Phil Brickell
MP for Bolton West · Labour · United Kingdom
“The Prime Minister will not need reminding about Arsenal’s success in the premier league last season and my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) will not want reminding that Everton, unfortunately for him, came 13th, but what neither of them might know is that the UK finished 20th in the corruption perceptions index,…”
“Westhoughton is home to a fantastic local veterans charity called the Darren Deady Foundation. Darren bravely served in the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, but, sadly, died following injuries he sustained on the frontline in Afghanistan. I had the privilege of visiting the foundation back in April.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and I pay tribute to Philip Rycroft, who, as I am sure colleagues across the House will agree, is an exceptional public servant.”
“Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), what assurances can the Minister provide to me that the measures the Government are introducing will prevent people—such as George Cottrell, convicted in the US of wire fraud, who we know has provided thousands of pounds-worth of benefits; or Ben Delo, who has been convicted for flouting American anti-mo…”
“Questions have also emerged about his lobbying the Bank of England for crypto-friendly policies, having himself invested £215,000 into bitcoin company Stack BTC, alongside former Conservative Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.”
“I declare an interest as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax. This week, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) declared that he is earning an extraordinary £22,500 per hour working for a gold bullion dealer.”
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“My hon. Friend makes a very good point; indeed, he talks of one of my all-time favourite comedies. It speaks to the need for drastic reform of the other place, which is long overdue. In a Tory by-election in the other place, another peer asserted that fellow Members should vote for him because he “races on the Solent and gardens enthusiastically”. The electorate for that vote were a grand total of 43. These are not truly democratic contests. They do not seek to promote those with the very best talent and expertise to serve this country. Such by-elections lack the fundamentals of what should be at the heart of this mother of Parliaments: transparency, accountability and scrutiny. Since 1999, there have been over 30 of these bizarre contests, all with vanishingly small electorates—a process that is, frankly, long overdue reform.”
“If we want to honour people’s contributions, we already have a system for that—the honours process, with knighthoods, CBEs and MBEs—as the Paymaster General stressed. This amendment looks less like reform, and more like a way of preserving influence. We have already seen the pattern with titles handed out as bargaining chips or rewards for party donations. This debate has been quite good-humoured, but I do have to flag the Conservative party’s tradition of ennobling its treasurers. I take no pleasure in quoting this, but as one former Conservative party chairman admitted in 2021: “Once you pay your £3 million, you get your peerage.” That is not public service; it is politics for sale, and it is exactly what the public are fed up with. In summary—”
“This Bill is not an attack on individuals; it is an attack on the medieval principle of privilege by birth. No one should sit in our Parliament because of the deeds of their ancestors centuries ago. Lords amendments 1 and 8 are not about accountability and they are not about democracy. They are patronage dressed up as Parliament, and the Conservatives, in 14 years in office, did absolutely nothing to change the hereditary principle. Lords amendment 3, from the noble Lord True, is about so-called non-sitting peerages. Let us be clear: peerages should not be sinecures. If the idea is simply to allow hereditary peers to retain their titles without sitting, what social value does this amendment provide?”
“Conservative colleagues have ample opportunity this afternoon to confirm that they respect that constitutional convention, and I wait with bated breath to hear them speak to that, but we cannot scrap only the by-election process. As I say, it is the principle of hereditary peers that is so objectionable, which is why I will be voting to make sure that this Bill gets on to the statute book. Many hereditary peers have made valuable contributions —I have worked alongside some already in the short amount of time I have spent in this place—but those who want to continue serving can and should do so on merit. They can stand for elected office, they can be nominated for life peerages, and HOLAC can continue to recommend strong Cross-Bench candidates.”
“The right hon. Member will have heard me mention previously that previous Governments do not bind the hands of future Governments, and that this Bill was a manifesto commitment last year. That leads me on to the amendments that have come back from the other place. Lords amendments 1 and 8, tabled by the noble Lord Parkinson, propose ending the by-elections for hereditaries but retaining the current cohort. The amendments would hollow out the Bill and perpetuate the very problem that we are trying to fix. I urge colleagues in the other House to respect the Salisbury convention, which has already been mentioned today: this House has primacy on election-winning manifesto pledges.”
“In summary, this Bill is about rebuilding trust in politics. It is about ending practices that belong to the 18th century, not the 21st. It is about showing the British people that Parliament works for them, not the privileged few. Let me also say that this Bill is just the beginning, and I am committed to wider reform of the second Chamber: to improving its national and regional balance; to introducing, yes, a mandatory retirement age; to requiring meaningful participation; and, ultimately, to replacing it with a more modern second Chamber fit for the 21st century. That is the path to a fairer, more accountable and more democratic politics. It is what Labour promised, which is why I am proud to see the Government delivering on it.”
“On enforcement, does she foresee that the Electoral Commission and the Crown Prosecution Service will require additional resources to fulfil potential obligations under the forthcoming elections Bill?”
“Having spent more than a decade tackling financial crime before I came to this place, I welcome the Minister’s remarks and the strategy on elections, which will protect our hard-won democracy from foreign interference and which also incorporates demands from the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax, along with asks from the Electoral Commission on political finance rules. Does the Minister expect the forthcoming elections Bill to be in force before the local elections next May? Will company donations be permitted only from firms with UK ultimate beneficial owners? What guidance does she envisage being made available to political parties to fulfil their “know your donor” obligations?”
“I thank the Leader of the House for confirming the recess dates for the next 12 months, which my wife has already messaged me about to say thanks. The Leader of the House will be aware that, despite important draft Government legislation banning single-use vapes, vape shops masquerading as candy stores continue to spring up everywhere across my Bolton West constituency. A new shop has just popped up in Horwich near Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic high school. The school has done excellent work in tackling vape use among children but it is fighting a rising tide. Will the Leader of the House set aside Government time to debate how the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and other measures are implemented to improve public health and prevent stores from being used as front businesses by organised crime gangs?”
“As secretary of the all-party parliamentary group on Germany, may I take this opportunity to welcome Monday’s joint chairing of the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group by the Defence Secretary, alongside his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius? I also congratulate the Government on today’s landmark bilateral treaty between the UK and Germany, signed here in London, between the Prime Minister and Chancellor Merz, on mutual defence, security co-operation and industrial collaboration. The treaty demonstrates our determination to stand up to Putin’s continued acts of aggression, wherever they may take place, as well as the Government’s enduring commitment to Ukraine.”
“In response to an urgent question in April, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Mr Falconer) confirmed that the London Sudan conference included a commitment from the UK Government to provide a further £120 million of aid for 2025-26 to support 650,000 people, which the Minister referenced earlier. With that in mind, can the Minister today confirm to the House what progress has been made in the intervening few months to ensure that the additional aid reaches the most vulnerable people in Sudan fleeing conflict, sexual violence and famine?”
“It is a pleasure to speak in the debate, and I do so on behalf of my constituents, who dutifully pay their taxes in the expectation that they will receive a fair deal in return. Today’s motion from the official Opposition implies that the efforts that this Government have undertaken to deliver that fair deal are not in the interests of those constituents. I reject that premise entirely. Instead, Labour in government has constantly and rightly stuck to ensuring that those with the broadest shoulders carry the greatest burden. That approach has secured over £20 billion a year of revenue to pay for schools, the NHS and our national security. The Chancellor has restored responsibility and credibility—”
“For too long, our tax code allowed the very wealthiest to live in this country and enjoy our services, infrastructure and rule of law but contribute only a token amount to the national purse. That ended, quite rightly, with this Government. The new residency-based regime is a matter of principle: “If you live here, you pay here.” Secondly, we have increased the rate of capital gains tax on share sales—not to punish wealth but to deliver fairness. Many of my constituents contact me to say that they see no reason why wealth—assets, and stocks and shares—should be taxed less than work. There is more to be done on that, but I welcome the measures that the Government have taken so far.”
“That was the Conservative legacy—a legacy of economic mismanagement and a tax system weighed down by loopholes, complexity and underenforcement, so I will take no lectures on fiscal responsibility from the architects of that wreckage. We on the Labour Benches will not indulge the fantasy that the path to prosperity lies in slashing public services, making unfunded promises and claiming that we can borrow endlessly without consequences. Our constituents deserve better. This Government, led by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, are getting on with what Labour always provides: a Government of service. First, let me address the abolition of the outdated non-dom regime.”
“I will make some progress given the time limits that will be put in place on other Members. That finally put us on a strong footing to move on from the irresponsible and reckless chaos of Liz Truss’s mini-Budget and the litany of unfunded spending commitments left behind by the previous Administration, who had no intention of implementing them. I must remind the House of what Labour inherited from the last Government when the Chancellor walked through the doors of No. 11 just over a year ago: a national debt at nearly 100% of GDP—the highest since the 1960s; living standards falling for the first time since the 1950s; anaemic growth that left us second to last in the G7; and the UK as the only G7 country where the employment rate had still not recovered to pre-covid levels by the first quarter of 2024.”
“That figure—50,000 times £1 million—is almost the size of the entire defence budget in 2023-24. Unlike the dearth of policy proposals from the Conservative party, I constructively implore the Government to continue tackling the enablers of dodgy tax schemes. Firms that promote aggressive tax avoidance schemes will now be held to account with fines of up to £1 million. I welcome that measure in particular.”
“The hon. Member would do well to listen to what I have to say, and I will come to wealth taxation shortly, but I would appreciate it if she did not take that very condescending tone with me—I spent more than a decade working in the financial services industry myself. These measures have been taken because it is simply the right thing to do. When a nurse in Bolton hospital is paying a higher effective tax rate than someone making millions on property or shares, the system is not just broken; it is unfair. Thirdly, the Government have cracked down on tax-dodging, with more funding for HMRC to go after tax evaders and bring down the stubbornly high tax gap. That gap—the difference between what the Government are owed and what they actually collect—currently stands at almost £50 billion.”
“As a country, we face enormous challenges: an ageing population, creaking infrastructure, rising global instability and the urgency of the net zero transition. We know that public services are under strain. We need to raise funds in a way that is both fair and that promotes the growth we need to get our country back on its feet after 14 years of Tory decline. Let us be clear: taxation is not merely a tool for revenue but the lifeblood of our social contract, which is why we desperately need a responsible and workable tax system, to ensure that education is a right, not a privilege, that healthcare is free at the point of use and that the most vulnerable in our society are protected.”
“HMRC is already chronically short-staffed, under-resourced and hamstrung by complexity. Without dismantling the complex web of ultimate beneficial owners, offshore trusts, nominee directors and secrecy jurisdictions, we are at grave risk of opening up a game of whack-a-mole that we would likely see the Government lose to deep-pocketed and well-lawyered high net worth individuals who can run circles around HMRC and law enforcement and secrete their assets elsewhere. My firm view is that the Government should instead crack down on tax evasion, simplify the tax code, streamline existing reliefs and bring capital gains tax levels closer to income tax. The Centre for the Analysis of Taxation estimates that closer alignment of capital gains and income taxes alone could raise some £14 billion for the Exchequer.”
“I urge the Minister to consider moving to a flat rate model of, say, 30%, independent of income bracket, so that every saver gets equal recognition for securing their own retirement. Finally, with my industry expertise in addressing tax evasion before I came to this place, I would like to address the siren calls of a broader wealth tax being made by a number of colleagues on the Government Benches and elsewhere in the House. Increases in capital gains tax to align them closer to income tax are welcome. Wealth and work should be taxed at similar rates—it is as simple as that—but I have a few words of caution for proponents of wealth taxes. The Wealth Tax Commission itself acknowledges that wealth taxes could incentivise the wealthy to hide assets behind legal vehicles using expensive lawyers and secrecy jurisdictions.”
“This long-standing relief disproportionately benefits higher earners, and it has been my settled view for a number of years that we must look again at how it operates. Currently, higher rate taxpayers enjoy 40% relief on pension contributions, while the highest earners enjoy 45% relief. Basic rate taxpayers nevertheless enjoy a rate of just 20%. Total pension tax reliefs cost circa £40 billion per year to the Treasury, according to HMRC. Of that total, two thirds is relief for those on incomes in the 40% and 45% income tax bracket, which represented 12% of the adult population in 2023-24, according to the IFS. That highlights the inequity here: a system of relief that is tilted to those who need it least, not to incentivise moderate earners putting into pensions but to support those on the highest incomes.”
“When a Russian oligarch allegedly manipulates British secrecy jurisdictions in order to obscure profits made from UK-based centres of control, it undermines the credibility and fairness of our tax system. We need every British overseas territory to adopt full public beneficial ownership registers, so that sham structures such as Abramovich’s can be traced, challenged and taxed. Dirty money—the kind that flows beneath the waves of secrecy—corrodes the entire tax system, so I call on the Minister never to shy away from the globe-spanning challenge of tax abuse hidden in the nooks and crannies of our own backyard. Let me turn to my third and final recommendation for the Government, which relates to the often overlooked distortion in our system of pension tax relief.”
“The BVI in particular has missed deadlines in 2020, 2023 and 2025, as the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell) knows well, he having campaigned strongly on this issue over many years. In January this year, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, working alongside the BBC and The Guardian , revealed that Roman Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea football club, may owe the Treasury up to £1 billion in unpaid corporation tax, penalties and interest. That is from corporate structures with a value of $6 billion, set up through an offshore web of hedge fund vehicles primarily registered in the British Virgin Islands and Cyprus, in what looks like an ultimately botched attempt to reduce tax liabilities.”
“First, we should review and reform current tax reliefs. Some £204 billion—a quarter of all tax revenue—was spent on tax reliefs in 2022-23, yet many of those reliefs are uncosted, unscrutinised and susceptible to abuse. The Treasury Committee was right to call for a rationalisation of those reliefs. We must audit them for efficacy, eliminate those that serve no public interest and crack down on those that have become vehicles for avoidance. Secondly, I draw the Minister’s attention to the issue of tax-dodging in our own backyard. At the end of last month, a number of British overseas territories, including the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands, missed yet another deadline to introduce public registers of beneficial ownership. The Minister will know that this is a long-running issue.”
“My hon. Friend, who has been a fantastic champion on tackling that issue, makes a valid point. The Opposition would have us believe that taxes writ large are a drag on growth, but the truth is more nuanced. What stifles growth is instability. What repels investment is unpredictability. What corrodes trust is a tax system that rewards avoidance while underfunding our schools, hospitals and police. Labour is putting more money in people’s pockets by boosting the minimum wage for 3 million workers. Wages are growing more in our first 10 months than in an entire 10 years under the Tories. I would urge the Chief Secretary to the Treasury not to rest on his laurels, however, because there is more to do. I propose three policy priorities that I hope the Treasury will give serious consideration.”
“I thank the hon. Member for giving way. He is the third consecutive Conservative Member to stand up and speak, but I have yet to hear what proposals his party wants to bring in to raise revenue or what services it wants to cut. In my contribution, I made a conscious effort to set out three constructive proposals for the Treasury to consider, and I challenged Conservative Members because there was a dearth of—”
“The Government have already taken some important steps forward after years of dither, but the best message we could send to the families of victims and all those who have campaigned tirelessly on these issues over the years would be to publish the 63 recommendations identified in the Home Office’s review of support for victims. Transparency now will allow us to work together to deliver equitable and realistic change. I hope the Minister will address those points directly.”
“We need to have these people’s backs, whether that is when they provide evidence at inquests and inquiries or when they navigate how to obtain compensation. All too often, survivors either go unrepresented or have to rely on pro bono advice given by lawyers. Terrorism is designed to divide us—to spread hate and fear—but after Manchester we saw the opposite. We saw vigils in Albert Square and we saw young people in my constituency in Bolton raising money for victims as a clear sign of solidarity. We must ensure that every victim of terrorism, whether in Manchester, Westminster or anywhere else in the UK, is treated with dignity, fairness and enduring care and support.”
“What assurances can the Minister provide for victims, many of whom are watching the debate, that the calls to reform how the compensation scheme operates will be heeded? Thirdly, our mental health services are facing huge problems, but we must prioritise ensuring that adequate mental health care is available and accessible for the survivors of terrorism. Too many are stuck on waiting lists or provided with inappropriate therapy, some of which we have already heard about. That is simply not good enough. Specialist care should be available quickly and for as long as it is needed. Finally, the legal support is so important. We cannot expect victims and the bereaved to have to navigate layers and layers of bureaucracy without any support.”
“It will thereby codify the state’s obligations to victims and survivors, providing them with legal certainty and ensuring they are able to get the support they need. Secondly, on the criminal injuries compensation scheme, some survivors report having their claims denied for arbitrary reasons, they experience significant delays in their applications being processed, and they fear that the means by which victims of terrorism can claim compensation has sometimes been cruel and ineffective. A number of victims have had to endure waiting for years to hear back from the compensation scheme. This is not justice. We need a scheme that is streamlined, trauma-sensitive and rooted in compassion.”
“More importantly, I commend the victims of terrorist attacks in the UK and their families, who have never stopped fighting to ensure that others do not have to go through what they went through. We have taken a landmark step forward, but I share colleagues’ beliefs that we can still go further to do the right thing by these people, so I would like to ask the Minister to pursue four key initiatives to support victims. First, I echo the calls made by my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen regarding the survivors’ charter, as advocated for by the Survivors Against Terror charity. Drawing on comparative analysis from countries such as Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the USA, the idea is that the charter will provide a list of guaranteed and legally enforceable rights for those affected by terrorism.”
“Travis made me aware of the difficulties of navigating legal processes, accessing mental health support and applying for compensation, all while dealing with the trauma of a terrorist attack. At the time I thought, “This simply cannot be right. The state can’t be placing a burden on people who’ve already endured more than anyone rightly should.” So I welcome the Minister’s recent announcement of the UK-wide victims of terrorism support hub, which will act as a single point of contact to connect victims and families with the help they need, from trauma-informed therapy and financial guidance to peer support and legal advice. I commend the Minister and the civil servants involved in this initiative.”
“Although some people have lost loved ones or family members, and others have continued to battle long-term trauma, the way communities came together to support each other after the Manchester Arena attack was inspiring. But we have to recognise that the state’s support for the survivors and the families of the victims of the bombings was too slow and fragmented. Earlier this year I, too, met with Travis Frain, who is in the Public Gallery and has already been mentioned by his MP, my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen, as well as by the right hon. Member for East Hampshire. Much like Figen Murray, Travis has had to become a campaigner simply to shine a light on the failings of the current system—and he was rightly awarded with an OBE for his efforts.”
“It will require venues and public spaces to assess the risk of terrorism and take proportionate preventive steps to protect the public. Importantly, it will embed a culture of vigilance and preparedness, ensuring that safety is never an afterthought. This is not about creating a climate of fear; it is about equipping venues, from concert halls to community centres, with the training and procedures necessary to act swiftly, to communicate clearly and, most importantly, to save lives. Martyn’s law or, more formally, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, honours the lives we lost by protecting the lives that we might still save, and I commend the Minister for taking it forward. While protection is key, we must go further and faster to support victims if and when attacks sadly do happen.”
“It was an event that I will never forget; I checked my mobile phone and found that an attack had happened, unaware of its scale, nature or severity, and struggled to comprehend why anyone would undertake such a cowardly and heinous crime. What should have been a joyful occasion ended in horror when a suicide bomber detonated a device in the arena’s foyer as fans were leaving. Twenty-two innocent lives were sadly taken, and more than 1,000 people were injured. The entire region of Greater Manchester, including my community in Bolton, was shaken to its core. Among the dead was Martyn Hett, a young man from Stockport. His mother, Figen Murray, has since become one of the most determined campaigners for change in this country. Figen has consistently advocated for Martyn’s law, which finally received Royal Assent in April.”
“Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for sharing with us, with immense bravery, his personal pain and anguish. He brings incredible expertise on this topic to the Chamber. When terrorists strike, they leave behind not just headlines, but long trails of pain and trauma. Families are torn apart, survivors bear both physical and emotional scars, and communities are left devastated. That is why we in this place have a huge responsibility to get the support for victims of terrorism right. As an MP from the north-west of England, I want to touch on the Manchester Arena bombings in 2017. That evening, thousands of people—many of them children—left home to attend a concert, and either had their lives changed forever, or sadly never returned home at all.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for securing this hugely important and timely debate. As chair of the recently constituted all-party parliamentary group on terrorism and security, he is a dedicated advocate on this subject—yet another issue on which he and I have a shared interest. Terrorism is a cowardly act, targeting not only individuals, but the values we hold dear: freedom, democracy and the freedom to go about our lives without fear. The right hon. Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds) rightly reminded us of the terrible attacks on 7/7, the tragic attacks on our dear friends Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, and how PC Keith Palmer was sadly taken from us, not far from where I stand today. I thank the hon.”
“Cats Protection statistics show that 45% of the cats obtained in the past 12 months were pedigree; for the first time, more pedigree cats than moggies were acquired in a 12-month period. The Bill is a vital opportunity to put in place the measures to tackle pet smuggling that could not complete their passage in the last Parliament.”
“Dean, a constituent of mine in Daisy Hill, emailed to say: “According to respondents to the Cats Protection Cats and Their Stats (CATS) 2024 survey, 4% of the cats that were obtained in the 12 months preceding the survey were from abroad. The importation of cats and dogs with mutilations (such as declawing and ear cropping), lack of vaccinations and health checks, and dangerous transport conditions present a significant risk to animal welfare.” We know that the UK’s biosecurity is compromised by pet smuggling, given that animals may carry transmittable diseases such as rabies and tapeworm, which put both humans and animals at risk. The rising price of cats, in particular pedigrees, means that illegally importing cats is becoming increasingly lucrative for criminals.”
“I rise to support this vital Bill, and I commend the hon. Member for Winchester (Dr Chambers) for bringing it to the House. As all Members will know, animal welfare is a major concern for our constituents, and nowhere is that more true than Bolton West. The Bill has been long awaited, and I am delighted that this Parliament will finally deliver where previous Parliaments were unable to deliver. We are a nation of animal lovers, and it should be a point of pride that, to reflect that, we strive to have the toughest animal welfare protections anywhere in the world. My mailbox and postbag reflect the animal welfare concerns that I have and that we have heard during the debate.”
“To conclude, having listened to my constituents on the vital importance of protecting animal welfare, it is fair to say that both they and I are “mad fer ret”.”
“Sadly, these activities can involve gangs who are associated with serious organised crime, which I am personally keen on tackling during my time in Parliament. By bringing in tougher restrictions, we can protect animal welfare and also cut a source of criminal income—an issue that, one way or another, I continue to raise in this House. While cats and dogs are overwhelmingly the most popular pets in this country, it would be remiss of me, as a northern MP, not to reference the humble ferret, mentioned by my hon. Friends the Members for Watford (Matt Turmaine) and for Northampton South (Mike Reader). Ferrets are a northern icon. On that topic, our other northern icons, Oasis, are today reforming for their first gig in 16 years.”
“They’re more likely to have health problems, and poor socialisation means they can struggle with life as a pet.” I am really pleased that the Bill will finally close a loophole to address the issue of dogs and cats with illegal mutilations such as cropped ears or docked tails and help to bring down demand for those features. We have spoken about the social media impact. It is incumbent on us as parliamentarians and figures in public life to continue to drive public awareness about why those procedures are mutilations and the adverse impacts they have on the animals and, frankly, society as a whole. I am really pleased that the Bill will make it much harder to exploit pet travel rules to traffic illegally puppies, kittens and ferrets bred in horrific conditions overseas into the UK.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right to talk about the critical work of animal welfare charities across the country. They can make such a difference. Diane in Ladybridge emailed to say: “This Bill is a major step forward in improving the lives of animals.” She is delighted that it will make it “much harder to exploit pet travel rules to illegally traffic puppies and kittens bred in horrific conditions overseas into the UK.” She also noted: “Dogs and cats involved in bad breeding—whether they’re used for breeding, or bred poorly themselves—don’t have a fair chance in life.”
“Member for Chester South and Eddisbury for bringing forward the Bill. I very much appreciate the concerns she has raised around livestock worrying; she has been a champion for that cause ever since she got elected to this place.”
“I think they are principles that everyone in this place can rally around: “Do not feed livestock, horses or wild animals…do not cause damage or disturbance…leave no trace…always keep dogs under control and in sight…dog poo—bag it and bin it…take your litter home” and, most importantly, be courteous: “be nice…share the space” with others. That should be the golden thread that runs through all our time spent in the countryside. It is worth me putting on the record that the UK ranks the lowest of 14 European nations with regard to nature connectedness and, out 15 European nations surveyed, the UK is 11th in terms of physical activity. So there is greater work to be done to provide access to nature, but also on enjoying it and breaking down some of the barriers to opportunity. Nevertheless, I commend the hon.”
“Members may think they look rather incongruous on the great west Pennine moors, but I assure them that they are incredibly popular, both in terms of the opportunity to walk them around the moors and with school visits. I want to touch on a couple of points that the Minister may pick up on, relating to the opportunities that present themselves, outside the criminal law, to push for greater responsible enjoyment of our countryside, particularly in respect of increasing investment in promoting awareness of the countryside code. I will read out some of the provisions in the code, to make people aware.”
“Member for Chester South and Eddisbury, because this Bill shines a light on the fact that most of us who wish to go into the great outdoors and enjoy our wonderful countryside, whether that is in Cheshire or on the wonderful west Pennine moors in my Bolton West constituency, do so responsibly, but those who do not ensure that their dogs conduct themselves in a considerate manner will feel the wrath of these measures. I particularly welcome that, because there is a balance to be struck between farmers and those who look after livestock in the countryside, and those who want to enjoy our great outdoors. With that in mind, I want to touch on a couple of points. On extending the provisions to include camelids, there are a number of alpacas and llamas at farms in my constituency, including Smithills open farm.”
“I rise to support the Bill, and I commend the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) for bringing it to Parliament. I want to make some brief remarks about what is sometimes perceived as a tension between those who wish to responsibly enjoy the countryside, and both the economic toll and the harm done to livestock by livestock worrying. Since being elected to this place, I have been a strong champion for expanding responsible access to the countryside across England and Wales—my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton South (Mike Reader) mentioned the Right to Roam campaign. I commend the hon.”
“Does my hon. Friend agree that it is vital to have farms in built-up settings in order to give a connection to people who perhaps do not have the good fortune of being able to get out into the countryside, to enable them to understand how crucial farming is to this country and also, frankly, so that they may enjoy livestock in a responsible manner?”