Martin Vickers MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 26 Mar 2026 · Local Government Reorganisation · Hansard source

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  Following on from the reference to Lincolnshire by the Father of the House, my right hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edward Leigh), I warn the Government that this will come back to bite them. It is over 50 years since northern Lincolnshire was put into County Humberside, and it is still an issue that divides local opinion. We have two unitaries that were carved out of Humberside when it was put to death: north and north-east Lincolnshire. They both want to stay the same. As the Father of the House said, we do not want change in Lincolnshire. Will the Minister get on with making a decision so that we can have the certainty we need?

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My constituents share the same hospital trust as those of my right hon. Friend the Member for Goole and Pocklington (David Davis), who raised a number of issues earlier. I certainly share his concerns and criticisms. It is important to my constituents to be reassured that, despite the failings of senior management, frontline services are still being delivered. Last week, I visited the renal unit at Grimsby hospital, which is operated by Nephrocare. The unit has an excellent manager, Renata Jaworska, and the service it provides was clearly well received by the patients I spoke to. Could the Leader of the House arrange for a debate on the provision of services by companies similar to Nephrocare, which clearly provide an excellent service within the structure of the NHS?

• 26 Mar 2026 · Passenger Rail Services · Hansard source

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  Further to the pleading of my right hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edward Leigh) about the train service—[Hon. Members: “On your knees!”] That makes two of us pleading with Ministers for that service, and I know that the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) would happily kneel as well. I remind the Minister that LNER has been in state ownership for a number of years, yet it still cannot provide that service. There is an open access application from Grand Central Rail for a service to Grimsby, so will the Minister assure me that, given all our pleading, the Government will at least look sympathetically on that application?

• 19 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  For workers at Lindsey oil refinery in my constituency, the clock is ticking towards the end of this month, when they will receive their final redundancy notice. We had a useful meeting with the Energy Minister on site a couple of weeks ago, but I am sure that the workers would appreciate an update statement, in open session, where they can hear directly from the Minister about what progress has been made since that meeting.

• 19 Mar 2026 · UK Steel Strategy · Hansard source

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  Hundreds of my constituents work at the Scunthorpe steelworks, and hundreds more are reliant on the supply chain. They want certainty about their future. Will the Secretary of State give a clear indication of how long he anticipates the existing blast furnaces will be in operation? If the Government’s intention is to build arc furnaces, will they be established in Scunthorpe?

• 19 Mar 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill · Hansard source

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  9. Whether the Attorney General has advised the Lord Chancellor on the potential impact of the Courts and Tribunals Bill on the rule of law.

• 19 Mar 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill · Hansard source

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  Notwithstanding what the Solicitor General just said, she must recognise that there is growing resentment and lack of confidence not just among the general public but within the legal profession. How does she expect to maintain confidence in the judicial process against such widespread opposition?

• 18 Mar 2026 · Freedom of Religion or Belief in China · Hansard source

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  Between 2017 and 2020, my daughter worked as a teacher in Shanghai. We visited her at Easter 2018, and I recall walking past the Catholic cathedral while the service was taking place on Easter morning, and it was overflowing. Later in the day, I attended a service at the church that my daughter went to, and there were 200 or 300 people there. There did not appear to be any repression of the services. Is my right hon. Friend suggesting that it has got much worse over the last three or four years?

• 17 Mar 2026 · Productivity and Economic Growth: East Midlands · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Dr Huq. I congratulate the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) on securing this important debate. He referred to most of Lincolnshire in his opening remarks, but I represent the bit of Leicestershire that is not, in official government terms, part of the east midlands, even though we have the East Midlands ambulance service. We are in no man’s land. We have the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole hospital trust; we are under Humberside police; and the integrated care board—well, that wanders all over the place. My question to the Minister is “Should that continue?” We now have the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor and a combined authority, which play an important part in developing economic strategies and so on. Equally, I recognise that the Humber estuary plays an important part, particularly in energy. I am sure that there are ways to combine that with playing our part in the east midlands. Reference has already been made to the A46. I remind Members that that road continues to Cleethorpes and is important to access to the south Humber industrial sector. We have the Humber freeports; I remind Members that Immingham is the largest port in the country, measured by tonnage. I have 10 railway stations in my constituency, but I do not have a direct train service to London. I have been campaigning for one ever since I arrived in this place in 2010. We have an international airport at Humberside that could play a much more important part in developing the economy of the area. As for railways, mention has been made of Sheffield and the slow services down the midland main line and so on. The first railway to reach my constituency was the MSLR—the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway—which was referred to at the time as “mucky, slow and late”, so this is nothing new. My plea to the Minister is that she give a commitment in her response to looking at our place in government terms. Should we be part of the east midlands? I think perhaps we should. Equally, I recognise the importance of the Humber estuary and the links to the north bank of the Humber.

• 12 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, I can advise Members that on Thursday 26 March, there will be debates in the Chamber on transport accessibility for disabled people, and on support for Gurkha veterans. In Westminster Hall next week, there will be a number of debates, including one on productivity and economic growth in the east midlands and another—which I am sure will be particularly popular—on the accessibility of banking services. In the week commencing 23 March, there will be debates on sudden unexplained death in childhood, and on outcomes for patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and cranio-cervical instability. There may possibly be a debate on the merits of mandatory body armour for prison officers, but that one is provisional. As the Leader of the House knows, we have a great deal of outstanding debates needing time, and the weekly plea for more time is coming his way. Turning to an issue of mine, I have many park home owners in my constituency. As I am sure the Leader of the House will be aware, the Government published research only this week about park home owners. The Backbench Business Committee has a pending debate on this subject; if the Leader of the House was particularly generous with Government time, we could bring that forward and satisfy the many park home owners throughout the country.

• 12 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Since part of Grimsby falls in my constituency, I join my Member of Parliament, the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn), in celebrating Great Grimsby Day. I recently attended a meeting with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Sir Nicholas Dakin) and a group of potential investors in the steel industry, who I know have made approaches to the Secretary of State. Can he give me an assurance that all potential private sector investments in the industry will be given serious consideration?

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

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  My constituents who have lodged complaints with the local Royal Mail are receiving messages that say: “We’re sorry to advise that deliveries in parts of the DN31-DN37 postcodes are being disrupted due to resourcing issues at the Grimsby Delivery Office.” Will the Minister give an assurance that, if he has not already done so, he will urge Royal Mail to deal with these staffing resources? It is an acceptable reason in the short term, but not in the long term.

• 10 Mar 2026 · Local Government Reorganisation: South-east · Hansard source

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  May I remind the hon. Gentleman that we do not refer to other Members by name, but by their constituency?

• 10 Mar 2026 · Local Government Reorganisation: South-east · Hansard source

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  Your apology is noted.

• 10 Mar 2026 · Local Government Reorganisation: South-east · Hansard source

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  Order. I remind hon. Members to bob, as indeed they are doing, if they wish to be called.

• 9 Mar 2026 · Middle East: Economic Update · Hansard source

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  I agree with the Chancellor that de-escalation is desirable, but this conflict is likely to go on for many months. She talks about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, which I agree with, but businesses are operating in the here and now, and they want reassurance. Forget the 500 businesses that will benefit from the supercharger scheme; what message can she give to medium-sized businesses that are very concerned and are having to lay off staff?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Energy Markets · Hansard source

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  Representing the constituency of Brigg and Immingham as I do, I recognise that the renewable energy sector is attracting investment and jobs into the area. However, I have thousands of people who work in energy-intensive industries, and their jobs are increasingly at risk. As with everything, compromise and balance are important. May I urge the Secretary of State to recognise that the energy costs for industry are crippling many businesses? We must do something to address that.

• 5 Mar 2026 · Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Lady on the work that she has done on this issue. Two hospices serve my constituency—Lindsey Lodge in Scunthorpe, and St Andrew’s in Grimsby—and the percentage of funding that they get through the NHS, as opposed to from charity, varies dramatically. Does she agree that, at very least, we must regularise the proportion of funding that hospices receive from the Government?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last Thursday the Minister for Energy visited my constituency, which was much appreciated, to discuss the fall-out from Lindsey oil refinery going into administration, and how we boost the local economy following the number of redundancies that will occur. As business leaders keep pointing out to me, it is vital that we improve transport connections to northern Lincolnshire, so will the Leader of the House arrange for a debate about that, or perhaps a meeting for me and other local MPs with the appropriate Minister?

• 2 Mar 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  The Father of the House, my right hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edward Leigh), is no longer in his place, but can I put on the record my support for the words of caution that he expressed earlier? Can I turn the Prime Minister’s attention to oil supplies? It is not just about the risks to shipping; I understand from contacts in the industry that some refineries in the region are shutting down. Clearly, that could have a serious impact on business in this country. Could the Prime Minister assure us that contingency arrangements are in hand to maximise oil supplies?

• 24 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T8. Last Friday, a doctor came to my surgery and produced a letter that he and around 100 other doctors and consultants from the hospital in Grimsby had sent to the then interim chair. They were concerned about a rundown of services at Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals and a further concentration on Hull. That has been made worse by a series of interim chief execs and chairs. Will the Minister give an assurance that Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals will not see any rundown in their services?

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

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  indicated assent.

• 12 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The chemical industry sector is particularly important to the local economy in my northern Lincolnshire constituency, the wider Humber region and, as the Leader of the House will appreciate, in the north-east. The Chemical Industries Association recently produced a report showing that in the last quarter of 2025, jobs had reduced by 38%. That is clearly worrying. Will the Leader of the House provide Government time for a debate on the future of the chemical industries sector?

• 5 Feb 2026 · National Cancer Plan · Hansard source

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  Further to the exchanges about radiotherapy, I understand that the national figure for access to radiotherapy is 53%, which itself does not seem particularly high. However, the figure for my Brigg and Immingham constituency, which falls in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, is only 35%. Could the Minister give some assurance to my constituents about progress on increasing that figure, and when does she think we can reach the national average?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Hundreds of my constituents work at the Scunthorpe steelworks, which, as the Leader of the House will know, is under Chinese ownership. When the Prime Minister reported back earlier this week, I asked him whether he had engaged in related negotiations during his visit to China. It is disappointing to note that he did not respond to that question. Clearly, the long-term future of the plant is important to thousands of people. Could the Leader of the House arrange for a statement to update us on how things are progressing?