Jack Abbott
MP for Ipswich · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“At Churchmans House, investigations revealed problems extending beyond external cladding—missing fire barriers and inadequate protection around structural steelwork. Leaseholders faced demands for eye-watering payments and the threat that they might have to leave their homes.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Some have considered bankruptcy just to get out; others have thought about handing back the keys and simply walking away. It is heartbreaking that anyone should reach that point through no fault of their own.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“People unknowingly slept in their beds every night—some for decades—without knowing how deeply unsafe their building was and how much of a threat to their lives it posed. No one ever never returned to Cardinal Lofts. The building is not fit for use.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Years of disruption were followed by the trauma of evacuation. My team and I worked with residents and the Government to secure funding for repairs in November 2024.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Secretary of State for the intent she has shown in the Bill that is before us. It is a privilege to be sat next to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Bayswater (Joe Powell)—I know that his mission in this place is to fight for justice for so many of his constituents who have been left alone for so long.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Building owners and others with repairing responsibilities must act. That means an end to indefinite delays as residents live with fear and financial uncertainty, trapped in unsafe buildings. Crucially, those who ignore their responsibilities may face substantial financial penalties, criminal prosecution and further enforcement action.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ipswich Cladiators, and the many, many residents of our town who have campaigned so tirelessly for change—not just for themselves but for their neighbours, their communities and people across the country. They should never have had to fight so hard, and we cannot give them back the years that they have all lost, but we can maintain a relentless focus on making their homes safe, protecting them from unfair costs, and helping them to move forward. That is what they deserve, and that, with this Bill, is what the Government are doing.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I also welcome measures to secure contributions from manufacturers whose unsafe construction products contributed to this crisis. We were elected to accelerate remediation and protect leaseholders better, and the Bill is an important step forward in the delivery of that promise. It builds on the remediation acceleration plan, which is already helping thousands of people across the country to live in safer homes. Alongside it are the plans announced by the Government to extend leaseholder protections and support necessary fire safety works in eligible buildings owned collectively by residents.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Building owners and others with repairing responsibilities must act. That means an end to indefinite delays as residents live with fear and financial uncertainty, trapped in unsafe buildings. Crucially, those who ignore their responsibilities may face substantial financial penalties, criminal prosecution and further enforcement action. Responsibilities can be enforced, and there will be consequences for those who ignore them. The remediation backstop is particularly important: when building owners fail to act, Homes England and local authorities will be able to step in, arrange repairs, and recover costs from those responsible. That matters enormously to people trapped in the middle of endless arguments over who should do the work.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“People unknowingly slept in their beds every night—some for decades—without knowing how deeply unsafe their building was and how much of a threat to their lives it posed. No one ever never returned to Cardinal Lofts. The building is not fit for use. These are different buildings with different owners, but the same injustice is shared by so many people, in Ipswich and across the country, and I could name many other buildings in our town that have been subjects of the same stories. People bought those homes in good faith, but were sold something faulty, and they should never have been left with the costs of putting things right. That is why the Bill is so important. For the first time, those responsible will face a clear legal duty to identify and remediate unsafe cladding in residential buildings.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“At Churchmans House, investigations revealed problems extending beyond external cladding—missing fire barriers and inadequate protection around structural steelwork. Leaseholders faced demands for eye-watering payments and the threat that they might have to leave their homes. The original developer was insolvent and people who had done nothing wrong were left facing the consequences, a story that we hear over and over again. The good news is that our Government confirmed funding for the necessary works to make the building safe, but not before months and years of worry. Unfortunately, residents of Cardinal Lofts were not so lucky. I cannot believe that such a building was ever deemed fit for habitation; if a fire broke out there, it would have ripped through the entire building because of a lack of compartmentalisation.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Years of disruption were followed by the trauma of evacuation. My team and I worked with residents and the Government to secure funding for repairs in November 2024. That was an important step forward that replaced the outer cladding, but the internals are still damaged, and three years on, people have not yet been able to return to their homes. Although I am hopeful that there will be good news in the coming weeks, even if remediation work is able to start in the weeks before Christmas, it is unlikely that those people will be able to return to their homes until spring 2028—a decade after work on the building first started. Residents should never have been put in that position. Nobody should have to fight for something as basic as a safe home, but these people cannot even live in their homes.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Some have considered bankruptcy just to get out; others have thought about handing back the keys and simply walking away. It is heartbreaking that anyone should reach that point through no fault of their own. I want to highlight a few of the buildings that we in Ipswich have been facing issues with for many years, beginning with St Francis Tower. Remediation work on that building started in 2018, and residents spent years living under shrink wrap as it dragged on. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing visited St Francis Tower in a previous life, when I was a candidate and he was a shadow Minister, and we could not see natural daylight through the shrink wrap. Even when that was replaced, the work dragged on and on, and in July 2023, flooding forced those poor people from their homes after years of misery.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Friend the Member for Kensington and Bayswater said—leaseholders across the country have been left in limbo. What should have been a catalyst for change instead became a straitjacket for so many people who do not know whether they are safe, whether they will lose their home, or whether they will be forced to pay tens of thousands of pounds to put right failures they did nothing to cause. I have spoken to plenty of residents in my constituency of Ipswich about their experiences. Their stories—like, I am sure, so many we will hear this afternoon—are devastating. They cannot sell their home, cannot move, and cannot move on with their lives. Their entire financial future is at stake, but so too is their mental health and peace of mind.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Secretary of State for the intent she has shown in the Bill that is before us. It is a privilege to be sat next to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Bayswater (Joe Powell)—I know that his mission in this place is to fight for justice for so many of his constituents who have been left alone for so long. Across the country, far too many lives have been ruined by the building safety crisis. In Ipswich, we have hundreds of residents who have endured years of fear, uncertainty and immense financial hardship. These are people who did everything right—worked hard, saved for a deposit and bought somewhere to call home—only to discover that their home was unsafe. Since the day of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, in which 72 people lost their lives—each entirely avoidable, as my hon.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T4. East Suffolk and North Essex NHS foundation trust has made a £98 million application to the estates safety fund for a new maternity building. Our local services support the delivery of around 3,000 babies every year, but the existing building has not been fit for purpose for many years. Will the Secretary of State support our bid for a new maternity wing at Ipswich hospital, to make sure babies and families get the state-of-the-art services that they so desperately need?”
House of Commons20 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have invested record-breaking amounts in our health service, reducing waiting lists, cutting ambulance response times in my area and expanding our workforce, so we should be tentatively hopeful. Neither NSFT nor ESNEFT, which I would talk about if I had more time, are yet where patients deserve and need them to be, but there are reasons to be optimistic. I make a plea to the Minister to ensure that we are fully funding mental health, as it desperately needs to be. Our trust never recovered from brutal cuts in 2014 and massive redesigns. We are on the path to recovery. We now have stability, and I recognise the progress made so far, but we must build on it and maintain a relentless focus on delivering the improvements that all our local patients deserve.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Although the trust is still rated “Requires improvement” overall, several services are now rated “Good”. That is testament in part to the leadership of NSFT, which brought stability to the trust after years of disruption. I am grateful to be hosting a quarterly meeting between NSFT and MPs in the region to ensure that progress is made. We can learn from the problems at the trust that improvement is possible even in the organisations with the most difficult legacies. However, we must not confuse progress with success; this is a first step and the beginning of a recovery that has a way to go. The Government’s reforms are finally starting to turn the page of years of failure.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In 2015, it was the first mental health trust in the country to enter special measures, and it was later put into an NHS recovery support programme. Two years ago, I stood in this very room and described NSFT as “arguably…the worst performing mental health trust in the…country.” —[ Official Report, 10 October 2024; Vol. 754, c. 177WH.] That judgment reflected a litany of failings stretching back many years. It is important to acknowledge that genuine progress has been made. The picture today is markedly different from the one even just a few years ago. The number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks has fallen by over 80%, crisis services have improved, and more than 95% of patients experiencing a first episode of psychosis now begin treatment within two weeks of referral, which represents outperformance of the national standard.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I thank the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Marie Goldman) for securing this important debate. Too many communities have paid a price for the failure of NHS trusts. In Ipswich, we know that all too well. Two trusts serve my community: East Suffolk and North Essex foundation trust, which provides our acute hospital services, and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS foundation trust, which is responsible for our mental health services. Unfortunately, both, but particularly the latter, have a history of patients enduring long waits, inconsistent standards of care and services that fall well short of what patients have every right to expect. Families were sidelined, and concerns went unanswered. For many years, NSFT has been synonymous with failure.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As a Labour and Co-operative MP, I ask our country’s first Labour and Co-operative Prime Minister whether he will consider the co-operative approach to social care so that we can finally put people before profit.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Q2. I am sure we were all incredibly moved by the Prime Minister’s tribute to his late father at Labour party conference, and I wish to pass on my personal condolences to him and his family. During the Prime Minister’s speech, I thought about my own grandparents, who were both former teachers with decades of public service, but when they needed looking after, they had to go through their savings and their pension just to receive the care that my granny needed.I am sure that that story will resonate with thousands of people in Ipswich and across the country, because we have a care system that puts profit before people, leaving behind not only the people who depend on this service, but the incredible people who work within it.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“At the moment, someone experiencing a mental health crisis locally may have to go through a busy A&E department and then wait for specialist support to become available. I am therefore pleased that the Woodlands unit at Ipswich hospital is getting dedicated emergency mental health provision as part of a national roll-out backed by £350 million. We owe it to every young person in Ipswich, in Suffolk and across the country to give them the support they need, when they need it.”
House of Commons13 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Suffolk Mind, for example, offers a wide range of courses for children and young people, to empower them with the tools they need to look after their own mental health and to help them become more resilient, emotionally aware and well-resourced adults. I am really pleased that the Government’s Pride in Place funding is going towards helping it open a new centre in Ipswich town centre. We are also very lucky to have a local Samaritans branch—I am sure many colleagues here will attest to that—which has supported our community for over half a century. In a typical year, its team of more than 100 volunteers listens to 20,000 phone calls and spends 4,000 hours on the phone with people who need that support. However, I want to be clear that charities cannot and should not be expected to carry this burden alone.”
House of Commons13 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist) for bringing forward this debate. Seeing how many colleagues have attended is a real reminder that no constituency or community is safe from the devastating impact of suicide, or from the very particular kind of grief that comes with the death of a young person. In Suffolk, we lost 65 people to suicide in 2024, 10 of whom lived in Ipswich. To each of their families, I want to say sorry: sorry that the help they needed was not there, sorry that the signs were not spotted sooner and sorry that they were so badly let down. However, I also want to highlight and thank the local charities that are doing incredible work in protecting our young people.”
House of Commons13 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T6. I recently visited Northgate high school in Ipswich with the Children’s Commissioner. As ever, the pupils were thoughtful and articulate about what they needed for the future, but the subject of digital and AI came up a lot. They said that they need greater access to public services and skilling up for future employment. Will the Minister outline what the Government are doing to ensure that pupils can access those public services as well as the important digital and AI skills that they desperately need?”
House of Commons1 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As the Minister says, conversion therapy is dangerous, widely discredited and frankly barbaric, and it is about time we got rid of it. Suffolk Pride’s fringe festival starts next month with Pride Blooms. I ask the Minister to make a powerful statement today, and to say that this terrible practice will end under the Labour Government.”
House of Commons29 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“When specialist services are left to a postcode lottery, care for women in places such as Ipswich becomes even further out of reach. It deepens health inequalities, delays treatment and adds unnecessary barriers to accessing essential services.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Women learn from a young age to hide their pain away because they must be overreacting and to feign headaches and stomach pains, migraines and food poisoning. More than 1 million women mask period pain sick days every year, because they feel unable to tell their boss the true reason. The systemic normalisation of symptoms means that women do not solicit medical help when they need it. Indeed, studies have shown that less than half of women with severe reproductive health conditions seek help. The lack of specialist endometriosis services at Ipswich hospital is symbolic of how women’s pain has historically been deprioritised. Unsurprisingly, gynaecology has the largest waiting list of any specialty for working-age adults. As of January 2026, more than half a million women were waiting for gynaecological care.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Let that sink in: it takes nearly a decade just to get a diagnosis, never mind treatment. Women are waiting to be diagnosed with a relatively common reproductive health condition and are suffering preventable adverse effects. A key reason for that is the normalisation of symptoms of reproductive ill health and particularly of severe period pain, the severity of which is often not believed. From a young age, women are taught to expect painful, heavy periods and that experiencing severe pain is nothing noteworthy and just par for the course—part of being a woman. We live in a society in which women are told to suck it up and endure pain that interferes with every aspect of their daily lives.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“They are battling not just for themselves, but for so many of their friends and family members and many women yet to come—thank you for making the journey here today. An almost unifying experience for women with endometriosis is having their symptoms overlooked, ignored and dismissed. They are told that they are overreacting and that pain is normal for women. A recent survey by Endometriosis UK found that 82% of respondents had been told by a healthcare practitioner that they were making a fuss about nothing, or had heard similar comments. It takes on average 10 visits to a GP before someone mentions endometriosis. In England, the average waiting time from first visiting a GP with symptoms to getting an endometriosis diagnosis is nine years and four months.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Despite years of chest pain and breathing difficulties, she was refused referrals to a thoracic specialist and ended up seeking a private opinion. She lives in daily pelvic and chest pain, constantly deals with breathlessness and spends many days bedbound—thankfully not today, Monica. Monica took her suffering and turned it into determination, resilience and strength. She founded Women’s Health Hope, an award-winning charity dedicated to supporting, advocating for and educating people about women’s health. It shines a light on the unique challenges that women face and creates a safe space in which no one feels alone on their journey. Monica really is a powerhouse and we should all be inspired by her, but also by all the women who have come down from Ipswich today, including Faye Ramsey and so many others.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There is no specialist endometriosis clinic at Ipswich hospital, so women who are already living with debilitating pain and who have often waited years for a diagnosis, never mind treatment, are forced to travel to access the care that they desperately need. That is clearly wrong on so many levels. I want to share the story of one of my constituents, Monica Thomas, who is here with us in the Public Gallery—that sounds very formal, but Monica was in the year below me at Earl Soham primary school 25 years ago. She has battled symptoms for nearly that long; it was 17 years before she finally got a diagnosis. She is now waiting for lung surgery due to having thoracic—as well as pelvic—endometriosis.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move, That this House has considered access to endometriosis services. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I welcome my hon. Friend the Minister to her place. Many people will recognise that she is a long-time champion of women and women’s health, so it is especially fitting that she is responding today. I am particularly grateful to have secured a debate during Endometriosis Awareness Month to discuss, as a matter of deep importance to women in Ipswich and across the country, access to local specialist endometriosis services. Endometriosis affects one in 10 women. That means that more than 1.5 million women in the UK are living with a condition that causes chronic pain and infertility, and has profound effects on mental health. Yet for women in Ipswich, specialist care is out of reach.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention and completely agree with him. I have focused much of my speech on the lack of specialist care in Ipswich, but the postcode lottery is affecting people and communities across the United Kingdom, including in Northern Ireland.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That should never have been allowed to happen, but we finally have a Government who are taking women’s health seriously and a Minister who has championed this for many years. That should give us all hope, because we owe it to my constituents here today and to all women who have spent years in excruciating, debilitating pain, who have been ignored and belittled, and who have suffered alone. We cannot let the next generation of women with endometriosis be failed in the same way. They all deserve better, but without specialist care in our communities where people live, that would be impossible.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Endometriosis will be prioritised under the new virtual hospital NHS Online, meaning women will be able to access specialist expertise online much more quickly. If that commitment is to mean anything to women in Ipswich and across the country, however, it must also include equitable access to specialist endometriosis services. National strategies, research investment and virtual hospitals are all welcome and necessary, but digital access cannot replace talking to a specialist face to face. Women in Ipswich need that local provision of specialists. We have somehow allowed a culture to develop where women living in pain is seen as acceptable—as something normal to be expected.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We all know women who are suffering and struggling to access care right now. In Ipswich, those lives are further disrupted by unnecessary travel for specialist services that should be available locally. When we came into government, we pledged never again to neglect women’s health. Honouring that commitment is a moral necessity. We have made significant strides since coming into office, with waiting lists for gynaecology care falling for the first time in years. The updated women’s health strategy has the capacity to make an enormous difference. The Government are investing in research on diagnosis, treatment and pain management, with a new research programme on pain management for endometriosis starting this month.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend and could not agree more. For women with endometriosis who may have already waited years for a GP even to mention the word, and who have already been utterly failed by institutionalised and deeply structural medical misogyny, this is a complete dereliction of duty. The human cost of inaction is devastating. Untreated endometriosis can have an untold impact on someone’s life, including on their education, career, relationships, fertility and mental health: 98% of respondents to Endometriosis UK’s most recent survey said the condition affected their mental health and 63% that there was a significant impact. Women’s lives are put on hold and even changed for ever. They are our neighbours, colleagues, friends, families, partners, girlfriends, wives, mothers and daughters.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I will stand side by side with them, as will many other Members, to ensure that every woman has access to the services that they need, ultimately changing lives for the better. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered access to endometriosis services.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I give final thanks to all the women who have joined us today in the Public Gallery. I thank Monica Thomas for her fearless advocacy for so many women locally. Faye Ramsey has collected nearly 100 stories from women who have been badly failed for so long locally, and she is also pushing for greater education in schools and far better practice in the workplace—I thank Faye for all of her work. I also thank Zoe Wright, Evie Lapworth, Evie Niblock, Siana Lynch, Kelly Harris-Flatt, Sanju, and Monica’s partner, Aaron. They should all be incredibly proud of their advocacy for so many women locally. I know that they, like me, will not be satisfied by just shining a light on the issue; they want to shift the dial too.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for her detailed speech. I look forward to working with her over the coming months and years on these important issues. I thank everybody who has contributed and shared not just the experiences of their constituents—as awful and harrowing as they often are—but some deeply personal stories. It is not often in this Chamber that we have the time to do so, and it was welcome that we were able to today. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Tulip Siddiq) for plugging the film showing next door—I was also just about to do that. It is called “This is Endometriosis” and it starts at 4.30 pm. It is free of charge, although I do not know whether the Minister is going to be on the doors herself. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Ms Oppong-Asare) for hosting us there.”
House of Commons24 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) for securing this debate and for his ongoing commitment to tackling the challenges facing men and boys. Let me begin with the reality in my constituency. As has been said, some of the inequalities that we see today are baked in before school starts. One in three boys in Ipswich starts school without the foundation skills that they need to succeed. Those young boys are full of potential, yet they struggle early with reading, numeracy and social and emotional development—issues only exacerbated by the pandemic. At the very start of their lives, they are already facing a steep uphill climb that threatens to define not only their entire educational journey but their life chances.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am loath to repeat his name too often, but we have to remember that he has been charged by not just our country’s Crown Prosecution Service, but authorities in many other countries around the world. He is charged with rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking. I know how many young boys at the moment look to him as some sort of—”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“For a young boy who might otherwise start reception unable to communicate his needs, leading to frustration, such hubs provide early intervention that can prevent a cycle of exclusion. These measures offer some sort of stability. They ensure that school readiness is a reality, not a slogan, by supporting the home environment and the child simultaneously. They demonstrate precisely why the solution lies in ensuring that policies are co-ordinated, well-resourced and effectively delivered in communities such as Ipswich. It has been said, rightly, by Members across the Chamber that boys in themselves are not the problem, but we have to recognise and be honest with ourselves about the dangers they are facing at the moment, particularly online. Andrew Tate was mentioned just a moment ago.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Government have already taken steps to address the root causes of disengagement, starting with the men’s health strategy, released towards the end of last year. It is not just a policy document; it is the first strategy to recognise that a boy’s physical health and mental resilience are the primary drivers of his ability to concentrate in a classroom. By tackling health inequalities early, we can ensure that young boys’ underdiagnosed anxiety or physical development delays do not become lifelong barriers to their education. Similarly, our expanded early years provision and family hubs are transforming school readiness. In Ipswich, they will act as a vital one-stop shop, providing parents with speech and language therapy and parental support before a child reaches his first day at school.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In Suffolk, that manifests in a worrying 14.6% rate of persistent absenteeism in secondary schools. When boys disengage from the classroom, they lose the sense of belonging and the structure that school provides, which often leads to a cycle of isolation. In Ipswich, the deprivation gap has hit nearly two years: people from lower income backgrounds at GCSE are nearly two years behind their peers. But it all starts in early years: by the time they enter reception, at the age of four, they are already six months behind. We need a strategy that understands how class, place and gender can collide to hold our young people back. The solutions lie in practical, evidence-based action. Early intervention, targeted literacy support, mentoring for at-risk boys and mental health initiatives are all vital, but we must act decisively.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That gap affects their confidence and shapes what they believe, whether they feel that university or a high-skilled apprenticeship is within reach, and whether they feel equipped to navigate the world of work. In 2024, a Suffolk county council report showed that only 62% of boys—less than two thirds—achieve a good level of development by the age of five, compared with 79% of girls. Boys are more likely to start school struggling with the skills that underpin all later learning. Although it is important to note that girls absolutely face their own challenges, we must provide targeted interventions so that every child can thrive. As a child progresses, the gaps continue. By key stage 2, boys from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately represented among those failing to reach the expected standards.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am delighted to do that. I know that my hon. Friend is a great mum to her little children. I will come to the really important issues that she highlights later in my speech. As has been said, we need co-ordinated, well-funded action across Departments, across Government and across our country. We must confront the real challenges in educational attainment. By the age of five, children are assessed against the early years foundation stage framework. A good level of development involves meeting milestones in communication, literacy and mathematics. That foundation is essential for primary success, GCSEs and, eventually, securing stable employment. If a child is behind at five and is struggling to communicate or manage emotions, they are far more likely to fall even further behind.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“One of its latest campaigns is on paternity leave in this country, which is the worst in Europe—just two weeks at half the minimum wage, or nothing if someone is self-employed. We have to recognise that to develop strong children into strong men later in life, they need role models at home. That is about equal parenting and making sure that men are present in their child’s life at the earliest possible stage. Statistics show that if they are there as decent, active and present role models in a child’s early development, they will be later in life as well. Measures such as those I have described are how we will ensure that boys in Ipswich do not just survive school and their education, but thrive and go on to live fulfilling, secure and productive lives.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Allegedly—I think I did say that, and I apologise if I did not use that word, Mr Twigg, but that is what our Crown prosecutors have charged him with. It is terrifying that many young boys look at someone like him as a potential role model. I do not believe that there are no role models out there—the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth mentioned people such as Gareth Southgate. There are many footballers and the wonderful actors we saw at the BAFTAs, but why not start at home? My hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valley (Maya Ellis) spoke about the role of parents. A new Labour Group for Men and Boys has been established in partnership with The Dad Shift and Movember and vital campaigners on these issues.”
House of Commons25 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Although tackling crime is absolutely a priority, we cannot arrest our way out of the problems that we see on our high streets. That is why we are working hard in Ipswich to bring good, well-paid and secure jobs to the town. Whether it is at Sizewell C or Halo, hundreds of jobs will be created, and we are increasing footfall in our town centre—it has increased by 15%—by attracting people in. We are making progress, but there is much more to do. I thank the Government, and look forward to the Minister’s comments.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have made real progress in Ipswich over the past couple of years through a combination of Government initiatives in partnership with our hard-working police force. For example, the Clear, Hold, Build initiative has removed weapons and drugs from our streets, led to over 100 arrests, and resulted in charges and convictions totalling nearly 43 years. Other initiatives, such as Operation Spotlight over the summer, meant that police spent more than 1,700 extra hours patrolling the town centre in July and August, so there is real progress. We have seen crime fall in the last few years by 13%. I look forward to further legislation, which will make it much easier for councils to bring empty shops back into use and protect our high streets from unwanted businesses. There has been real progress in tackling some of those problems.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Derby South (Baggy Shanker) for securing this important debate. This issue comes up repeatedly with my local residents, who want to feel safe in our town—whether that is walking, shopping, eating or enjoying public spaces. Women and girls should feel safe at night. Families should be able to enjoy our town centre free from the fear of antisocial behaviour. As has already been mentioned, shop workers should not have the threat of retail crime hanging over them. I am really pleased that, after years of campaigning by the Co-operative party, that was included as a standalone offence in the Crime and Policing Bill.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Much of that hardship and suffering can be directly attributed to the two-child benefit limit. It is a failed, cruel policy experiment and—leaving aside the fact-free nonsense that we have heard previously from the Conservative party—it makes no difference to family sizes, and it does not drive up employment. Indeed, as has already been mentioned, almost 60% of affected families are in work. The two-child limit does not achieve the so-called goals that Tory ideologues pretend to lay out. Instead, it punishes children; all it does is make children poorer, and it is the single biggest driver of child poverty. Perhaps that is why there are so few Opposition Members prepared to sit and defend this morally, socially and economically bankrupt policy.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In my constituency, thousands of children are growing up in poverty, which is around one in three. Those are not simply abstract statistics; they are the children and families I meet every week. The shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately), said that families have difficult conversations around the kitchen table, and she is absolutely right. Parents are worried about whether they will be turning the heating on or skipping a meal; kids already feel the weight of the world on their shoulders before their 10th birthday; and—as was mentioned just a moment ago—parents working two jobs are still unable to make ends meet. It is cold bedrooms, missed meals and two small, patched-together school uniforms—these are scars that last a lifetime.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗