| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
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unidentified
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Buckeye Broadband supports C-STAN as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front-row seat to democracy. | |
| And now British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fields questions for members of the House of Commons during his weekly question time, including queries on the topics of the UK's trade agreement with the US, the conflict in Gaza and the war in Ukraine. | ||
| Before we come to Prime Minister's questions, can I welcome into the gallery the speakers of Anguilla, Bermuda, Bishop Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat and Centalina, Lorraine Bieber. | ||
| Thank you Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Question number one. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, over the past week we've secured a historic trade deal with India and a landmark agreement with the United States, protecting and creating British jobs, slashing tariffs and driving economic growth. | ||
|
unidentified
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We've also published a white paper setting out how this government will end the open borders experiment of the party opposite, bringing net migration down, backing British workers and delivering fair control of our borders. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I know the whole House will also want to mark the 40th anniversary of the Bradford City fire. | ||
| We remember the victims of that devastating tragedy and celebrate the strength of the community. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this House. | ||
| I shall have further such meetings later today. | ||
| Thank you Mr. Speaker. | ||
| 14 years of Conservative courts have stripped the Environment Agency of the resources and the staff they need to properly deal with badly managed landfill sites, blighting communities like mine. | ||
| The Jameson Road landfill site in my constituency of Blackpool North and Fleetwood has been producing toxic stenches for over a year now, causing nosebleeds, headaches, vomiting and breathing problems for my residents. | ||
| Will the Prime Minister commit to ensure the Environment Agency have the staff and resources to police badly managed sites like this and across the country so they can act swiftly and effectively to protect communities like mine? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I love the fact that when anyone says 14 years of a Conservative government, they'll go, oh no, that's how the country feels. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, once again, a hard-working Labor MP clearing up the mess that was left behind. | ||
| Residents deserve far better. | ||
| We expect rapid improvements. | ||
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We're closely monitoring air quality and won't hesitate to take further action. | |
| She's right we must tackle rogue operators who blight our communities. | ||
| That's why we've boosted Environment Agency funding by £188 million alongside tough new rules on incinerators and commercial flytippers. | ||
| Leader of the Opposition, Kimibe. | ||
| If I may, Mr. Speaker, Sir Roy Stone served 13 chief whips and Prime Ministers from Margaret Thatcher to Boris Johnson. | ||
| And I'd like to pay tribute to his extraordinary service and send my best wishes to his family. | ||
| And also, before we start, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the Prime Minister how horrified I was to hear about the attack on his family home. | ||
| It is completely unacceptable. | ||
| And I think I speak for the whole House when I say that this wasn't just an attack on him, but on all of us and on our democracy. | ||
| Yesterday, we learned that unemployment is up 10% since the election. | ||
| Why does the Prime Minister think unemployment is rising on his watch? | ||
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unidentified
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Mr. Speaker, can I pay tribute to Roystone as well and the service that was given us in various capacities? | |
| Can I thank her for her words about the attacks on me and my family and the kind messages from many others in the last few days? | ||
| She did actually message me pretty well straight away, and I really do appreciate that. | ||
| And she's absolutely right that this is an attack on all of us on democracy and the values that we stand for. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, she comes here every week to talk the country down. | ||
| We've got 200,000 new jobs, record investment, four interest rates cut. | ||
| Contrast that to the disastrous Liz Trust Mini budget, inflation through the roof, and a £22 billion black hole. | ||
| I'm not sure the Prime Minister even knew that unemployment was up, but there's no point in him blaming everyone else. | ||
| The fact is, Conservatives reduced the deficit every year until the pandemic, more than doubled the personal allowance. | ||
| We left 4 million extra jobs, tackled the post-pandemic inflation spike, and left the fastest-growing economy in the G7. | ||
| Let's talk about what is happening today. | ||
| Let's look at Beals, a 180-year-old department store in Dorset. | ||
| They survived two world wars and the winter of discontent, but they couldn't survive this Labour government. | ||
| Beals is having, and I quote Mr. Speaker, a Rachel Reeves closing down sale. | ||
| What does the Prime Minister have to say to all the people who have lost their jobs? | ||
| I mean, nobody wants to see job losses, but she must be the only person left in the country who thinks the economy was booming after the last government. | ||
| We've created new jobs, record investment, trade deals that they tried. | ||
| The India deal, I think they tried for eight years and failed. | ||
| We did that deal. | ||
| They talked about a US deal. | ||
| We did that deal. | ||
| We tend to get a stronger relationship with the EU. | ||
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unidentified
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The former trade minister must be the only former trade minister who's against all trade deals which boost our economy. | |
| She says she's against the India deal, even though it's got the same provisions she put on the table. | ||
| She's against the US deal, even though it saves thousands of jobs in car manufacturing. | ||
| But Mr. Speaker, most absurdly, she says she's going to rip up the EU deal when she hasn't even seen what's on the page. | ||
| This is reduced to a grain rock. | ||
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A once great political party is sliding into brain-dead oblivion. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to welcome his tiny tariff deal, but the fact is it has put us in a worse position than we were in March. | ||
| He should not over-egg the pudding. | ||
| Let's talk about how things are getting worse now. | ||
| In every month of this year, household names like Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, and Santander have cut stuff. | ||
| The ONS estimates that there are 100,000 fewer jobs than a year ago. | ||
| And this was before his jobs tax, which will make things worse. | ||
| Can the Prime Minister promise the House that by this time next year, unemployment will be lower than it is today? | ||
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unidentified
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Prime Minister. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I think she just said a tiny tariff deal. | ||
| Can I suggest that she gets the train to Solihull, two hours, goes to speak to the workforce at JLR, their families, their communities, to tell them she would rip up the deal that protects their jobs. | ||
| And when she's done that, she might travel across to Scunthorpe and tell the steel workers there she's going to rip up the deal that saves their jobs. | ||
| And then if she's got time, go up to Scotland and talk to the whiskey distilleries. | ||
| Tell him she'd rip up the deal that's creating 1,200 jobs for them, boosting their exports, and then come back here next week and tell us what reaction she got. | ||
| I didn't hear a promise to get unemployment down, and that's because he knows things are going to get worse. | ||
| And this goes wider than businesses. | ||
| Last week, I met staff and patients at Farley Hospice. | ||
| They do fantastic work, but they need to find an additional £250,000 to pay the jobs tax. | ||
| How does he suggest Farley Hospice, a charity which relies on donations, pays for his tax hike? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we have provided £100 million boosting for the sector, and children, young person, and hospitals received £26 million funding this year. | ||
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unidentified
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But Mr. Speaker, she turns up every week to cart from the sidelines. | |
| But what she doesn't do, she moans about what we had to do in the budget to stabilise the economy, but she hasn't got the courage to stand there and say that she would reverse the next decisions that we take. | ||
| And I know why. | ||
| It's because she doesn't want to say she's against the £26 billion investment in our NHS. | ||
| She doesn't want to say she's against the £1.2 billion more for our police. | ||
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She doesn't want to say she's against the £3.2 billion more for our schools. | |
| All the time, she doesn't have the courage of her convictions. | ||
| It shows that her criticism is totally confected. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I can't believe the Prime Minister is still using this figure. | ||
| We had this very conversation at the dispatch box. | ||
| He knows it is just capital spending. | ||
| It's either he's not paying attention or he is saying things to disguise what is going on. | ||
| That money will not pay for the jobs tax. | ||
| He knows that, and the hospices know it too. | ||
| And the other people who know that things are getting worse are the five leading business groups in the UK. | ||
| They say that his so-called employment rights bill will be deeply damaging to growth. | ||
| Does the Prime Minister accept that they are right or does he believe that he knows better than business? | ||
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unidentified
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Prime Minister. | |
| Mr. Speaker, it's the same old Tories. | ||
| Every time better rights for workers are on the table, they vote against them. | ||
| Respect and dignity and protection at work are good for workers, good for the economy, and good for growth. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister needs to listen to business. | ||
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unidentified
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You cannot have employment rights without employment. | |
| Labour always forgets that it is not government that creates growth, it is business that creates growth. | ||
| And businesses are closing and they are blaming him and his Chancellor. | ||
| There are 100,000 fewer jobs, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Hospices, charities, nurseries, they are facing bills from the jobs tax that they cannot afford. | ||
| Even the unions say workers are being thrown on the scrap heap. | ||
| And all of this before his unemployment bill makes hiring even more expensive. | ||
| When will he admit that Labour isn't working? | ||
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unidentified
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Mr. Speaker, she says she should listen to business. | |
| They will have the last option. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, she should listen to business. | ||
| They are in favour of our trade deals. | ||
| The India deal. | ||
| Fantastic deal. | ||
| Tariffs on cars cut to 10%. | ||
| Whiskey and gin, tariffs halved. | ||
| £4.8 billion into our economy. | ||
| What does she say she'd do with the India deal? | ||
| She wants to rip it up. | ||
| The US deal that saves thousands upon thousands of jobs. | ||
| What does she want to do? | ||
| She wants to rip it up. | ||
| The EU deal, good for our economy. | ||
| She's not going to even wait to see what it says. | ||
| She absurdly says she's going to rip it up. | ||
| It is so unserious. | ||
| She even was reduced last week to call the Indian government accusing them of fake news. | ||
| No wonder she did so badly as a trade secretary. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the project for them is over. | ||
| They're sliding into obivian. | ||
| They're a dead party walking. | ||
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unidentified
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Rachel Jayler. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Thousands of British jobs have been safeguarded by this government's trade agreement with the US. | ||
| Including those in my constituency who work for Jaguar Land Rover, like my next-door neighbour Ollie, proving that when Labour negotiates, workers win. | ||
| Can the Prime Minister confirm to me that he will continue to stand up for all workers and our vital motor manufacturing industry as he negotiates a better deal for Britain around the world? | ||
| Can I pay tribute to her for her work with JLR, standing up for the jobs in her constituency? | ||
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unidentified
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The deal that we've agreed saves thousands of jobs in our car industry, securing the livelihoods of countless families. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I've been up to JLR on a number of occasions, including last week. | ||
| I know firsthand what it means to their workforce, for their families, and for their communities. | ||
| And the Leader of the Opposition says she would go and tell them she's going to rip it up. | ||
| She should go up there. | ||
| She says she's going to get against it. | ||
| The reform leader said, what did he say about JLR? | ||
| He said JLR deserves to go bust. | ||
| Shame on him. | ||
| Labour has freaking deals in the national interest. | ||
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And the Liberal Democrats, Sir Red Davey. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| And on behalf of my party, can I offer heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV? | ||
| And can I offer our support to the Prime Minister and his family after the appalling arson attacks on his home? | ||
| And can I echo his thanks to our brilliant police and firefighters? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, three years ago, the previous government was faced with a choice. | ||
| Their own migration advisory committee told ministers that recruiting more care workers required improved conditions, career progression, and better pay. | ||
| But the Conservatives chose not to do that and instead brought in large numbers of care workers from overseas. | ||
| Now, those carers looking after our loved ones in care homes should be thanked, not demonised. | ||
| But will the Prime Minister do now the things the Conservatives refused to do, starting with a higher minimum wage for carers? | ||
| Can I first thank him for his comments about myself and my family? | ||
| I do really appreciate it. | ||
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unidentified
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It is important that we have fair pay for care workers, and that's why we've put in place our fair pay agreements. | |
| This is the first of its type. | ||
| It will be applied first to care workers to ensure that they get fair pay, but also a better framework for progression, as he will know. | ||
| Most people leaving care work are leaving care work to go to the NHS because of the pay and the ability to progress. | ||
| Our fair pay agreements will deal with that to make sure that in the future those jobs are more secure. | ||
| I would just add, Mr. Speaker, a declaration of interest. | ||
| My sister is a care worker. | ||
| I know firsthand how important the work is and how difficult sometimes the situation is facing them. | ||
| Sure, reply. | ||
| It's a good first step, but we'll still be seeing people earning more in Amazon warehouses and supermarkets than care homes, and that will mean our loved ones going without the care that they need. | ||
| But turning to the Middle East now, Mr. Speaker, for more than 10 weeks, Israeli forces have blocked food, water, and medicine getting into Gaza. | ||
| There is now a humanitarian catastrophe, with two million people at risk of famine and one in five facing starvation. | ||
| Rather than ending this crisis, the Netanyahu government is planning to seize all Gaza indefinitely. | ||
| Now, I know the Prime Minister will agree that the blockade to Gaza should end, and I'm sure he would agree that it would be appalling if Netanyahu proceeds with that escalation. | ||
| But will he act now and pick up the phone to President Trump for a joint plan to recognise Palestine and get food, water, and medicine into Gaza? | ||
| Prime Minister. | ||
| Well, I thank him for raising this because the situation in Gaza is simply intolerable and getting worse. | ||
| And we are working with other leaders urgently to bring about rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is desperately needed, obviously alongside the release of hostages and to get back to a ceasefire. | ||
| That work is going on through my team 24-7. | ||
| I do believe that that is the initial action that needs to be taken, but I still fundamentally believe that, however remote it may seem at the moment, the pathway to a two-state solution is the only way for settled and lasting peace in the Middle East. | ||
| And we will continue with our allies to pursue that path. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Found in my constituency, Durdaledore is one of the most iconic bathing sites in all the country. | ||
| So last Friday, I was joined at Derdal Dore by my honourable friends, the members for Bournemouth East, Bournemouth West, Poole, and most importantly, Ron the Local Seal to test the water quality at Derdal Dore. | ||
| Currently, water quality testing at bathing sites is only monitored from mid-May to September, which puts the health of all water users at risk who could be potentially swimming in pollution or sewage. | ||
| With this in mind, will the Prime Minister work with me and my honourable friends to introduce all-year-round testing at popular bathing sites such as Derdal Dore? | ||
| Prime Minister. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, everyone enjoying our beautiful beaches, lakes, and rivers is entitled to know that the water is clean and safe. | ||
| That's why we're modernising outdated bathing water regulations, including more regular monitoring sites to reflect local demand. | ||
| And after years of failure by the party opposite, we're acting through our plan for change through new powers to tackle pollution, including banning bonuses, jail terms for law-breaking bosses, and real-time monitors of every sewage outlet. | ||
| This Prime Minister once spoke of compassion and dignity for migrants and for defending free movement. | ||
| Now he talks of islands of strangers and taking back control. | ||
| Somebody here has to call this out, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| It seems the only principle he consistently defends is whichever he last heard in a focus group. | ||
| So I ask him, is there any belief he holds which survives a week in Downing Street? | ||
| yes the belief that she talks rubbish. | ||
| Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker, I want to lead a country where we pull together and walk into the future as neighbours and as communities, not as strangers. | ||
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unidentified
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And the loss of control of migration by the last government put all of that at risk. | |
| And that's why we're fixing the system based on principles of control, selection and fairness. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Council tax is the most regressive and unfair tax in this country. | ||
| It has become a tax on deprivation. | ||
| The less affluent an area, the more you pay. | ||
| The greater your need, the more you pay. | ||
| A bandeyed property in Westminster pays just £1,017 a year. | ||
| In Hartlepool, it's £2,495 a year. | ||
| For a Band Aid property, the difference between those two areas is £3,000. | ||
| It is hammering people in towns like Hartlepool. | ||
| Does the Prime Minister agree that this unfairness cannot continue, and will he commit to addressing this inequality once and for all? | ||
| Well, I thank my honourable friend. | ||
| He's been a dedicated campaigner on this for a very long time. | ||
| As he knows, 14 years of mismanagement by the party opposite left councils on their knees with a total failure to improve and update how councils are funded. | ||
| Through £69 billion of funding this year and the upcoming multi-year settlement, the first in over a decade, will give councils far greater certainty of stability. | ||
| Our detailed funding review will create a fairer system to make sure his constituents see strong, affordable local services. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister prefers to take to the international stage back here at home, Labour's Birmingham bin strike is now in its 10th week. | ||
| Rubbish is still piled on the streets and recycling goes uncollected. | ||
| And the reputation of the West Midlands is being trashed. | ||
| His ministers continue to wash their hands of this. | ||
| His mayor doesn't even want to talk about it. | ||
| So will the Prime Minister come to the West Midlands and sort this out? | ||
| Because at the moment, it's only the squeaky blinders that are winning. | ||
| Further evidence, Mr. Speaker, of the decline of the Tory Party when they say that going to Ukraine at the weekend to try and secure peace for Ukraine and for Europe and the security and defence of Europe is somehow the wrong priority. | ||
| That conflict has already massively impacted people in this country through the cost of living crisis and energy. | ||
| Ukraine, Europe, and we deserve peace and to live in peace. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, dealing with the bin strikes is the priority. | ||
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unidentified
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We continue to call on Unite to suspend the strike immediately and bring the disruption to an end. | |
| We are supporting the council to ramp up the cleaning operation and now collecting over 1,100 tonnes of waste every day and continue to offer our support so the backlog doesn't reappear. | ||
| Thank you Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Last week I visited Sacred Heart Primary School in Heimburn where the excellent teachers expressed their frustration at the current SEN system. | ||
| One wonderful boy who, despite being non-verbal and requiring personal support, has been waiting for over 18 months for an EHCP and there is a risk now that he won't get a place in a school for the year ahead that suits his needs. | ||
| How will the Prime Minister ensure that the voices of parents and children are at the heart of the SEN reforms that the government will bring forward? | ||
| Well I thank my honourable friend. | ||
| She's a powerful champion on this issue. | ||
| Our principle is that every young person with special education needs should receive the right support to succeed. | ||
| We've immediately announced an additional £1 billion for high needs funding, including almost £20 million for schools in Lancashire. | ||
| We will support special schools and deliver truly inclusive places and expertise in mainstream schools to help every child thrive. | ||
| Nigel Froge. | ||
| Thank you Mr. Speaker. | ||
| We at Reform, a party that is alive and kicking, very much enjoyed your speech on Monday. | ||
| You seem to be learning a very great deal from us. | ||
| Could I encourage you please to go further as a matter of national security. | ||
| Matter of national security. | ||
| Over the weekend, an illegal immigrant from Iran, who we believe came by boat, was arrested in the north of England on serious charges of terrorism. | ||
| Since the speech on Monday, 1,000 young, undocumented young males have crossed the English Channel. | ||
| Does the Prime Minister agree? | ||
| Now is the time to declare the situation in the English Channel as a national security emergency. | ||
| It wasn't my speech, it was the Prime Minister's comment. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the situation is serious. | ||
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unidentified
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The last government lost control of the borders. | |
| We are taking powers. | ||
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unidentified
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The Borders Bill, precisely to his point, the Borders Bill is the first bill to give terrorism-like powers to law enforcement, precisely so that we can get in before the crimes are committed, before people get to this country. | |
| That's why this is the most far-reaching provision ever for law enforcement to defend and secure our borders. | ||
| And that's why it is extraordinary that he of all people voted against it. | ||
| Sooner or later, it's going to unexplain. | ||
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unidentified
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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| Mr. Speaker, since my election, I've been championing and backing our country's plumbers, builders, electricians, and autistic. | ||
| These are not the people just building Britain but holding all of our communities together. | ||
| That's why I've been campaigning for tougher sentencing and action on tool theft and for the real cost of this crime to be recognised. | ||
| I want to firstly thank everyone in the sector who's backed the campaign because together we've shown that the message is clear. | ||
| 14 years of government neglect is time for action and change. | ||
| Will the Prime Minister work with me, the Secretary of State for Justice and myself to include my bill as we review sentencing and justice so the punishment finally fits this crime? | ||
| Can I commend my honourable friend? | ||
| She's led the campaign to highlight the devastating impact of these crimes. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, for hard-working small businesses, the theft of tools isn't just a violation. | ||
| It can mean thousands of pounds of potential work lost with a huge impact to businesses and to families. | ||
| We're investing over £1.2 billion extra into policing with 13,000 new neighbourhood police to focus on crimes that impact on communities the most. | ||
| And I pay tribute to my honourable friend, and I know the Justice Secretary will look at the details carefully. | ||
| Andrew Stowe. | ||
| Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Whether you agree with the Prime Minister's net zero targets or not, I'm sure the Prime Minister will agree that you won't achieve them, or he won't achieve them, without taking people with him. | ||
| The cabling corridor, substation corridor for the Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind farm is now one of the most objected-to national energy infrastructure projects in the country. | ||
| And what is angering myself and thousands of others is that there is a perfectly alternative cabling route further up the coastline, which would actually have local economic benefit, would be more cost-effective as a whole life cycle project and could connect to existing national grid infrastructure. | ||
| But no one is listening. | ||
| So will the Prime Minister now listen and pause the planning inquiry for the existing application and ask the department to consider and cost the alternative route to avoid untold devastation to our coastline and countryside? | ||
| Can I thank him for his question? | ||
| As he will know, the Secretary of State is going through a quasi-judicial exercise and therefore I'm limited in what I can say, but let me do the best I can within those constraints because the project is going through its examination where interested parties can put forward their views on the application and should do so. | ||
| And more broadly, as we drive forward renewable projects, the planning process is designed to ensure impacts are carefully considered. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Red Thompson. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The United Kingdom has rightly helped arm Ukraine with modern, effective capability, and we're sending them some £4.5 billion this year. | ||
| But after decades of relying on the peace dividend, our own forces are ill-equipped for modern warfare. | ||
| With colleagues interested in defence technology, I'm developing a proposal for a joint UK-Ukraine production hub on British soil. | ||
| This would support Ukraine while also modernising our own forces at warfighting scale and creating the jobs and know-how needed to rearm and stay secure. | ||
| Will the Prime Minister use his good offices to help support this proposal? | ||
| My honourable and gallant friend is right that our ironclad support for Ukraine should go hand in hand with firing up our own defence industries. | ||
| And that means well-paid, secure jobs right across the country, including in Plymouth, and strengthening national security. | ||
| We reiterated our support for Ukraine in Kyiv last weekend, and I'm proud that British industries are playing their part supporting Ukraine against Russia's illegal invasion. | ||
| I'll make sure that he meets the relevant minister to discuss his proposal. | ||
| John Lottie. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| People in the world are disgusted by the Energy Secretary's obsessive pursuit of net zero at any cost. | ||
| The Scottish Borders is under attack with solar farms the size of towns, massive wind farms, and now mega pylons scouting unspoilt landscapes. | ||
| Nobody sensible supports his crazed crank policies that will put jobs at risk in Repart farmland. | ||
| So when will the Prime Minister step in and stop his Energy Secretary throwing taxpayers' money at this nonsense? | ||
| Prime Minister. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, only a few years ago, dealing with the climate challenge was a shared endeavour across this House. | ||
| And it's yet further evidence of how far his party has fallen. | ||
| That they cannot see the significance and importance of tackling one of the major challenges of our time. | ||
| I think we should rise to that challenge, not be defeatist about it. | ||
|
unidentified
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It's further evidence, as far as I can see, that the Tory project is just finished. | |
| Jake Richards, Mr. Speaker, male suicide is a tragic epidemic in our country. | ||
| Each week, almost 100 men take their own lives, and suicide is the biggest killer of men aged under 50. | ||
| In my constituency, I'm working with Andy's Mann Club in Maltby, the learning community in Dinnington, and better today in Kiverton Park to try and raise awareness about the fantastic groups who offer support for men in the most difficult circumstances. | ||
| Will the Prime Minister use this opportunity to support the campaign that we are undertaking in my constituency and also reassure those groups and my constituents that mental health services for men will be a priority for his government? | ||
| Can I thank him for raising this crucial issue? | ||
| Across the House, I know members will have their own personal and tragic experiences of suicide. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we've launched a call for evidence on our men's health strategy, which will improve men's health in all parts of the country, including tackling devastatingly high suicide rates. | ||
| We're also investing £26 million in new mental health crisis centres, funding talking therapies for 380,000 more people and recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The plans to upgrade St Helier Hospital, including the delivery of a new specialist emergency care building, have been put back by 10 years. | ||
| Now, I'm talking to the Trust about a way to bring all or part of those plans forward, but in the meantime, they have a very real fear that some of the buildings on the existing estate are at risk of catastrophic failure before the decade is out. | ||
| So, can the government reassure me that they'll work with the local trust on the plan to maintain and adapt the existing estate to ensure that St Heli Hospital can survive all the way through to the major works being complete? | ||
| The Honourable Member's constituents have been badly let down by the previous government's empty promises, which we're never going to deliver. | ||
| We put the new hospitals programme on a sustainable financial footing, increasing the NHS capital budget to record levels so we can address the backlog of critical maintenance repairs and upgrades. | ||
| I'll make sure that he gets a meeting with the relevant minister to discuss the particular case. | ||
| Miller Neal. | ||
| Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Great Grimsby and Cleethorpe is the renewable energy capital of England, delivering homegrown, secure energy and boosting local skills. | ||
| Over 12,000 people are employed in a clean energy job in Greater Lincolnshire. | ||
| But these jobs are now under threat from Reform's new mayor, who has declared war on renewables, putting livelihoods at risk. | ||
| What steps will the Prime Minister take to protect jobs by supporting the supply chain and delivery of renewable projects? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, she's a superb champion for energy security, driving down bills and the good secure jobs that renewables offer. | ||
| The parties opposite are climate defeatists, anti-jobs, anti-growth, anti-business, and anti-investment. | ||
| They should go and peddle their policies to the tens of thousands of people, working people in this country, working in renewables every single day. | ||
| They don't think that Britain has the skills and they would deny us incredible opportunities. | ||
| We're focused on securing billions in investment, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and taking us off the roller coaster of an international fossil fuels. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| A constituent of mine, Victor Franklin, was made severely disabled after a savage drug attack left him with multiple amputations. | ||
| Will the Prime Minister explain why pensioners like Victor, who become severely disabled after retirement, are excluded from claiming personal independence payments and are instead limited to the lesser support of attendance allowance? | ||
| And will he commit to reviewing this unfair rule? | ||
| Can I send my thoughts to Victor in the awful circumstances that she describes? | ||
| It must be extremely challenging. | ||
| We do have to reform the system that we've got. | ||
| It's not working. | ||
| I think there's a general agreement about that. | ||
| But the principles have to be clear: that we protect and secure those that need that protection and security. | ||
| We help those who can work into work, and those who can work should work. | ||
| But we have to reform the system that we've got to make it a better system because what we've got doesn't work. | ||
| Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Every week, I meet families in Barking and Dagenham who tell me that they worry about paying for their bills because they are on a zero-hour contract. | ||
| My constituents want the chance to work hard in a secure job, earn a decent wage, and have dignity in their workplace. | ||
| As Labour plans for change delivers the biggest uplift in workers' rights in a generation, does the Prime Minister agree with me that reform MPs working and voting against our employment rights bill show that they are no friend of workers in this country? | ||
| She's absolutely right. | ||
| Let's be clear what the parties opposite voted against. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Stronger statutory sick pay, they voted against. | |
| The right to guarantee hours, they voted against. | ||
| Protection from unfair dismissal, they voted against. | ||
| Stronger protection for pregnant mothers, they voted against. | ||
| Insecure work, a package worth £600 to the poorest workers, they voted against. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we're backing British workers. | ||
| They vote against them at every turn. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| Maternity services in Yeovo are due to shut on Monday after a deeply fawed CQC inspection in January and be moved to Mostgrove Park Hospital in Torton, which does not have the capacity for an extra 1,300 births a year. | ||
| While the closure is initially for six months, I've received no guarantee it will open again. | ||
| This creates huge fear. | ||
| Will the Prime Minister or relative minister agree to meet with me and colleagues in the southwest to stop this decision? | ||
| Prime Minister. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm grateful to him for raising this issue, which must be of concern. | ||
| I'm not across the details of it, I'm afraid, at this stage, but I will make sure that he gets a meeting with the relevant minister to get to the bottom of the issue that he's described. | ||
| That completes Prime Minister's questions. | ||
| On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer answers questions from members of the House of Commons on domestic and foreign policy. | ||
| You can watch Prime Minister's Question Time live at 7 a.m. Eastern on C-SPAN 2. | ||
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| President Trump talked about the importance of the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia after a defense agreement was signed between the two countries. | ||
| He also said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would travel to Turkey for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and announced he would be lifting all sanctions against Syria. | ||
| President Trump joined government ministers, cabinet members, and CEOs from other countries to discuss economic collaboration at the Saudi U.S. Investment Forum In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| I gladly stand up next to you and they mend her still today. |