Markus Campbell-Savours MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 16 Dec 2025 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  I struggle to be brief, so excuse me if I compensate with bluntness, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am a lifelong Labour supporter, a Labour activist of 20 years, a former councillor and chief whip on a Labour group, and although I currently have the Labour Whip suspended, people should be under no illusion about where my loyalties lie. I knew before the election in July ’24 that this Government would not have an easy job. I believe that there is too much to do: many broken services and not enough money to fix them. I also know that the choice at the ballot box was between a party that subjected this country to politically motivated austerity or a Labour Government who would invest in the future. I believe that still means tough decisions on spending and tax—tough decisions that our Treasury team have not ducked. I do not find it credible that the Conservatives, who were last in government, failed to tackle backlogs in the NHS, cut back on early intervention and family support, and failed to fix the housing crisis, yet they complain about the benefits bill, like those things are not all linked. Today I will support the Bill to progress to the next stage—the Government need to set a Budget, and there are many measures in the Bill that will benefit Cumbria—but let me be clear: Whip or no Whip, as the Bill progresses I will not be supporting the agricultural inheritance tax proposals. I want a full U-turn. I have previously set out why I cannot and will not be moved to a position where I break my word to farmers in my community. My advice to Ministers is to take note of my more reasonable colleagues on the Government Benches. They have been increasingly vocal on this issue, and it does not look like they are going to stop soon. Ministers must look at the anti-foreclosure clause in the Bill, recognise the deep discomfort it is causing across rural Britain, and change course. It really is not too late.

• 10 Dec 2025 · International Human Rights Day 2025 · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered International Human Rights Day 2025. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for the first time, Ms Butler. I am grateful to hon. Members for attending this debate on International Human Rights Day, a day marked each year on 10 December. The debate follows last week’s parliamentary reception, organised by the all-party parliamentary human rights group and Amnesty International, which was a reminder that across the parties there remains a deep commitment to defending rights and exposing abuses. I declare an interest as an officer on that APPG, which was founded in 1976 by the late Lord Avebury. For decades the group has raised the profile of international human rights issues in Parliament and publicised abuses wherever they occur. I am proud to support its work. Human rights are under attack. They are dismissed as a “criminal’s charter”, treated as obstacles to power, or caricatured as a wish list and then ridiculed. But they were not invented for convenience; they were forged in the aftermath of the second world war after mass killing, torture and the attempted annihilation of a people. We made a promise then that every life has value, every person deserves protection from persecution and discrimination. Those principles are not museum pieces; they are the foundations of our daily freedoms to meet, to protest, to worship, to speak, to be tried fairly and to be treated equally. When those protections are removed, the consequences are immediate and brutal: arbitrary detention for peaceful critics, presumption of guilt, scapegoating of minorities, and the machinery of cruelty—torture, disappearances and killings. That is the flipside of abandoning rights. We see the consequences in many places. Russia’s repression at home accompanies aggression abroad. The situation in Gaza and the west bank has produced devastating civilian suffering and wider regional instability. Sudan’s civil war has brought reports of ethnic annihilation. In China, Uyghurs and Tibetans face systemic repression and Hong Kong’s freedoms have been considerably narrowed. There are other urgent cases that rarely dominate headlines: Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Venezuela and the too-often-forgotten Azerbaijan, Burma, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and Turkmenistan. They have different histories and different politics but the pattern repeats: rights are sidelined to preserve power, justified by appeals to stability, law and order, counter-terrorism or tradition. The techniques are often familiar: they divide communities, distort information, silence independent voices, and pass laws that look reasonable but are designed to intimidate. This is not only a distant problem. Even established democracies feel the pull of strongman politics. Populism is dressed up as dynamic quick fixes, decisive leaders and fewer constraints, but rights and democratic norms are the price of that apparent speed. Populism feeds on disillusion and polarisation. It treats rights as optional. The global trend is clear, as highlighted by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest democracy index. In 2024, fewer people lived in full democracies than in previous years—only 6.6% of people globally. Where democratic space shrinks, the vulnerable suffer first. People should be careful what they wish for. The early gains of a charismatic leader can lead to the long-term cost of fear and division. We in Britain have a proud tradition of defending rights. That tradition is not abstract. It was built by people who risked and sometimes gave their lives for freedom. We must build on that legacy and be mindful that our conduct matters abroad. When Britain falls short, others point and follow. Why should we care about abuses overseas? Because they affect us. Russia’s aggression threatens European security. Conflict in the middle east reverberates across the region. Human rights collapse abroad can undermine our national security, invite foreign interference, corrode our democratic institutions, damage trade relationships and—yes—drive refugee flows. But there is also the moral case to stand with those persecuted for exercising fundamental rights, and to support human rights defenders who risk everything to hold power to account. If we are serious about ending impunity, we must back the institutions that exist to hold abusers to account, such as the International Criminal Court, a court of last resort for victims. ICC officials have been placed under US sanctions in a worrying attempt to intimidate the very people who pursue accountability. Now, more than ever, such institutions need our practical support, not token words. We have tools at home to help us promote, protect and advance rights abroad. The overseas security and justice assistance guidance, arms export licensing criteria, targeted sanctions and assessments of business and human rights compliance are useful, but they must be used consistently and transparently and be properly overseen. Ministers and officials need clearer guidance and better cross-departmental knowledge sharing, so our message does not drift. Trade envoys should be briefed on political and human rights risks so they can promote responsible businesses. Courts should be empowered to exercise universal jurisdiction over the gravest crimes. Businesses should have certainty about their obligations to prevent and remedy human rights and environmental harms across supply chains. International leadership is often uncomfortable: it means saying hard things to countries with whom we also want to trade and co-operate and holding firm when headlines move on, but it is necessary. On this International Human Rights Day we should celebrate what has been achieved—the institutions built and the freedoms defended—and speak plainly about what remains to be done. At home, we must protect rights and strengthen democratic practice. Abroad, we must keep rights central to our engagement, even when that complicates other objectives. That is not work for Government alone. Parliamentarians, civil society and individuals each have a role. Authoritarianism grows when people look away. Rights decay when silence becomes the norm. The antidote is collective effort and moral clarity. Again, on this day, let us recommit to the principles forged out of the worst of human history—principles that protect the best of human possibility. Let us stand with the persecuted, defend the defenders, and act in ways that match our words. I urge the Minister to reaffirm the UK’s leadership in defending universal rights, and I look forward to contributions from hon. Members across the House. I end with the often repeated words of Martin Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor who first supported Hitler and then became a critic and was imprisoned. His warning against apathy remains as sharp today as when it was first spoken: “First they came for the socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me.”

• 10 Dec 2025 · International Human Rights Day 2025 · Hansard source

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  I thank all colleagues who participated in the debate, including the persistent hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who raised the important issue of freedom of religion and belief, and the hon. Member for North Northumberland (David Smith), the Government’s special envoy for FORB, who spoke passionately about the international agreements that underpin our work on freedom of religion and belief. I thank my friend the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton), who talked about the importance of the international human rights framework, the ongoing work to improve the framework and our important partners across the globe who work within the human rights network. The hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Dr Chowns) shared some shocking stories, outlining cases of the mistreatment of environmental and indigenous human-rights defenders. Those stories should never be forgotten when we are talking about these important issues. The hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) spoke passionately about Parliamentarians for Peace, which sets out what our responsibilities should be as parliamentarians and how much additional work we must do. I also mention the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Rachel Blake), who sadly was not able to contribute due to a Division during the debate. I know she would have been a staunch defender of the European convention on human rights, and I am pretty sure that is something her constituents would want to know. I thank our Opposition spokespeople for reminding me of how many values we share on this issue, and I thank the Minister for reaffirming our responsibilities on this important matter and for taking head-on some of the important points raised during the debate. I kindly ask that the officers of the APPG on human rights meet the Minister in the new year to discuss those issues in more detail, including the resourcing of the Government’s international human rights work.

• 10 Dec 2025 · Village Schools · Hansard source

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  It is not just about money. In my constituency of Penrith and Solway, we have seen the unrestricted change of use of properties from homes to holiday lets, which has led to the depopulation of villages and has undermined local schools. I understand that the Minister for Housing and Planning is currently deliberating on the regulation of the self-catering sector. Will the Minister raise this issue as part of those deliberations?

• 2 Dec 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I welcome the positive steps taken in this Budget to support our NHS, including commitments to cut waiting lists, investment in technology and the delivery of up to 250 new neighbourhood health centres across the country. Measures like that matter, especially in rural areas like Cumbria, where our health services have struggled for years. Yet while many of the measures in the Budget are of benefit to my constituents, there remain deep concerns about the proposed changes to agricultural property relief. In last year’s Opposition day debate on farming and inheritance tax, I set out my concerns. Over the course of a debate that has raged for more than a year, Members from across the House have made the case against these changes. They are changes that leave many, not least elderly farmers yet to make arrangements to transfer assets, devastated at the impact on their family farms. Before the election, many farmers feared that the changes were coming. Some transferred in advance and others contacted Labour candidates who reassured them, based on public commitments from the then shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that APR would not be touched. I was one of those Labour candidates, and it is for that reason that I will be voting against the Budget resolution enabling these changes. Colleagues will agree that it is the privilege of a lifetime to be elected to this place, perhaps more so for those of us who represent the communities that we are from. When the good people of Penrith and Solway decide my time here is up, I intend to walk around my community knowing that I did all I could for them, but I cannot do that knowing that my constituency’s 1,665 farms, the farm workers and the supply chains that depend on them were let down knowing that I broke my word. Madam Deputy Speaker, I am not yet clear on the Budget resolution grouping, but I would be grateful to be given the opportunity to vote specifically on resolution 50. I gave my word and I intend to keep it.

• 12 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. The Information Commissioner’s Office faces constant criticism for weak freedom of information enforcement and sluggish decisions. Why must Britain lag behind countries like Sweden and Norway, where citizens routinely access information in under a week, and how can MPs meaningfully hold the commissioner to account?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Sudan: Protection of Civilians · Hansard source

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  I would like to give the Minister the opportunity to be as robust as possible on the issue of arms exports. Do the Government consider the reports that UK military equipment exported to the UAE has been found on the battlefield to be credible? Has the UAE been challenged on that? Are the relevant export licences under review and, if needed, will we cancel them?

• 29 Oct 2025 · UK-Türkiye Typhoon Export Deal · Hansard source

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  Many UK manufacturers are part of international groups and have the opportunity to transfer UK-generated profits to overseas entities via internal pricing mechanisms and management fees. Can the Minister confirm whether those profit-shifting mechanisms are assessed and dissuaded as part of UK defence procurement practices?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T5. After years of watching dentists in Cumbria turn their backs on the NHS contract and move those patients who can afford it to private plans, my constituency is now an NHS dental desert. Can the Minister confirm when the Government will publish their response to the consultation on quality and payment reforms, and tell us what we can expect to see in it?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Wordsworth House and Garden · Hansard source

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  Many years ago, the community in Cockermouth saved Wordsworth House from demolition when plans were proposed to build a bus station, and the birthplace of William Wordsworth now stands as a historic gem on Cockermouth’s main street. Over the summer, following concerns about its future, I launched a similarly worded petition, which attracted more than 1,200 signatures. That campaign secured a commitment from the National Trust that the facility would not close. However, the trust has admitted that its long-term sustainability remains uncertain. I urge the National Trust to honour its promise to me to work with local businesses and the community to secure its future. The petitioners “therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to work with the National Trust to keep Wordsworth House fully operational and open to visitors. And the petitioners remain, etc.” Following is the full text of the petition: [ The petition of residents of the constituency of Penrith and Solway, Declares that Wordsworth House and Garden, a Grade 1 listed national treasure, birthplace of poet William Wordsworth, is vital to our national heritage, education and local economy and its potential closure would be an incalculable loss, robbing future generations of a direct link to a pivotal era of English literature and a key contributor to Cumbrian tourism. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to work with the National Trust to keep Wordsworth House fully operational and open to visitors. And the petitioners remain, etc. ] [P003120]

• 15 Oct 2025 · Pride in Place · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for this fantastic funding announcement. I know that my constituents in Maryport and Broughton Moor will make good use of this £20 million investment. Thinking back to the last Government’s approach to levelling up, I recall that the Public Accounts Committee criticised the lack of transparency in how levelling-up money was allocated. As pork barrel politics and levelling up are two very different things, will the Minister reassure us that lessons have been learned and this Government will be transparent?

• 11 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T5. Penrith and the surrounding villages have endured a summer of gridlock, with junction 40 on the M6 repeatedly grinding to a halt, particularly when peak holiday traffic is heading to Cumbria and the lakes. While we await the vital A66 trans-Pennine upgrade, for which we are all grateful, will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss urgent short-term interventions that National Highways can implement to ease the pressure for my constituents?

• 8 Sept 2025 · Palestine Action: Proscription and Protests · Hansard source

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  As I understand, convictions simply for displaying the name of a proscribed group have been extremely rare unless there has been clear evidence of intent to promote a group’s more extreme actions. If that is the case, and as it is clear that the acts of protest and civil disobedience seen in recent days are not acts that would ordinarily form part of a case for proscription, why do the police not simply stop the arrests?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to speak in this debate, which comes at a good time to take stock of my first year serving my constituents in this place. I am extremely grateful to the old hands for their sage advice; however, there is one piece of advice I was given that I am happy to call out as the worst I have ever taken. “Don’t rush into recruiting staff,” they said. “Take some time to work out what you need.” By last autumn, I was buried under so many emails that I thought I would never have time to sit in this Chamber ever again. I therefore appeal to colleagues never to give that advice to new MPs ever again. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] Once my excellent staff were in place, they worked double hard to keep on top of the new inquiries and to clear the backlog, and I thank them. However, I should politely advise the man who regularly sends me an email that consists of little more than a Daily Express headline and a link, “I am sorry, but we are unlikely to respond to all your emails.” My constituency is an unusual one. It is one of the largest seats in the country, and it takes in the Solway coast, parts of the Lake District national park, two national landscapes, and villages on the outskirts of Carlisle, Penrith—one of the largest towns at about 15,000—and seven or eight smaller towns, all very Cumbrian, each very different and all pointing to different service centres. If I am honest, it is hard work making sure I visit all my towns and villages. My surgeries and visits take me all over the constituency, but at times it can feel like I am spreading myself very thin. I am sorry if some constituents feel like they do not see enough of me, but I assure them that I am at home in the constituency every week and I am grateful to those living there who reach out and invite me to their events. Meeting Cumbria Young Farmers and attending Maryport carnival have been two of the highlights of my year. These are strange times politically. One would think that after securing such a huge majority at the last election, MPs like me would be feeling quite upbeat. I am not. Although I see a Government grasping the nettle on a range of issues that appeared to be beyond the political palate of the last Government and a desire to secure economic growth and rebalance how limited public money is spent for the better, and although I know that change takes time, I also see a public who are struggling and angry. When the public get angry, they reach out for forces that feed on that anger and have always fed on that anger. Between the emails from those telling me I am complicit in the murder of Palestinian children or the enabler of Pakistani rape gangs, I receive emails pleading with me not to try and be more like Reform and not to try to outdo right-wing populist rhetoric. While I appreciate the frustrations of those who send me those emails, they rarely suggest an alternative approach. Well, here is mine. We accept that we live in a country that is broken. We acknowledge that there are people living in dire need of— [Interruption.] Am I out of time? No way! I recently met a Minister who was keen to stress to me that so soon after 14 years of Conservative Government, we must not forget that on these Benches we are still the disruptors. I believe that that is a good lesson for all my hon. Friends, especially those on the Front Bench.

• 21 Jul 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  As I understand it, Hamas want Egypt, Qatar and the United States empowered as legal guarantors not only for a 60-day truce, but up to the signatory date of any final agreement with Israel. Can America not be prevailed upon to act as a guarantor beyond the final settlement? Hamas could be forced to reconsider their objectives under pressure from a population desperately looking for long-term security.

• 21 Jul 2025 · Asylum Hotels: Migrant Criminal Activity · Hansard source

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  The press regularly runs stories where economic migrants are quoted describing what they believe are the benefits available to them in the UK and the work opportunities that our relatively under-regulated labour markets offer. Does the Minister agree it is time that we considered Labour’s ID cards plan, scrapped by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, and its ability to reduce the UK’s pull factors for new migrants?

• 17 Jul 2025 · Freedom of Religion or Belief: UK Foreign Policy · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Northumberland (David Smith) for securing this debate and for his work on this important issue. I would like to share two personal reflections that shape the way I view religious freedom and its place in our foreign policy. The first reflection is on my lifelong faith. Between my mother’s deep Christian belief and spiritualism and my Church of England education, it seems I never stood much chance of avoiding belief altogether. Truth be told, I have never wanted to. I do not attend church nearly as often as I should, a failing I feel guilty about often, but I know without hesitation that when I need comfort or clarity, my faith—God, Jesus—is always there to support me. The second reflection is on my heritage. I am half-Icelandic on my mother’s side and was raised with an acute awareness of my Viking roots. Iceland is a small nation of under 400,000 people. Some families, mine included, can trace their lineage back for more than a millennium. One notable ancestor is Thorgeir of Lightwater, a pagan chieftain and lawspeaker who in the year 1000 was tasked with an impossibly difficult decision: which religion Iceland would adopt. He spent a day and a night under a fur blanket in silent reflection—something that I have found myself tempted to do after reading social media commentary—and when his deliberation ended he declared that Iceland would adopt Christianity. Remarkably, he also decreed that individuals could continue to worship privately however they chose. Although that fell short of what today we would call full religious liberty, it was extraordinarily liberal for its time, and it avoided a bloody civil war between pagan and Christian factions. Thorgeir’s story offers a sobering lesson: that belief is ultimately personal, that law cannot mandate conviction, and that practical compromise can safeguard peace. These are precisely the kinds of lesson that our foreign policy ought to embrace. Religious freedom is advanced when our diplomats, Ministers and civil servants understand the profound role that religion, religious practices and faith communities play in the societies we engage with abroad. In a UK political landscape that is largely secular, we must take care not to overlook the power of religion to drive development, mediate conflict and shape political identity.

• 17 Jul 2025 · Freedom of Religion or Belief: UK Foreign Policy · Hansard source

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  I do agree, and that is a difficult one for me as a Labour Member. All I can say is that I will hold my Government’s feet to the fire on ensuring that we return to levels of overseas development assistance, which I recognise is an important contribution that we make internationally. More than 80% of the world’s population affiliates with a religion. It is not, as some might cynically suggest, outdated or incompatible with democracy; it is a source of meaning, resilience and moral guidance to billions and, when understood and respected, a powerful partner in foreign policy. Faith-based organisations such as Christian Aid, World Vision, Muslim Aid and Tearfund play indispensable roles in delivering services, particularly to vulnerable communities. Those organisations are motivated by faith and supported by global communities who believe in their mission. Faith leaders have also played critical roles in human rights advocacy: from the South African Council of Churches opposing apartheid to Catholic resistance against dictatorship in Latin America and eastern Europe, their moral leadership has often been decisive in confronting injustice. While we advocate for religious freedom, we must also confront the painful realities of religious persecution across the world. Minorities are facing forced conversion, violence, economic marginalisation and, in extreme cases, genocide. We cannot afford to ignore that. Let us name the suffering: the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Bahaʼi in Iran, Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Ahmadis and Hazara in Pakistan, Muslims in India, Yazidis in Syria, Christians in China, faith groups across North Korea, the Palestinians. These are not isolated incidents; they are affronts to our shared humanity. If the UK is serious about advancing freedom of religious belief, we must integrate religious literacy into our diplomatic toolbox. We must build partnerships that respect faith identities, amplify marginalised voices and place human dignity at the core of our development, humanitarian and peacebuilding strategies. Let us reaffirm our role as global advocates for religious freedom, not just in principle, but in policy and practice. I add that I shall, of course, inform Hansard how to spell “Thorgeir”.

• 16 Jul 2025 · School visits to Parliament · Hansard source

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  Maymi, James, Caleb, Riley, Noah P, Kadie, Louisiana, Mylo, Sienna, George, Penny, Ethan, Isla, Noah G, Harry, Ruby, Faye, Brad, Joe and Oliver are all children in year 6 at Stoneraise school. Like many of my constituents, they are conscious of how far away Cumbria is from Westminster. As they leave primary school later this week, their similarly worded petition calls on the Government to do more to help children like them to visit and learn about Parliament. I wish them well for the future. The petition states: The petition of residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that Stoneraise school is over 300 miles from London; that it is very expensive for schools in Cumbria to take their children on a residential to our capital city; further that the Government provides funding through the pupil premium and to local authorities which can help schools plan education visits, but that currently only a small proportion of pupils have the resources to be able to visit Parliament each year; further notes a petition started by Stoneraise school in Cumbria, which 155 pupils and teachers have signed, supports more Government assistance to enable them and school children across the UK to visit Parliament. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to ensure transport, accommodation and food provision for every child to be able to visit Parliament during their time in school, so that all children can see how Parliament works for us. And the petitioners remain, etc. [P003097]

• 10 Jul 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Early-day motion 1496 sets out how Samiul Ahmed bought Cockermouth’s Old Courthouse for a knock-down price and, ignoring professional advice, allowed the listed building to collapse into the River Cocker. [That this House notes in July 2022 Samiul Ahmed of Tower Hamlets purchased The Grade II listed Old Courthouse, Cockermouth, a building with an annual income of £38,000, believed to be worth £250,000, for the reduced price of £51,000, due to riverbank erosion and the need for major structural repairs; further notes that in pursuit of quick profit, Ahmed arranged a structural survey and associated works, but on learning of the extent of wider liability and ignoring professional advice, had support props removed, leading to major deterioration and collapse of a portion of the building into the River Cocker in October 2023; also notes that after three years the building remains unsupported, a partial ruin; notes that the Environment Agency mapped increased flood risk to Cockermouth as a result, and expressed concern that the front of the building is also undermined and at risk of collapse; observes that Ahmed failed to pay contractors, has been successfully sued for £62,000 by one local company, and that he has conspired to avoid liability by arranging transfer of his personal ownership of the building to a different legal entity, Halal Group Ltd.; believes that Ahmed is now seeking to transfer responsibility to Cumberland Council taxpayers a potential bill which could range between £1 and £4 million; asserts it should not be the responsibility of taxpayers to pick up the liabilities of persons whose motivation has been property speculation for a quick profit; and calls upon Mr Ahmed to fund the restoration costs.] So it was disappointing to hear the owner on Radio Cumbria this morning continuing to blame the council. My message to Mr Ahmed is: “Publish your plans and prove you can finance them, and do it quick, before the town floods through your inaction.” Would the Leader of the House agree that a debate on council powers to deal with greedy, incompetent property speculators is well overdue?

• 8 Jul 2025 · Road and Rail Projects · Hansard source

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  Like many Cumbrians, I am delighted and relieved that the Government have agreed funding for the A66 trans-Pennine project. It never should have been in doubt, and it is clear to me that it would not have been were it not for the financial legacy of the previous Government. Ministers can now look forward to me lobbying for a new roundabout at Brigham and Broughton in west Cumbria—a project rejected by the previous Government. Can the Secretary of State set out what assessment she has made of the benefits to my constituents of the A66 trans-Pennine project?

• 30 Jun 2025 · Autonomous Weapons Systems · Hansard source

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  The strategic defence review rightly emphasises the importance of autonomous weapons systems in augmenting the UK’s defence capabilities, but it also notes: “The UK’s competitors are unlikely to adhere to common ethical standards in developing and using” those technologies. What specific measures are the Government taking to help prevent and mitigate the potential harms of autonomous capabilities, both in the UK and abroad?

• 30 Jun 2025 · Autonomous Weapons Systems · Hansard source

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  14. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations on the use of autonomous weapons systems.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Incontinence · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) for bringing this issue to the House for debate. Unlike her, I am not an experienced health professional, so I will narrow my contribution to the issue of public toilets, their availability and their importance to those with incontinence. There are people who did not go out last week and who may not go out today or next week. They are those whose trips are always challenged by the lack of, or uncertainty about the availability of, public toilets—not just those who are incontinent, but those who experience any sort of urgency: those with irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis; those who need to use the toilet more frequently because of age or pregnancy or because they are menstruating, have had prostate cancer, have stomas or other disabilities; and those who are caring for those with disabilities. Very few of us will not be affected by these vulnerabilities at some point during our lives, and we want our country to be one in which we are able to ensure dignity and the ability for those visiting public spaces to have access to public toilets. Local authorities have powers to provide public toilets but no statutory duty to do so, and this lack of compulsion has contributed to the decline in the number of public conveniences. As a former local councillor, I know how stretched local authority budgets are, decimated through a long decade of austerity and the political decision to centralise funding. In my constituency, which encompasses the Lake District national park, we are very aware of the importance of good-quality public toilets to support tourism, and yet even there, at prime visitor sites such as the start of the Keswick to Threlkeld railway path—a fantastic facility for those with disabilities to enjoy the Lake district—there is insufficient money to provide public toilets. Just two years ago, this House considered appointing a commissioner for public conveniences and making it a statutory duty for local authorities to have public convenience plans. I am not sure why something so simple would require the creation of a commissioner, but like so many plans under the last Government, it never came to pass. I ask the new Government to look again at establishing a statutory requirement on local authorities. In the meantime, I invite hon. Members across the House to lobby their own local authorities to ensure that they create, review and scrutinise public convenience plans, and make public spaces accessible to those for whom quality public toilets are the difference between inclusion and exclusion. A recent survey by the Association for Public Service Excellence found that over a third of local authorities had reduced their provision of public toilets over the past decade. We know that provision had been declining even before then, but it is not all bad news. Half of the councils that responded in the 2024 survey did provide Changing Places toilets. I congratulate the campaigning organisation Changing Places, which has lobbied so long and so hard to seek provision for the quarter of a million people in the UK, and their families and carers, who have for so long been condemned to loneliness at home by the lack of accessible public toilet facilities. The latest count of Changing Places toilets in the UK is 2,607. The campaign will have been instrumental in the 2021 building regulations requiring all new public buildings to put in large and well-equipped toilet facilities. Many local authorities have ensured provision in creative and economical ways, through community toilet schemes and payments or rates reductions for businesses that open their toilet facilities to the public. Local authorities can make planning permission, leases and premises licences subject to the provision of public toilets, and they can hand facilities over to community operators. These are not always suitable or appropriate substitutes for standard public toilets provided and maintained by the local authority, but as part of a portfolio of provision they help to increase access and often help to circumnavigate some of the issues of graffiti and inappropriate use that present problems for some communities. I urge all hon. Members to engage with our local authorities and impress upon them how important it is for the public to be adequately provided with high-quality, well-maintained facilities. I look to Members participating in today’s debate to join me in calling upon this Government to draw up statutory measures. Providing public toilets that support the most vulnerable people in our communities should be a duty, not an option.

• 17 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T6. I have received many emails regarding poor service from pharmacies in my constituency. In Maryport, residents report opening times not as advertised, long queues, low stocks and delays receiving vital medication. Will the Minister tell the House how this Government will ensure that the public get the best quality service from our local pharmacies?