to work with universities, not just schools and colleges, to root out antisemitism?

• 23 Mar 2026 · Court and Tribunal Transcripts · Hansard source

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  Order. The hon. Gentleman can give way, but the hon. Member for Strangford knows, because he has been here a very long time, that it is courtesy and a convention of the House to be in the Chamber at the start of somebody’s speech before trying to intervene—I think he came in some minutes after the beginning of the speech. It is entirely up to the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley, but that is the usual courtesy.

• 23 Mar 2026 · Court and Tribunal Transcripts · Hansard source

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  The mover of the motion has a couple of minutes to wind up.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Strait of Hormuz · Hansard source

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  The strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of water, but so is the Red sea. The Houthis have previously set ballistic missiles and drones on commercial ships and caused a lot of damage and disruption, which again has an impact on the global economy. Thus far in the current conflict, the Houthis have been on the sidelines, but that could easily and readily change. What are the Government doing in anticipation of the Houthis getting involved, and what naval assets are in the region or could be deployed to the region quickly in order that there is not a repeat of what we saw with HMS Dragon? If the strait of Hormuz is closed, and then the Red sea is closed, we are going to see a double crisis.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Middle East: UK Armed Forces Personnel · Hansard source

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  I have constituents at RAF Akrotiri who have been deployed out of RAF Cosford in my constituency, and I have already had correspondence from concerned constituents and their families. The Iranian regime has a very potent chemical and biological weapons programme. I have asked the Defence Secretary this question before: will he confirm that there is CBRN—chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear—protective kit at Akrotiri and other UK armed forces military bases in the region? The Iranian regime also has a very potent submarine fleet—it may not be nuclear or Trident-led, as ours is, but it is nevertheless a significant threat in the region—so could he say what he is doing to address both those threats?

• 16 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  It is. May I thank you for your comments, Mr Speaker? The next Defence questions will be on 10 May. We are all aware of the recess, but our armed forces personnel will be in harm’s way during that period—many of them are my constituents, and they are all represented across the House. May I look to you, Mr Speaker, to allow for urgent questions and particularly statements where necessary, as you always do, to be given by the Defence team in that period? There is a very long period of time until 10 May, given that we have armed forces personnel on duty right now.

• 11 Mar 2026 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source

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  I met the Minister some weeks ago and suggested that he might have to come back to the House if Royal Mail had not improved its services. May I thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question and the Westminster Hall debate next week, which was secured by another Member? I raised this issue on the 13 January as a point of order, as you will know, Mr Speaker, and clearly the problem has got worse rather than better. I put on record my thanks to all posties. I think the whole House would like to thank them for all their work in our constituencies. This situation has had a huge social and economic impact on people throughout our constituencies, but what concerns me is that the Minister has referred to being unable to intervene in a private company, and the regulator is of course independent. So what can he do? If there is nothing he can do, perhaps he will come back in a few weeks’ time to repeat that there is nothing he can do, but how does that help people who are waiting for medical results and other important information?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Middle East: Defence · Hansard source

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  I have only been in the House for 21 years, but whenever we talk about defence and when our armed forces are in harm’s way, I have to say that a blame game on either side is not going to save a single life. While we all want to see de-escalation, the Government, I hope, will have learned lessons in the last few weeks and months to prepare for escalation. Is the Defence Secretary aware of the 2024 report by the US director of national intelligence that underlines the stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons that Iran holds, and will he work with friends and allies in the region and the new Syrian Government to identify and deal with those stockpiles? Finally, on Akrotiri and other bases in the region, will he ensure that our armed forces personnel and their families are given the right protective chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear kit?

• 2 Mar 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  When British children are being bombed in Dubai, and the British military are being attacked in Cyprus, Qatar and Bahrain, why does it seem like the Prime Minister—I hope he will forgive me—is frozen with indecision, entangled in his own legalise, and fretting about his Back Benchers? He is looking to the left in his party as much as to the middle east. He will know that I have supported him time and again on what he has said about foreign policy decisions at the Dispatch Box, but I have to say to him that this is not his finest hour. He is looking very weak, and that is not in our national interest.

• 12 Feb 2026 · LGBT+ History Month · Hansard source

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  The Minister will no doubt want to pay tribute to the late Lord Etherton and the excellent work he did in his 2023 review, in which there were 49 recommendations. What progress are the Government making on those recommendations? I have received permission from the right hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) to mention that, because as the Minister will know, we are working on a cross-party basis to get a new review of the UK intelligence community, as the Etherton review did not look at the intelligence agencies. It may well have touched on defence intelligence, but not on other parts of the UK intelligence community. Could the Minister update us on the 49 recommendations, and will she join me, in a cross-party spirit, in hoping that the Government will somewhere have the space to look at the courageous men and women who served in our intelligence community between 1967 and 2000, and get justice for them?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address Motion · Hansard source

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  Public confidence in this process is absolutely vital. Although the Intelligence and Security Committee is fiercely independent, is it not a matter of fact that it is dominated by Labour peers and Labour MPs, and that the Chair is appointed by a Labour Prime Minister? On a point of detail on the Cabinet Office involvement, how will this inquiry avoid a conflict of interests between the Cabinet Office employees who staff the ISC and the Cabinet Office itself? On the legal advice from the Cabinet Office, would that not conflict with the Cabinet’s legal advisers to the ISC? Is it not the case that the Intelligence and Security Committee should have its own budget to recruit its own independent legal advisers, separate from the Cabinet Office?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Rail Transport and Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  I am always the reserve; it is the story of my life. I was always on the reserve bench, but I am delighted to be called. On a serious point, Great British Railways and the Office of Rail and Road will potentially have a conflict of interest when deciding on open access agreements, such as the application of the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway company. That will likely bring about £2.2 million of growth into Shropshire’s economy, and full, direct rail services to London every single day. Could the Secretary of State reassure all my businesses and constituents in the Wrekin that there is no conflict of interest between Great British Railways and the Office of Rail and Road when deciding these applications?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Rural Mobile Connectivity · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Lady, a fellow Shropshire MP, for giving way. Part of my constituency used to be her constituency, and she will know that there are lots of small rural businesses that rely on connectivity, not just broadband but cellular connectivity and being able to take and make telephone calls. Will the hon. Lady join me in calling on the Minister—as I previously have done—to ensure that Ofcom requires greater transparency and integrity in the data that the mobile companies are providing to all our constituents and, more importantly, that Ofcom is more robust and takes action when it thinks that the data is not as accurate as it could be?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Short-term Let Accommodation (Data Sharing Requirements) · Hansard source

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  On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raised a previous point of order regarding the Royal Mail and postal delivery services, and I mention that because I recently wrote to some constituents about that very point of order. However, that letter, which was sent first class from the House of Commons, took 12 days to arrive. Many Members across this House are writing about important issues on House of Commons paper, in House of Commons envelopes, and they are taking many days to arrive. As a result, many of our constituents might be ill-informed about the speed with which Members of Parliament are responding, which—as you will know, Mr Speaker—can be raised with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards—

• 11 Feb 2026 · Police Grant Report · Hansard source

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  As the Policing Minister knows, West Mercia police—which covers Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire—is a very good force in many ways. However, is she aware that West Mercia is about to see the first fall in police numbers in over a decade, with approximately 20 frontline police officers likely to be removed as a result of what the local police and crime commissioner calls a “shortfall in Government funding”, and that this will affect The Wrekin constituency?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Police Grant Report · Hansard source

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  It is true that a huge number of police staff are never seen—support staff, admin staff and call centre staff, for instance—and they play an important part in delivering police services to all our communities, but is it not the case that visibility in policing is needed, and only police officers who are warranted can make arrests when crime is committed? Notwithstanding all the wonderful people working in the back offices of all our police forces, we still need police officers in our communities, tackling the antisocial behaviour that my right hon. Friend mentioned and turning up at least occasionally at the parish council, where the local police officer still has a reference in the agenda. Visibility is critical to deal with the fear of crime, and a police officer with a warrant is critical in enforcing the law and making arrests.