Lucy Powell
MP for Manchester Central · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“I gave a 10-minute statement to the House last week and I answered questions for 90 minutes. I think that gave a very clear account of what I want to do. The Opposition want to defend their narrowing and narrowing of the curriculum without accepting responsibility for the effects of that.”
“I think we need to do all these things. Alan Milburn was clear that education was “the faltering foundation”. We are seeing too many young people leave school without the qualifications that they need to get either an apprenticeship or into work. That is why there are so many NEETs.”
“I say gently to the hon. Lady that we do not just have more than a million young people not in education, employment or training—most of whom were educated under the Conservatives—but 1.5 million students persistently absent from school; a stubborn disadvantage gap, which did not close on their watch; widening regional attainment gaps; an…”
“Today we are introducing a once-in-a-generation change to school food, making it tastier and healthier and giving over half a million more children free school meals. We have worked with schools, pupils, parents and many more to ensure that these meals are of good quality, attractive to children and deliverable for schools.”
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising these issues so frequently. He is right: the current system is not working for parents, and it is not working for children. It is far too adversarial, there are too many delays, and parents often find that they cannot obtain the support that they want at the end of it.”
“As I have said, I am determined that we get these things right. Two things can be true at the same time: I feel the system is unfair and in need of reform, but we also have to put that in the context of the wider public finances and all the pressures and priorities that fall on them.”
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“That is the argument that the shadow Leader of the House was proposing—I am sorry, but we put that argument to bed a long time ago, as I think the Chair of the Committee on Standards agrees. If colleagues, cross-party, support the ICGS and the improvements in behaviour and culture that it has brought to this House, and if they want to see that body becoming more effective and having more timely and quality investigations, they really need to support today’s motion. As others have said, we all have a duty to ensure that this is a workplace where people can work safely and securely, free from bullying, harassment and bad behaviour.”
“These proposals were put forward by an independent review—to which all political parties and all Members of this House had the opportunity to contribute—of an independent grievance scheme, which has rightly improved behaviour and standards. They are not my proposals; they are independent proposals. This body will not be setting the rules—that is just wrong. It will be looking at procedures, and at how they can be streamlined and made more effective. As I have just said, the rules—that is, the policies—will continue to be set by this House. It is about time we moved on from the age-old argument that Members of this House have a right to behave however they want and the only time they are accountable for that is at the ballot box five years later.”
“Friend the Member for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner), I put on record my thanks to the trade union reps who operate in this House. They should absolutely be involved, through the stakeholder group, in a formal consultation about any changes to procedure. After this debate, I will approach the ICGS to ask it to consider allowing the trade unions to attend meetings of the assurance board in the same capacity in which they come to the House of Commons Commission to make representations, because that will be important. Finally, I want to take on the arguments made by the shadow Leader of the House. First, these are not my proposals—they are not Government proposals. This is a motion on the business of the House in my name, because that is how such motions get to the Floor of the House.”
“That is not just a matter for the Modernisation Committee; it is a matter for the political parties as well, and we are making progress in that regard—particularly with the Labour party, which is keen to engage with the issue. I will not detain colleagues much longer, but I will pick up on a few points that have been raised. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Rachel Blake) for her brilliant contribution, and for all the work that she is doing on the House of Commons Commission and the assurance board. As ever, I thank my colleague on the commission and the Modernisation Committee, the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Marie Goldman), who made an excellent contribution on why the amendments are gutting amendments, which we should not support. In response to my hon.”
“The issue of scope was covered in the Kernaghan review. Kernaghan made it clear that the scope of the ICGS in when a case involves any two or more members of the parliamentary community. Perhaps there have been times when that scope has been unintentionally narrowed operationally. What the Modernisation Committee is considering is recommendation 3, which relates to a memorandum of understanding between the political parties and the ICGS in relation to how they deal with complaints. I think we can all agree that when complaints are within the scope of the ICGS, they should go to the ICGS and not to political parties, which, unfortunately, have shown themselves not able to deal with such complaints in the same way.”
“The provisional business for the week commencing 23 June will include: Monday 23 June—General debate on Pride Month. Tuesday 24 June—Estimates day (2nd allotted day). Wednesday 25 June—Estimates day (3rd allotted day). At 7 pm the House will be asked to agree all outstanding estimates. Thursday 26 June—Proceedings on the Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) (No. 2) Bill, followed by general debate on Armed Forces Day. Friday 27 June—The House will not be sitting.”
“The business for next week is as follows: Monday 16 June—Motion relating to the House of Commons independent complaints and grievance scheme, followed by a general debate on Windrush Day 2025. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Tuesday 17 June—Remaining stages of the Crime and Policing Bill (day one). Wednesday 18 June—Remaining stages of the Crime and Policing Bill (day two). Thursday 19 June—Motion to approve the draft Licensing Act 2003 (UEFA Women’s European Football Championship Licensing Hours) Order 2025, followed by general debate on incontinence, followed by general debate on water safety education. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 20 June—Private Member’s Bills.”
“It was only when Labour was last in government that we reached the heights of 2.5%. In contrast to the Conservatives’ fantasy economics, yesterday’s spending allocations were all within the envelope that we set out in the Budget last year, so we are really clear where the money is coming from. As ever, their economic argument is utterly incoherent. On the one hand, they say that we are spending too much, and on the other that we are not spending even more on police and defence. They criticise us on growth, yet they do not want the investment to turbocharge our productivity and, therefore, our growth. We are the party with a plan—a plan to renew Britain, a plan to raise living standards in every part of the country, a plan to get our public services back on their feet and a plan to give people the security they need in their homes.”
“Finally, we continue to boost the NHS, which has already resulted in waiting lists coming down month after month. The right hon. Gentleman wants to talk about choices, so let us talk about those choices. We would not have been able to set those things out if we had not made the difficult changes to taxes that we made in the Budget last year. He seems to want more spending for the police and defence—I think that is what he was saying—but he does not want to make the hard decisions about where the money will come from. He mentions yet again the 2.5% of spending on defence, which this Government are delivering, but he might want to remind himself of when defence spending reached 2.5% in the last 20 years. Was it in any of the 14 years for which his Government were in office? No, it was not.”
“That includes the biggest investment in affordable and social housing in 50 years; nuclear and renewable infrastructure transforming communities around the country; the north finally getting the rail connectivity it deserves; and every community getting better buses. Schools and hospitals are being rebuilt for the 21st century, based not on fictional budgets and economics but on actual plans to deliver them. We are addressing today’s cost of living crisis, too, with our warm homes plan to bring down bills, by extending free school meals and free breakfast clubs, with more free childcare, with a cap on bus fares and by increasing the wages of the lowest paid—with wages going up more in the first 10 months of this Labour Government than they did in 10 years of the Conservative Government.”
“In my part of the world and yours, Mr Speaker, that has been particularly true. Towns and cities across the north and the midlands have been held back by woeful transport infrastructure that would be unacceptable to people in the south; held back by the lack of job opportunities near where they live; held back by poor, insecure and costly housing; held back because they are not getting the training and skills they need; and held back because their life chances are lower as a result of deep-seated inequalities. That cannot be addressed overnight, and we are not pretending that it will be, but we have a long-term plan for renewal.”
“I am really happy, as ever, to debate the right hon. Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman) on the economy. He used to be a Treasury Minister and he is well read. He knows, I am sure, what every economist in this country knows, which is that for many, many years, the UK economy has been defined by low growth and stagnant living standards, because of our comparatively low productivity. That is because we have had years and years of under-investment in our infrastructure, in our services, in our regions and in our people. This Labour Government are finally putting that right with a 10-year renewal plan to rebuild Britain and address the productivity gap. I am not sure whether the Conservatives really understand basic economics, because they are showing no sign of it.”
“I know that as a former patron of rugby league, you felt very strongly indeed that it was about time rugby league was recognised in this way, and you might want to mention that later. Given that I know it is of great interest to the House, I am pleased to update colleagues on the ratification of the BBNJ—biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction—oceans treaty. Our oceans are dying, and without urgent action they will be irreversibly destroyed. I am proud to confirm to the House today that this Labour Government will introduce legislation before the end of the year to ratify the high seas treaty and protect marine life around the world. We were all shocked by Sir David Attenborough’s film about the destruction caused by bottom trawling, which this Government will ban in protected British waters.”
“I start by saying that the thoughts of the whole House and the Government will be with the families of those travelling on flight AI171 from Ahmedabad in India to London Gatwick, which has reportedly crashed. This is an unfolding story, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern to the many families and communities here and those waiting for the arrival of their loved ones. We send our deepest sympathies and thoughts to all those families, and the Government will provide all the support that they can to those affected in India and in this country. I congratulate Billy Boston on receiving a knighthood for his services to rugby league—during your birthday week, Mr Speaker.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise the difficult issue of the Junction pub in his constituency. We all hear those stories time and again. We want to give local communities more powers to have the right to acquire such facilities, and for those powers to be exercised more quickly than they currently are. We are bringing forward legislation in that regard, but he might want to club together with others to get a debate on the issue.”
“I thank the hon. Lady for expressing her thoughts on the India crash as well. She raises an important issue about adequate police funding. All our constituents want to see more police on the streets and crime in their communities coming down. This Government are committed to more visible police on the streets and to increasing neighbourhood police numbers by 13,000. Yesterday’s spending review announced an above-inflation increase in police funding of 2.3%, which we believe is an adequate settlement for the police. The hon. Lady is right, however, that we need to bring forward reforms to make sure that we have better distribution of funding and that we can have efficiency savings on police procurement and other issues. We will, as is our commitment, bring forward legislation in that regard in due course.”
“Access to banking and financial services remains a huge issue for many MPs across the House. I am pleased to hear that my hon. Friend has a new banking hub in Penistone, but I recognise that Chapeltown needs that service too. We are rolling out 350 banking hubs. Over 100 of those are already open. There was a well-subscribed debate on this issue in the House last week, but I will ensure that the relevant Minister gives her an update on the banking hubs in her constituency.”
“We have two days of debate on the Crime and Policing Bill next week. There are further measures in that Bill in relation to attacks on places of worship and on memorials, which would include religious memorials. I recognise that the hon. Gentleman wants further action on these issues, so if he does not get a chance to raise them with the Home Secretary next week, I will raise them for him.”
“May I first send my thoughts to the hon. Gentleman’s constituents? When I first heard of the crash, I thought of him, knowing the demographic of his constituency. If any of his constituents need help and support, the Foreign Office, the authorities and the Government here stand ready to support them. I thank him for announcing future Back-Bench business, particularly the estimates days, which are important debates in the calendar year. I am sorry to hear about the attack on three young boys innocently playing cricket in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency. He raises these issues time and again in the House. I am sure the whole House will join me in sending the clear and strong message that we absolutely stand against any kind of sectarian religious hate or violence like that and that we will take whatever steps necessary to eradicate it.”
“I am absolutely delighted to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Glasgow City football club on its achievements and I wish the team all the very best in their European campaign. Women’s football and grassroots women’s sport are discussed regularly in this House, and I am sure that she will continue to raise those matters.”
“The Government are committed to introducing the most ambitious programme of animal welfare in a generation. I am not aware of the particular regulation that the right hon. Gentleman mentions, but I will ensure that he gets a full response from the Minister and that it is made available for everybody else.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising the issue of homeschooling. She is right to say that many families provide high-quality and important education for their children where it is not available to them in the mainstream. I am sure that she will agree that we must tackle absenteeism in school, which is particularly rife since covid, and that we need to get more children back into mainstream education. Although children are home- schooled for good reason, some are not safe at home, and we must take steps to deal with that.”
“I am not quite sure that I understand what that race is, but it sounds very unique to Knaresborough, and I will take an interest now that the hon. Gentleman has raised it with me. That would make a good topic for a debate.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As I said earlier, the lack of investment in many of our northern towns and cities has really held those communities back. I am well aware of the challenges in Rossendale and Darwen and how much his constituency could flourish if it had better rail and road connectivity, and I look forward to working with him on that.”
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that with me again. I have looked at these issues closely since he and others raised them with me last week. As he will be aware, with the Diego Garcia agreement and the global ocean treaty, ratification depends on this Government implementing many of the commitments that are made in that treaty. That is why the CRAG process, as well as legislation, is required in both cases. There will be a Bill brought forward on the Diego Garcia agreement, and therefore this House will have ample opportunity to debate its merits and vote on it.”
“I am really sorry to hear of the case in my hon. Friend’s constituency. She is absolutely right to raise that here and with others. It sounds like a good topic for a debate, because I am sure we would all want to know that our children were safe on school transport.”
“Yes, we have just had a good debate on it! This issue comes up often—it has already come up today. We have banking hub deserts in Scotland and the rest of the UK. We are committed to addressing that with the opening of banking hubs. We will, I am sure, have ample opportunity as various pieces of legislation pass through the House to discuss any changes to regulations, but I will ensure the hon. Gentleman gets a proper response about those regulations.”
“I join my hon. Friend in hoping that everybody who goes to the horse fair in his constituency does so for the right reasons and because they want to celebrate that event, rather than to cause criminality or antisocial behaviour—I am sure we all recognise that. We want to take steps to clamp down on antisocial behaviour and give the police more powers to do that, and that is what our Crime and Policing Bill will do. I hope that everything passes off well for his constituents.”
“It is good to hear the hon. Gentleman supporting our spending review measures yesterday and the increased funding that we are providing to the NHS in both capital and revenue. That is to tackle the issues that he describes: the chronic underfunding of our A&E over many years, and the unacceptable delays that many people face in accident and emergency departments around the country—my husband works in one, so I am well aware of the issues. I look forward to the hon. Gentleman voting with us when we implement the spending review. There will be a statement shortly on how that money is being allocated.”
“As I have said, the Government remain very much focused on fulfilling our commitment to the Hillsborough families—and indeed to many other families affected by injustices and scandals—and to bringing forward and enacting a Hillsborough law, which of course includes a duty of candour. Most importantly, we need to ensure that we get the legislation right, and that it reflects the full range of concerns and experiences and meets the expectations of the families. We are working on the Bill at pace, but we will take whatever time is necessary to work collaboratively and get the legislation right.”
“I am sorry to hear that some of the hon. Lady’s constituents are facing challenges moving from legacy benefits to universal credit. She will be aware that the Government made changes to the debt aspect of universal credit, which put money in the pockets of many people in that situation, but I will ensure that she gets a full update on where we are up to.”
“That sounds like a really interesting proposal, which my hon. Friend is right to raise. This country has now given sanctuary to more than 300,000 Ukrainians since the war broke out, of which I am sure we are all incredibly proud. We all recognise the contribution that they are making to our country. I will ensure that a Minister from the Department for Education gives him a reply about the new school.”
“As a constituency MP—I represent Manchester Central—I am well aware that parking charges in local communities cause a great deal of contention among our constituents. I am not sure about the reasons behind that decision in Ilkley, but local authorities are balancing the needs of a range of different residents on these matters. It would make a popular topic for a well-subscribed debate.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising the issue. He is aware that we took the difficult decision to raise employers’ national insurance contributions so that we could get our NHS back on its feet, and that is what we have been doing since the Budget. We are providing the support needed against any knock-on effects to social care providers and key charities, particularly through the additional boost that we have given to local authorities in their funding. He may want to raise this issue with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who will be in the Chamber shortly.”
“I am sorry to hear about the experiences that the hon. Lady’s constituents have had under ECO4. The Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, my hon. Friend the Member for Peckham (Miatta Fahnbulleh), made a statement to the House a few weeks ago, when this Government uncovered the real challenges of the previous scheme, which had been introduced under the previous Government, and the poor level of some work that had been carried out. We are taking steps to put that right and ensure that we learn all the lessons from that for the next phase, and I know that the Minister will be keen to keep the House constantly updated on that.”
“Absolutely. I join my hon. Friend in wishing the factory a happy birthday and I am delighted to hear about the extra investment in British Sugar in his constituency. It highlights how important it is to get such investment and new jobs into communities such as his, so that his residents can access the good jobs of the future. I am sure it will give us all a very sweet aftertaste.”
“I absolutely join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating Darren Knox and wishing him the very best as he participates in the common riding. I did not know of that great tradition in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency until he mentioned it to me, and it sounds like a fantastic thing to celebrate.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. What has happened in our waterways in recent years—the pollution and the discharges—is absolutely shocking. I am so proud that one of the first acts of this Labour Government was to introduce the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which is now an Act. That has given us the powers to tackle the erroneous and unwarranted bonuses of water companies such as United Utilities, and I am really glad to see the Act in action.”
“I am sorry to hear of the struggles that Voices in the hon. Lady’s constituency is experiencing. She will know that this Government are absolutely committed to halving violence against women and girls over the next 10 years. That is an incredibly ambitious agenda, and of course it includes working with the voluntary and charitable sector. I will ensure that the Minister for Safeguarding gives the hon. Lady a full reply about that charity.”
“I absolutely join my hon. Friend in thanking and congratulating all those who worked to reinstate that important memorial, and commemorating all those who gave their lives and sacrificed so much to keep this country safe in many ways. We have a general debate on Armed Forces Day on 26 June, and I am looking at requests that I have had from other Members about a particular debate for VJ Day before we break up for the summer recess.”
“I know from dear family members of the plight of those who suffer from arthritis and the huge impact it can have on their lives and their ability to work and live a happy and long life. We can do a huge range of things for arthritis, such as new treatments, prevention and early diagnosis, and I am sure that a Minister will want to come forward to this House with a whole strategy.”
“I am sorry to hear that the testing facility in my hon. Friend’s constituency closed under the last Government, despite their previous commitments to it. He will be aware that we will soon set out the 10-year NHS strategy, and as part of that I am sure that my hon. Friend will want to put those kinds of questions to the Secretary of State.”
“The hon. Gentleman will know that the Foreign Secretary, the Prime Minister and many others raise human rights issues with the Chinese authorities on many occasions, and that we have given people from Hong Kong safe sanctuary in this country, which is something I am very proud of. The contribution to our country of those from Hong Kong is something we should all celebrate, but I will ensure that the hon. Gentleman gets a full response on the case he describes.”
“I very strongly hear what my hon. Friend is saying. At these times, we always remember those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, particularly their plight ever since in fighting for justice and accountability. That is why this Government are committed to introducing a Hillsborough law, which will include a duty of candour. As I said in answer to a previous question, it is vital that we get that legislation right—that it is workable and watertight in legal terms, but also meets the expectations and needs of the families and all those affected. That is why we are working at pace and working closely with the families and their representatives, and we will bring forward that legislation at a time when we get it right.”
“This Government are absolutely committed to supporting carers, and we have already taken steps to do so. We recognise how worrying it is for people when we are discussing changes to PIP and what those would mean for passported benefits such as carer’s allowance. As the Green Paper sets out, we will be considering all of these issues in the round, including how we can support carers as part of this package.”
“If my hon. Friend will forgive me, I will never tyre of hearing about the great events in Members’ constituencies, and this sounds like a wheely good one. [ Interruption. ] No? Okay, we will do better next time. I thank her for raising that event.”
“As the hon. Gentleman knows, the numbers he describes are within the normal fluctuations of these things. I am not clear whether this Conservative party supports getting more teachers into our state schools. As a result of the changes we have made to VAT on private schools, we have got over 2,000 more teachers in our schools this year, with more to come. It is vital to get more teachers into state schools, which educate 94% of young people in this country.”
“I join my hon. Friend in celebrating Dubai chocolate, and I congratulate Castle Chocolates in her constituency on meeting that demand. It shows the opportunity that social media brings to small businesses in parts of our constituencies; we should always remember that when we discuss issues around social media. I will join her in having a few Dubai chocolates later.”
“I join the hon. Gentleman in sending all my thoughts and wishes to his constituents who may be worried and affected by the news coming out of India regarding the inbound flight to Gatwick. It is truly devastating. This Government are committed to more childcare places and more free childcare. That is what we are rolling out. We have more money going into school-based nurseries, too, so that families can access that provision. I hear what he is saying this morning; the issue would probably make a good topic for debate.”
“My hon. Friend is certainly a great cheerleader for his constituency and for this sport, which has been raised with me before. It provides great opportunities for people to engage with sport and showcases what can be done.”