Mike Kane
MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East · Labour · United Kingdom
“I thank the Minister for his answers, and I am sure he will join me in thanking the management and staff of Manchester airport, who have worked overtime to minimise the disruption to passengers over the last couple of days. The Minister will be as aware as I am that we are in danger of playing regulatory whack-a-mole here.”
“The Secretary of State knows my constituency well, and she knows that I have been campaigning for several years to regenerate Wythenshawe civic centre. Thanks to this Government, we are about to cut the turf on building 2,000 new homes within the decade, and phase one starts with building 800 social homes in the next few weeks.”
“Mr Speaker, if there is a five-a-side doctor in the House, I would be most grateful. Following the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the big killers in my constituency of Wythenshawe and Sale East.”
“My constituents Darren and Nicole shared with me their story of hardship in raising five children on one income. Like me, they are grateful to this Chancellor for ending the two-child benefit cap.”
“It would be profoundly wrong of this House to disregard the risks faced by members of the armed forces, the police, the emergency services and civilians during that time, including the teacher who wrote to me today to say how difficult the situation was.”
“This is our last chance for those who remember. The purpose of the Bill, as I see it, is not to deny the experience of those who served the state in good faith. On the contrary, it reflects a recognition that for decades the legacy of the past has not been addressed properly or lawfully.”
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“Mr Speaker, if there is a five-a-side doctor in the House, I would be most grateful. Following the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the big killers in my constituency of Wythenshawe and Sale East. Chiesi, a company based in my constituency, is leading the fight in early diagnosis. What assessment has the Minister made of the Frontier Hull programme in tackling this, and will she commit to exploring scaling this up nationally to improve patient outcomes and save our NHS money?”
“My constituents Darren and Nicole shared with me their story of hardship in raising five children on one income. Like me, they are grateful to this Chancellor for ending the two-child benefit cap. Will she consider an independent process for advising the Government on how much universal credit needs to be, if people are to afford everyday items?”
“That is why this legislation matters and why Parliament must approach it with seriousness and respect for all those lives shaped by the troubles.”
“This is our last chance for those who remember. The purpose of the Bill, as I see it, is not to deny the experience of those who served the state in good faith. On the contrary, it reflects a recognition that for decades the legacy of the past has not been addressed properly or lawfully. Families from all communities have been left without answers, and confidence in existing processes has gone. The shadow Secretary of State said “post hoc”. “Post hoc ergo propter hoc” is how the phrase continues—correlation does not equate to causation. I am acutely conscious of the human dimension of this, having grown up as a Mancunian Irish Catholic and seen the bombs through the ’70, ’80s and ’90s, and, because we had the wrong accents, having seen how our family was treated. But there was no equivalence with those suffered in Northern Ireland.”
“It would be profoundly wrong of this House to disregard the risks faced by members of the armed forces, the police, the emergency services and civilians during that time, including the teacher who wrote to me today to say how difficult the situation was. I was reminded at my St George’s day parish quiz on Saturday night at church that the RUC is one of only three organisations that collectively received the George Cross. May I take this opportunity to commend Councillor Tommy Judge, who has been the member for Sharston in my constituency for 25 years? He was on the 1974 M62 bus. He sat in a different seat that day, when 12 of his colleagues died and 38 were injured—there but for the grace of God. I thank him for his service in our armed forces, and I thank him for his municipal service in Manchester for the past quarter of a century.”
“A teacher in my constituency wrote to me today with concerns about the Bill, pointing out that some MPs will be voting tonight who were born after the Good Friday/Belfast agreement. We need to let that settle for just a moment. The Secretary of State is right to say that this is our last opportunity to get legacy issues right. The fundamental reality is that life during the troubles exposed ordinary people to fear and danger that few outside Northern Ireland could ever comprehend. Those who lived and worked through that period—in particular those charged with protecting the young people in our communities—lived under constant threat and uncertainty. That burden deserves recognition and respect. I think we all agree about that in this House. Those years placed extraordinary pressures on everybody involved.”
“The Chair and I represent the great city of Manchester, and one of its darkest moments was Salman Abedi’s arena attack in 2017. These provisions are long overdue, and I thank the Minister and the Government for taking this action.”
“The nation should be grateful for this Secretary of State and for what he is doing for maternal services, yet at Wythenshawe hospital in my constituency, the most recent Care Quality Commission report rated maternity services inadequate for safety. What assurances can the Secretary of State give that the improvements that he has outlined will be felt by mums locally?”
“My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, and she was an excellent Minister in her own right. Will she join me in paying tribute to Councillor Tommy Judge, who has been the Labour councillor for Sharston ward in my constituency for many years, and who was a victim of the 1974 bus bomb? He is standing down after many years of public service, but he will carry that with him, in his retirement, to the end.”
“I am sure that the whole House will agree that we could not do our jobs without the hard work and dedication of our staff. Will the Leader of the House join me in commending Mark Grayling, who has been with me for five years, who worked for other MPs before, and who has dedicated his working life to public service and good causes. He retires at the end of the month. The only blemish that we can find on Mark’s career is that—with respect to my constituency neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr Rand)—he is a Norwich City fan. My team and I will miss Mark greatly.”
“As a former shadow International Development Minister, I know that one issue our nation has not grappled with is that 90% of the usurious levels of debt repayments for the poorest nations across our planet are governed by English law through the City of London. We could raise millions out of poverty without spending a penny, by introducing a debt justice law as called for by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and other agencies. Has the Foreign Secretary given that any consideration?”
“Thomas More, a former occupant of your chair, Madam Deputy Speaker, once famously said that when we cut down laws to defeat the devil, we are defenceless when the winds turn against us. In conflict the enemy always has a vote, and Iran has chosen to restrict the strait of Hormuz. Does the Secretary of State agree that we need to get back to a rules-based order and that the UN convention on the law of the sea should make it clear to Iran that firing upon defenceless maritime vessels and restricting passage in international waters is wrong, and that that provides us with an opportunity for a way forward?”
“The Joint Maritime Security Centre has designated the Persian gulf situation as critical, and Nautilus International, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and the UK Chamber of Shipping have designated the strait of Hormuz, the Persian gulf and the gulf of Oman as a warlike area way into next month. Protecting the safety of seafarers and UK-flagged vessels is paramount, so will the Minister continue to commit to upholding the international convention for the safety of life at sea?”
“As an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University, I noticed that it has stripped Peter Mandelson of all the honours that it gave to him while he was chancellor of that institution between 2016 and 2024. Can the Chief Secretary confirm that any contacts with Government and the Department for Education during that period are not currently subject to this investigation?”
“February will represent the 25th anniversary of the opening of the second runway at Manchester airport in my constituency, with capacity for 60 million passengers. Does the Secretary of State agree that his announcement will finally allow the airport to achieve its full potential?”
“Changes to funding formulas can throw up huge anomalies. The Minister is well aware that Trafford council, which covers part of my constituency, is one of those anomalies. Will she commit to work with my Trafford parliamentary colleagues, Trafford council and me to see if we can iron out some of those issues?”
“We know that this was a brutal, murderous conflict, but, as we are reminded today, it was internecine as well at times. “There’ll be days like this”, in the words of one of Northern Ireland’s famous sons, but does the Secretary of State agree that, even on days like this, we should continue to keep victims and families at the forefront of our thoughts?”
“When we talk about emotive subjects such as this one, it is important that we establish the facts. The hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Rupert Lowe) recently railed on social media against illegal migrants coming to his constituency. They happened to be canoeists traversing the Atlantic and fundraising for motor neurone disease. Now he is Billy No Mates; he is like some latter-day King Cnut, without his courtiers, on the beach, railing at the tide to go backwards. Does the Minister not agree? For the record, Madam Deputy Speaker, I hope that I pronounced Cnut correctly.”
“T3. The Government’s new youth investment fund is supporting the charity Nacro in my constituency to build a youth hub in Wythenshawe park. The Minister knows my constituency well, so I am sure he will agree that this project shows that we have an Administration who are serious about investing in our nation’s young people.”
“But more than that, de-culverting reduces the long-term infrastructure costs and acts as a natural form of green infrastructure, which, critically, slows down the flow of water and reduces peak flows during heavy rain, mitigating flooding further downstream. Bringing back our brooks in a restorative course of action will reduce flooding, but it requires careful hydrological modelling and carries a high up-front cost. It needs funding and commitment from decision-makers to succeed. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the plans in my constituency, to make sure that we take action on the devastating impact of flooding all along the Mersey valley?”
“We have to tackle these issues at the source. De-culverting and freeing our buried waterways, restoring them to their natural, open-air condition, is transformational: it reduces pollution, improves water health, creates vital habitat for wildlife and lowers water temperatures. Most importantly, it slows the water course down before it ever enters the River Mersey basin at all. That is why that type of infrastructure upstream is critical for helping my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South. It also creates recreation opportunities for residents; Baguley brook in my constituency runs by a cycle path, for example. When we bring back our rivers and streams, residents gain access to improved green space, which in turn improves their own wellbeing.”
“Yet in 2024 alone, United Utilities discharged sewage into the Mersey estuary 1,865 times, lasting for a total of 12,500 hours. That is the equivalent of 1.4 years of continuous sewage, at an average of five spills every single day. That is just the estuary. The combination of damage to homes and businesses and the environmental impact of sewage overflow caused by flooding has created a perfect storm in my constituency and right along the River Mersey estuary. We are paying for it in countless unsustainable ways. What can we begin to do about the situation? Local action is extraordinarily important to stem the waters entering the Mersey in the first place. The South Manchester urban brooks project, in collaboration with the team at Biora, have come up with a plan to de-culvert Baguley and Fairywell brooks.”
“On 1 January, the river at Northenden peaked at 3.76 metres, well above the property flooding threshold of 3.3 metres. That was not an isolated incident. When I was a young councillor growing up in Northenden that was a one-in-100-year event, but now it is happening annually because of climate change. That is not all. The relentless discharging of untreated sewage into the River Mersey by United Utilities also points to a system under strain, as my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Cheshire (Andrew Cooper) mentioned. Storm overflows are designed to prevent sewerage systems from backing up during heavy rain. When they are overwhelmed, the environmental impact is profound. Polluted waters threaten wildlife, biodiversity and public health. The River Mersey becomes a wet wipe and tampon alley for weeks and months on end, making it unusable.”
“Friend the Member for Manchester Withington (Jeff Smith) and I met representatives of our respective golf clubs, Northenden and Withington, a few days after the event. One of the nightmare scenarios now is that golf clubs cannot get insurance, and that is only spreading. That is what climate change is bringing to us. Manchester city council evacuated over 1,000 residents that day and closed footpaths and infrastructure near the river. The exact same thing had happened just a few years earlier; the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, visited a couple of days later—we thought we had averted disaster but clearly we had not. Thanks to flood defences, nearly 12,000 properties were protected, but tragically 99 homes were still flooded because of the embankment breaches.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (Sarah Hall) for this important and timely debate. For my constituents in Wythenshawe and Sale East, flooding is a growing concern, severely affecting local communities on both sides of the river. On new year’s day, we witnessed one of the most severe flood events in recent memory: the River Mersey reached its highest level in 66 years following an intense downpour—70 mm of rain in just 18 hours. Emergency crews worked tirelessly and I join my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) in giving my thanks to them. At Northenden golf club, helicopters dropped one-tonne bags of rock to plug the breaches in the embankments. My hon.”
“The hon. Member is making a very impressive speech. Cultural institutions are also important for our high streets. I note that it is the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen, who lived in Chawton House in Alton in his constituency. Hopefully that will help to regenerate his high street as well.”
“The former Government set up a trust fund of £40 million for the Chagos islanders. After four years, only £12,000 had been spent. That is how they treated Chagossians under the last Government.”
“I am fond of the hon. Gentleman, who speaks of “doublespeak”. It was not long ago in my political lifetime that the former Member for Witney, the then Prime Minister, invited His Excellency Xi Jinping for a pint in The Plough at Cadsden, in Oxfordshire. As he departed back to China from the airport in my constituency, I sat with the Prime Minister as he fawned over the Chinese Administration like it was some papal visit. What is going on with the Conservatives? Are you divided on what our approach to China should be?”
“I hope the whole Committee can unite around this point. I pay tribute to the Chagossians in the United Kingdom for the contribution they make to the schools in their communities and to the Catholic churches where they live and, in my constituency, for their work at Wythenshawe hospital and Manchester airport—it is second to none. They are welcome here, and we value them very much, despite our political differences in this Chamber.”
“During my time in and around public life, Manchester has faced a number of terrorist atrocities: the ’92 and ’96 IRA bombs, the death of Detective Constable Stephen Oake in 2003 at the hands of an Islamic extremist, the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack, and now this vile attack on Manchester’s Jewish community. Is the Home Secretary confident that we have fully implemented the recommendations on tackling the failings identified after the arena attack, and that there is an equitable distribution of counter-terrorism resources in the United Kingdom?”
“I have highlighted the importance of this Order in Council for ensuring that hovercraft operating in the UK are subject to the same regulatory regime as ships, and that the Department has appropriate powers to ensure compliance with relevant safety and pollution prevention standards. I therefore commend this statutory instrument to the Committee.”
“The order also makes specific provision in respect of the ambulatory reference powers in the 1995 Act, which will mean that provision in regulations for ambulatory reference to ship requirements, where those ship requirements are applied to hovercraft by this order, will also cover those requirements as they apply to hovercraft in the same way that they apply to ships. That will ensure that the relevant legislation for hovercraft keeps pace with international standards in the same way as ships, ensuring a level playing field for UK industry and international competitors.”
“This order will contain powers to ensure, through the use of provision for ambulatory reference, that legislation for hovercraft can keep pace with changes in shipping legislation where necessary. The order will cover provision relating to safety requirements, pollution prevention measures and inquiries and investigations into ship casualties, ensuring that hovercraft remain subject to the same modern regulatory standards as ships where necessary. Doing so supports consistency, safety, the protection of the maritime environment and growth across maritime operations. The order updates and refreshes some provision in the existing 1989 order to bring it up to modern drafting standards.”
“The powers in the 1968 Act were used to make the Hovercraft (Application of Enactments) Order 1989, which is the basis on which current relevant ship requirements are applied to hovercraft. The new order, if approved, will amend the 1989 order to make it possible to apply future relevant legislation made under the 1995 Act to hovercraft as it applies to ships. It is our intention to make this order now because, for the purpose of extending the current merchant shipping fees regulations in November 2025, it is necessary to ensure that, in relation to all possible future hovercraft operations, the Department will be able to charge fees for regulating hovercraft in the same way that it charges for regulating other types of ships and vessels.”
“Christopher Cockerell, in the 1950s, came up with the modern-day design of the hovercraft, which crossed the Dover strait in 1959, although Emanuel Swedenborg actually came up with the concept in 1716, before it could be developed properly. The UK has one commercial hovercraft operation, comprising two hovercraft that operate in inshore waters between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The hovercraft are regulated as high-speed craft and comply fully with existing legislation. The principal legislation governing hovercraft is the Hovercraft Act 1968, which provides for Orders in Council to be made to bring hovercraft within the scope of any relevant ship requirements under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, because hovercraft operate at sea in the same way as ships.”
“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Hovercraft (Application of Enactments) (Amendment) Order 2025. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. The purpose of the order, laid before this House on 1 July, is to ensure that the full range of maritime legal powers currently available in relation to ships is also available to make regulations for hovercraft operating in the United Kingdom. We can be proud of the industry as the only commercial hovercraft application, we think, in the world—my officials searched in vain for anywhere else that had one. We manufacture hovercraft for a range of purposes in the UK, and they are one of our great exports, so I am delighted to speak about them in this Committee.”
“As I said, the order makes provisions to ensure that hovercraft will remain subject to the same regulatory standards as ships; that is what we are after. It is necessary to support consistency, safety and growth across the maritime sector, as well as to ensure relevant powers to change fees. Regulatory oversight of hovercraft as well as ships is desirable. I therefore commend the order to the House. Question put and agreed to .”
“The engagement will take place when changes happen around the regulatory fees or marine pollution. That is what the order allows us to do. The right hon. Gentleman asks about costs. As this is a technical instrument, it does not contain regulatory requirements, and does not impose any immediate costs on businesses, charities, voluntary organisations or the public sector. I reiterate that we are unique in having the only commercial service on the planet—or so we think; if anybody knows of anywhere else, please let me know. We manufacture and produce hovercraft. We sell them across the world to maritime and coastguard authorities and for defence applications. More power to our elbow as a nation; may we carry on doing that. I hope that I have fully answered the right hon. Gentleman’s questions.”
“I thank the Opposition for their support for this statutory instrument and welcome the right hon. Member to his elevated place. This is like the ghost of Christmas past, as we shadowed one another in opposition not so long ago, and I wish him well in his new position. He asked me a number of questions. Yes, the sector is unique—that is a good point. It operates only in the Isle of Wight. I have an ongoing relationship with Hovertravel as we try to solve some of the long-standing issues around transport to the Isle of Wight. My officials have worked closely on standards with Hovertravel at least since I have been in post, along with Wightlink Isle of Wight ferries. There is a good working relationship there. This order is an administrative change, and engagement is not necessary yet.”
“This will ensure transparency by keeping a register of successful applicants and information on specific agreements, and make it clear which SAF producers have received contracts and on what terms. We will also continue to publish information on the volume of SAF supplied under the SAF mandate. These publication requirements will balance transparency and the commercial and confidential nature of contracts and negotiations. We believe that any stronger requirements to publish information may make producers reluctant to enter into negotiations or affect our ability to ensure value for money.”
“Clause 2 provides that producers must be notified of a direction made under clause 1 that affects them. This provides transparency and ensures that producers are aware of any directions towards them. It also gives the Secretary of State powers to revoke a direction and its effect, which protects the Government from entering into a contract where a producer has not met the criteria defined during the allocation process due to unexpected circumstances. We need to ensure that the taxpayer and the sector are protected, and this clause ensures that we can remove ourselves from the contract negotiation process if any issues arise. Clause 3 enables the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring the counterparty to maintain a register and publish the revenue certainty contracts, subject to any necessary redactions.”
“Any restrictions on our ability to decide which projects to allocate contracts to would affect those objectives and jeopardise the whole scheme. The allocation process and the terms of the contract will need to be consistent with the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022, which makes sure there is oversight of the mechanism by the Competition and Markets Authority through the mandatory referral process. The oversight will ensure that the objectives of the revenue certainty mechanism address the subsidy control principles set out in that Act. This includes ensuring that the scheme addresses an identified market failure, that any funding provided is proportionate to achieve that objective, and that any distortions of competition, investment or trade are minimised effectively.”
“This follows the model of contracts for difference schemes in other renewables sectors, where the Low Carbon Contracts Company, a Government-owned body, enters into the contracts, rather than the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. When we consulted on how the revenue certainty mechanism should be administered, stakeholders strongly supported having a counterparty. The clause ensures that the Secretary of State can exercise control over how and on what terms the counterparty enters into the revenue certainty contracts. This is consistent with the approach for similar schemes. The Government will set eligibility and assessment criteria for the competition to allocate contracts, which will focus on ensuring value for money, maximising the benefits of UK SAF production, and supporting viable projects.”
“This follows the example of similar schemes in the renewables sector, which showed that a private law contract with a Government-backed counterparty is a rock-solid commitment that will drive investment into projects. As we heard in our evidence sessions on Tuesday, British SAF producers are ready. They have the tech and the innovation; they just need the final piece of support from the Government to take off. That is why SAF producers, airlines, environmental groups and investors back these measures. A Government-backed counterparty will enter into the contracts rather than the Secretary of State, because investors value the day-to-day independence of a Government-owned private company and its insulation from political change. The counterparty will also have expertise in contract administration.”
“Making the leap from lab to commercial scale is difficult for SAF producers—we heard that in the evidence sessions on Tuesday. Commercial plants typically cost £600 million to £2 billion, so they need to attract a lot of investment, yet first-of-a-kind plants often struggle to get investment because there is no clear, predictable market price for SAF. The revenue certainty mechanism will address that. Under the revenue certainty mechanism a SAF producer will enter into a private law contract with a Government-backed counterparty that sets a strike price for SAF. If the producer sells SAF for less than the strike price, the counterparty will pay the difference. If the producer sells it for more than the strike price, it will pay the counterparty.”
“Any RCM contracts awarded will be on the basis of the design phase of the project, including technological pathway and feedstock designation. I hope that answers the hon. Member’s worries about redundancy, because the process will evolve. Making changes to feedstock requirements or fuel type after contracts are awarded would be extremely challenging for producers. Instead, during our contract allocation process, it is for the Government to decide on the right mix of SAF that will be supported under the revenue certainty mechanism. Given that, I ask the hon. Member to withdraw the amendment. The clause allows the Secretary of State to direct the counterparty to enter into a revenue certainty contract with a SAF producer. The Secretary of State will decide who gets revenue certainty contracts through an allocation process.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. We often discuss our bicycles and their technology, but today we have to talk about the revenue certainty mechanism, which I am glad we are doing. The RCM is part of the Government’s agenda to decarbonise aviation in the United Kingdom. I will address the amendment moved by the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire, but first I put on the record my thanks to him and other Opposition parties for their general support for what we are trying to do in the Bill. This Government back synthetic power-to-liquid SAF, which is why we have introduced a separate power-to-liquid sub-obligation, the SAF mandate. We have a separate power-to-liquid pot in the advanced fuel fund, which we are funding up to £63 million.”
“The LCCC has significant expertise in delivering similar contracts, and we have worked closely with it when developing the Bill. The clause also states that the Government-owned counterparty must consent to being designated. In practice, it is very unlikely that the designated counterparty would fail to provide or withdraw its consent, but it is important that there is a theoretical exit option, as the Government cannot force a private entity to undertake actions that may be to its detriment. Question put and agreed to. Clause 4 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 5 Transfer schemes Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.”
“Clause 4 enables the Secretary of State to designate a counterparty for the revenue certainty mechanism. It also sets out that the counterparty must be a company wholly owned by the Government. There are several reasons for doing that. First, a Government-owned counterparty will be highly creditworthy, meaning that producers will find it easier to get cheaper financing, so their costs will be lower and the SAF they produce cheaper. Secondly, the counterparty will have day-to-day operational independence, giving investors confidence that the scheme will not be changed or dismantled. This approach follows similar schemes for renewable electricity generation and for hydrogen production and carbon capture. For those reasons, the Low Carbon Contracts Company, a Government-owned private company, acts as the counterparty.”
“Clause 5 enables the Secretary of State to make the scheme transferring the property rights or liability of a company whose designation has been revoked to the new designated counterparty. The power might be needed if it is no longer appropriate for the designated counterparty to continue its current role. The clause will give the Secretary of State the power to act quickly to avoid any disruption to the revenue certainty mechanism, including to existing revenue certainty contracts or negotiations. Question put and agreed to. Clause 5 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 6 Levy on suppliers Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.”