- 11:02 am
- Will the Leader of the House give us the upcoming business?
- The business for the week commencing 22 June will include:Monday 22 June—Remaining stages of the Armed Forces Bill.Tuesday 23 June—Opposition day (first allotted day). Debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition. Subject to be announced.Wednesday 24 June—Debate on motions to approve ways and means resolutions relating to the taxation of energy and vehicles, followed by debate on motions to approve the draft Carbon Budget Order 2026, the draft Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and Shipping) Regulations 2026 and the draft Climate Change Act 2008 (Credit Limit) Order 2026.Thursday 25 June—General debate on Windrush day 2026, followed by general debate on the diagnosis and treatment of PANS, or paediatric acute-onset neuro- psychiatric syndrome, and PANDAS—paediatric auto- immune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee.Friday 26 June—The House will not be sitting.The provisional business for the week commencing 29 June includes:Monday 29 June—Estimates day (first allotted day). Subject to the agreement of the House, there will be debates on estimates relating to the Cabinet Office, in so far as it relates to security and resilience; the Northern Ireland Office; and the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, in so far as it relates to criminal justice.
- It is a pleasure to be responding again to the Leader of the House. It is the day after England started their world cup campaign, and it is fair to say that they already have our hopes up; I am a bit cheered out.Today, many of our colleagues are pounding the pavement for the by-elections. I am sure that the Leader of the House is waiting with bated breath to see if the self-anointed king of the north is shortly to begin his long march south to save the Labour party from the Greens. Or maybe the Leader of the House is waiting more keenly for the next intervention from the former Health Secretary, the right hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting), bemoaning the Prime Minister’s“poor leadership, poor judgment and bad politics”.While the comedy of errors of this Labour Government is playing out, the serious issues facing our country go unaddressed: grooming gangs, the murder of Henry Nowak, the two-tier justice system, benefits Britain and, in particular, the irresponsible failure of the Prime Minister and this Labour Government to support our armed forces with a defence investment plan fit for the dangerous world we face.The Prime Minister and the Labour Government are prepared to see our veterans subjected to continuing persecution and relentless lawfare. It is a failure of leadership. It is a failure to put our country before party. It is a failure to put our brave servicemen and women before personal political survival. It is a failure to protect those who have fought to keep us safe and free.
- I welcome the hon. Lady to her place. I will get to her remarks in just a second, but before I do, may I say that I was saddened to hear this week of the passing of Roy Hattersley, former deputy Labour leader? It is an overused word, but he was a true giant of the Labour party, and he will be remembered for his role in reforming it. He gave decades of service, and I send my condolences to his friends and family.I am sure that the whole House will join me in sending condolences to the family and colleagues of PC Jess Turnbull, a Northumbria police officer who was killed on duty. Police officers risk their lives each day to help people and make a difference. PC Turnbull was a committed and dedicated officer, and she will be sorely missed.I congratulate the parliamentarians and those associated with Parliament who were recognised in the King’s birthday honours last week. It is right and proper that people who make an exemplary contribution to public service are recognised in the way that many others across our country are recognised.This week, we have announced that social media will be banned for under-16s. We are going further than any country in the world, and we are putting wider protections in place to give young people their childhood back. Yesterday, this House passed the National Security (State Threats) Bill. Many Members have raised the issue of national security with me in this forum, so they will be pleased to see that the Bill gave the Home Secretary new counter-terrorism-style powers to stand up to foreign state organisations and state-linked groups that threaten the UK’s national security and the safety of our communities.
- Many of my constituents rely on the 96, the 428 and the 492 bus routes, which serve Darent Valley hospital and Bluewater shopping centre. Reform-led Kent county council proposed a substantial increase to its bus tax, which Transport for London bus services pay to use the fast-track bus way at Bluewater. That is putting services at risk that many of my residents and those in neighbouring constituencies rely on to access the hospital and the shopping centre. Does the Leader of the House agree that it is vital that Kent county council reconsiders its proposal, and that Transport for London works with local MPs and the local council to ensure that these essential bus routes are safeguarded for my constituents?
- My hon. Friend is absolutely right to bring this matter to the House’s attention. Buses are the most used form of public transport, and they are a lifeline for many communities. The last Conservative Government’s record on bus routes is appalling. They raised fares and left communities stranded, and I am sorry that the Reform councillors appear to be following that example. I hope that they have heard my hon. Friend’s remarks today and that they reconsider their decision.
- I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
- Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is a pleasure to be here for business questions once again, subbing for my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean).Last week the NHS published the first ever official figures on corridor care, which ripped off the plaster and revealed a scandal that many of us have seen at first hand. In one month, patients across the country were treated in corridors at least 69,000 times, and that is with major trusts such as Birmingham failing to share their figures. The practice has become dangerously normalised across our NHS. We on the Lib Dem Benches believe that amounts to serious and continual negligence, and Ministers should be held to account before a corridor care tribunal of patients, bereaved families and frontline NHS staff.Behind every one of those numbers is an NHS trust or a hospital starved of resources and capital funds, and a social care system in crisis that leaves hospitals full of people who cannot leave, despite being desperate to do so, because the care package they need is not available. Meanwhile, A&E waiting rooms are heaving with patients waiting to be seen. Nowhere is the crumbling estate behind this crisis clearer than at Stepping Hill hospital in my patch, with its growing £134 million repair backlog. There have been collapsing ceilings, leaking roofs that forced the temporary closure of the intensive care unit, and times when just four of the 14 lifts were working, meaning that anyone using a wheelchair was unable to visit a higher-floor ward and that patients were carried up and down stairs in scoops.
- Let me be clear: no one should receive care in a corridor. The situation we inherited is unacceptable and undignified, and we are determined to end it. That is why, for the first time, we are publishing the data to show where problems are greatest and to ensure that trusts get the support they need. We are also taking action, investing £450 million to expand urgent and emergency care services. Although there is still a way to go, ambulance response times are now the fastest they have been in five years. The hon. Lady asked for a debate. The Health Bill has just gone into Committee— I think its first sitting is today—so I am sure there will be ample opportunity, both in Committee and when the Bill returns to this House, to debate the matters she raises.
- It has been quite the month for races in my constituency. A couple of weeks ago we saw the Consett cycle race from the Derwent reservoir to Consett town centre, and on 9 June we had the famous Blaydon race, with over 5,000 taking part. Both races, centred in the local community, are important parts of our local spirit. Those magnificent events highlight just how deeply residents across Blaydon and Consett value their shared identity. Will the Leader of the House allow a debate in Government time on central funding for regional heritage events and projects?
- I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that to the attention of the House. She is right that ensuring that communities can come together is vital, and the Government are providing funding to help local areas breathe life back into their high streets and restore community pride—not only by giving them investment, but by allowing them to make the choices. Hers is a very beautiful part of the country, and I know that many Members will see the benefits of those community events and of commemorating both the Consett cycle race and the Blaydon race. I recommend an Adjournment debate as the best way to discuss how beautiful her constituency is and to find out how much the Government support what she aspires to.
- I call the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee.
- In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, next Thursday, in the Chamber, there will be a statement from the Work and Pensions Committee on its recent report. The Backbench Business Committee received eight high-quality bids for estimates day debates, and we had to disappoint two. As the Leader of the House announced, we have allocated three debates on each day. I make a plea to him to avoid Government statements on those two days, because the debates are well subscribed and Back Benchers will want to have their say about the estimates.The Backbench business in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 23 June will be a debate on fly-tipping in residential areas and the associated impacts. On Thursday 25 June there will be a statement from the Select Committee on Housing, Communities and Local Government, followed by a debate on the national lung cancer screening programme, followed by a debate on ports and port connectivity. On Tuesday 30 June there will be a debate on Government support for removing unlawful storefronts from, and regenerating, local high streets. On Thursday 2 July there will be a debate on reducing premature deaths from heart disease and stroke, followed by a debate on Government plans to tackle air pollution.Given my experience this morning, I was tempted to ask the Leader of the House for a statement on the performance of London Underground, but as that is a devolved responsibility to the failed Mayor of London, I have something much more joyous to relate: Sunday will be the International Day of Yoga, which has been celebrated across the world since 2015 and will be celebrated next week in Parliament. Personally, I do my yoga stretches first thing in the morning when I wake up. Yoga is now recognised by the national health service as extremely valuable to individual health, and I recommend it to everyone. May we have a statement next week, presumably from a Health Minister, on the benefits of yoga for personal health?
- I thank the hon. Gentleman for the work of his Committee and for his update to the House on the business for which it is responsible. I certainly hear what he says about statements on the days of the estimates day debates. I am keen to ensure as much time as possible for those debates to go ahead and for people to take part, but there is sometimes a difficult balance to strike, as he knows, between allowing for debates and keeping the House updated on matters.I can tell the House that I do not do yoga stretches of a morning—that will come as a surprise to many, I know—but I will certainly think about it. People get into all sorts of positions in this place, don’t they? I had better stop this before it goes any further, but my understanding is that yoga has a calming effect, so maybe the Commission could consider the question of introducing it as part of what we do in the House before we start our business.
- The Ashington, Blyth and Tyne train line, which was closed during the Beeching cuts of the ’60s, reopened in December 2024 and has already been used by more than 1.5 million passengers. There is a burning desire to extend the line to the coast at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, via Woodhorn colliery. Can we have a debate in Government time on the merits and the social and economic benefits of well-supported local train lines and infrastructure to my communities in the likes of Ashington, Blyth and Bedlington and to other communities across the country?
- I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that line in the House, and I pay tribute to him for all his hard work to secure it. I also pay tribute to the hard work of our late hon. Friend Ronnie Campbell, who worked extraordinarily hard on the project while he was a Member of this House. He was much respected and is much missed.The Government are bringing rail services back into public ownership to ensure that our railways work for all the communities they serve. I recommend that my hon. Friend seeks an Adjournment debate to make his case not just about the remarkable success of the current line, but about its potential for expansion in the area he represents.