Sadik Al-Hassan MP: speeches

Speeches

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  I am sure the hon. Member, as somebody with a great degree of business experience, understands the global trading environment that we sit in, and the energy shocks that come from events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I thank him for his note on talking with businesses in my constituency. I spend a lot of time talking with businesses in my constituency; I do not know whether Reform UK does the same. Would he like to clarify that?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  Will the right hon. Member give way?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Member give way?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  Will the right hon. Member give way?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  I can answer that quite clearly. The word “can” is written in paragraph 18.8; it does not say “will”. I think the right hon. Member’s assumption that these figures—which, as it is written quite clearly, only may lead to price increases—should surely be one for the Minister to answer in a minute.

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  You referred to paragraph 18.8 of the impact assessment.

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Sir Desmond; I appreciate that, and it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship. Paragraph 18.8 says that the figures in the impact assessment “should be treated with caution” because they are “at the upper end of estimates”. Does that mean we should “treat with caution” everything the right hon. Member has said?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  This order is crucial in ensuring that businesses are not penalised for the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic. By correcting historical activity levels to account for reduced activity during covid-19 lockdowns, we ensure fair treatment for operators whose operations were disrupted through no fault of their own. The order updates our efficiency benchmarks to reflect current industry performance and further drive decarbonisation: an essential goal that we must continue to pursue to protect our planet for future generations. The order also enables our carbon border adjustment mechanism to work effectively by phasing out free allocation where appropriate, ensuring a level playing field between domestic producers and imports. This is sensible housekeeping that supports both our climate ambitions and our industrial base, at a time when it is urgently needed.

• 27 Jan 2026 · Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  I think, actually, that when we fix some of the problems around climate change, like investing in energy infrastructure and making sure that we take the true cost of business, that will eventually bring down bills. At the moment, Conservative Members seem to be saying that they do not want to account for the cost of climate change, which is maddening, considering their previous position.

• 13 Jan 2026 · Universities: Statutory Duty of Care · Hansard source

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  As a pharmacist, I remember when this news came out. My entire sector shares the grief of the family for the loss of a potentially amazing pharmacist. Does the hon. Member agree that pharmacy is a little lesser because of it?

• 13 Jan 2026 · Universities: Statutory Duty of Care · Hansard source

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  Here with us in the Public Gallery is John, a constituent of mine from Nailsea. John’s beloved son Max devastatingly lost his life to suicide in 2017, at just 23. Max’s mental health difficulties emerged while he was studying for an economics degree at the University of Edinburgh. Tragically, Max is not alone. Does the hon. Member agree that there is a crisis of care in universities, and that we need a funded statutory duty of care to protect other students like Max?

• 5 Jan 2026 · Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief · Hansard source

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  I wish you, my constituents in North Somerset, House staff and hon. Members a happy new year, Mr Speaker. I welcome the Government’s decision to amend the thresholds for APR and BPR, as do rural communities in my constituency, and extend my thanks to the organisations that campaigned for this outcome, such as the NFU. However, this is only one part of a larger problem. For 50 years, our country has witnessed the gradual erosion of our rural community sustainability, national food security and farm profitability. I look forward to 2026 being the year that the farming sector gets the wider change that it needs in order for the new year to be happy and profitable.

• 17 Dec 2025 · Draft Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec—even today, on my birthday. There is obviously nowhere else I would rather be. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy and must be protected even as we balance legitimate security concerns. As an officer of the all-party parliamentary group for life sciences and a pharmacist, I understand that this statutory instrument is designed to prevent disruptive protest activities and protect key national infrastructure, but the classification of life sciences infrastructure such as animal testing facilities as key national infrastructure could set what some would consider a concerning precedent for protest rights. What specific safeguards will the Minister implement to prevent overreach with this designation? Will there be any regular parliamentary review of which sciences qualify? What provisions will there be to ensure that peaceful protest remains possible at appropriate distances?

• 25 Nov 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  I would like to speak to new clause 34, tabled by the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire (Mr Bedford), who rightly raises the issue of councillor standards and whose new clause calls for regulations to establish a recall process for councillors who breach their codes of conduct. Although a poignant point, having served as a town councillor and deputy mayor myself before being elected to this House, I believe that we must go further. I strongly support this Bill’s aim to standardise the structure of local government. In particular, I welcome the reform of our local audit system, as outlined in the provisions. I also commend the Government’s recent announcement regarding new powers to suspend councillors for up to six months for serious misconduct and the introduction of a mandatory code of conduct across all types of local authority in England. These are essential first steps that I wholeheartedly welcome and know from my experience are much needed. However, I urge us to go further by introducing a dedicated local council standards Bill that addresses the full breadth of the accountability challenges that residents face with town and parish councils—known as very local councils. The Localism Act 2011 created a legislative vacuum by abolishing the standards boards for England and repealing powers to suspend councillors who breach standards. As very local councils are to play an increasingly larger role in the devolution of local services, it is essential that councils are held to the same high standards and that this critical issue receives the detailed parliamentary scrutiny it deserves. As one of my constituents and a former parish councillor put it, councillors have “little incentive” and “no mandatory training requirements”. Having witnessed at first hand these challenges in local and very local councils, I believe that we must robustly tackle those who bring the reputations of councils into disrepute, undermining the already fragile trust in local politics and doing a profound disservice to the overwhelming majority of councillors who serve their communities with integrity and dedication. The ongoing recruitment crisis for both town and parish clerks and potential councillors is directly linked to the lack of effective recourse against unacceptable behaviour. There are councils that have gained a local, in some cases national, reputation for dysfunction. The result is that some councils are resorting to offering wildly increased salaries, representing what amounts to danger money for staff for having to deal with toxic behaviours. Experienced, qualified clerks who serve as impartial legal advisers tasked with ensuring that councils operate lawfully are subjected to behaviour that would not be tolerated in any professional environment. The loss of those valuable professionals weakens governance and standards across the entire sector. To that end, I propose that we should create a dedicated local standards Bill that establishes a comprehensive framework for local council accountability. It should include professional regulation for councillors, with robust oversight mechanisms beyond the mandatory code of conduct. It should establish a properly funded model for monitoring officers through professional regulation fees paid by councils, similar to the current mandatory external audit fees, ensuring that those vital guardians of standards have the capacity to perform their function effectively and consistently across all local authorities. A compliance scoring system would provide the public with transparent indicators about whether their elected representatives are undertaking best practice and demonstrating financial competence with taxpayers’ money. National internal audit parameters, building on the audit reforms outlined in the Bill, would ensure transparency and consistency of Government standards across all very local councils, regardless of their size or location. Additionally, the annual governance and accountability statement should include a proper officer declaration confirming where councils have chosen to ignore or disregard professional legal advice, particularly where that represents a breach of their legal obligations. Such accountability made visible and measurable would help to restore public confidence in local governance. Although the announced reforms begin to address that issue, the complexity and importance of comprehensively rebuilding the standards infrastructure merits dedicated legislation. We cannot allow the minority who tarnish the sector’s reputation to continue creating disparities in community benefit or to drive experienced professionals from their roles. I emphasise that many local councils across the country and in North Somerset are governed extremely well and genuinely enrich their communities, but as we move forward with devolution we must ensure that town and parish councils are functioning effectively, operating in line with legislation, delivering value for money for their residents and taking heed of legal advice given to them by their proper officers. We have the opportunity to rebuild trust in local and very local politics, ensuring impeccable standards and levels of accountability. I would welcome the opportunity to work with the Government on developing such legislation so that the standards in our very local councils mean a better deal for residents.

• 3 Nov 2025 · Defence Sector Innovation · Hansard source

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  What pathways and training programmes are Ministers establishing to ensure that young people, such as those in my constituency, can develop the specialist skills that they need in order to become the defence innovators of the future? Is the Minister working with local colleges, universities and defence industry employers to create hubs of apprenticeships and career opportunities?

• 3 Nov 2025 · Defence Sector Innovation · Hansard source

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  4. What steps he is taking to increase innovation in the defence sector.

• 23 Oct 2025 · Future Pandemic Preparedness · Hansard source

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  As a pharmacist who worked on the frontline throughout the pandemic, I would like to ask what discussions the Cabinet Office has had with local resilience forums to ensure that areas such as my North Somerset constituency have the local co-ordination structures needed to respond effectively to a future pandemic, particularly given the strain on our community health service?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Future Pandemic Preparedness · Hansard source

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  17. What progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues to improve cross-Government co-ordination on preparedness for a future pandemic.

• 15 Oct 2025 · Jhoots Pharmacy · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. As a pharmacist for nearly 20 years and the MP of North Somerset, I have the dubious pleasure of having two Jhoots pharmacies in the town of Portishead in my constituency. I cannot say two operating pharmacies, because they have shuttered their doors, with reports of them not having paid their bills, their rent or their staff. As a pharmacist, I know that this affects the perception and view of community pharmacy up and down the country. What plans do the Minister and the Department have to ensure that bad actors in the pharmacy space—as Jhoots, in my opinion, appears to be—are dealt with more quickly and effectively under new legislation?

• 15 Oct 2025 · Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is, of course, right to highlight such advocacy in the sector. I welcome his contribution. The Exolum project is not just a boost for our regional economy; it is a clear signal that the UK can combine its climate ambition with a sound industrial strategy. The production subsidies for SAF introduced by this Bill are therefore already very welcome and are the right step forward, but production plants are only as good as their ability to get their product to market. Without that capability, they cannot attract investment or access the very subsidies that this Bill rightly establishes. Fortunately, the UK is blessed with an extensive aviation fuel pipeline and storage network—one of the most advanced in the world. Companies such as Exolum are already using that network to deliver cleaner fuels across the country. From my visits to Redcliffe Bay, I know that Exolum has additional storage capacity that it would like to bring back into use to help deliver even more SAF. Companies at the forefront of this shift, such as Exolum, must be supported to deliver further investment at Redcliffe Bay in my constituency—and at other sites—and across the national pipeline network to create a new SAF super-highway for the UK. Such a network would allow producers to get their fuel to market efficiently, and it would secure our long-term position as a global leader in green aviation. Crucially, my constituency is also home to Bristol airport, which has demonstrated real leadership in this sector. In March, almost a year ahead of the Government’s mandate, Jet2 began operating flights from Bristol airport using SAF, cutting emissions by an impressive 70%. However, our ambitions for cleaner flights cannot stop at SAF. Bristol airport’s same leadership can and should be applied to hydrogen in aviation, ensuring that the south-west continues to lead the UK’s journey to greener skies. Hydrogen is a key element of the future aviation landscape and the broader energy transition. As we stand at the crossroads and decide which industries and technologies to support, we must not overlook the infrastructure that will support hydrogen tomorrow, as well as its supply chain, its production and its distribution. Investment in hydrogen benefits both the industries of today and the industries of 2050. However, that investment requires certainty, which only Government direction and leadership can provide via a road map already laid out in this Bill. I believe deeply in the potential of hydrogen, and I am proud that the south-west is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. We have world-class research facilities such as those I have visited at the University of Bath, innovative small and medium-sized enterprises such as Hyflux in North Somerset, and a cluster of industries already looking to the hydrogen future. For my constituents in North Somerset, this Bill in its current form delivers both cleaner skies and a sustainable future for a vital industry. Looking ahead to hydrogen in aviation, the opportunities are particularly exciting for our region. The research, development, production and infrastructure required for hydrogen fuel are rightly taking root in the south-west, near Bristol, which is the home of AI in the UK, where the fantastic Mayor, Helen Godwin, is creating jobs, driving innovation and positioning us at the forefront of this emerging technology. This Bill is not merely climate policy; it is economic strategy, industrial ambition and national leadership combined. Sustainable aviation fuels are essential to the survival of our aviation industry, but let us not allow our ambition to cease there. Hydrogen represents another key to unlocking our sustainable future in the UK, and this Bill provides us with the learnings we will need to make hydrogen in aviation a reality.

• 15 Oct 2025 · Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill · Hansard source

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  I greatly welcome the progress of this vital Bill, which will help ensure that the United Kingdom takes a genuine global lead in the development and use of sustainable aviation fuel. Sustainable aviation fuel is the key to solving many of the challenges we face today and those we will face in the decades to come. Aviation currently accounts for around 7% of the UK’s total emissions. As demand for travel continues to grow, that figure will only rise, unless we act now. If we are to meet our net zero commitments while keeping flying affordable and accessible, sustainable aviation fuel must be at the heart of our strategy. It offers one of the most practical and immediate ways to decarbonise flight, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and secure the economic future of one of Britain’s most successful industries. That is why this Bill is so essential for our environment, our economy, our technological leadership and the future of British aviation. I would like to draw attention to the £4.5 million investment by Exolum in the existing Redcliffe Bay facility, in my constituency of North Somerset, which is already happening without the need for new clause 1. It will be the home of the UK’s first independent sustainable aviation fuel blending facility. When it becomes operational in 2026, it will underpin green fuel supplies for some 65,000 flights to major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Cardiff and, of course, Bristol.

• 15 Sept 2025 · Children with SEND: Assessments and Support · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Allin-Khan. As a SEND parent myself, and an MP who has received extensive correspondence and held many face-to-face meetings on this issue, I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the topic. The issues around SEND affect some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Too often our debates, reviews and policy considerations on this matter are disproportionately centred around the cost implications for local authorities and educational institutions. Families in North Somerset must routinely fight hard to obtain the special educational provision their children need, and that the law says they should have, and keep fighting to hold on to it. After previous years of underfunding of the system, however, the SEND system is now in dire need of change. But that cannot come at the cost of any child’s future. We cannot have changes that mean that any child is worse off, has less of an education or less of a chance at a successful and happy life. Families in North Somerset are telling me that they are fearful and that even though support as it stands is inconsistent and often delayed, changes to SEND legal rights would leave families and their children with even less. It is crucial that we focus on the human impact rather than the numerical bottom line. Every child deserves the support they need to succeed, and it is our legal and moral obligation to ensure that they receive it.

• 9 Sept 2025 · Draft Data Protection Act 2018 (Qualifying Competent Authorities) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy, and I congratulate the Minister on her appointment. The regulations are pivotal to ensuring that our data protection framework continues to meet the needs of public authorities and citizens alike. By designating certain bodies as qualifying competent authorities, we strengthen the capacity to manage and share data responsibly and securely in line with the principles of the 2018 Act. In today’s digital age, Government bodies need absolute clarity about their roles, especially when processing personal data for law enforcement purposes. The regulations provide precise definitions that maintain our high data protection standards while ensuring compliance with UK GDPR. The regulations strike the right balance between enabling our public authorities to perform effectively, safeguarding citizens’ fundamental rights and protecting our wider national security against threats such as terrorism.

• 9 Sept 2025 · Hydrogen Supply Chains · Hansard source

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  Will the Minister give way?

• 9 Sept 2025 · Hydrogen Supply Chains · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. and learned Member agree that to provide certainty for long-term investment and strategic infrastructure development, and to support robust supply chains, we must invest in changing regulatory environments by working with and funding regulators—such as, for example, the Civil Aviation Authority—to enable a long-term, clear road map for hydrogen development, production, supply chains and use? Does he also agree that £16 million for a four-year road map offers great value for money?