Perran Moon MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

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

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  Will the Minister take this opportunity to congratulate the hon. Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne), who took a very delicate and sensitive report on abusive conversion practices through the Council of Europe two weeks ago and managed to receive support from pretty much all Members from across the Chamber, with the exception of the hard right? She did it with such sensitivity and skill, and perhaps this is an opportunity to thank her for that.

• 12 Feb 2026 · Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate · Hansard source

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  Meur ras ha myttin da, Mr Speaker. I declare an interest as chair of the electric vehicle all-party parliamentary group. The entire UK charge point industry is united in supporting the Government’s passenger car ZEV mandate to send a signal to motorists that this Government will not follow the lead of the climate change-denying luddites in the Opposition. Does the Secretary of State agree that the ZEV mandate is proving to be a fundamental, market-shaping policy that is driving investment, expanding choice and delivering cheaper motoring?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Rural Mobile Connectivity · Hansard source

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  Yes, I do, but there are other parts of the United Kingdom with this issue. It is not just in south-west England and Cornwall, but in areas further north, as we have heard. There is an opportunity to really focus on those areas so that they are not left behind in the digital transition. Here is why this issue is so important. The Government are investing tens of millions of pounds in critical minerals and renewables in order to unleash the Cornish Celtic tiger. That investment is designed to unlock private investment into those growth sectors, but investment will be directly hamstrung by the paucity of mobile communications. It is fair to say that in Cornwall, as well as other places, we are fed up with being left behind in the digital transition. When the Minister gets to his feet, will he please commit to taking this moment to work across Government to transform the weaknesses in Cornwall’s mobile communications into strength? That way, businesses can grow, and no one will ever again be left in the dark, with no way of communicating with the outside world.

• 12 Feb 2026 · Rural Mobile Connectivity · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) for securing this debate for the second time. In rural areas like my constituency of Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, the challenges of infrastructure and connectivity differ substantially from those in urban settings. Decision makers too often hold outdated assumptions or misunderstandings about the differences between rurality and remote coastal areas like Cornwall. Policy reform is urgently needed; if we can fix it in Cornwall, we can fix it anywhere. Substandard critical infrastructure that normally attracts little attention from policymakers becomes visible to them only when it fails. As my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham) said, that is precisely what happened on the evening of 8 January. Residents across Cornwall received red weather warnings, as winds of up to 111 mph blasted roofs from buildings, brought down telephone lines and ripped huge trees from the ground. Around 200 telegraph poles were brought down, hundreds of metres of cabling were destroyed by fallen trees, and entire areas became completely inaccessible. At the peak of the storm, more than 120,000 homes lost power. The engineers and workers on the ground have been exceptional. I commend their commitment and professionalism, but the reality is that too many of my constituents still lack basic mobile connectivity. My hon. Friends the Members for Carlisle (Ms Minns) and for Truro and Falmouth have commented on the requirement for back-up power for masts and on the failings of both Ofcom and Openreach. I was pleased to meet Minister Baroness Lloyd yesterday, along with Cornish colleagues, to raise those issues directly. Alongside the immediate disruption, we face the ongoing problem of the system reverting to business as usual after the crisis. According to Cellnex, based on data from Ofcom, all six Cornish constituencies appear at the bottom of the UK mobile connectivity list. The mobile market review, which runs until 21 April, is a crucial opportunity to change that. We fundamentally need a higher standard of service quality and robust and transparent measurement so that improvements in mobile connectivity actually translate into benefits for customers.

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

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  Schools in some of the most geographically isolated and economically deprived communities, including in my Camborne, Redruth and Hayle constituency, have found it difficult to secure tour bookings under the new parliamentary booking system, which also affects their ability to access the associated travel subsidy, which is essential for schools from remote coastal areas. Will the Leader of the House commit to looking at how these tours are organised to ensure that pupils from geographically remote areas are not inadvertently excluded from visiting Parliament?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Woodland Creation · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Chris Curtis) for securing this important debate. Many people move to Cornwall precisely because of our natural beauty and our woodland areas. For us Cornish, those areas represent a vital aspect of Cornish wellbeing and our identity. Many of our woodland areas are globally significant, and include Cornish native mountain ash and Cornish elm, and our high Cornish hedges are home to entire ecosystems. But on the evening of 8 January this year, residents across Cornwall received alerts on their mobile phones of a red weather warning. Winds reached up to 111 mph in some locations, blasting roofs from buildings, bringing down telephone lines and ripping huge trees from their roots to the ground. Tens of thousands of trees were toppled in west Cornwall alone, as the storm blew in from the Atlantic. Some of them had stood for 90 years, surviving the second world war and even the great storm of 1987. The first to suffer some of the most severe damage were on the Isles of Scilly, including the island of Tresco, which I know well, where trees—huge, ancient trees—were brought down in the world-famous, tropical Abbey Garden. St Michael’s Mount lost around 80% of the trees on its northern slopes, with many more so badly damaged that they will now have to be felled. Considerable damage extended across my constituency, into and around Mawnan Smith, Trebah garden and Glendurgan. While our communities and those charged with protecting our unique woodland areas have shown remarkable resilience, Storm Goretti has brought into sharp focus the urgent need for future-proofing and for increased support for planting, maintenance and long-term woodland recovery after what are likely to be ever more frequent storms. Though organisations such as Forest for Cornwall have established thousands of trees across the duchy in recent years, we need a comprehensive woodland creation strategy—and the funding to support it—for mitigation, resilience and long-term woodland protection. It must recognise the vulnerability of Cornwall’s position on this island and our unique landscape, and ensure that our woodland areas are restored, nurtured and protected for generations to come.

• 10 Feb 2026 · Energy Infrastructure Technology: Chinese Imports · Hansard source

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  Domestic production of clean energy infrastructure technologies insulates us from Chinese security issues. In Cornwall we are on the cusp of significant geothermal baseload energy production. Geothermal Engineering Ltd in my constituency will imminently open the UK’s first ever geothermal electricity plant, producing energy and lithium from beneath our feet. Will the Minister ensure that there will be ministerial representation at this key milestone in the UK’s clean energy transition?

• 9 Feb 2026 · Standards in Public Life · Hansard source

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  Will the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister elaborate on how the Government will work with the Committee on Standards on proposals to ban second jobs for Members of Parliament, in order to deliver meaningful change?

• 2 Feb 2026 · Indefinite Leave to Remain · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) for securing this important debate. In my Camborne, Redruth and Hayle constituency, there is profound anxiety about the changes to indefinite leave to remain. The Minister knows that, because I have written to him on the subject already. The Government’s May 2025 White Paper sets out proposals to increase the standard qualifying period for settlement from five to 10 years, with some groups potentially eligible earlier, depending on criteria that have yet to be developed. I support a consultation on tighter restrictions on indefinite leave to remain for people who have not yet arrived in the UK, but I am deeply uncomfortable with the principle of changing the rules for people already in the UK who have so often experienced huge upheaval to settle in the UK. They described to me having made decisions about work, housing, education and family life based on the existing five-year pathway. Many have shared the emotional toll of the uncertainty that they are now experiencing. Are they working hard and paying their taxes in the UK, only for the goalposts to move and for the terms under which they came to the UK to change? I am afraid that that is not right. It is not keeping our word. It is not fair play. Dare I say it, it is not British. Many of the people I have talked to in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle—like the people in Folkestone and Hythe and in the highlands who have been mentioned—work in the NHS, social care and hospitality. In Cornwall, we already have chronic shortages of those types of worker. As the Cornish population ages and birth rates fall, it seems counterintuitive to present barriers before the very people we need more of. What we really need is a frank, honest discussion about immigration. While Reform—and, I dare say, what is left of the Conservatives —will always use this issue to promote their dog-whistle dogma, it is simply a fact that the UK needs immigrants to fill our skills gaps and increase UK productivity and innovation, or we will not achieve our economic goals and targets. Concerns relating to spiralling welfare costs and wage undercutting can and should be addressed directly, as separate issues. For people already in the UK, we need to honour the terms under which they came and end the pain and anxiety that they are suffering.

• 2 Feb 2026 · Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity · Hansard source

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  I want to make a few short points to expand on a couple of things that have been mentioned. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd) for securing this important debate. As I have said to several Members, particularly from this part of the world, we are currently closer to Middlesbrough than to my constituency in Camborne. Indeed, when people in this country think about the south-west, they think of Bristol, which is closer to Manchester than to my constituency. That gives an idea of the scale of where we are. When it comes to the important question of regional connectivity, I gently say to the Minister that, over the last 18 months, the Government have invested over £100 million in Cornish metals, Cornish lithium and, as we have heard, the Kernow industrial growth fund. To maximise the potential of that investment, it is essential that we have the transport infrastructure to support it, including in the Tamar crossing.

• 2 Feb 2026 · Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Tamar bridge should form part of our needed package of transport support, including mainline rail, upgrades to the A30 and, importantly, a complete review of the funding model for our one regional airport at Newquay, which needs to be considered in the round. My hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall spoke about car ownership in Cornwall. One of the gross distortions of the Westminster funding modelling is that we look at car ownership as an indicator of affluence. In Cornwall, it is quite the opposite. Our public transport systems are so poor that we have one of the highest car ownership rates in the country per capita. The reason is that many people in large swathes of Cornwall—particularly young people who need to get to college, or who need to develop the skills to work in some of the organisations I have mentioned—are completely housebound and isolated if they do not own a car. As my hon. Friend mentioned, it also contributes to the real problems of loneliness and lack of access to social groups, which is important for people’s mental health. There are wide-ranging issues with the lack of connectivity across Cornwall. That is why it is so important, as the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire) mentioned, that our devolution arrangement considers the implications of our remote coastal geography for business development, for young people and the skills they need, and for the social aspect as our population ages and more young people sadly leave Cornwall because they cannot find work, particularly driven by our acute housing crisis. We need a holistic strategy for the whole of Cornwall, and a very important part of that is the Tamar crossing.

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Meur ras, Mr Speaker. In the 2021 census, despite the disturbing absence of a tick box, over 117,000 Cornish people registered their identity by having to click “Other” and then typing in “Cornish”. With the current consultation on the 2031 census due to close on 4 February, does the Leader of the House agree with me that this farce must end, and that the Office for National Statistics must add a Cornish identifier tick box to the 2031 census?

• 22 Jan 2026 · Emergencies: Rural and Coastal Areas · Hansard source

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  My constituency of Camborne, Redruth and Hayle is 624th out of 650 constituencies for resilience in mobile communications. It cannot be right that a constituency such as mine is exposed in the way that it was during Storm Goretti, meaning that villages such as Mawnan Smith were completely cut off. Does the Minister agree that we need to review those constituencies where mobile communications are inadequate at the moment?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the recent Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report highlighting the massive illegal imports of meat that already occurred when his party was in government?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Animal Welfare Strategy for England · Hansard source

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  I have listened intently to hon. Gentleman, but I am struggling to understand the Opposition’s position on trail hunting. Will they join Reform in supporting it or Labour in banning it?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Clean Energy Projects · Hansard source

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  1. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for clean energy projects in Wales.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Clean Energy Projects · Hansard source

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  Meur ras ha myttin da. I was delighted to see the Erebus project in the Celtic sea secure a contract for difference in the highly successful auction round. It is fantastic news for the floating offshore wind sector—the new frontier in renewable energy generation—and for local supply chains. Does the Secretary of State agree that we now need long-term investment in those supply chains, not just in Wales but in the closest land mass to most of the Celtic sea projects, which is Cornwall, so that our Welsh cousins can support the unleashing of the Cornish Celtic tiger?

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate, and thank the parents of Matty Lock for being in the Public Gallery for it. A couple of years ago, my son was diagnosed with ADHD while he was at university. To my shame, I always thought that his behaviour was simply a case of mischief or laziness. Does my hon. Friend agree not only that it is a case of early diagnosis, but that we need to increase awareness of ADHD—and neurodiversity more broadly—among parents, guardians, medical professionals and Government?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Sale of Fireworks · Hansard source

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  Sitting on the Opposition side of the Chamber, I find it difficult to listen to the hon. Member saying what could and should be done now, given that for 14 years a lot of this stuff could have been done but was not. However, my point is this: he has talked about domestic animals, farm animals, veterans and the elderly, but one group that has not been mentioned also needs to be considered—wild animals. Does he agree that we must also consider the perhaps unseen impact of these very loud fireworks on wildlife?

• 15 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Following the truly devastating impact of Storm Goretti, one of the lessons that must be learned is that parts of Cornwall should never again be completely cut off, with no way in or out, no power, no water, and no means of communicating with the outside world. My constituency is 624th out of 650 constituencies for mobile connectivity. With Cornwall on the frontline of increasingly frequent Atlantic storms, will the Leader of the House help me arrange to discuss Cornish communications resilience with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Ministers as a matter of urgency?

• 15 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T2. Meur ras ha myttin da, Madam Deputy Speaker. In the consultation on the renewal of the BBC’s royal charter, the Government will consider how the BBC provides a range of content and services that represents all audiences and brings communities together. Does the Secretary of State agree that Cornish language and media content should be specifically included in the new charter? Will she meet me to discuss how the renewed charter can support the case for a Kernow public service media platform?

• 14 Jan 2026 · UK-France Relations · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate. On cultural relations, he may not be aware that the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, which celebrates the Celtic identity that is so strongly felt in regions of the UK and in Brittany, will this year focus on Cornish identity. Does he agree that cultural enterprises play a vital role in strengthening the close relationships between the UK and France, alongside other fundamentals, such as youth engagement, particularly through the Erasmus+ scheme?

• 14 Jan 2026 · Offshore Wind · Hansard source

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  This news is very welcome to those of us who believe in a swift transition away from fossil fuels. Can the Secretary of State confirm that as a result of today’s auction round, supply chain jobs, including those in places such as Hayle and Falmouth in Cornwall, will remain at the top of the Government’s agenda?

• 13 Jan 2026 · Storm Goretti · Hansard source

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  Meur ras, Madam Deputy Speaker. Jutting out into the Atlantic, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have often found themselves on the frontline of nationally significant weather events. As my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham) mentioned, the predictions are that storms like Goretti will become more and more frequent. This is a reality that I am not convinced has been taken seriously enough by consecutive Governments. The response from the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly before, during and after Storm Goretti has been nothing short of remarkable, but can I urge the Minister to please commit to a comprehensive cross-departmental review of the resilience of essential Cornish and Scillonian infrastructure, communications and priority list support?