Jim McMahon
MP for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“I want to see the travel-to-work map, the form that the urban development takes and so on, so we are testing those proposals to ensure that we are satisfied.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We should not pretend that a legal challenge somehow represents a fault in the system, but it does bring a pause for thought, and we have used that pause to ensure that the reorganisation is right going forward.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Government are committed to shifting power from Westminster and Whitehall to the places where people live and work. Yesterday’s Budget shows that we are committed to giving local leaders, local councils and local communities the tools to shape their future.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“First, let me say that we do not take for granted concerns about the implications of the delay on the councils, councillors and officials who have been working on these schemes.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On 7 September, the Secretary of State announced a review of the programme to ensure that it was robust and aligned with the Government’s priorities. Since then, we have listened to local leaders, sector partners, mayors, and Members of Parliament. I place on the record our thanks to them for their work and for engaging constructively.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I have heard from Members across the House about the pride, history and identity sitting behind our cities and counties. City status and ceremonial matters play a valuable role for local pride, so we will work with areas to ensure that city status is preserved following reorganisation.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“There are no checks and balances to ensure that British vehicles are procured. Surely that is the simplest thing a Government can do—use the lever of procurement to ensure that we are supporting British jobs in our regions. On top of the good work that has been done, I urge the Chancellor to commission an urgent cross-Government review to ensure that we support British businesses across all procurement lines.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“For many parts of our movement, the elections are coming pretty soon down the line, so I urge the Government to focus on that. Let us celebrate the move to further devolution. Mayors will finally get the power to impose a visitor levy, which they have been asking for. We see even more capital investment going into our regions, further empowering mayors—that should be celebrated. There is a lot in the Budget about investment in Britain plc, which is to be welcomed, but we need to be better at co-ordinating across Government. I have asked questions of a number of Departments, be it the Home Office about police vehicles purchased by local forces, the DWP about vehicles commissioned through the Motability scheme, or the Cabinet Office about the procurement of Government vehicles.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“How do working families stop worrying about every single paycheque because they are just about making ends meet and begin to think about a better future where they can thrive, really enjoy life and get the most from it? For many people, local neighbourhood services are the foundation of public services in their local area but, let’s be honest, for most parts of England, they have been eroded by pressures in adult social care, children’s services and temporary accommodation. Whatever we think about our missions and ambitions as a Government—they are all important, of course—we also need to accept that if people open their front door and walk out on to the street and it does not feel and look better, we just will not get a hearing when we get to the ballot box the next time round.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I say to every Member of this House that there are more members of building societies and credit unions than people who voted in the last general election, so they are quite an important constituency to look after and support. I know that the Minister is working hard on this issue. One very small change he could make would be to review the common bond, so that credit unions can grow, expand and offer a wider range of financial services to local communities. There is a lot in the Budget on councils and support for them. I perceive this Budget almost as one that gives communities the right to survive, to get through what has been a difficult period and to have respite. The next challenge will be: how do these communities begin to thrive?”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is no surprise that today the Co-operative Group has announced £1 billion of investment in the UK because it believes in the direction of the Government and the country—more importantly, it believes in the people of this country and wants to get behind them. I pay tribute to Shirine Khoury-Haq, the CEO of the Co-operative Group, for the work she does in driving that agenda. If anyone wanted to meet a business leader in this country who runs a tight ship financially from a business point of view, but also leads with her heart when it comes to social investment, they could do worse than looking at Shirine and her team at the headquarters in Manchester. But we do need to go further. Our building society network and our credit unions have so much potential, but we can do much more with them.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Of course, community ownership of local assets through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will end those years of communities constantly fighting to at least keep what they have, and will mean that they can begin to look to the future and what they can build together. Co-operatives and mutuals, like every other business, rely on a thriving economy and a local community that has disposable income to spend in that local economy, so the business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure will be a big boon to our high streets, town centres and pubs and to many other parts of the economy.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“All the arguments are there, but we have been waiting for quite a long time for a Government who understand co-operatives, see the value of them and are willing to put something behind them. The work being done to establish a co-operative development agency so that every region of the country can benefit is music to our ears. The work being done through the mutuals and co-operative business council—where those voices and interests around the country are being brought together with the support of the Department for Business and Trade and the Treasury—is essential for doubling the size of the co-operative economy in a way that can make a huge difference.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“What I want to talk about, though, is the thing that really made my heart sing as a co-operator in this House: the Chancellor of the Exchequer talking about co-operation and co-operative businesses at the Dispatch Box in the main Budget. Why is that important? It is important because for so long, even when the economy has grown, many working people have not been the beneficiaries of that growth. Many communities have been hollowed out and become more and more removed from the economies that they work to serve. We believe that co-operatives and mutuals provide that bridge. They are more sustainable and productive, and they treat their workers better. They have better pay differentials, and they invest in apprenticeships at a higher rate and so on.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“For all the talk of, “Well, if people just worked a bit harder, things would be better,” the fact is that 60% of those households have at least one person in work. These are people who are rolling up their sleeves and doing everything that has been asked of them, but they still cannot get on in life because of the wage levels in the jobs they occupy—many of which, by the way, are important and foundational for our economy. The rail fare freeze, the bus fare cap and measures on energy bills, on prescription charges and on the minimum wage and national living wage will give people respite and ease things a bit.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Today we have heard from across the House where the divide in this debate really is. There is a train of thought on the Conservative Benches that if we continue to do what the Conservatives have done over the last 14 years, things will surely get better. Well, given the experience of the 14 years of the previous Government, that is madness. Things did not get better, and for working people in this country things got materially worse, so a different course is needed. Given the range of difficult and competing interests that the Chancellor has had to face, which have been well rehearsed, I believe that this Budget provides balance and respite for working people. When taken in the round, the two-child benefit cap will help 6,000 children in my constituency.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“When we have a review of those not in employment, education or training and ask why so many people are out of work and not contributing to society, we will find that it is because the whole system is not geared towards supporting them in that endeavour. Today’s announcement of free apprenticeships up to the age of 25 could, if it includes a review of apprenticeships, be absolutely life-changing for tens of thousands of young people. My final plea, in the seconds I have left, relates to HMRC mileage rates, which have not been reviewed for working people for 15 years. A social care worker who does home visits is on the minimum wage, but they are, in truth, subsidising HMRC for travelling between appointments. That is not right. The Department of Health and Social Care has already considered this, but will the Treasury take it on board, too?”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Well, I think that would just make the unemployment situation worse, wouldn’t it? I am looking at the practical measures taken in the Budget. I am here to be helpful to the Government, not make matters worse. I became an apprentice when I left school. I did not go to university; I went straight to work and earned a technical qualification. My two sons have followed the same route. That is a route for many working-class kids in the country. However, only 16% of apprenticeships are advertised in July and August, when kids are leaving school and looking for opportunities. The system is not geared towards helping young people to succeed.”
House of Commons26 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is the story of a place, and people’s memories; we have heard that in the debate. Across the country, we see 6,000 banks closing. In my town, RBS and Barclays are closing, but we still have banks. It is really important that the Government’s strategies for investment, planning reforms, and schemes such as Community Britain, which give communities powers in the place where they live, do not allow the kind of free-for-all that we saw under the previous Government. Under the previous Government, banks were at the Government’s door when they needed a bail-out and times were bad, but walked away from our communities when it was time to repay money.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That shows that when we support local businesses, the community responds with footfall and support. By the way, I think we too often take for granted and underestimate the importance of our local markets, whether they are indoor or outdoor. Then there is Oldham itself—our borough’s heart—once home to a magistrates court, a county court, and many public sector agencies that have either reduced their presence or closed altogether. Stores such as Debenhams, BHS, HMV, Woolworths, H&M, Thorntons, WH Smith and Clintons were the anchors of the town centre and the shopping centre in the past, but unfortunately will not be in the future. Across the country, there are 20,000 fewer shops open than in 2010. Each closure is more than just a lost business. It is a small part of the town taken away. It is people’s jobs and livelihoods.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Our high streets and town centres are, for many people, the barometer of how well the country is doing. When I look at Chadderton, I see a fantastic place. I see a stable community that has terrific community pride, but it is a town without a single bank branch. It has seen very little new development, and quite a lot of the land that is ripe for development is held in private ownership by distant landowners who have no stake in the local community. In Royton—another a thriving town, just a couple of miles away—not a single bank is left in the town centre or the precinct, yet there are shoots of growth. The council invested in Royton town hall. New independent bars and restaurants are bringing life back into the centre, and a Thursday market is still thriving.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Oldham has always been a town of hard work and heart. It has been built, rebuilt and reinvented time and again, and is reinventing itself again now, but let us be honest: the challenges facing Oldham, Chadderton, Royton and towns like them up and down the country are significant. It has been interesting to hear the debate. We can all as parliamentarians reflect on just how much we care about the places we live in and represent, and that should be lauded. We have also heard honesty about the fact that much more should have been done in the past than was, and much more needs to be done than perhaps is being done. The pace has to be improved. I should say that I have every faith that the Government and the Minister will do just that. We understand the power and importance of place.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Through co-operation, we can give power to people in the places where they live and that they care about. We can end the top-down model of command and control, in which we tell people what they need for their area. We should give money to communities, so that they can decide matters for themselves and collectively co-produce solutions for their places.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“District centres like Royton, where people want to create somewhere to go, are thriving, and our cities are thriving, but the towns, somewhere in the middle, are struggling. We need a strategy for our towns, as well as wider investment. The same goes for the planning system. Honestly, I am sick to death of seeing low-quality, substandard accommodation being built in my town. Under the previous Government’s free-for-all, office accommodation could be converted in a blink, and there was also conversion to houses in multiple occupation. The concentration of social pressures in town centres and district centres is having a real impact on community safety and the local housing market. There is a different way. Through Community Britain, we can rebuild our towns, civic pride and confidence.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Much though we talk about the household names that have been lost, let us not forget that many of our towns are built on the work of independent traders—local people who give something of themselves, and sometimes their life savings, to invest in our towns. They should be celebrated. Things are not easy. Online retail now accounts for 25% of retail sales. Business rates changes will shift the balance in favour of the on-street, local, independent traders, and convenience stores. There is also the changing dynamic between out-of-town retail and city centres. We have the benefit of being on Manchester’s doorstep, but it means that it is easy for Oldham’s people to travel to Manchester. In large towns, we have seen the hyper-local becoming more popular.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The old library, built in 1883, was long empty; it is now home to the new council chambers and the inspiring Oldham theatre workshop. Every single week, 600 young people go through those doors to celebrate the arts and culture. The Spindles shopping centre has been transformed with the new indoor Tommyfield market, an events space and the local studies archive. That shows how the community can benefit when we invest in our towns. Of course, as has been mentioned, we should use derelict brownfield sites to build housing for local people. In Oldham, that will mean up to 2,000 new homes in the town centre—decent, safe and affordable places to live—and footfall in the town.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I will. I have heard the right hon. and learned Lady raise that point a few times, and I think it is legitimate. If the criteria do not work for the town she mentions, or for my town, or Royton or Chadderton, then the criteria are the problem, not the towns and communities that need banks. We can agree on that. In Oldham, there is progress. Sometimes we rush to a deficit model of talking down our places a bit too quickly. The old town hall, built in 1841, was left derelict for decades but has been reborn as a cinema. The grand Egyptian Room has been restored to life. It was once a banking hall where people paid their council tax, but I guarantee that it is a lot more popular today than it was when it was used for that purpose.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On the basis of the right hon. Gentleman’s argument, he must support a rise in the national living wage. That is the purest form of a contract between the employer and the employee and, of course, that money goes straight back into the local economies in the towns that he speaks about.”
House of Commons4 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The shadow Secretary of State knows that I have a great deal of time for him as a person, but he must reflect on how all of his speech is about the rights of the landlord with absolutely nothing about the rights of tenants. In my own constituency, 600 children are in temporary accommodation, having largely been driven out of their private rented accommodation because of no-fault evictions. Does he have anything to say about the rights of tenants?”
House of Commons22 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The roots of our movement run deep, back to 1844 and the Rochdale pioneers: 27 working people who, through solidarity, challenged exploitation and built something that was lasting. [ Official Report, 22 October 2025; Vol. 773, c. 4WC.] (Correction) Their values of open membership, democratic control, member participation, autonomy and education all remain a living framework for economic democracy today. If their call to give working people power and a voice was important then, I think we can all agree that that call is ever more urgent today.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for the co-operative sector. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner, in this important debate. I pay tribute to those leading this great movement in our co-operative societies, our mutuals and the Co-operative party, of which I am proud to be the chair. My thanks go to the national executive committee and to our general secretary, Joe Fortune, and his team for their tireless work in growing and strengthening co-operation across the United Kingdom. This year, as we mark the UN International Year of Co-operatives, it is fitting to reflect on the difference that co-operation makes, and the extraordinary opportunities available to us.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Co-operation is of course about power, but it is also about place and identity, and the co-operative movement is central to that.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I think a lot of people in Britain feel as though it does not matter what they do, how hard they work or how big their contribution is; they are just not able to make ends meet or get on in life. The communities where they live have been incrementally eroded and hollowed out, and they do not feel like they are getting on and doing well. The founding principle, if we take ourselves back to Rochdale and towns like Oldham, where this is part of our heritage, history and identity, was a sense that if we build something together, we share the dividend that comes from it—that we redistribute the value that we create in order to build an even stronger community. I think we observe a country and economy where the wealth that we create is taken off to foreign lands and international investors more than it is reinvested back in the local community.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“After years without a mutual bank presence on the high street, the recent acquisitions of Virgin Money by Nationwide and of the Co-operative bank by Coventry building society mark a welcome return of mutual principles to mainstream banking on the high street. Employee ownership is rising, too, from 600 employee-owned firms in 2020 to 2,500 today. That shows what happens when Government action aligns with co-operative values: co-operatives are more likely to grow and more likely to survive. However, despite our proud history, the UK now lags behind other countries. If we are to fulfil our potential, the Government must create an environment that enables co-operatives to thrive.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Together they span retail, housing and agriculture, and beyond that, of course, social enterprise, creating decent jobs and trying to provide food and shelter for millions of people in this country. Going further, our 42 building societies, owned by their 27 million members, contribute £7.2 billion to the UK economy. They account for nearly a third of UK mortgages and maintain over a third of all bank branches. Of course, as my hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh) said, our credit unions serve their 2.3 million members and hold nearly £5 billion in assets. Do people know that there are more members of building societies and credit unions than there are people who voted in the last general election? This is not a fringe part of the economy; it is absolutely foundational.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We see the results in hollowed-out high streets, in local businesses that are bought and closed by distant investors, and in a growing sense of powerlessness. If we want to rebuild trust in politics, we must rebuild trust in the economy alongside it. That means giving people real ownership and control over the businesses that shape their lives, because ownership matters; that is exactly why those with wealth fight to keep it. We want more people to benefit and to have a stake in the future. The good news is that the UK’s co-operative economy is thriving. Today there are 7,400 co-operatives, with 16.6 million members, and 240,000 employees working hard in their communities.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If it is to work, the whole of Government has to own this agenda. It is important that the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade take a leading role, and of course, the community anchor in the MHCLG is important too, but the truth is that communities function in a dynamic way, and every bit of Government across health and social care, education and our school system, and everything else that Government have oversight of, comes into play. I absolutely agree that if we want to double the size of the co-operative economy, and for that to be felt in every part of the country, the whole of Government has to own that agenda. Across Britain, too many people feel that the economy no longer works for them—that decisions that shape their lives are made far away by investors they will never meet and for reasons they do not agree with.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Let us make this the decade when co-operation again becomes a defining force in rebuilding Britain from the bottom up: politics done with people, as it always should be.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The co-operative model was born when ordinary people said that enough was enough, chose to build something better for themselves and their community, and recognised the benefit of the shared dividend that would follow. That same spirit of collective action is exactly what our country needs again. Last week, alongside Joe Fortune from the Co-operative party and Paul Gerrard from the Co-operative Group, I joined the Co-operative Group’s national members’ council in Manchester, chaired by Denise Scott-McDonald. The sense of purpose, partnership and hope was absolutely inspiring. People across the country want to do more to collaborate and to create new enterprises, not because it is fashionable but because it is instinctive to them.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On community ownership, we need clarity about the future of the Community Ownership Fund, so that local people can secure the assets that matter to them the most. On housing, co-operative models must play their part in delivering the Government’s promised ambition for 1.5 million new homes by providing homes that people do not just live in, but have a stake in. On agriculture, we should recognise that food security is national security, and support co-operation among farmers in the same way as the US Government do. This is about delivering a level playing field and doing what is needed to deliver on Labour’s pledge to double the size of the sector. Growth is critical, but growth must be shared by everyone who contributes, in every community across the country.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“So, I would be grateful if the Minister, when he responds to the debate, could update us on Government plans: first, to progress the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council; secondly, to work to improve access to finance for co-operatives; thirdly, the Government’s response to the Law Commission’s review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014; and finally, the plan to establish the co-operative development agency within Government. Beyond that, on building societies and credit unions, we need action on the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill, on fair limits for individual savings accounts or ISAs, and on reforming the common bond, so that more people can join building societies and credit unions.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We need to mainstream the idea of co-operatives and spread it out. If we do that, the economy will benefit even more, because co-operatives are more resilient and survive longer than many other businesses, and they return more to the UK economy, which can be reinvested in the community. The barriers to co-operatives are well known; my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel) touched on some of them in his intervention. There is difficulty in accessing finance; obviously, there are issues around equity investment and the barriers that exist there. There is an outdated and fragmented legal framework, and there is limited awareness of co-operatives among banks, businesses and advisers, and even in Government itself.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The fact is that those of us who believe in co-operatives as a movement and as a principle get it, but we can be quite selfish about it, and we quite enjoy co-operatives and mutuals being the best-kept secret in the UK economy. Well, I am sick and tired of their being a secret and I want them to be mainstream. When somebody is setting up a business in this country, I want them to look at co-operatives and say, “That is the obvious choice for us and for our community.” I do not want co-operatives to be a sideline any more. That is why co-operative development agencies and the whole of Government approach are important. It is also why education, access to finance, the surrounding legislation and, of course, creating a level playing field so that co-operatives can thrive are all important, too.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“He undertook it with flair and enthusiasm, and I am sure he has great things ahead. Question put and agreed to . Resolved, That this House has considered Government support for the co-operative sector.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“First, I want to say how pleased I am at the turnout for this debate. It recognises the importance of co-operation in our communities, our economy and our politics. One thing that I observe in Britain today is that many people feel, in politics, the economy and society, that they are powerless, and there is something in this debate about how we collectively rebuild. The fact that this debate has had cross-party support—from Northern Ireland to Norwich, and from both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative shadow teams—just shows that, in the end, success can have many fathers. When we can build something that is positive and brings people together, it can act as a magnet for people genuinely to come to, so I thank Members for having this debate. My final point is for the Minister on his first outing at the Dispatch Box.”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Oldham has stepped forward to take on a local inquiry, and it has been waiting to understand what the move to the national inquiry means for its work. The same is true of victims and survivors, whose bravery and strength in the most difficult circumstances have been truly remarkable. What arrangements have been put in place to ensure that there is a clear front door, offering support that is fully independent of councils and police forces? While local deep dives are clearly essential, can we have an assurance that if the evidence takes an investigation beyond council and police force boundaries, it will be followed to the fullest extent?”
House of Commons21 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Since 2020, Greater Manchester police have run the forever amnesty, which has taken thousands of weapons off our streets. However, the police themselves would say that knives remain easily available in households and in everyday lawful life, so unless the culture and environment change, we will not break the cycle of offending and the harm that goes alongside it.”
House of Commons15 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I congratulate the hon. Member for Ashfield (Lee Anderson) on securing the debate. Knife crime and the gang activity that comes with it ruin lives and leave whole communities living in fear. This debate has been wide-ranging, but for Greater Manchester, and Oldham in particular, there is an urgency to tackling youth knife crime, gang activity and the real threat of child criminal exploitation in our communities—a threat that continues to hit working-class communities the hardest. I place on record my thanks to Greater Manchester police and their partners in the violence reduction unit—chaired by Kate Green, the deputy mayor for policing—for recognising and acting on the issue, and for meeting me to discuss the issue further.”
House of Commons15 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It means rebuilding the foundations of our youth services, safe spaces and neighbourhood networks to give young people a sense of belonging and a reason to believe in a better future, to finally break the cycle.”
House of Commons15 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The police identify that most young people supported by the violence reduction unit are aged between 13 and 15—these are children. Reported knife and offensive weapon offences have risen from 220 in 2014 to 413 10 years later—a significant increase. Some of that reflects increased police activity, including stop and search, which should be welcomed, but let’s not kid ourselves: every one of those cases represents a real threat. Knife crime is not inevitable. My call today is for a step change in how we safeguard young people from criminal exploitation. That means recognising vulnerability, not just criminality. It means restoring trust in communities where fear has replaced hope. It means tougher action to hold social media giants and messaging platforms to account.”
House of Commons15 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Those who remain, such as the Avro football club and Anthony Crolla’s gym, are doing heroic work to give young people purpose and safety, but they are fighting to survive every single day when the community needs them more than ever. These same areas experience some of the highest numbers of section 60 stop and searches in Greater Manchester. The Limeside estate alone has had seven stop and search orders in the last two years. There has been some progress. To June 2025, the homicide rate in Greater Manchester was 8.8 per million people, a decrease of 21% compared with the previous year and down 45% on the last three years. While youth violence overall is decreasing, more must be done to prevent children from being exposed to violent crime at such a young age.”
House of Commons15 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If that mindset persists, we will continue to fail young people, and entire communities will remain trapped in fear. For too many families in Greater Manchester, that fear has become a reality. We have seen repeated knife attacks, many involving children. In New Moston, just streets away from my constituency, a 15-year-old boy was chased down the street and stabbed to death. I cannot say any more, as the Chair reminded us at the start of the debate, because it is an ongoing case, but what is beyond doubt is that another family have lost their son. In Limeside, in Oldham West, the community has spirit and solidarity, but its foundations have been weakened. The local police post, the GP surgery, the housing office and other public services have been eroded in the last decade and a half.”
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“In the House, we recognise the patterns of child sexual exploitation and abuse and the characteristics of victims and offenders, as we now know them to be. We also know when we see clear and present safeguarding failures. We must apply the same urgency to understanding and acting on child criminal exploitation. None of that takes away the importance of individual responsibility or the role of parents, but too often the system looks at these working-class young people and writes them off. It sees them as bad kids or lost causes, instead of as vulnerable children being exploited and abused. That attitude reflects a class bias that is still far too common—the idea that some estates or even some families are just rough and that being drawn into crime is inevitable. Too often, that allows neglect to go unchallenged.”
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“Simply telling young people to stay away from trouble is not realistic when violence and intimidation follow them home through their phones, consoles and social media—24 hours a day, seven days a week. In that environment, some young children start carrying knives themselves, for what they believe is self-defence—an avoidable and dangerous response to fear. More sinister still is the impact of child criminal exploitation, or county lines, as it is sometimes called: the systematic grooming of mainly, though not exclusively, working-class boys—girls can be impacted too—by older men and their peers into organised crime such as robbery, drug dealing and violence. In some cases, there is a proven link to sexual exploitation alongside it.”
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“However, I want to focus on the young people most at risk, both as offenders and as victims, and to call for stronger safeguarding and prevention response. Gangs have always existed in some areas—lines between estates and postcodes are not new—but what has changed is the speed with which petty disputes can escalate, and the online meeting the on-street, with little escape for those who are at risk. A perceived lack of respect can turn into revenge, and verbal exchanges can quickly become fatal violence involving knives. Many young people live in fear—afraid simply to walk home from school, making them a target. The same culture that drives that fear also traps young people within it.”
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“That is very important, and it has to go alongside other interventions. Like my hon. Friend’s constituency, Oldham has an OnSide youth centre, called Mahdlo, which provides significant intervention and support for young people. It is fair to say that the world has changed since I was a child at school. The online world means that it is difficult for young people to escape threats of violence and intimidation, and their glorification on online platforms, which allow videos showing young people threatening young people to be uploaded, seemingly without any challenge whatever. The culture and environment are important. In Greater Manchester, Operation Venture, which was launched in 2022, has led to hundreds of arrests, improved intelligence and a clearer understanding of where and how weapons are used.”
House of Commons15 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗