Jacob Collier
MP for Burton and Uttoxeter · Labour · United Kingdom
“I thank my hon. Friend for her advocacy for the sector. She will know that I have Uttoxeter racecourse in my constituency. For over 60 years the horserace betting levy has helped courses such as ours, but some of that levy does not go to racecourses such as Uttoxeter in the same way that similar levies in European countries go to their ra…”
“I thank my hon. Friend for her tireless campaigning on this issue. We are joined in the Public Gallery by GMB glassmakers—I declare an interest as a GMB member—who are at risk of losing their jobs if the measure goes ahead in its current form. Will my hon.”
“Street Whyze was set up by Danny Mondesir after the tragic stabbing of Oliver Freckleton in 2021. It undertakes targeted work with young people to prevent knife crime, knife carrying and youth offending.”
“Dr David Martin, who has decades of experience as an expert witness in animal abuse cases, stressed to me that the collaboration between the police and the RSPCA is very effective in England, Scotland and Wales. Local teams know who to call when they have a query or come across animal abuse in their day-to-day activities.”
“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. I was shocked by some of the evidence I heard while preparing for this debate about the link between domestic violence and animal abuse. As the Government consider the next steps, that must be key to their thinking.”
“The Government should look at that loophole, but the Minister did not mention it in his speech. I am always keen to hear from my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury)—particularly when he makes insightful points and people think it is me making them.”
The complete record
Every one of 286 lines we hold for Jacob Collier, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 6.
“As the MP representing the home of British brewing, Burton-upon-Trent, it will come as no surprise that I will speak to clause 86, and focus my contribution on pubs and hospitality. For me, this not just political; it is personal. As a Burtonian, I grew up with the smell of hops permeating the air and Burton’s famous water flowing from the taps. My very first job was in a pub. This industry is who we are. Pubs are woven into the very fabric of our country. They are the heart of our high streets and villages, and are among our last shared spaces. When we talk about growth, and supporting wellbeing and employment, pubs and hospitality sit at the heart of that conversation. Yet this is an industry that has faced years of challenge.”
“Issues such as these are why the new defence industrial strategy is so welcome, and it places a prioritisation on British firms. That is welcome news to local Rolls-Royce, which has been awarded billions of pounds of contracts under this Government. What more will that investment do to support neighbouring areas such as mine in Burton and Uttoxeter?”
“Before Christmas, I attended Burton addiction centre’s inspirational celebration of recovery. There, we celebrated hundreds of people who are in recovery—people who had overcome huge battles with addiction to rebuild their lives. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating all those who were there and the staff at the centre, and recognise the importance of residential rehab services?”
“I recognise the Minister’s dedication to this issue over many years, and I am glad that today she is in a position to introduce this strategy, which rightly focuses on reducing death and injury on our roads. We all know of places in our communities that are accident or speeding hotspots, where it is only a matter of time before something happens, yet too often safety improvements follow only when there has been a serious injury or a fatality. That mentality has to change. How will this strategy give communities the power to take action before it is too late?”
“7. What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK’s membership of the European convention on human rights on the Belfast agreement.”
“The European convention on human rights is foundational to the Good Friday agreement. Given that Reform and the Conservatives want to crash us out of the convention, does the Secretary of State agree that that would put at risk the Good Friday agreement and that they really ought to think again?”
“As the Health Secretary has said, this is a deeply troubling time for the trans community; I have heard that loudly from my trans constituents who have come to surgeries and from my postbag, too. When suicide rates among trans people are much higher than among the general population, we know where denying that they exist or denying them life-saving healthcare lead. What reassurances can the Secretary of State give my trans constituents and the families who support them? They are extremely worried that they will not be able to access the healthcare that they need.”
“In 2027, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway will come into public ownership, and it will not be long until the people of Burton and Uttoxeter will see the benefit of a publicly owned railway. Right now, the reality is that people face unaffordable tickets, unreliable or cancelled services, inaccessible stations and overcrowded carriages. For many of my constituents, those are barriers to railway travel. The Bill is about changing that. It is how we keep the promise we made in the election to get our railways back on track.”
“Friend the Member for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner) would like to see the return of the InterCity swallow livery, but delivering improved passenger services must be the priority; that is what this Government will be judged on. The Select Committee has heard concerns about rail freight, which have been addressed today, particularly in relation to clause 63. We also heard concerns about the operator appeal process as set out in clause 68, which is equivalent to a judicial review; some of the evidence we heard suggests that that is a very high threshold. The Railways Bill is exactly the change that my Burton and Uttoxeter constituents want to see. With public ownership, we are taking a long-term approach to the railways, with investment through GBR putting passengers and railway workers back at the heart of their railway.”
“Particularly important is the Bill’s focus on disabled people, who must currently navigate a network of inaccessible stations and who constantly worry about whether accessibility services will be in place. Our railways are and must be for all. My constituency of Burton and Uttoxeter borders what will be the new home of GBR, Derby. Putting aside our rivalries for a second, that will bring benefits to my area and the wider region, and build on 185 years of rail expertise. The long-term rail strategy will be the first of its kind in setting out strategic objectives over the next 30 years. Just as in defence, we are creating an always-on supply chain. I welcome that long-term approach, which means we can bring security to rail workers and prevent the cliff edge that has affected workers in Derby and Newton Aycliffe. I know that my hon.”
“As we mark 200 years of our railways, it is fitting that we are embarking on a new chapter in their history. They continue to be an integral part of the story of Britain, as I am reminded every time I visit London St Pancras, which helped Burton upon Trent to become a brewing powerhouse. Below platform, passengers walk where Burton beer barrels were once stacked high—a reminder of the importance of our railways in shaping the very fabric of Britain, and of course supplying punters with the very best beer. Great British Railways will be the new guiding mind of our railways, joining up operations and putting passengers at the heart of the rail service.”
“Thanks to this Government, 3,150 children in my constituency will be lifted out of poverty. Free breakfast clubs are starting to be set up and Sure Start centres are being revived. Under Tory Governments, poverty goes up, but under Labour Governments, it always comes down. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that this Government continue to drive down poverty and support families?”
“He says: “The bell screams loud the smoke runs fast Footsteps pound as students dash past The fire alarm wails its desperate cry But here I sit just asking why No ramp, no chair to help me flee Just stairs that laugh and imprison me My hands shake tight upon my wheels A rising fear too sharp to feel”. That is a powerful reminder that disabled children and the wider disability community are too often asked to trust systems that have not been built for them.”
“Staff followed the procedures available to them. Pupils were evacuated, but Lucas, who uses a wheelchair, was taken to a designated safe area—rather than being evacuated with his classmates—because the school did not have an evacuation chair to bring him downstairs. He was led to a room on an upper floor and left there, alone and with the smell of smoke in the air. What makes that even more disturbing is that after Lucas was placed in that refuge, the fact that he was still in the building was not reported to firefighters. He waited in that room while everyone else believed that he had been brought out to safety. The fear that Lucas felt is captured in the poem that he wrote afterwards, which has touched so many people.”
“More than 100,000 people signed this petition, because they believe that every child deserves a safe and dignified exit from a building during a fire alarm or real fire, and that disabled pupils must not face greater danger than their friends. I pay tribute to the petition’s creator, 16-year-old Lucas Vezza-O’Brien, who is here with us in the Gallery today. He is joined by his mum, and by Nick from the Emergency Group, who has been supporting Lucas in his campaign and donated evacuation chairs to Lucas’s school. Lucas has shown incredible courage in reliving a horrifying experience so that other children will not go through the same ordeal. I want to start the debate with Lucas’s story and the reason why he started the petition in the first place. In November of last year, a small electrical fire broke out at Hyde high school.”
“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 706513 relating to evacuation chairs in schools and colleges. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec, and a privilege to lead this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. It is especially appropriate that we are having the debate during UK Disability History Month, which asks us to recognise the realities faced by disabled people in our society and to confront the barriers that remain. Few things bring those barriers into clearer focus than the question of whether disabled children can evacuate safely from their school in an emergency.”
“Yes, absolutely. I will come on to some of the legislation later, but the hon. Member highlights a really important issue and I know that he is a big supporter in this space, so I thank him for that intervention. Fire and rescue services in England attended 417 primary fires in education premises in the last financial year; primary fires are generally more serious fires causing damage to property or harm to people. Of these primary fires, 355 were accidental fires and 62 were deliberate. When we look at the current legal and guidance framework, the gaps become clear.”
“I thank those who took the time to meet me in preparation for this debate, and I especially thank Nick and Lucas. I look forward to hearing the contributions of other hon. Members, and to Ministers turning this petition into meaningful action.”
“Finally, we must design these policies with disabled pupils, their families and school staff at the centre. They know better than any of us what a safe and dignified evacuation looks like. I will close my remarks by quoting the end of Lucas’s poem—with a plea that we cannot ignore: “So hear my voice through smoke and ash Make sure the next can make a dash For no one’s life should end in flame Because the world forgot their name”. Our responsibility as legislators and as a Government is not only to remember the names but to protect those children, to ensure that no child is ever forgotten in a refuge room, and to build a system where a disabled pupil is not an afterthought but a child whose safety is guaranteed. We need to ensure that no student is ever left behind like Lucas was.”
“We must ensure that personal emergency evacuation plans are required for every pupil or staff member who cannot self-evacuate. A personal emergency evacuation plan must set out the equipment, the route, the timing and the staff support needed. We must establish national expectations for evacuation equipment—not just a blanket rule, but a clear principle that when a child is taught on an upper floor and cannot use stairs, their school must provide a safe assisted evacuation method. We must provide consistent guidance and high-quality training, so that staff know exactly what to do. We must make accountability meaningful. It must be clear which organisation checks whether disabled pupils can be evacuated and whether reasonable adjustments have been made for that purpose.”
“It does not call for every school to purchase equipment that is not relevant to their buildings; it calls for evacuation chairs or equivalent equipment to be required when a pupil’s needs make them necessary. It also calls for personal emergency evacuation plans to be prepared for those who cannot self-evacuate and, crucially, for them to contain a clear method for reaching safety. Finally, it calls for a clear national standard, so that schools are not guessing what is expected of them. The Labour Government have committed to building safer and more inclusive public services, and we promise to learn the lessons of the Grenfell tragedy. We also promise that no one who cannot self-evacuate will be left without proper planning. Schools must be a part of that commitment. Today, I urge the Government to act.”
“In Lucas’s case it was not even recognised where he was in the building. That highlights a need for a clearer process for everybody to follow so that all people are accounted for and safely evacuated. Evacuation chairs are not suitable for every disabled pupil, but they are a safe and internationally recognised non-lifting method for bringing a person downstairs in an emergency. When a child cannot use stairs and has a lesson on the upper floor, the school must have a safe evacuation method. It should not fall on teachers to improvise solutions when an alarm is sounding and smoke is spreading, and it should not fall on a child to wait in fear and hope that someone will remember that they are upstairs. This petition is measured in its request.”
“Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan), the Department for Education stated: “Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data…nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.” PEEPs are not legally mandated in schools. They are planned to become mandatory for residential buildings following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, but remain non-mandatory in school environments, which have the highest numbers of individuals who cannot self-evacuate. That contrast should concern every Member of this House. In some circumstances, staying put and awaiting the fire service is the safest approach. When someone dials 999, fire control operators will issue that safety advice.”
“There is also a profound accountability gap: no single regulator or public body is charged with assessing whether disabled pupils can be evacuated safely. No one is tasked with checking whether reasonable adjustments have been made for the purpose of extraction. Ofsted does not inspect evacuation readiness or assess whether disabled pupils can leave a building in an emergency. In that vacuum, schools are left to interpret a patchwork of rules that are not abundantly clear. In a response to a written question from the hon.”
“It still allows the use of refuge rooms, even though children cannot be left alone in them and cannot legally be lifted by staff. Current guidance for the evacuation of disabled pupils is simply not sufficient, as has been highlighted by Lucas’s experience. In many cases, PEEPs do not identify the need for evacuation chairs, which means that schools conclude the equipment is unnecessary and therefore never purchase it. PEEPs vary widely in quality, and often lack a clear method for onward evacuation. They need to be significantly strengthened. In 2015, the Equality and Human Rights Commission commented that schools were in effect exempt from removing barriers to extraction during emergency. That exemption explains why so many pupils remain unprotected.”
“I agree with the hon. Member—he must have read what is coming up in my speech. He is absolutely right, and I will come to that point. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have duties to avoid substantial disadvantage for disabled pupils, but they are not required to make any physical changes to features of the building for individual children. Instead, they must prepare long-term accessibility plans that look years ahead. That means that a multi-storey school does not have to provide an immediate safe route for a specific child who cannot use stairs. Fire safety legislation requires responsible persons to ensure that everyone can escape safely, but it does not specify how. It does not mandate personal emergency evacuation plans—or PEEPs—for pupils who cannot self-evacuate. It does not require evacuation chairs.”
“Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered e-petition 706513 relating to evacuation chairs in schools and colleges.”
“I thank all Members who have taken part in this debate. In particular, I thank the Minister for her commitment to meet Lucas so that she can hear more about his story, and to take on board some of the things that have come out of the debate—one thing I have learned is that I need to ensure that people know how to say Uttoxeter. The hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) highlighted the contrast in the changes to personal evacuation plans that we are making following Grenfell; we are making them mandatory in certain settings but not in schools. Finally, I thank Lucas and Nick for their work on the campaign. Lucas has been in the media today, and I am sure that he will continue to be until he gets the changes that he needs to see. I thank him for coming today and for starting the petition, and I thank everyone who signed it.”
“T2. It is great news that we are starting to see NHS dentists return to Burton upon Trent, but my constituents in Uttoxeter are still without an NHS dentist for adults. For a growing town of over 16,000 people, when can my constituents expect to put a smile on their face?”
“Fragmented bus services, trains that refuse to show up before 3 pm on a Sunday in Uttoxeter and Tutbury and an east-west road network that needs upgrading—all those things are holding back my constituents and economic growth in our region. Can my right hon. Friend say how she will unleash the kind of transport links that will support the economic growth that my constituents, businesses and Staffordshire deserve?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and join him in thanking the Royal Navy and RAF personnel, and the civilian staff, who have been involved. There is a possibility that vessels such as the Yantar could be used to launch drone attacks on the UK. Will the Minister reassure us that he is working to bolster the UK’s air defence system?”
“All of us want to see peace in Ukraine, but it must be on the terms of the Ukrainian people—terms that they are fully behind. Russia cannot gain, or be seen to gain, from its illegal and unprovoked invasion. What assurances can the Minister give that the Government will stand fully behind Ukraine in ensuring that there is a peace agreement on Ukraine’s terms?”
“May I warmly welcome the Government’s commitment to the reform of business rates to boost our high streets? In Uttoxeter, one street faces much higher rates than other parts of the high street, where other businesses are exempt. That is negatively affecting owners such as Joe, who runs Fueled Coffee. Will the Leader of the House find time for a debate on how we can support community businesses such as Fueled before the new system comes into place?”
“T5. In Staffordshire, there are proposals to limit the hours of police community support officers in the evening. I welcome the named police officers returning to my constituency, but will the Minister ensure that the neighbourhood policing guarantee will mean more PCSOs on our streets, not fewer?”
“The Chief Secretary will be aware of the vital role that beer and pubs play in my constituency, the beer capital of Britain. As the Chancellor finalises the Budget, will she ensure that this sector, which faces significant pressure, receives the support that it deserves in order that it can thrive and continue serving our communities?”
“The Home Secretary has outlined common-sense measures to ensure that the British public are no longer asked to fund or accommodate foreign national offenders. At the same time, she is right that our country has a proud, long-standing tradition of offering sanctuary to those fleeing persecution. Can she therefore confirm that the United Kingdom will send no individual back to a place where they may be tortured, killed or persecuted?”
“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition recently visited my constituency for her tool theft campaign, but I do not think that she has been informed that my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin) has already secured changes through the Sentencing Bill. The right hon. Lady did not notify me of her visit, and given that she is a long-standing Member of this House, I seek your advice on how she can be reminded of the courtesies to be afforded to Members.”
“At a recent Burton and District chamber of commerce meeting that I hosted, businesses raised the importance of financial education for young people about mortgages, savings and pensions. It appears that the Secretary of State was listening. What support she will give teachers, so that they can deliver that effectively?”
“I am proud to be a patron of Burton addiction centre, a residential rehab centre in my constituency. It is calling for a 2% target across the nation. Does my hon. Friend agree with that target for residential rehab? Perhaps the Minister would like to visit some time, when she is able to.”
“We are grateful to the United States for its co-ordination. This must not be a temporary peace that fades away. As the Foreign Secretary says, the ceasefire remains fragile, with both sides accused of violations, and fighting on the occupied west bank continues. Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that the UK will continue to play an active role in supporting the peace plan and holding all parties to their commitments?”
“The national living wage is meant to ensure a basic standard of living for workers but, during maternity or paternity leave, state support falls well below that level. At present, statutory maternity pay after the first six weeks equates to just £4.99 an hour, compared with the national living wage of £12.21—55% lower than the income that the law defines as the minimum required to live on. It is hard to justify there being a minimum income for work but not for caring for newborns, and families really feel that gap in their pocket. In response to the petition, the Government have stated that statutory payments are designed to provide “a measure of…security” rather than a full wage.”
“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 715292 relating to statutory maternity and paternity pay. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse, and a privilege to open this very busy debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. Calling for statutory maternity and paternity pay to match the national living wage, the petition before us has attracted a great deal of public support from families who want Parliament to look again at how we help parents in the first months of their child’s life. I thank the creator of the petition, Grace Carter, and the thousands who signed it for prompting this important discussion. The petition highlights a simple contrast that many parents experience.”
“I agree, and those are some of the themes that I will come on to. We know, from parents such as Grace and from the stories that we will hear throughout today’s debate, that the current system leaves huge gaps and does not support families or children in the way it should.”
“My hon. Friend is a great champion for his constituents. Many of the issues that he notes will come out in the debate today. He is right to say that the Government have begun the first ever full review of parental leave and pay, which is a serious and welcome step.”
“I know that that is the experience of many parents, and I am sure that the Government will look at it as part of the review that they are undertaking. Under the current arrangements, a mother or primary adopter can receive maternity pay for up to 39 weeks. For the first six weeks, that pay is 90% of average weekly earnings. For the following 33 weeks, it falls to a flat statutory rate, or 90% of earnings—whichever is lower. Statutory paternity pay lasts for two weeks at the same flat rate.”
“The hon. Lady has highlighted an area that needs to be addressed. One of the starkest, most glaring inequalities in the system is that dads who are self-employed or freelance are not eligible for anything. That is something that the Government should look at.”
“Those are not just numbers. They mean families spending real time together, children getting a better start and businesses keeping valued staff. The evidence is clear: when leave is paid at a level parents can afford, everyone benefits.”
“Recent research by the University of Bath and its partners, Working Families and the Fatherhood Institute, tested the impact of a more generous and flexible leave offer for fathers and modelled what would happen if paternity leave were extended from two to six weeks, to be taken flexibly within the first year and paid at a meaningful rate. The findings were striking. Better pay produced much higher take-up by fathers, improved wellbeing for both parents, maintained a closer connection of women to the workforce and lowered staff turnover for employers. When only jobs and earnings were considered, the policy still brought a net gain to the economy; when wellbeing and family outcomes were added, those benefits rose sharply. In every scenario, families and employers were better off when parental leave was properly paid.”
“Yes, absolutely. My hon. Friend is a real champion of his constituents, and I too welcome the Government’s commitment. Shared parental leave was designed to bring flexibility, but in practice very few families can afford to take it at the current levels. The House of Commons Library notes that only 5% of eligible fathers take it up, with most saying that they cannot afford it. The United Kingdom offers one of the longest periods of maternity leave in the developed world, yet one of the lowest payment rates. The outcome is predictable: mothers often return to work earlier than they would like, fathers and partners take little to no time off and the unequal division of care that begins at birth shapes the patterns of earnings and progression for the years afterwards.”
“I agree. The day one rights that the Government will introduce will be helpful in the context that my hon. Friend sets out. Ministers have rightly said that they want to remove the barriers that discourage people from having the children that they would like to, and parental leave and pay are at the centre of that effort. If families feel that taking leave means that they cannot get by, they will delay decisions. We know that the support needs to be in place so that they can make those choices freely. Changing the system is therefore about supporting families and maternal health and sustaining a strong economy that is built on fairness and security.”