Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
Last Thursday marked the two-year anniversary of the publication of the Grenfell Tower inquiry phase 2 report. We remain committed to ensuring that the Grenfell tragedy is not forgotten and never happens again, and we will continue to work closely with the community and the building industry as we d…
I have great sympathy with what the hon. Member says, and the Housing Minister has just indicated that he would be happy to meet him. That is something that we want to tackle. We have been very clear on service charges and fleecehold, and we will make sure that we bring forward legislation that prot…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Local Government Reorganisation: Devon
I have asked the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon) to undertake a rapid review of the local government reorganisation programme. I have withdrawn the decisions made in March this year for four…
I hope that local MPs and councils will be engaged. I have made a commitment, which I will go into further in the statement after this Question Time. It is about making sure that we make the right choices for local areas. Where costs have been incurred, there will be conversations with my Department…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Housing: Stockport
We are building the homes this country needs through our £39 billion social and affordable homes programme, the £16 billion in the National Housing Bank and the most ambitious planning reforms in a generation. The Greater Manchester combined authority and its fantastic new mayor has received £258 mi…
My hon. Friend is a great advocate for his constituency, which includes the town of my birth. I have fond memories of Lanky Hill as a child—it was where my nan lived. We announced initial allocations of the social and affordable homes programme that will support the delivery of tens of thousands of …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
5 contributions
Planning: Green Spaces
rose—
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am delighted to have been appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and it is great to be back answering questions from this Dispatch Box—in fact, I like it so much that I thought we would do a statement straight afterwards as well. I pay tri…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 September 2026
35 contributions
Local Government Reorganisation
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on local government reorganisation. This Government are committed to delivering good growth across the country and power in every postcode, with places able to set their own ambitions and integrate services to meet people’s needs. Achieving that r…
They will get their chance, Mr Speaker.
+33 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 September 2026
3 contributions
Building Homes and Renewing Communities
The Prime Minister has this week set out our plan to bring back hope, after a decade of decline. Today I want to update the House on the first steps that my Department is taking to rise to these new challenges.
We know that the sense of decline that people feel runs deep. The causes are not straigh…
I welcome the hon. Member to her place, and I look forward to facing her across the Dispatch Box in the months to come. She comes with a good, strong track record: I believe her grandparents met while they were delivering leaflets for the Labour party—so that’s a good start! I welcome her tone, in p…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
4 February 2026
Lord Mandelson
Given the public disgust, the sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson, and the importance of transparency, in 2022 I proposed a Humble Address, seeking information about personal protective equipment, which the Conservative party resisted—my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Da…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
4 contributions
Employment Rights Bill
What message does it send to the British public when 33 hereditary peers defeat the Government by 24 votes on a manifesto promise? Some of the wealthiest are blocking measures on sick pay for some of the lowest earners, which will miss the April deadline. Should we not get on—go through the night if…
I know where this came from—the new deal for working people—and so do businesses and the trade unions. As the Minister pointed out, there have been discussions, and they came to that conclusion. What is it about protecting people from unfair dismissal that the shadow Minister has a problem with?
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
Employment Rights Bill
To the shadow Secretary of State’s point, of course I declare an interest as a trade union member. Like millions of people who have been wanting this Bill for many years—as my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr Rand) said, the Conservatives failed to deliver following promise af…
Commons
Debate
5 November 2025
Employment Rights Bill
I refer hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am proud to declare an interest as a lifelong trade unionist in the labour movement, which has helped me to get where I am today. Let me start by placing on record my thanks to my right hon. Friend the Member for Sta…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 October 2025
Personal Statement
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a personal statement.
When I made my maiden speech over a decade ago, I said that it was the honour of my life to represent Ashton-under-Lyne in this House. Alongside serving in this historic Labour Government, it is still the honour of my life…
Commons
Debate
2 September 2025
18 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.
This Government were elected on a manifesto to deliver change—real change for working people; change that people can see and feel around them. That means more money in their pockets, decent jobs, new homes, good transport links, thriving high …
I am really disappointed, because I thought that the previous Government were the ones to turbocharge devolution, and we are moving on that agenda. We actually do believe that devolution is a good thing and that these measures will enable mayors and local areas to be empowered more to drive that gro…
+16 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
6 contributions
Topical Questions
I was pleased that the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill had its First Reading last Thursday. That landmark Bill will bring a radical reset to local government, deliver on our manifesto commitment to decentralise power, ignite regional growth with streamlined powers for mayors, and s…
Let me cover that point. Mayors serve many millions of people and manage multimillion-pound budgets, yet can be elected by just a fraction of the vote under the previous Government’s changes—despite the fact that the supplementary vote system had worked effectively for over a decade. Given that the …
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
4 contributions
Building Social and Affordable Homes
We announced a record £39 billion investment into the new social and affordable homes programme at the spending review, which will create around 300,000 new homes over 10 years. Earlier this month, we published a five step plan that sets out how we will deliver the biggest increase in social housing…
My hon. Friend is absolutely right that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unlock a new scale of housing and infrastructure delivery across all tenures to help build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament. We are also taking action in the Bill to improve local decision making by modernising pla…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
8 contributions
Leasehold Reform
May I start by sending my thoughts and prayers to everyone involved in yesterday’s incident at Southend airport?
We remain committed to giving leaseholders greater rights, powers and protections in respect of their homes, and bringing the feudal leasehold system to an end. We have made significant …
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this issue. Many Members from across the House have found that too many leaseholders suffer as a result of poor-quality services from managing agents. We are consulting on proposals to strengthen the regulation of managing agents, including a proposal to m…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
25 June 2025
30 contributions
Engagements
I have been asked to reply as my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister is attending the NATO summit in The Hague. At this time of international volatility, we are working with our allies to de-escalate tensions in the middle east and ensure that the conflict does not further intensify. Ou…
First, it is nice to face the latest wannabe at the Dispatch Box. I will tell the right hon. Member why we are pressing ahead with our reforms: it is because we are investing a billion pounds in tailored employment support, in a “right to try” in order to help more people back into work, and in endi…
+28 more contributions in this session
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
18 June 2025
27 contributions
Engagements
I have been asked to reply, as my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister has been attending the G7 summit in Canada. In an era of global instability, we are working with our partners to urge de-escalation in the middle east, to put pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire, and to deliver…
The situation in the middle east is fast-moving and deeply concerning, and there is clear potential for a significant and rapid worsening of the situation. In every step we take, we will always be guided by the safety of British nationals and the UK national interest. That is why we have deployed je…
+25 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
5 contributions
Topical Questions
As the Planning and Infrastructure Bill enters its remaining stages in the Commons, I thank my hon. Friend the Housing Minister and Members across the House for their continued work on this important piece of legislation that will get Britain building again.
This weekend marks the eighth anniversar…
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. The Government are committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure that new developments provide the necessary infrastructure that communities expect. We will set out further details in due course. Earlier I mentioned the changes to …
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
7 contributions
Social Housing Supply
In our first eight months in office, we have announced £800 million in new funding for the affordable homes programme and £2 billion as a down payment on future investment. The previous Government handed back precious cash for social and affordable homes. This Government will get those homes built. …
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have a housing crisis in this country, and it is felt particularly acutely by those who need social and council housing. That is why we have been absolutely clear that we want to deliver the biggest increase to social and affordable housing in a generation. We …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
3 contributions
New Unitary Authorities
Local government reorganisation will lead to better outcomes for residents and save a significant amount of money that can be reinvested in public services and improve accountability. It is for councils to develop robust, financially sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whol…
As set out in the invitation letters, and as with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation, but the Government accept that Woking and Thurrock councils hold significant unsupported debt that cannot be managed loca…
+1 more contribution in this session