Terry Jermy MP: speeches

Speeches

• 29 Jun 2026 · Asylum Accommodation · Hansard source

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  This is deeply concerning news for my constituency. The boundary fence of RAF Barnham adjoins the market town of Thetford, which I represent; the town centre is a short walk away from the base. I strongly support the right of people to claim asylum, and I am proud that we are able to offer refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, including those who have supported our armed forces abroad, but that is not without risk and impacts on community relations. In the absence of openness and transparency and a proper plan, malign forces will fill the void, stoking greater fear and division. Whether it is a Conservative Government or this Government, these announcements should be sensitively handled and thoroughly planned, but that has not happened in this case, where there has been secrecy and confusion. It is my community who pay the price for that failure. While such news will never be welcomed by a community, the worst could be mitigated by a stronger commitment to transparency, engagement and reassurance. Alongside this announcement, where is the engagement plan? Where is the communication strategy? Where is the commitment to addressing community cohesion concerns in these areas?

• 4 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The great work by my hon. Friends to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas risks being undermined, particularly in the eastern region, where a biomass-fuelled power station is at risk of closure due to the end of Government support. More than half a million tonnes of poultry litter risks being spread on to the land, impacting our water networks. Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss how we can prevent that from happening?

• 4 Jun 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In a week when Ukraine has come under intense and deadly attacks from Russia, it is especially disappointing that one of the first acts of the new Reform-led Norfolk county council has been to remove from our county hall Ukraine’s flag, which was proudly flown alongside our Union flag. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning this action?

• 4 Jun 2026 · Russian Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure · Hansard source

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  It is clear that the sanctions imposed by this Government and other Governments have denied Russia funds for attacks on both military and civilian targets, but as the war has progressed, Russia has found ever more creative ways to avoid and delay their impact. Are the existing sanctions under constant review, and what more can be done to stop the funds going to Russia and driving these attacks?

• 3 Jun 2026 · South East Water: Disruption of Supply · Hansard source

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  The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has extensively investigated South East Water; what I found particularly shocking was the fact that so many warnings and concerns were raised but were simply ignored. Despite a high risk of water supply failure, the lack of preparedness was plain to see. Will the regulatory reforms that the Government are looking at have real consequences when those concerns are raised, but are ignored by the water companies?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I do not wish to detain hon. Members for any longer than necessary, but I am keen to speak about this issue. I am proud to represent South West Norfolk and its 500-plus farmers—it is a real privilege to visit farms in my constituency, where, since the election, I have met more than 100 different farmers—and to serve as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on farming. I also sit on the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is fair to say that I am concerned about the future of farming and the numerous challenges facing the industry. Arable farming, which makes up the vast majority of farming in my constituency, is particularly at risk, especially from climate change. Water availability is already a major problem in our part of the country, and it will worsen. Other input costs are rising, too. We have seen the impact of red diesel price rises recently— I welcome the Government’s action on that. More widely, profit margins are decreasing, and, more frequently than not, they are non-existent for many years in a cycle. Financial resilience is low, as is emotional resilience after years of struggle, particularly over the past decade. The current legislation, the principle of which is a hangover from the previous Conservative Government, was developed during a period in which decades-long structural challenges facing the industry collided with the unexpected withdrawal from the European Union. That withdrawal removed the safety net of the common agricultural policy, which masked so many of the challenges facing the farming industry. In supporting the draft regulations, we should be clear that, if we are to achieve food security, we must ensure that there is a future for farming in this country and that the underlying profitability challenges are addressed. I support public money for public good, and the sustainable farming incentive and other schemes, but the sustainability of food production must be of great concern. I know that the Minister is passionate about addressing that profitability challenge, and she has made great progress during her time in this role. Baroness Batters’s profitability review has laid a great foundation, with the farming road map to follow. For farmers in my constituency, this work is crucial, and I look forward to supporting the Minister with it.

• 1 Jun 2026 · Child Sexual Offender Data · Hansard source

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  I agree with much of what the hon. Gentleman said about the importance of gathering data, but something that has not really come out in this debate is an acknowledgment of the significant cuts to public services over the past decade, including cuts to youth services. I was a youth worker in Norfolk for many years, where I was the lead for child protection. Our services were decimated by cuts, and it is youth workers who very often spot signs of abuse and stop it. The hon. Gentleman is calling for additional funding; would he support money for youth work in hotspot areas so that we can protect children?

• 23 Mar 2026 · Rail Connections to London: Rural Towns · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend, who is making a fine speech, is a passionate champion for her constituency. Does she agree that there are many new opportunities for rural communities in a post-covid world because they are really attractive places to live and work, and that the Government have a huge opportunity to harness their potential for economic growth but that we need better rail connectivity to help achieve that?

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  More than 22,000 households in my constituency rely on heating oil. Dozens of constituents have contacted me over the last week, and they are worried sick, so I very much welcome this announcement and the speed with which the Government have made it. This situation has exposed the fact that rural communities are uniquely vulnerable to global energy shocks. May I urge the Minister to do all he can to prioritise better regulation and to look at how rural communities can benefit from the warm homes plan and transition to better insulation and renewable technology in a way that they were not able to do under the previous Government?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Local Museums · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft). She is a passionate advocate for Thurrock, as she has demonstrated again today. I am not sure whether my hon. Friend the Minister is a fan of “Dad’s Army”, but it was filmed in my hometown of Thetford. We have a fascinating museum full of “Dad’s Army” memorabilia. I am sure it is for that reason alone that some of my constituents refer to me as, “You stupid boy.” The museum is well worth a visit. There is a statue of Captain Mainwaring himself, and it brings visitors from far and wide to the town. We also have the Charles Burrell Museum in Thetford, which focuses on the town’s industrial heritage. The museum is housed in what was once the Burrell factory, where steam traction engines were produced before being shipped around the world, driving the industrial revolution. The museum is working hard to obtain formal accreditation. I pay tribute to the work of local Labour councillors Annie Blackbourn and Doug Jefferson, who have worked so hard alongside other museum volunteers including Sheila Childerhouse, Will Bridgman, Teresia Stock and Richard Curtis. I hope that, following accreditation, they soon get the funding they need to repair and improve the museum, and I will continue to support them however I can. The recently announced heritage and museums funding made available by the Government will certainly be in their sights. In Downham Market at the other side of my constituency there is the fantastic Discover Downham museum, which details the remarkable history of the area. The museum covers the history of the Clackclose hundred, which was one of Norfolk’s ancient administrative divisions. It was a structure rooted deep in the Anglo Saxon era when the kingdom sought to organise justice, taxation and local governance through hundreds—probably a much simpler system than what we have today. Local museums are not just a “nice to have”. Tourism is the biggest economic driver in Norfolk. It contributes approximately £3.6 billion in value to the local economy and supports over 120,000 jobs, with roughly 20% of total employment in Norfolk and Suffolk linked to tourism. I am glad that the Government acknowledge the uniqueness of different areas of the UK and the importance of museums. I very much welcome the £1 billion cultural capital fund, which will go towards maintaining and improving regional museums and galleries. Through such measures, I hope we will be able to preserve local spirit and local history for future generations to come. Rather than, “We are doomed,” as Private Frazer may say, I say, “Don’t panic”—be more Corporal Jones. With this Government, we are supporting local museums.

• 5 Mar 2026 · Consular Assistance · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his statement. May I invite him to join me in paying tribute to the pilots and other service personnel based at RAF Marham in my constituency? It was the F-35s based there that were engaged in action this week to protect British citizens and support our allies, and I pay tribute to their skills, expertise and dedication.

• 5 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  English Tourism Week begins next week. Running from 13 to 22 March, it aims to highlight the importance of tourism to the UK economy. During it, I look forward to visiting Grime’s Graves, a neolithic flint mine in South West Norfolk operated by English Heritage. Will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating the benefits of tourism? Can a debate be held to explore Government support for the tourism industry?

• 3 Mar 2026 · Environmental Protection and Biodiversity · Hansard source

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  Norfolk is home to some of the finest natural environments anywhere in our country. In my constituency we are fortunate to have the Brecks, a unique biodiversity hotspot in the UK, vital for rare and threatened species. It supports more than 12,500 species of plants and animals, 2,000 of which are endangered. Like many hon. Members, I am passionate about chalk streams—in my case the River Nar and the River Little Ouse. Around 85% of the world’s chalk streams are found in England, many of them in my constituency. Sadly, after 14 years of neglect under the previous Government, our rivers are in a sorry state. Currently, extensive areas of the Brecks enjoy habitats regulations protections, allowing rare birds, plants and butterflies to be protected from further harm. The same can be said for some of our chalk streams. If the recommendations in the Fingleton review are accepted in full and transferred more broadly as a planning framework, as has been suggested by some, that is under threat. The hard work that I have seen being undertaken by Natural England, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and Norfolk Rivers Trust, alongside farmers and landowners, risks being undermined. No one is saying that we should not build more houses, and no one is saying that we should not be investing in clean energy and infrastructure, but economic growth and environmental protection should not be mutually exclusive; in my opinion, they depend on one another. The potential cost to our economy if we do not protect these areas is staggering and terrifying, particularly for areas such as my South West Norfolk constituency. Wildlife trusts in Norfolk have highlighted to me the devastating financial costs of environmental damage, warning of a 12% reduction in GDP. In my constituency, that would be due to flooding, water treatment wastage, loss of tourism and the permanent destruction of agricultural land. Nature has never been at odds with development and planning.

• 3 Mar 2026 · Small Charity Sector · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for securing this debate. During my life, I have been involved with a number of different charities across my constituency, either in an employed capacity or voluntarily. That has included the Keystone Development Trust, the Benjamin Foundation, the Charles Burrell Centre and the G.W. Staniforth Charity. It is through that involvement that I have come to appreciate how small charities are so often crucial to local communities. They provide essential services and respond quickly to new risks or increases in demand. Sometimes they are formed out of personal tragedy, as was the case with the Benjamin Foundation set up by Richard and Vanessa Draper to remember their son Benjamin, who tragically passed away. The services that small charities provide are crucial. It is important that organisations are supported by the Government. That support could materialise in many ways, but I want to highlight one in particular: access to cash and banking. Many groups and charities tell me that they increasingly struggle to process funds that they receive in cash. Although many things can be purchased digitally, if you are anything like me, Sir Roger, the odds are that you still buy raffle and tombola tickets with cash. The lack of availability of banks, particularly in rural areas such as mine, is now a real barrier to fundraising for smaller charities. The added costs of processing cash and the associated risks of staff and volunteers handling cash are important to consider. I ask the Government to give some thought to what can be done to assist local charities with this practical challenge. I want to take a moment to thank the dozens and dozens of small local charities across my constituency and the volunteers that sustain them, including two groups that I have been able to meet with recently, the Downham Art Circle and Swaffham environment group. In the interests of time, I shall finish there.

• 12 Feb 2026 · UK-EU Agritrade: SPS Agreement · Hansard source

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  I very much welcome the report. In particular, I support the recommendation on an exemption from dynamic alignment for precision breeding. In my part of the country, we are proud to host the Norwich Research Park, the Quadram Institute and the John Innes Centre, which are at the forefront of scientific innovation. They are not only a British success story, but important for local jobs and the local economy. Does the Chair of the Select Committee believe that the Government recognise the value of precision breeding as a scientific advancement?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Rural Transport Connections · Hansard source

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  Norfolk county council received one of the largest shares of money for bus services in the country, and I am very pleased that we have been able to open new rural bus routes in my constituency, but we still do not have a proper link with train services. What more can the Government do to get buses and trains working together, so that we have a truly integrated transport system?

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

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  I am increasingly concerned about the quality of social care provision in Norfolk. We have had three care homes by three different providers in the last month alone all rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission. Having read the inspection reports, I know that they contain some harrowing details. Can we have a debate in Government time on the quality of social care provision?

• 11 Feb 2026 · Local Government Finance · Hansard source

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  I was first elected back in 2008, when I stood in a by-election for my local town council. I was 22. It was by chance, really, that the opportunity came up to put myself forward to stand to represent my local community. As it happened, I beat the headteacher of the local high school in that by-election. Up until recently, it was my favourite election win. I went on to stand for the district council a few years later, and a few years after that, I stood for Norfolk county council. I ended up spending more than 12 years in all three tiers of local government in Norfolk, and what I found was a world of local government officers and local councillors working incredibly hard to serve their local communities and trying to save money and almost work the impossible by constantly striving for efficiencies by doing whatever they possibly could. Good councils and good councillors are a real force for good. They can achieve so many wonderful things, but they are overshadowed in many ways by national Government. I want to put on the record my thanks to local government. We saw this during covid, because it was local government, particularly, that really rose to that challenge to serve. I was elected, as I say, in 2008, and for the vast majority of my time as a local councillor, we saw cut after cut after cut. Every single February budget-setting council meeting was a constant battle to try to save money. Both councils—Breckland district council and Norfolk county council—were Conservative-led under a Conservative Government, and we were cutting services constantly. We ended up with massively weakened resilience, and the services that bound our communities together were eroded. These were not just numbers on a balance sheet. In Norfolk, it meant we were closing children’s centres, removing support for disabled people, closing the youth service in Norfolk entirely, and selling off assets. It was just this constant battle. I understand the predicament the Government are in and have a significant amount of sympathy because it will take years to undo those constant cuts and the eroding of that resilience; it will not be easy to turn that around. I want to make three points to the Minister. The first is about rural services. I am proud to represent South West Norfolk, a very rural constituency. I cover half of two districts: Breckland, and King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. They are very rural councils, and it is expensive to provide services to a rural community. I am pleased that social care in particular is being acknowledged as expensive. Social care is particularly expensive across the whole county of Norfolk, but other district council services in rural areas are expensive too, specifically planning. We are a Government that want growth. We want growth all across the country, including in rural areas. We massively need to support planning services in rural areas to achieve growth potential and not have lingering planning applications sat waiting on determination. It is difficult to recruit planning officers for rural district councils, and that is a barrier to growth in rural areas. The other area is housing. I have been constantly shocked and concerned about the state of housing in my constituency. There are huge issues with rural housing, such as damp, mould and draughts—all sorts of challenges that we are dealing with in my office. Housing challenges in rural areas are expensive, and we as a council often have to transport people from one end of the county to the other or out of the county because there is a lack of suitable temporary and emergency accommodation. The second point I want to make is around hidden deprivation. The council ward I represented was, despite being in a rural area, within the top 10% most deprived in the country. We had very low wages, poor health and low skills and educational attainment. I am concerned that intense deprivation in rural areas is masked by more affluent surroundings in so many Government metrics. I hope the Government come up with a system that properly accounts for and recognises intense deprivation in rural areas and does not just look at the overall council boundary. The last point I want to make, which was touched on by the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild), is about internal drainage boards. I appreciate that it is slightly niche because this is relevant only in a certain number of constituencies in the country—certainly in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. These critical pieces of infrastructure remove water from significant amounts of land, both residential and agricultural. If we did not have IDBs, so much of our land, particularly agricultural land, would just not be usable, and it would weaken this country’s food security. I have dozens of IDBs in South West Norfolk, and I have spent a lot of time visiting them. They do incredible work, but the finances of councils that have internal drainage boards in their areas are experiencing great impacts. In King’s Lynn and West Norfolk borough council, for every pound of council tax paid, 43p goes on IDB levies. In the 2025-26 financial year, the council is spending £3.7 million just on levies. Many councils obviously do not have that expense—they are unique pressures for those areas—but the costs of IDBs have gone up a lot because the electricity cost of manning the pumps is also going up. My constituency has the largest pumping station in Europe at Wiggenhall St Germans, and there is a network across the area. That give me the opportunity to mention a pumping station in Welney that I visited a couple of weeks ago, where I met Ken Goodyer, Patrick Clabon and Carl Nunn. My real concern about IDBs is that the infrastructure is 50 or 60 years old, costs a fortune to maintain, and will fail at some point. We need to invest in IDB capital and revenue costs. I urge the Government to continue support for councils affected by IDBs, because it is crucial infrastructure.

• 11 Feb 2026 · Police Grant Report · Hansard source

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  Does my county colleague agree that there are particular challenges in Norfolk? Under the previous Conservative police and crime commissioner, not only were all 150 of our police and community support officers made redundant, but many police stations lost their public access, and accessibility and visible policing have been eroded as a result.

• 10 Feb 2026 · Local Power Plan · Hansard source

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  It is quite clear that communities that host energy projects should in some way benefit from them. I welcome that principle being incorporated into this plan. I particularly welcome the Government’s support for rooftop solar for Swaffham community hospital in South West Norfolk, not just from an environmental point of view, but as a way of reducing the energy cost of public services; that saving can be reinvested in the frontline. Will my right hon. Friend commit to tracking the financial benefit of these proposals, so that we know the true benefit for communities up and down the country?

• 5 Feb 2026 · NHS Dentists · Hansard source

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  Is the hon. Member aware that the east of England is the only region of the UK that has no dental school, which severely impacts the availability of dentists? Will he join me in pressing the Government and the Minister to do all they can to expedite a proposal by the University of East Anglia to open a new dental school in the east of England to help address that recruitment and supply issue?

• 5 Feb 2026 · National Cancer Plan · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the Minister on this excellent piece of work. It is crucial to my residents in west Norfolk, where we have statistically the worst hospital in the country at the Queen Elizabeth in King’s Lynn—not in a big city, but in a rural part of west Norfolk. I ask the Minister to reassure my residents that unlike what happened under the previous Government, who created a postcode lottery in which many more rural communities missed out, this will be a truly national cancer plan that covers all parts of our great country.

• 5 Feb 2026 · Farming Sector Productivity · Hansard source

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  Precision breeding is critical to improving productivity. That is why I was so pleased to see so many Norfolk-based research projects, including the fantastic John Innes Centre, receive funding from DEFRA’s farming innovation programme. It is crucial that we protect these advancements, so can the Minister outline what assurances the Department has sought on precision breeding during the SPS negotiations?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Road Safety · Hansard source

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  Prior to my role as a Member of Parliament, I was pleased to serve as a Norfolk county councillor for 12 years. In Norfolk, each time somebody is killed or seriously injured within a council division, the relevant councillor is informed. Clearly, nobody ever wanted to receive such an email, but all too often a message would arrive in my inbox. I recall vividly the email that informed me of the tragic death of 15-year-old Salvador Modke, on London Road in Thetford. Salvador stepped out on to a crossing, just a short distance from his home, on a Saturday afternoon. He was hit by a car and tragically killed. The coroner’s report detailed evidence that had been received during the inquest, highlighting that the crossing contained minimal facilities for pedestrians and no signs on the approach to alert drivers. I pay tribute to Salvador’s family and friends who lobbied for safety improvements in the area following his death. I am pleased that Norfolk county council will be using money provided by the Government to undertake a full assessment of safety measures. I will do whatever I can to ensure that money is found to enact whatever recommendations are made. As a member of the county council’s transport committee, I would routinely review performance indicators that tracked the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads. It was always a statistic of great concern, with a significantly high number of incidents. Sadly, the most recent Department for Transport data released in November indicates that road casualties have risen more in my county of Norfolk than anywhere else in the country, with the number of people killed or seriously injured rising from 470 in 2023 to 555 in 2024. It is worth noting that across the country, 10 times as many people die on rural roads as on motorways. The view of road safety charity Brake is that rural roads are the most dangerous roads for all users. Many do not have cycles lane, pavements or bridleways. Many rural roads are narrow, with blind bends and limited safe places to pass. There is often much that obstructs the driver’s view and, all too often, there are animal collisions, particularly with deer. Deer are a constant risk around Thetford forest, in my constituency, which is the UK’s largest man-made forest. Worryingly, in a Brake and Direct Line survey, 68% of drivers said that they felt it was acceptable to drive above the speed limit on a rural road, and nearly half of drivers said that they had driven faster than the speed limit on a single-carriageway rural road in the past year. Drivers are openly admitting to speeding on the most dangerous roads. I welcome the Government’s road safety strategy, and I ask that serious thought be given to the specific circumstances and opportunities to improve safety on our rural roads.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd. I want to share with hon. Members and the Minister the case of Susi Rogers-Hartley from Wiggenhall St Mary in my South West Norfolk constituency. Susi is an accomplished lady: she is a horse rider, military veteran and GB Paralympic athlete. She was the first horse rider to represent Great Britain at show jumping at the Paralympics. For Susi, horse riding gives her quality time out of her wheelchair and a sense of freedom that is difficult to replicate. In 2021, Susi was hit by a car. The driver tried to pass her on a single-track road, and got so close that Susi’s leg was trapped between the driver’s car and her horse. The driver picked up speed and the horse bolted. Susi fell on to the vehicle and was subsequently dragged for 20 metres along the road, suffering a head injury and a cracked elbow. On another occasion, on Magdalen High Road in my constituency, a driver hit Susi and her horse from behind. Her horse, whom she loved very much, had to be put down because of the injuries it sustained. In Susi’s words, the driver “got an awareness course. I got a dead horse and thousands in vets bills”. Horse riders tell me there is often little to no enforcement in accidents involving horse riders. Growing up in my constituency, I remember routinely seeing people out and about riding a horse, but as cars have got bigger and faster and as people have become less respectful of our country roads, other users have been pushed out, whether they are walkers, cyclists or horse riders. In addition to safety concerns, the years of austerity and the cuts to local council budgets have seen many bridleways fall into a state of disrepair, meaning there are fewer opportunities for horse riding as many bridleways are simply inaccessible. I ask the Minister to ringfence support for horse rider safety campaigns, such as the Pass Wide and Slow campaign. I also ask what more can be done to ensure that local councils properly maintain bridleways, which are crucial for horse riding in rural areas.