Sureena Brackenridge MP: speeches

Speeches

• 15 Sept 2026 · Sepsis Awareness Month · Hansard source

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  There is really good practice across other countries, including Australia, which has a national sepsis standard, standardised clinical pathways and a public awareness campaign, similar to ours, which is aligned with the simple question: “Could it be sepsis?” Work that has reduced sepsis mortality has been happening around the globe, so does my hon. Friend agree that it is worth looking beyond our borders?

• 10 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I recently met the Royal Society of Chemistry and, as a former teacher, spent far too much time reminiscing about my time in the classroom. We turned quickly to the contribution that chemistry makes to our economy. In 2023, chemistry contributed £60.5 billion in gross value added, including over £64 million in Wolverhampton. Given the pressures on the skills pipeline, will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on how we can ensure that young people have the skills needed to support growth and innovation in that vital sector?

• 10 Sept 2026 · Fathers and Positive Male Role Models · Hansard source

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  That speech has brought tears to my eyes. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Mr Charters) for that insight, and I wish him and his family the very best. He really is a champion for dads across the country, including our constituents. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) for securing this debate. When I ask young people what springs to mind when they hear the term “masculinity”, they quickly respond with words that we have already heard today: “toxic”, “manosphere” and the names of influencers that I choose not to mention in this place. I then dig a little deeper and ask them what they think makes a good dad, a good son, a good brother, a good cousin or a good mate, and I hear very different words—words such as “kindness”, “caring”, “protective”, “loyal”, “supportive”, “hard-working”, “loving”, “respectful” and “someone you can rely on”. That contrast is incredibly important, because masculinity is not the problem; the problem is the version of masculinity that young men are being sold and who is selling it to them. I use those terms “sold” and “selling”, because monetary value is indeed driving this situation. Alarmingly, young people are encountering online characters who tell them that being a man is about dominance; we see the aggression, money, status and control of others. But such messages should not define what masculinity is. Thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland, we are here to debate the contribution that positive male role models make in everyday society. I took a moment to consider my constituency of Wolverhampton North East, and specifically what has taken place during the recent summer holidays. There are so many men in Wolverhampton North East who might not even realise how important they are to so many boys and young men in our communities. I am proud of the role models that we have in Wolverhampton North East, such as the guys from Wednesfield’s Men Walking and Talking group; Joe Jackson and the coaches from Newpark Village Football Academy; Raj and the team from Wolverhampton Wrestling Club; Mac and the coaches from Wolverhampton Judo Club; Nigel at Willenhall Lock Stock, who has long supported local talent; Ben and Ryan, who run a truly community-centred pub called The Milestone in New Invention; and James at The Hub at Ashmore Park. We have so many wonderful teachers and pastoral staff who regularly go above and beyond—including those involved in cadets and scouts groups, and so many others—that I just do not have time to mention all of them, but they all give their time to mentor young people, and they also spend time helping other people’s families, sometimes at the cost of their own. I want to put on the record my thanks to them all. Not one of those people is selling a lifestyle and or telling young men how to behave. They are simply showing what they believe—their values—through their actions and what it means to be a good man: to be there, to listen, to encourage others, to take responsibility, but also to give something back. We have to challenge the harmful messages around masculinity. We all— Government, MPs and all responsible people who are part of the community—must take responsibility for giving young men positive examples of what they can be. I ask the Minister to look at what more the Government can do to support the mentors, youth services, sports clubs and community organisations that are already doing this work, and to make sure that they have the funding and support they need to reach as many young people as possible, in order to give them positive role models and something better to listen to than the toxic voices that we hear online.

• 9 Sept 2026 · Youth Parliament: Government Support · Hansard source

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  I must thank Sienna, too: Sienna completed a week of work experience in my constituency office and in Parliament. I truly think that she is extraordinary. I just wanted to place that on the record.

• 9 Sept 2026 · Youth Parliament: Government Support · Hansard source

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  I put on the record my sincere thanks to Wolverhampton’s youth council, which has done a tremendous job of bringing a strong voice to represent young people across our city. They truly care about our communities and our city. Do my hon. Friend and the Minister agree that investing in our young people now makes good economic sense for our future?

• 9 Sept 2026 · Jaguar Land Rover: Redundancies · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. [ Interruption.]

• 9 Sept 2026 · Jaguar Land Rover: Redundancies · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I have had reassurance that my constituents who work at the i54 Wolverhampton site will be largely unaffected. However, for those across the west midlands who are affected, this is deeply concerning, so I thank Mayor Richard Parker for the £500,000 support package. Will the Minister take heed of the concern expressed by JLR and the wider automotive sector about imports flooding the UK market, and act to ensure that the industry remains competitive and to safeguard future jobs?

• 9 Sept 2026 · Education and Skills Reform · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her commitment to addressing the “what’s the point?” question asked by so many disengaged young people, who are struggling in a one-size-fits-all school system. However, all this must be underpinned by good careers advice and guidance, delivered not just at the end of key stage 4, but much earlier in their school life. Will she champion properly funded, good careers advice and guidance, which includes place-based employer partnerships, so that young people know what is available on their doorstep in places like Wolverhampton North East?

• 9 Sept 2026 · Tackling Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  7. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to halve levels of violence against women and girls.

• 9 Sept 2026 · Tackling Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Government’s accelerated roll-out of specialist police rape and sexual offence teams. Will the Minister consider what more help can be given upstream through relationships and sex education so that young people know where to seek help after sexual assault? Willow Tree sexual assault referral centre, which is in the constituency of my right hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton South East (Pat McFadden), provides specialist support and enables young people in Wolverhampton and Willenhall to self-refer. Will the Minister work with police, schools and sexual assault referral centres to ensure that young people know support is available?

• 8 Sept 2026 · Vehicle Theft · Hansard source

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  Vehicle theft across the west midlands has fallen by 13.6% since its peak in 2022-23, which is welcome news for my constituency of Wolverhampton North East, but little consolation for a person whose vehicle has been stolen—it is a devastating experience. Does the hon. Lady agree that the Minister and all of us must continue to work with the police and manufacturers to ensure that vehicles are harder to steal?

• 8 Sept 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I was pleased to see that the Chancellor was in the west midlands yesterday meeting manufacturing apprentices alongside Mayor Richard Parker. What conversations has he had with the mayor about using new devolution powers to invest in local skills and employment, and what will he do to make sure that young people in Wolverhampton North East get more local opportunities to benefit from?

• 15 Jul 2026 · Regional Accents and Social Mobility · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) for securing this important debate. I am proud to speak not just as the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East but as someone who has felt the pressure to turn down the dial on my accent. From day one of my entering the House, many here made comments—well intentioned, I am sure—about how they could hear my accent, which were usually followed by a “Peaky Blinders” comment. I am absolutely fine with that, because I am a huge “Peaky Blinders” fan”. In isolation, it is fine, but when I hear it again and again, I cannot help but feel self-conscious, and it can become quite tiresome. Shortly after I was elected, after I made my maiden speech, this was all put into context by a message I received from a former student. She said, “Miss”— I am always “Miss” to my former students—“I am so proud that I can see and hear somebody on the telly, somebody in Parliament, who looks and sounds like me.” That was it. That gave me the confidence to just plough forward and to continue to speak loud and proud in my not so dulcet Wolverhampton tones. That is why representation matters for young people growing up in Wolverhampton and Willenhall. Hearing voices that sound like theirs in Parliament and in positions of leadership sends a powerful message: you belong here too. It tells them that they do not have to change who they are to succeed. That matters because there is a clear link between accents and social mobility. Research for the Sutton Trust described accents as one of the strongest signals of socioeconomic background and found that accent bias continues to affect people’s experiences throughout their education and employment. The evidence is striking: a Sutton Trust study found that 30% of university students and 29% of university applicants reported being mocked, criticised or singled out because of their accent. I was recently told of a young man who withdrew from the first day of his university interview at the University of Birmingham. He had applied to study medicine, but he felt belittled by the peers in his group. I have heard of a student on a placement in a scientific lab whose accent was mocked by others, day in, day out. Rather than bring out the best in him, that caused him to withdraw and become a shell of a person, not the brilliant person he usually is. Of senior managers from working-class backgrounds, 29% said that they had been mocked or criticised at work because of their accent. Throwaway comments of that sort can affect people’s self-esteem and make them question their value in the workplace. People do all that is asked of them—they work hard, achieve good qualifications, secure professional jobs and climb the career ladder—but still feel pressure to hide the sound of where they come from. Social mobility should mean expanding opportunity, not conformity. The challenge for all of us is to broaden our understanding of what professionalism sounds like. Talent does not speak with one accent. The more our institutions, including Parliament, reflect a full diversity of voices across Britain, the stronger we all become. As someone from Wolverhampton North East, I want every person listening to know this: our accent is not something to overcome; it is something to be proud of. It connects us with our community, our families, our stories and our values. Social mobility should not mean conformity. We must ensure that people are judged on their ability, attitude, character and potential, not on whether they sound like they belong. I urge the Government to carry on their work to equalise opportunity and build on social mobility practices.

• 8 Jul 2026 · National Youth Strategy · Hansard source

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  It is always a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms McVey. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal) for introducing this really important debate on national youth strategy and youth enrichment. I truly welcome it because, as a former teacher and deputy headteacher, I saw the transformative impact that youth work, enrichment activities, sport, volunteering, the arts and outdoor education can have on a young person’s confidence, aspirations and life chances, but I also saw the consequences when those opportunities were decimated. We have a growing number of young people who feel safe only in their bedrooms on digital devices. That has to change. For too long, young people have paid the price for over a decade of austerity. Local authority spending on youth services in England and Wales has fallen by 74% in real terms since 2010, while the number of local authority-run youth centres has fallen from 931 to 379. Investing in young people is smart economic policy, too. I know that education never stops at the school gates. Young people learn resilience through volunteering, teamwork through sport and confidence through challenge. That is why I welcome the Labour Government’s commitment through the national youth strategy to ensure that every young person has somewhere to go. Backed by more than £500 million, it includes investment in youth spaces, a new enrichment entitlement and an ambition to halve the enrichment gap by 2035. I particularly welcome the Government’s recognition of opportunities that should not be based on family income, geography or background. I grew up in an area called Ashmore Park, and we had a youth club on my doorstep. I spent many an evening there—I will stop the conversation there. It was one of 30 local youth centres that were lost over 15 years, and we felt that hole in the community. But recently and despite those challenges, there are organisations in Wolverhampton and Willenhall that are delivering the vision that we set out in the strategy. I must mention the Wolves Foundation in conjunction with Wolverhampton city council. A couple of weeks ago I went to one of their community space sport activities, had a go at basketball, shot a few hoops—I do not know whether that is the right phrase—and had a brilliant time. More importantly, so did the 50 other young people with the free activities in Heath Town. We are opening up the same in Tennyson Road, in Low Hill and the Scotlands as well. I must mention the Loft youth club at the Hive in New Invention. Across Wolverhampton, the Way Youth Zone has become a shining example of what investment in young people can really achieve. I will finish by thanking the Duke of Edinburgh’s award and all the staff and volunteers that take part to give young people a brilliant opportunity to really find themselves, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield for securing this important debate.