Tracy Gilbert
MP for Edinburgh North and Leith · Labour · United Kingdom
“As an adopted person born in 1972, I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement today. I have no idea if my birth mother felt forced to have me adopted, but I do know that prior to the birth, she was in a Church of Scotland mother and baby home.”
“More than 70 organisations and novelist Irvine Welsh are backing the community-led bid for Leith to become the first ever UK town of culture. Can my right hon.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. May I also place on the record my thanks to him for coming to meet my constituents from Saltire Street and Saltire Square, and for listening to what they said about the long-running issues that they have been facing with their district heating networks?”
“I welcome the clarity that the code brings for service providers, and I note, too, that Women’s Aid is just one of the organisations that has welcomed it. Can my hon. Friend confirm that the Supreme Court judgment and the code have not revoked any rights for anyone, but have confirmed single-sex rights that protect women and girls?”
“I welcome the measures that my right hon. Friend has announced today, which will help ease the cost of living pressures on families in my constituency, and on its very many businesses and attractions—and in time for the Scottish school summer holidays. She is always welcome for award-winning fish and chips in my constituency.”
“Although I welcome my hon. Friend’s statement, given all we have heard today, my constituents and I are concerned about the reported closure of the Conflict and Security Monitoring Project.”
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“More than 70 organisations and novelist Irvine Welsh are backing the community-led bid for Leith to become the first ever UK town of culture. Can my right hon. Friend put in a word for Leith with Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and will he make arrangements for a written statement to update us on the timetable of the UK town of culture 2028 competition?”
“As an adopted person born in 1972, I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement today. I have no idea if my birth mother felt forced to have me adopted, but I do know that prior to the birth, she was in a Church of Scotland mother and baby home. My adoptive parents have since died, but I am sure that they would not have wanted to adopt any child who had been forcibly removed from their mother. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that mothers should be supported by the state to look after their children and not forced to give them up?”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. May I also place on the record my thanks to him for coming to meet my constituents from Saltire Street and Saltire Square, and for listening to what they said about the long-running issues that they have been facing with their district heating networks? I welcome the regulation that this Government have brought forward. Can my hon. Friend confirm that data on pricing will now need to be reported quarterly to Ofgem, and that this will help increase transparency for my constituents and others?”
“I welcome the clarity that the code brings for service providers, and I note, too, that Women’s Aid is just one of the organisations that has welcomed it. Can my hon. Friend confirm that the Supreme Court judgment and the code have not revoked any rights for anyone, but have confirmed single-sex rights that protect women and girls?”
“I welcome the measures that my right hon. Friend has announced today, which will help ease the cost of living pressures on families in my constituency, and on its very many businesses and attractions—and in time for the Scottish school summer holidays. She is always welcome for award-winning fish and chips in my constituency. Earlier this year, the Government set out welcome plans to break the link between the wholesale price of gas and the cost of electricity. Can my right hon. Friend provide an update on those plans and tell us how that will help reduce bills over the long term?”
“Although I welcome my hon. Friend’s statement, given all we have heard today, my constituents and I are concerned about the reported closure of the Conflict and Security Monitoring Project. I have seen at first hand how important its work is, and how important the projects are that it undertakes, in order to monitor human rights violations in the region. Can my hon. Friend assure the House that the Foreign Office is still able to track the number of potential breaches of international law in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, and compare that to the number this time last year?”
“Websites advertising prostitution, more accurately referred to as pimping websites, are commercial platforms dedicated solely or partly to advertising individuals for prostitution. In 2017, an inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group on commercial sexual exploitation exposed the crucial role they play in the business model of sex trafficking to meet men’s demands for prostitution.”
“I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of sex trafficking in Scotland. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I am proud to support a Labour Government who are committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. However, I am always going to push for more action to be taken to end the commercial sexual exploitation that takes place every day on our streets and online. I have raised the need for the Government and police to shut down websites that are advertising prostitution before. Why? Because there has long existed extensive evidence that online mega brothels are facilitating industrial-scale sex trafficking and sexual exploitation across the UK.”
“I pay tribute to Ash Regan for her work and for bringing forward the unbuyable Bill. Women are not to be bought and paid for, and buying sex is not consent. The Scottish Government’s reasons for voting down the Bill were poor, and in their debate in the Scottish Parliament in February, the Minister said they had “instructed officials to start work immediately on the establishment of a commission so that options are available for the responsible minister in the next Government.” —[ Scottish Parliament Official Report , 3 February 2026; c. 55.] I urge that that work be undertaken as soon as the election has taken place.”
“I am firmly of the view that Government and the police should not be collaborating with pimping websites. We should be banning those websites and using the full force of the law against them—that is the only way to keep women and girls safe. Scotland’s law on human trafficking is different from the law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. I will explain how pimping websites including Vivastreet and AdultWork constitute human trafficking operations under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act (Scotland) 2015.”
“To give an idea of the closeness of the relationship, after Vivastreet gave evidence to the Home Affairs Committee in 2023 as part of the Committee’s inquiry into human trafficking, a Home Office official reached out to it by email to say, “the Committee did not give you an easy time – which hopefully didn’t come as too much of a surprise to you, but nonetheless it’s never a nice feeling – so I do hope that you were ok afterwards.” I strongly support the Home Affairs Committee findings that collaboration between the Home Office, the National Crime Agency and pimping websites was “inexplicable, particularly given the total absence of evidence that it has led to a reduction in the scale of trafficking facilitated by these websites”. Since the inquiry, I am pleased that that collaboration with Government seems to have stopped.”
“The Government and police have even engaged in public partnerships with these massive prostitution businesses. Freedom of information requests conducted as part of research by Kat Banyard at the University of Durham revealed that Vivastreet has been delivering training sessions to police officers. The same pimping website enjoyed what they billed as “quarterly catch-ups” with Home Office officials. The FOIs show that the Home Office gave pimping website regulators regular access to Government officials and privileged opportunities to input into policy.”
“I wholly agree. In my Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, our local councils want to tackle some of these issues, which is very hard to do without funds. They also want to support and provide services for women who are trying to exit prostitution. I wholeheartedly agree with the points that the hon. Gentleman makes. Since the 2017 inquiry, past and present members of the APPG, along with organisations such as UK Feminista, have consistently and repeatedly called for these platforms to be closed down. Yet, time and again over the years, the response from the Government, the National Crime Agency and the National Police Chiefs’ Council has been the same: pimping websites, which they have referred to as “adult service websites”, are legal and we should continue to allow them to operate.”
“That is even before we have considered the industrial-scale trafficking by third parties advertising their victims on those platforms. It is a national scandal that the individuals operating AdultWork and Vivastreet have been allowed to operate for years with total impunity, and yet they have also been presented by Government and the National Crime Agency as partners in tackling sex trafficking.”
“Every prostitution advert is displayed in an identical format, because the website operators designed it that way, complete with a predetermined list of sex acts. The operators have intentionally designed the website to enable visitors to filter prostitution adverts according to whether the advertised individuals will do outcalls—that is, travel for the purpose of prostitution. AdultWork, for example, provides a function that enables sex buyers to contact advertisers directly through the website’s internal messaging function. The website states: “AdultWork.com has booking forms for escort meetings that use the prices you’ve set”. Again, that is crystal-clear intent to aid prostitution. Pimping websites operating in Scotland constitute human trafficking operations in and of themselves.”
“The adverts are indispensable to the resulting prostitution, and they are how buyers and advertisers connect and communicate. I turn finally to the third criterion: for an activity to constitute human trafficking in Scotland, the pimping website must intend “to exploit the other person”. That is, they must intend to aid prostitution or know, or ought to know, that the person is likely to be exploited “during or after the relevant action”. As is abundantly clear from the activities that I have described, Vivastreet and AdultWork are not unwitting or accidental hosts of hundreds of thousands of prostitute adverts every day. Their knowledge and intent to aid prostitution are immediately obvious to anyone who visits their sites.”
“The adverts also feature sexualised or sexually explicit images of the person advertised, prices and a contact phone number. AdultWork and Vivastreet have not even attempted to hide the fact that they aid prostitution, presumably because—at least until now—they have assumed that they do not need to. As far back as 2017, a judge sentencing a sex-trafficking gang that advertised victims on Vivastreet observed: “No one, including those who make a profit from Vivastreet, could have been left in any doubt prostitution services were being offered.” The adverts on pimping websites are not incidental to the prostitution that takes place. After sex buyers view the ads, they call the phone numbers contained in them and make arrangements for the women to travel.”
“The second element of the human trafficking offence in Scotland is that the relevant action is taken “with a view to another person being exploited”. The crucial issue is of course what constitutes exploitation. Under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act, exploitation includes exercising “control, direction or influence over prostitution by the person in a way which shows that the other person is aiding, abetting or compelling the prostitution.” Pimping websites openly and explicitly aid prostitution. In 2023, a representative of Vivastreet told the Home Affairs Committee that most of its profits came from sex-trade adverts. The standardised prostitute adverts that pimping websites publish contain a long list of sex acts, with the advertiser having to indicate which acts the person advertising will perform.”
“Sex buyers were advised to use that page to locate members offering escort services “on tour”: “Specify your preferences and location below to see who will be visiting your area.” Prostitution adverts published by Vivastreet and AdultWork specify whether the individual advertiser will travel to the sex buyer. Crucially, website visitors are also able to filter adverts according to whether those individuals will provide outcalls—that is, travel for prostitution—using a sorting function designed and provided by the website. That is crystal-clear facilitation of “transportation or transfer of another person” for prostitution. Facilitating the transportation of individuals for prostitution is built into the architecture of AdultWork and Vivastreet.”
“Vivastreet helpfully clarifies on its website in a blog targeted at individuals being prostituted that “An outcall is where you go to the client’s location”. In a separate blog aimed at sex buyers, it says: “If it’s an outcall, they will also have to factor in travel and finding the meeting space.” Vivastreet also advise those advertising on its website: “Don’t forget to set your incall and outcall - as well as overnight fees.” AdultWork, meanwhile, provides a function on its website explicitly facilitating what it calls “escort tours”.”
“Secondly, they have to take that action “with a view to another person being exploited.” Thirdly, they must intend “to exploit the other person” or “know or ought to know the person is likely to be exploited.” The individuals operating and profiting from pimping websites tick every box. I will consider each criterion in turn. First, taking a “relevant action.” The relevant actions in the Act include “the transportation or transfer of another person” or “the arrangement or facilitation” of it. Pimping websites openly and explicitly facilitate the transportation or transfer of individuals for prostitution. The operators of these platforms publish prostitution adverts in a standardised format, which includes specifying whether the individual being advertised will do outcalls.”
“I wholeheartedly agree. A recent report found that commercial sexual exploitation is so linked with organised crime that it could not be further underground. All of that is linked to violence against women and girls, and our Government are working hard to challenge and solve that over the coming years. We should be in no doubt as to the gravity of the implications: pimping websites are the largest human trafficking operation in modern UK history. Police Scotland should launch an immediate criminal investigation into the individuals running pimping websites in Scotland for human trafficking—an offence that carries a maximum life sentence. Under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act, an exploiter must fulfil three key criteria for their activities to constitute human trafficking. First, they have to “take a relevant action”.”
“If the law as it stands allows them to operate in England and Wales, we should change it. These websites are crime scenes. Shut them down now, hold their operators accountable and, most importantly, let their victims finally access justice.”
“As I have outlined here and detailed in writing, there is substantial evidence in the public domain that individuals operating pimping websites are perpetrating human trafficking in Scotland on an unprecedented scale, and that that has been the case since the introduction of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. I am also aware that the charitable organisation UK Feminista has contacted Police Scotland on this matter. I believe that the seriousness and scale of these activities warrants an immediate criminal investigation. Finally, my ask to Ministers in Westminster is this: shut down pimping websites now. They are directly perpetrating human trafficking in Scotland and across the UK and are facilitating industrial-scale sex trafficking.”
“I agree. While the reports have been very interesting, I fail to understand why that collaboration was ever allowed to take place. It would seem from all the evidence that collaborating with those pimping websites has not saved one woman from domestic abuse or the violence they have faced. So I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend’s point. As the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith—a constituency in which AdultWork and Vivastreet aid prostitution—I have a duty to speak out. Today alone, there are 123 women being advertised for prostitution in Edinburgh on Vivastreet, and 132 women on AdultWork. Across Scotland, the total numbers are 776 and 816—that is in a single day. I have reported this crime today to the chief constable of Police Scotland.”
“My constituents welcomed the fall in energy prices at the beginning of this month. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the best way to reduce energy prices in Scotland is not to pursue more constitutional divides but to secure our energy independence by progressing the Government’s clean power mission as quickly as possible?”
“Alice Sullivan has spoken a lot about identifying sex and gender. Does the hon. Member agree that sex and gender are not the same thing, and that if we are registering for a parkrun, another sporting event or anything else, we all know what is on our birth certificate?”
“As a lesbian woman, I have often been misgendered. As a young person—a tomboy—that sort of thing did not bother me; I wore it as a badge of honour. I am very worried that we are talking about fitting women into stereotypes. Surely, in this day and age, we are trying to move away from gender stereotypes as women, lesbians and gay people. Does the hon. Member agree that a trans woman can be a trans woman and a trans man can be a trans man—they are not a woman and they are not a man; they are a trans woman or a trans man—and services should be provided on that basis?”
“Does the hon. Member recognise that women are a vulnerable group and that we make up half the population, yet we are still subject to more violence than any other group of people in society?”
“I thank my hon. Friend for reassuring us that these amendments have a timescale of 12 months. What are the Government doing behind the scenes to progress this work as quickly as possible? Can she outline the work that she has undertaken to ensure that the regulations are introduced within those 12 months?”
“T3. I refer Members to my declaration of interest as a former employee of USDAW. The new rights of trade union access in the Employment Rights Act 2025 could be game changing, but there is a proposal to cap fines for breaking new rules at £75,000, which is loose change for union-busting employees like Amazon. Will my hon. Friend consider setting fines at a percentage of global turnover, as is the case for GDPR breaches and ticket touting websites?”
“I am proud to support the Government’s ambition to cut violence against women and girls, and a cross-Government approach is essential to delivering that. I am increasingly concerned that the Department for Work and Pensions is not recognising OnlyFans content creation as commercial sexual exploitation, potentially exposing more women to harm. Will the Leader of the House raise that with the relevant Ministers, so that they can bring forward regulations to amend section 2A of the Employment and Training Act 1973 to address this problem?”
“A number of hospitality businesses in my constituency have raised with me that the UK rate of VAT is much higher than it is in France and Germany. Will my hon. Friend ask the Office for Budget Responsibility to model the impact of VAT cuts, as studies have previously suggested that cuts—”
“Nick’s mum told me that, in his 12 years as a diabetic, he carried his type 1 diagnosis as lightly as possible, despite having to give himself more than 25,000 injections in that time. Families such as Nick’s hope that by supporting the petition, our Government will take these vital steps towards making sure that life is made safer for children and adults living with type 1 diabetes. I share that view, and hope that the Government pay close attention to the experience of families across the country. I also urge the Scottish Medicines Consortium to consider similar changes for Scotland, and hope that the Scottish Government ensure that improvements are made for type 1 diagnosis and care.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for opening this important debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee, and I thank Lyla’s family for their courage. Some 95 of my Edinburgh North and Leith constituents signed this important petition, and I thank them for sharing their experiences. In particular, I want to share the story of one mum who told me about the devastating consequences that diabetes had for her family. She told me about her son Nick, who sadly died of this terrible disease aged 28. Nick’s initial diagnosis at 16 was dismissed by the doctor he went to see. It was only the family’s knowledge of what was happening that ensured Nick got to see the specialist he needed.”
“Events of the past week serve as a reminder of the contribution that our armed forces personnel play every day. Many of our veterans will suffer from trauma, anxiety and a range of mental health issues during their career and retirement. The charity Combat Stress is running a “March in March” fundraiser to support the vital work it does for our veterans. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing good luck to my nephew, Stanley Whatling, and the others from Gilberd combined cadet force team who are taking part in this fundraising event, and will he schedule an oral statement on the support being provided to veterans?”
“A number of my constituents have been in touch to share their experience of being unable to book test appointments. These delays have an impact on training, education and employment opportunities. Will my hon. Friend outline what specific steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog for test appointments at test centres in Scotland?”
“Over the past week, I have been contacted by many constituents in Western Harbour in my constituency who have been left in limbo by the lack of cladding redemption programmes in Scotland. Across England, redemption programmes have completed on more than 1,935 buildings. In Scotland, only two have started. Does the Leader of the House agree that my constituents are being failed by Scottish National party inaction? Will he make arrangements for a written statement on the funding and joint Government work that has been undertaken in this area?”
“I therefore ask the Minister to ensure that those who entered the UK under the five-year indefinite leave to remain framework will remain eligible to apply after five years of lawful residence, in line with the visa conditions that they were originally granted, and that any new policy will not be applied retrospectively.”
“In its ruling, the High Court said that applying new rules retrospectively was unfair and unlawful, and that migrants had a legitimate expectation that the rules that they were initially granted would continue to apply. If the changes proposed by the Government are enacted on a retrospective basis, it is likely that the High Court will take a similar view on applying the changes as it did in 2008. Established practice, backed up by the High Court, has always protected those who are already in the system from the effects of any new rules. I urge the Government to uphold that principle.”
“As workers with a form of temporary leave to remain, they will have paid thousands of pounds in fees to be in the UK, and that is before taking into account any taxes they pay. Many of my constituents who have made Edinburgh their home have been in touch with me to express the uncertainty that they now face. The situation is unfair. That is not just my view but the view expressed in court. In its 2008 judgment on R (HSMP Forum Ltd) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, the High Court considered changes to what was then the highly skilled migrant programme. The changes would have retrospectively extended the qualifying period for any person to apply for indefinite leave to remain.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I start by thanking the hundreds of my constituents who took the time to sign the petition, and who have spoken to me about this issue. It is essential to have a serious discussion about the positive impact on society and the economic benefits that immigration brings for the prosperity of our country. In my constituency, we see those benefits every day. Whether they are a Nigerian carer, a Spanish cleaner or an Indian doctor, they play a vital role, and they are valued. Many of them are working in sectors where we have a skills shortage, so things would quite literally not move or progress without them. Skilled people come into our country to work in the UK and make financial contributions to the state.”
“I am keen to hear from the Minister whether the Government have further plans to support or encourage municipal ownership to ensure that the decisions on services, standards and operations are always made for the benefit of passengers.”
“In 2021, Lothian Buses started testing four Enviro400EV double-decker buses, which were the result of an electric vehicle partnership between Alexander Dennis and BYD UK. This kind of partnership demonstrates the work and innovation already under way in manufacturing to decarbonise the transport that we use across our cities every day. Lothian Buses is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom. It will come as no surprise to many of us that a municipal bus company, working with the same procurement policies and constraints as other bus companies, has supported local manufacturing. Ownership matters, and Lothian Buses demonstrates that municipal ownership leads to positive economic benefits for the people such companies serve.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Euan Stainbank) and the hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister) on securing this important debate. My contribution will be short; it will focus on the Government’s approach to securing the manufacturing jobs we have already in the UK, and how we can expand that number further. My hon. Friend will be very happy that my Edinburgh constituents ride on buses manufactured in his constituency every day, so much so that since 2018 Lothian Buses has purchased 180 buses from Alexander Dennis. In 2018, Lothian Buses and Alexander Dennis unveiled a brand new 100-seater double-decker bus. Even stepping on these buses today, they feel state of the art, with increased driver safety and passenger convenience.”
“I welcome this debate and congratulate the hon. Member for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (Graham Leadbitter) on securing it. I am grateful that the Minister recently took the time to visit my constituency and meet residents who had been battling with their factors. They manage a heat network but are all too often left without heat and hot water, which happened again over the Christmas period. My constituents were very grateful to hear the pace at which the Minister is working to put in place regulations and projects that will protect residents like them. Does he agree that we need to see action from the Scottish Government to redress the balance of power between factors, companies and residents?”
“I strongly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. The port of Leith in my constituency is well placed to support logistics and manufacturing for Berwick Bank, which has been successful today. Will my right hon. Friend meet me to discuss ensuring that every job possible is secured as a result of this investment?”
“I and a number of colleagues have concerns about the upcoming PATHWAYS trial. The Secretary of State has powers to use existing medical records for research purposes. Will he therefore consider using those powers to increase the evidence base and prevent the PATHWAYS trial from proceeding?”
“May I wish you, Mr Speaker, the team and colleagues across the House a very merry Christmas? I have been contacted by a number of constituents who feel that they have been sacked by Rockstar, the company behind the game “Grand Theft Auto”, for using their right to organise in the workplace. Along with fellow Edinburgh MPs, I have met the company and will continue to support affected workers. Does the Leader of the House share my concerns over the dismissals? Given reports in The Scotsman that suggest that Rockstar claimed more than £70 million in tax relief through the video games tax relief scheme, will he raise the issue with the Chancellor and schedule an oral statement on the video games tax relief scheme?”
“May I welcome the strategy, and thank my hon. Friend and the ministerial team for their tireless work in tackling violence against women and girls? To meet the Government’s target of cutting violence in half, we must end the demand for commercial sexual exploitation, whether it be in pornography or prostitution. What steps will be taken, across Government Departments, through the strategy to eradicate that demand?”