Nesil Caliskan MP: speeches

Speeches

• 27 Nov 2024 · Finance Bill · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the right hon. Member for inviting me to intervene. I remind him that the IFS has confirmed that there is enough capacity in the state sector for the transfer of pupils. Also, on the point of special educational needs—

• 30 Oct 2024 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

  More

  Does the hon. Gentleman agree that supporting skills and employment is key to creating the sort of economic growth he talks about? Getting young people on a pathway to training and receiving the skills they need to secure jobs is critical.

• 30 Oct 2024 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

  More

  If the hon. Gentleman thinks that taxes on businesses should not increase, where should the tax burden lie? If he does not think that borrowing should increase, what would he cut from the Budget?

• 30 Oct 2024 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

  More

  Will the hon. Lady give way?

• 30 Oct 2024 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

  More

  Have you ever had a job?

• 30 Oct 2024 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

  More

  I begin by putting on record my congratulations to my right hon. Friend for being the first female Chancellor to stand at the Dispatch Box. It was a historic moment in the mother of all Parliaments. After 14 long years of low growth, low investment and failing public services, we are now turning the page. This Budget is about fixing the fundamentals of our economy, demonstrating responsible governance by sticking to tough fiscal rules and investing for the future. Those are all necessary to achieve sustainable economic growth. In the end, economic growth is what will improve people’s living standards and life chances, and it will certainly benefit my constituents in Barking. Crucially, this Budget ensures that working people in my constituency are protected as we stabilise, fix and grow the economy. On tax, let me just say this. If Opposition Members do not want to borrow to invest and do not want to tax business, they should tell us what in the Budget they would cut. They are simply out of touch. They moaned and groaned earlier, but the people in my constituency and the country as a whole will not forget that when the Conservatives were in power, they caused inflation to hit the roof and interest rates rose. Almost 12,000 people in my constituency saw their mortgage rise by over £3,000, and rents have soared. Wage stagnation has cost working people £11,000 on average. As for tax increases, it was the Conservative Government who increased taxes on working people and left the £22 billion funding gap. We on the Labour Benches will take no lectures from those on the Conservative Benches who supported the chaos of a Liz Truss Budget that crashed this economy, yet they have the audacity to stand up with zero humility after their Government left this country in a worse state than they found it. Politics is full of choices, and the Conservatives played their politics in this place at the expense of British people. In contrast, today’s Labour Budget will make my constituents in Barking better off. The pay increase for public sector workers and the increase in the national living wage will put money in the pockets of working people. Those increases in people being paid a decent wage are vehemently opposed by those on the Conservative Benches, with such disdain it is unbelievable. We know that the damage of the last Government cannot be undone with one Budget and that the Chancellor has to set tight fiscal rules, but we will rescue both the economy and public services. We must also invest for the future, and I particularly welcome the Chancellor’s steps today to unlock more investment for our public services. Much of it is capital spend, which is really an investment for people—additional money for schools and local authorities. This country has to invest or it will decline. That is what this Labour Budget delivers, and I am deeply proud to support it.

• 23 Oct 2024 · Sanctions: Iran · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Minister for his speech on this really important issue. The continued instability in the region is of growing concern to many of us, not just because of the immense loss of life but because of the ever-growing security risk for this country. The Government have been clearly leading calls for de-escalation in the region. Does the Minister agree that it is time once again to redouble our efforts with those calls, so that all parties in the region show restraint?

• 23 Oct 2024 · Police Accountability · Hansard source

  More

  I am grateful, Madam Deputy Speaker. Building trust and confidence in the police requires time and honest reflection about the challenges, alongside meaningful steps to improve things. Often, when there are high-profile incidents, there is a knee-jerk reaction and a national debate is sparked. Does the Home Secretary agree that we must avoid knee-jerk reactions, that there needs to be a long-term commitment to building trust and confidence, and that trust and confidence are built through effective policing not just for serious violent crime, but for so-called low-level crimes such as antisocial behaviour and theft?

• 23 Oct 2024 · Police Accountability · Hansard source

  More

  rose—

• 16 Oct 2024 · Carer’s Allowance · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey) for securing this important debate. I have almost 10,000 constituents in Barking who are unpaid carers, providing a vital and caring backbone for the community. My constituency has one of the highest numbers of carers in the country, and we know that if those individuals stopped caring and delivering their vital role, our overstretched care system would crumble and the economy grind to a halt. Perhaps most importantly, the most vulnerable people in our communities would stop receiving the care and compassion that they get from their relatives and friends. But carers do not stop, because they care about their friend or family member who needs that support. Whether it is a young carer looking after a parent, or a daughter or son looking after their elderly parent, such care is vital in our community. Instead of a system that provides them with a safety net to help with the additional costs that come with caring for someone, the system the Government have inherited is a real mess. We are in a situation where our constituents face bills from the DWP landing on their doorstep. The current carer’s allowance system is cruel, with a punitive cliff edge that forces unpaid carers to choose between earning a basic income or caring for their loved one. It means that if a carer goes over the earnings allowance by £1, or indeed by 1p as we have heard in a number of speeches, they are forced to pay back the full amount that they received, which could be a figure in the thousands. Instead of a system that understands the need for flexibility, given the nature of being a carer and the realities of trying to fit paid work around that, often with zero-hours contracts and earnings that change from week to week, the system penalises carers and threatens them with criminal prosecution. It is just another broken system left by the previous Government that this Government have to sort out, and another part of the foundations of our country that we will fix to rebuild Britain. As I stand to speak on this important topic, I think of the 10,000 carers in my constituency. Vital work will now progress, and hopefully it will be concluded swiftly by the Government, so that carers never have to choose between earning a proper income and caring for a loved one.

• 16 Oct 2024 · Carer’s Allowance · Hansard source

  More

  Does my hon. Friend agree that the evidence shows that it is disproportionately women who are carers, and therefore women who experience those levels of poverty because of the low figure she mentioned?

• 16 Oct 2024 · Carer’s Allowance · Hansard source

  More

  On that point, would the right hon. Member therefore accept that the Department for Work and Pensions is in a complete mess and that unpaid carers in our constituencies are having to pay the price and bear the brunt of that because the system is clearly not working for them?

• 9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source

  More

  I recognise the crisis that my hon. Friend describes. Does she agree that individuals and families are paying the cost of this crisis, not only with money but with the trauma of being moved from home to home?

• 9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source

  More

  Does the right hon. Lady recognise that the reduction in supply over the past few years is primarily down to the increase in interest rates, which has driven landlords out of the sector? A sector that is fundamentally broken requires the Government to take action to provide security for those who need a home for themselves and their children.

• 9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source

  More

  On the point about temporary accommodation, does my hon. Friend agree that there is something perverse in this broken market when a family is faced with an eviction notice and a local authority has to rehouse them again in the private sector, costing the taxpayer more money?

• 8 Oct 2024 · VAT: Independent Schools · Hansard source

  More

  Will the hon. Member give way?

• 7 Oct 2024 · Anniversary of 7 October Attacks: Middle East · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Prime Minister for his statement on what is a sombre and sobering day as we reflect on the past year—the atrocities of 7 October last year, and, of course, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and now in Lebanon. In my constituency are communities who have links with Israel, with Gaza, with Palestine and also with Lebanon, and they raise with me regularly the need for an immediate ceasefire. Does the Prime Minister recognise that that ceasefire is a critical step towards what, in the end, can be the only solution: a political solution for the region?

• 4 Sept 2024 · Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Prime Minister for his statement. I associate myself with the remarks made about thinking about the victims and their families, who are still fighting every day for justice. I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to ensuring they will see justice through the criminal justice system. The report makes over 50 recommendations and suggestions about the regulatory framework, so will he reassure me that the Government will work closely with local authorities to ensure they have the support they need to respond to any additional regulatory burdens that might be put on them in the coming months and years?

• 3 Sept 2024 · Ofsted · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Minister for her statement, and for her clarity on the next steps to drive improvement in schools across the country. Many teachers and parents will welcome the news that we will move away from one-word inspections, but intervention is not the same as driving improvement. Can the Minister reassure me that, alongside intervention, there will be a plan and support for schools so that we see the improvements necessary to give every child the best start in life?

• 23 Jul 2024 · Immigration and Home Affairs · Hansard source

  More

  I am honoured to deliver my maiden speech, and I thank the wonderful people of Barking who have elected me. If you will indulge me, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would also like to thank my wonderful husband, who has been by my side every step of the way. This year, 2024, has been quite the year for us. With a new baby girl, seven months old, and a general election being called, sleep has not been on our side as a household. But of course it has all been worth it, and I now have the absolute privilege of representing the east London constituency of Barking. I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor, the right hon. Dame Margaret Hodge, who served diligently as the Member of Parliament for Barking for three decades. Dame Margaret has become known not only for her tenaciousness, but for her warmth. She held several ministerial posts in the last Labour Government and served as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. From taking on and winning against the far right in Barking to campaigning against tax evasion and avoidance, Dame Margaret was always fiercely brave in standing up for what she thought was right, regardless of political party. As I prepared for my maiden speech, I thought about some of the parallels between Margaret’s family and my own. Margaret’s family were Jewish, escaping Nazi-occupied Europe, and Margaret herself fled Egypt for the United Kingdom in 1948 in fear of persecution. My grandparents, Osman and Neriman Tango, are of Turkish Cypriot Muslim background. They escaped violence in Cyprus, arriving in London on Christmas eve in 1972. My mum, Alev, was born in Cyprus in 1967 and was cared for in a United Nations tent. The three of them sought safety in the melting pot that is London’s east end. They spoke no English, they had no qualifications and no money, but they were safe. As I stand in this Chamber and address hon. Members, I cannot help but think of my grandfather, my late grandmother and my mum. I do not think my grandparents could have envisioned that in one generation their granddaughter would be a Member of the mother of all Parliaments. It shows what is possible in this country, and I feel so deeply honoured to be here. I thank my mum, who taught me and my two sisters, Neri and Eda, that we must always try our best, work hard, look after and care for others when they need our help, be grateful for an education, and, when we can, find a way to give back. Those are my values, and I know that they are the values held by families in my constituency. Barking and Dagenham is a special community in London and a place that I have come to know and love. Many of my constituents have a similar story to my family, with heritage from different parts of the world. There are also communities in my constituency that have lived there for generations, deeply proud of their Barking and Dagenham roots—and so they should be. Barking constituency is a place with a rich history, whether it is industrial heritage, including the former Barking power station opened by King George V, or the UK’s largest council estate built after the first world war as part of the Government’s “homes fit for heroes” scheme. Now Barking is younger and more diverse than the London and national average. That is one of the things that make it such a vibrant place in which to live, but it faces challenges. The unemployment rate in the constituency is worse than in any other London borough, and average earnings are much lower than elsewhere. Shamefully, 23% of children in Barking are living in poverty. Economic growth is critical for the whole country, and for my constituents. Economic growth is what allows Governments to invest so that we can all benefit from public services—schools, our NHS, frontline services run by local authorities, and a welfare system that values dignity for the individual. Economic growth means additional investment in crucial work delivered by children’s services, tackling youth crime and violence in our communities. But economic growth does more than just pay for decent public services; it can deliver people good, well-paid jobs that secure a roof over their heads, food on the table and hope for the future. It is the only route out of poverty, and indeed it is how my grandparents broke away from the cycle of poverty. That is why I wholeheartedly welcome the Government’s commitment to economic stability and growth outlined in the King’s Speech last week, including plans for a national wealth fund alongside a new deal for working people. I also support the Government’s commitment to address the housing crisis, especially because it is one of the drivers of poverty. The average house price in Barking has gone up by 21% over the last five years, and rents have soared. There are thousands of people in temporary accommodation, and a quarter of my constituents live in the under-regulated private rented sector. That is why the Government’s plan to bring forward a renters rights Bill to end section 21 no-fault evictions is so important for Barking, as is their commitment to speed up planning and infrastructure to get more homes built. The King’s Speech was an agenda from a Government who are on the side of my constituents. It is a plan that gives hope to people in this country who for too long have felt abandoned. Hope for the future, with deliverable plans to improve lives, is why I entered politics, and, I am sure, why Members on both sides of the House entered politics. It is why I served as a council leader before coming to this place, and why I decided to run to be Member of Parliament for Barking. Politics is perhaps the greatest vehicle for change, and it is why this place matters. Building more homes, giving children a better start in life with free breakfast clubs and more qualified teachers, cutting NHS waiting times, lowering bills with Great British Energy—these things matter, and they will improve the lives of people in my constituency. They are all possible, and only possible, with economic growth. So to the good people of Barking I say: I promise to be on your side. I will represent you faithfully, and I will fight for a better future for Barking so that every person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential—something that is possible only if people feel safe in their communities. I will always champion public services, and I will stand up for investment so that local people benefit. I am honoured to speak in the Chamber, and I will repay that honour by working hard for my constituents as the MP for Barking.