Sureena Brackenridge MP: speeches

Speeches

• 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.

• 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.