Wera Hobhouse MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 25 Nov 2025 · Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Edward. I congratulate the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) on his strong advocacy on this topic. I welcome the Government’s confirmation last week that people with BNO visas will continue to qualify for permanent residence in the UK after five years. That is the right and fair thing to do for people with such unique attachments to this country. However, the Government’s new consultation has left many of my constituents in Bath concerned about their future, particularly our valuable Hong Kong community. As has already been said, BNOs are not economic migrants; many made an irreversible decision to come to the UK to flee political persecution and repression. For many, returning to Hong Kong is not an option. Changes to indefinite leave to remain requirements could put BNOs in an impossible position: unable to settle in the UK and unable to return to Hong Kong. One of my constituents is a self-funded PhD student on a BNO visa. He is concerned about the proposed income requirement for ILR. Since any part-time work during his studies could be under the taxable income threshold, it is likely that he will not meet the income requirement during that period. He feels that the UK Government are, in effect, encouraging him either to abandon his PhD in favour of entering the job market or to leave the UK after his PhD studies are complete. BNO families came to the UK seeking safety, stability and the shared values of freedom and democracy. Retrospective changes risk undermining the spirit of the BNO pathway altogether. The potential for a sudden increase to the B2 English language test is particularly concerning to some of my constituents. Thousands of BNOs are due to become eligible for settlement in 2026. They have been planning and preparing—as we have already heard—for the current B1 English requirement. A sudden mandatory increase to the B2 level, which requires near-fluent conversation and complex argument, is a significant step up from B1 and would be difficult to achieve, especially for many older applicants. For my constituents who have begun the process of settlement while contributing to society, it now feels like the Government are throwing additional barriers in their way. The Government must look at providing flexibility through a transitional period if they are to press ahead with any of these changes. At the very least, the major wave of applicants in April 2026 should be left unaffected by any of those new rules. I urge the Government to listen.

• 25 Nov 2025 · Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Lady give way?

• 25 Nov 2025 · Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool) did not let me ask this question earlier, but is it not true that the safe and legal routes have been all but destroyed except for BNO and for Ukrainians? It is really important that the Government restore safe and legal routes to this country to make sure that everybody can actually benefit from our safety and our respect for human rights.

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

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  Will the Minister give way?

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

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  The Minister mentioned the hospitality sector earlier, and I briefly want to come back to that. Bath council and I are seeking the power for local authorities to introduce a modest visitor levy, alongside our proposed 5% cut in VAT for hospitality. Does she agree that a visitor levy on overnight stays would generate a new ringfenced revenue stream for the hospitality sector, which would be beneficial?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I speak today on behalf of one constituent, although there are many similar examples. My constituent, who does not want to be named in order to protect herself, is losing out quite substantially because the Child Maintenance Service is failing to enforce the regular payments that she is owed. The non-resident parent makes one partial payment after another and then simply defaults again. The CMS has the necessary powers to act, but is not using them effectively to stop that cycle. Might we have a debate in Government time on how the CMS can enforce the timely payment of child maintenance?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. Yesterday, I met Volkswagen. It stressed that to meet our electric vehicle targets the Government must provide long-term support and certainty through to 2030 and beyond, with sensible incentives, a supportive tax framework and more robust infrastructure. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that consumers and manufacturers have confidence in the long-term value of EVs?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Maritime Sector: Decarbonisation · Hansard source

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  UK ports are clear that large-scale electrification is essential for maritime decarbonisation, but the required grid capacity is severely lacking. The Transport Committee has urged the Government to provide planning authorities with clear guidance to facilitate grid and substation upgrades. Will the Department prioritise enabling ports to build up their grid infrastructure before they fall behind international competition, so that we can continue to lead on maritime decarbonisation?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Maritime Sector: Decarbonisation · Hansard source

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  3. What steps her Department has taken to help support the decarbonisation of the maritime sector.

• 19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source

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  I hear from so many constituents that, out of those suffering from any condition, people suffering from ME have the lowest quality of life. Is it not also the case that people simply do not understand what ME is?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Energy · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Energy · Hansard source

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  Is it not the truth that the reason energy bills are still so high is because we still produce a lot of electricity by burning gas? Burning gas, which is sold on the global market, keeps energy prices high. That is the main problem. We need to decouple electricity from gas prices, and particularly to get away from gas.

• 12 Nov 2025 · Energy · Hansard source

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  I am interested in hearing what he has to say about cutting bills. Does he not recognise that the cost of letting climate change go on unmitigated is a vast one for every household in this country?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Energy · Hansard source

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  Is it not the truth that once the projects have been built, the energy is free? There is no commodity concentration, because the wind and sunlight cost nothing; there is very little cost apart from the installation.

• 12 Nov 2025 · Drug Dealing on Social Media · Hansard source

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  Drug dealing is absolutely rampant on social media. The Minister might be aware of the campaign I lead, together with the University of Bath, against spice-spiked vapes in school and the terrible harm they are causing. We are increasingly frustrated that Ofcom does not use its power under the Online Safety Act to hold social media companies to account. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the problem with Ofcom, so that it ensures that young people in particular are kept safe online?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Drug Dealing on Social Media · Hansard source

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  6. What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 in tackling drug dealing on social media.

• 11 Nov 2025 · BBC Leadership · Hansard source

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  There are certainly many questions—particularly for those who deliberately set out to destroy the BBC—but I want to ask the Secretary of State this one. In the absence of the ability to remove certain members from the board, will she make a commitment that all future appointments should be conducted through a transparent process rather than being political appointments?

• 11 Nov 2025 · Support for Dyslexic Pupils · Hansard source

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  We must also not forget that there is so much pleasure from reading, when we can read. Not to take away from attainment, but people receive a whole world of pleasure from reading and we should not forget that.

• 11 Nov 2025 · Support for Dyslexic Pupils · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Butler, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) and the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Juliet Campbell) on securing this important debate. On a conservative estimate, there are on average three children with dyslexia in every classroom, including in Bath. That is three children in every classroom, or perhaps even more, being let down by our education system, unable to receive the support that they need to learn and succeed. People with dyslexia are often failed at the very first hurdle: 80% do not receive a diagnosis until after they have left school, and some never receive a diagnosis at all. I am freewheeling slightly here, but I have a suspicion that I am dyslexic. I was never diagnosed; I just always struggled with spelling. Once I had finished bluffing my way through spelling tests in German, which is my mother tongue, English came along and the same thing happened again. All I can say for all those who are dyslexic is that the feeling of being slightly at sea all the time will never go away. For those who manage to get a diagnosis, that is only the starting point. With increasing pressure on school budgets and a lack of teacher training about how best to support neurodiverse children, getting a diagnosis is just the first of many challenges. Without proper support, children with dyslexia often find themselves falling behind in school, because they struggle to learn at a similar pace to their peers. I was a secondary school teacher, and because teachers have to rush through the curriculum, often there is little opportunity to support children who are struggling. Often all we do is to punish those who have a neurodiverse disposition, rather than supporting them. That absolutely must stop. We must stop punishing young people with dyslexia in the classroom simply because we—including me, when I was a teacher—do not know how to respond to their needs. Only one in five pupils with dyslexia achieve a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with more than half their peers. That gap is unacceptable. Far from being a reflection of pupils’ academic ability, it demonstrates that our education system is failing those who need it most. Dyslexia often affects children’s ability to spell, read and write, which are fundamental parts of almost all examinations. As a result, many students struggle to navigate lessons and assessments that have not been adapted to their needs. Identifying dyslexia early in children and offering them support will help to close the attainment gap and ensure that dyslexia is never the reason that a child is prevented from learning. Dyslexia’s wider impact on a child can be severe. It affects not only academic performance but mental health, which I think is the most important thing for us to concentrate on. For a lot of young people, the sense of humiliation and exclusion that they feel if they are dyslexic and not being properly supported has a severe impact on their mental health. Too many children begin to feel as though they are “stupid” or “dumb” as they fall behind in school. Over time, those difficulties may contribute to more serious mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Jamie Oliver is one of many remarkable campaigners who have highlighted the struggles that many dyslexic children face in the education system by powerfully sharing their own experience. For someone to see an experienced, strong, successful businessman almost shuddering as he remembers his time at school, when he faced such humiliation, is so moving. I am proud to have supported him in his campaign and will continue to do so. If anyone is yet to watch his documentary “Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution”, I strongly advise them to do so. It is a powerful testimony. To truly support children with dyslexia, the Government must reduce the steps required for an official NHS diagnosis while increasing funding to reduce waiting lists. Both measures would allow dyslexia to be diagnosed earlier. We Liberal Democrats are also pushing for increased training for teachers—as I mentioned, it is essential that classroom practitioners understand where to go with support—so that they can confidently identify and know how best to support all neurodiverse individuals, including those with dyslexia. These steps would ensure that we support every dyslexic child to realise their full potential and stop punishing them.

• 11 Nov 2025 · Support for Dyslexic Pupils · Hansard source

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  Is it not the case that people just become better at bluffing and finding coping strategies? But that does not really deal with the dyslexia.

• 11 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T4. Following on from that, still less than 3% of rape cases result in a charge. It takes 400 days for resolution—painful delays for the victims. We have talked about this for so long, so often. What are the barriers to change?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights · Hansard source

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  The UK was instrumental in the creation of the ECHR. The Council of Europe now says that it is ready for reform. Is it not time for us to shape the future of human rights legislation in Europe, and absolutely the wrong time to abandon our place at the table?

• 4 Nov 2025 · Houses in Multiple Occupation: Planning Consent · Hansard source

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  As a university city, Bath has an increasing number of HMOs, not only but mainly because of increasing numbers of students. As we have heard, constituents living around HMOs face increasing pressure on parking, noise issues and waste collection issues. Meanwhile, more and more valuable family homes are snapped up by developers to squeeze more profit from single dwellings. Bath council has started to control the mass conversion of properties into HMOs by imposing a 10% cap in certain areas on the number of homes that can be converted, and it is also protecting some families from being sandwiched between two HMOs. However, we still lose too many homes to HMOs, and the shortage of affordable family homes—especially two and three-bedroom homes—is particularly stark in the city centre. Bath is currently consulting on a new policy to ban turning three-bedroom family homes into HMOs where there could be family homes, and I urge all Bath residents to take part in that public consultation. Bath council is also ambitious about building 1,000 more social homes for rent to ease the desperate need for affordable homes. It is still waiting to hear from the new Government how they can support it, and I would also be happy to hear a response from the Government on that. I am asking the Government to create a new planning class for short-term rentals such as Airbnbs. We need a planning system that can help reverse the loss of family homes from the housing market, and we must be serious about the current housing crisis. HMOs are not the only cause of that, but they are part of it.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Investment in Businesses · Hansard source

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  One change that would encourage significant investment is UK participation in the EU’s internal electricity market. Energy trading with our closest neighbour is currently hugely inefficient, which only adds to the burden of energy costs that our businesses face. Will the Government put real pressure behind the negotiations that are ongoing with the EU to reinstate our internal energy trading with the EU?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Moles: Histological Testing · Hansard source

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  I called for teledermatology on another occasion because it absolutely works. Does the Minister have any figures on how many GPs are using that as the basis of their diagnosis? My husband recently went to our GP and he was still referred to the hospital, so I am not confident that a lot of GPs are making use of it.