Tom Hayes

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

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945 held · 605 searchable for Tom Hayes. The searchable lines are below in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 10.

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1. “As the Business Secretary pursuing business, she said: “We certainly should not be describing China as a foe”. We should contrast his position with that of one of the nine Conservative Foreign Secretaries, who said it would be “impossible, impractical and—most importantly—unwise” to sum up China in one word as a threat. As a leadership team, the Conservatives need to stop throwing mud and to come to terms with what happened on their watch. We must also look reality in the face: we cannot shy away from engagement with China. I bet that most Opposition Members have an iPhone in their pocket that was made in China; I bet they have other things in their home that were made in China. We must engage, but all of us in this Parliament must do so with our eyes wide open about the risks that that involves.”

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2. “Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith). I rediscovered his 2020 Hudson Institute speech, and I thought it was a very good insight into the situation at that time. Looking back at it five years on, it had considerable foresight on what has occurred. I am very sorry and saddened that he has experienced what he has at the hands of the Chinese leadership—other colleagues have experienced the same—but he is in a minority in his party in standing up on these issues. I do not believe that the Conservative leadership have been as clear in their thinking or as forceful in their condemnation, and for the leadership of the right hon. Gentleman’s party to now pretend that they were is inaccurate and does him a disservice. We should contrast his position with the words of the Leader of the Opposition when she was in Cabinet.”

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3. “Those are not built in five minutes, but they can be built in 14 years. It is my view that in the 14 years that the Conservatives were in power, they gave insufficient regard to building those things that can shore up our security. Secondly, in cases where the Conservative Government did bother to build or pursue infrastructure, they opened the door to Chinese firms. While the Conservative leadership pretend to know what they think about China now, in truth they did not know what to think about China when they were in office, and that is an important reality to stare at. When it came to Huawei and 5G, the Conservatives were in, then they were out. When it came to nuclear, the Conservatives were in, then they were out. We are still unpacking George Osborne’s mistake on that front. That contrasts sharply with the position of the right hon.”

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4. “I put on record my anger at the collapse of the case. Colleagues have talked about the particulars of the case, so I will use the short time that I have available to broaden the lens and look again at the foundations of our security. When the Conservative party brings Opposition day debates to the House, I attend because I am interested to hear the development of thinking in the party as it seeks to become a future Government. I also think about the party’s record in government and where it is going. I will make two points that I think the Opposition will disagree with, but I hope some Members will agree with my third point. First, any Government, from whichever party, have a duty to invest in the institutions, infrastructure, capabilities and knowledge that enable our long-term advantage and security.”

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5. “The Conservatives need to accept that they did less than they could have done in office to create the foundations for our security and economic growth. In so doing, they made us more vulnerable. Until they accept that and apologise for it, it begs the question: why should any of us in this Chamber and in the constituencies we represent listen to them ever again on the subject of keeping our country safe?”

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6. “I apologise if I misrepresented what I was saying. I was saying that throughout his time on these Benches, the right hon. Gentleman has been forceful in his condemnation. Whoever was in government, I believe that he would have done that, but I do not believe that the Conservative leadership either on the Opposition Benches or in office did the same. That is the point I was trying to make. The Opposition called this debate to throw mud, but it is an opportunity to think about the wider security context in which we operate. As the months go on, I am intrigued to see what the Conservative party’s posture will be as it contemplates the security and intelligence environment we are in. Will it shy away from engagement with China—a significant market and economic opportunity for us—or seek to engage with China with its eyes wide open?”

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7. “When I hear the hon. Gentleman speak, I listen to what he is saying—I think he could be a very good replacement for the shadow Minister on the Front Bench. The question I want to ask, though, is this: what is his view on the relationship of the UK to China? Ought we to engage and, if so, on what terms, or should we be economically decoupling? What is his view about the nature of that relationship?”

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8. “Before it was a political movement or a social organisation, it was a statement of fact, and it remains one. Black lives are important, yet some, in their actions and words, seek to cast doubt on that truth.”

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9. “I also think of an email that I received recently from the mum of a lovely young lad I know in Bournemouth called Dan. The message said: “Lots of us out here silently vibrating on an axis of vigilance—anxiety, powerlessness, anger—wondering when the violence will touch us and our loved ones.” That woman describes herself as a London exile. She moved to Bournemouth for a better life and a more tolerant society, and now, in this day and age, she is worried about her young boy having to experience the violence that she fled when she left London. She says that in London, she saw the British National party rampaging in the streets where she lived, and she worries that is coming to Bournemouth. It should be no surprise, and no shock, that I, as their Member of Parliament, will say that black lives matter.”

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10. “We need to entrench the struggles of our country in the teaching of our curriculum, so that the children we raise know fully, as citizens, what our country has been through, and what its story will be. That is particularly true because, unfortunately, those contributions are being erased. Nobody in Bournemouth should feel uncomfortable, unsafe or undervalued, yet I know all too well just how many black and Asian members of my community have felt targeted and excluded. I am thinking of a recent surgery appointment; a young black medical professional came and talked about his desire to live in Britain all his life. He said he would finish his shift, and on leaving the hospital, he would have to look over his shoulder, because he was concerned about being attacked. I heard the same story from an employee at Bournemouth university.”

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11. “Their contributions call us to keep on building a town and a country where everyone’s contribution is seen, valued and celebrated. I want to pick up on a point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Clapham and Brixton Hill (Bell Ribeiro-Addy). It is absurd that we cram black history into a month, and that we do not have a requirement for it to be taught in our curriculum. We rely on teachers—who are already frazzled by their heavy workload, and who have been looking for light at the end of the tunnel for so many years—to do the research, and to find the resources and time to teach black history, as well as other history, such as that of the civil rights campaign that led to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the history of gender equality, and LGBT+ history.”

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12. “In 1941 she became the first black woman to serve in the Royal Air Force, training as an instrument repairer and rising to acting corporal. After the war, she earned a degree, became a teacher and settled in Bournemouth with her family, and that legacy of service continued through her sons. She said, “Father served in the First World War, his three children served in the Second World War. I married a coloured man who was in the Second World War, as was his brother who was decorated for bravery in Burma. Their father also served in the First World War. Our son was a helicopter pilot, he served in Northern Ireland. So all in all, I think we’ve given back more to this country than we’ve received.” That legacy of service and that history—that Black history—is British history, and it is Bournemouth’s history.”

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13. “He became a minister and travelled the world preaching hope and equality. In the 1890s, he made Boscombe in Bournemouth his home, and he named his house Liberia in tribute to African independence. He became a British citizen in 1900 and, supported by a local community who recognised his courage, was able to do such things as write his autobiography, “Twenty-Eight Years a Slave”, in Bournemouth. It tells a story of faith, resilience and humanity. In it, he wrote, “Though my body was confined my spirit remained free, and it was faith that guided me through the darkest hours.” I am also thinking about Lilian Bader, who broke barriers of her own decades later. When racial discrimination kept people of Caribbean heritage out of the armed forces, she refused to accept it.”

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14. “I am proud to represent Bournemouth East. Bournemouth is a young upstart—we can compare it with Christchurch, which is 1,200 years old, and Poole, which is 800 years old—that was really built from scratch only about 200 years ago. It was made by people who came from London and the home counties. It is, and has always been, a melting pot, and it is proud of that. It is a beautiful place to live, work and be, and I am proud that it is such an inclusive place. Because Bournemouth is such a young town, black history is built into what Bournemouth has been. I think of Thomas Lewis Johnson, who was born into slavery in Virginia in 1826 and experienced slavery’s full brutality—physical punishment, harsh labour, the denial of basic human rights, and the mental trauma that will have gone with all that—but eventually he found his freedom.”

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15. “It is an honour to speak in the debate. I am proud to be the son of an Irish immigrant. My dad Richard came over to the UK with his family when he was a young boy. They were looking for safe accommodation and paid work. I remember him sitting me down when I was a young boy, and telling me that his family, when in search of those things, would often come across two notices: “No Irish” and “No Blacks”. To learn that at such a young age, and to understand that prejudice was so built into our society, fired in me a desire to fight racism. It also continues to shock me, because that was not the distant past, but very recent indeed. This Black History Month, we celebrate the black men and black women who shaped Britain’s history—Bournemouth’s too—but we must also remember what many of them were forced to endure.”

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16. “We will move forward together, united against racism, and determined to build an equal, fair and just society under one flag.”

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17. “Let us build a future in which equality is our shared legacy. I say that particularly to my constituents in Bournemouth, because we have been rocked by a summer of discontent, with frequent protests, which seem to have coincided with many years of feeling lost and hopeless. Bournemouth is a young town, but over the course of its history, it settled into who it was. It was a seaside town, and people knew what our industry and our sectors were about. In recent years, with austerity and the loss of key employers, the town has lost its way a bit. It is looking to tell a different story. It is looking to tell a story of inclusion, hope and happiness. Just as black history has always been key to Bournemouth’s history, the contributions of black boys, girls, men and women will be key to Bournemouth as it finds its new story.”

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18. “But when the intention is so deliberately to intimidate, and so consciously to exclude some people in my town of Bournemouth and across our country, it can only ever fuel the rising tide of racism that I know we all in this Chamber and across our country wish to reject. It makes no sense to me—indeed, it feels not just wrong and unfair but illogical—that, in some cases, the flag is flown in celebration of black and Asian footballers, and in other situations, it is flown to make their communities feel unwelcome. We should stop that. We should come together. We should unite as one country. Let us not merely honour Black History Month in words and speeches, perhaps with the announcement of a statue, and with a further debate next year and the year after, in which we commit to doing things. Let us take action.”

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19. “On that point, it concerns me deeply that we have had a summer of such discontent, which promises to be a longer period of unfortunate hatred. Flying the flag should unite us, not divide us. One of my earliest memories is seeing Linford Christie draping the Union flag around himself after winning the Olympic gold in 1992. It was a wonderful moment, yet at present, there are people whose intention in flying the national flag is to exclude. When the intention behind flying the flag is to cheer on our national sports team, it brings pride and belonging; it creates the joy and happiness that our country strives for.”

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20. “I found my hon. Friend’s words very moving, and I appreciate his testimony. That will have been hard to share in the Chamber, but it is so important that he did, and I am sorry that he is going through those experiences. I agree with him entirely. I sometimes hesitate to contribute to these debates, because I do not want to take time from colleagues who have first-hand, direct experience of what it is like as a black person, but my hon. Friend has picked up on a really important point: allyship at this time is crucial. I will do everything I can to stand up for both my hon. Friend and the black people I represent, and I know that colleagues in this Chamber will do exactly the same. We must stand against racism.”

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21. “We urgently need to modernise and expand British airspace—it is at capacity, and our growth depends on it. I was at Bournemouth airport last week. We are close to a bus service and a public transport interchange, but Bournemouth airport cannot easily connect with European airspace, as most traffic joins it at a single space. That is particularly problematic, given that I hope the Cherries, who are contesting for European football, get to play European teams next season. Will the Government review and modernise our airspace and back regional airports such as Bournemouth’s?”

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22. “I thank Barbara Hammond, Mish Tullar and Tim Sadler for their role in developing the solar park project, and thank the Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network for sharing the news of the project across councils, as well as news of all the good projects across our constituencies. The Rochdale pioneers built their movement in the hungry forties, when profit and power were concentrated in too few hands. They offered a fairer, more democratic way to do business, and that vision still matters today. Let us achieve a golden twenties; let us make this a co-operative decade. Co-operatives show us what businesses can be when profit serves people, not the other way round. Let us match ambition with action. Let us build an economy that is more productive, more resilient and fairer for all.”

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23. “It now generates enough clean power for 6,000 homes each year, and the council receives £177,000 annually, with the loan fully repaid, plus an additional £606,000 to reinvest in local services. Over its lifetime, the project will return £10 million in community benefit, and local people have a direct say in how that money is used. That is just one project of many in our constituencies. That is what co-operation looks like in action: clean energy, local ownership and shared prosperity. We could do so much more with the support of our Labour Government, and I am pleased to see Great British Energy prioritising community energy with a Great British Energy community fund that provides feasibility funding of up to £40,000 and project development funding of up to £100,000.”

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24. “Lastly, we need greater visibility and education so that more entrepreneurs see co-operatives as a viable route to business success. In the time remaining I want to focus on one specific area of policy where the co-operative sector has played a crucial role and can play a further crucial role. To tackle the climate and ecological emergency, we must do more of what works. We must rapidly expand clean, affordable solar and wind energy so that everyone benefits from a sustainable, secure energy supply. When that energy is community-owned, society is fairer and more resilient. As a councillor for 10 years, and as deputy leader of the council, I was proud to back the co-operative movement, including by funding the UK’s largest community-owned solar park with nearly £4 million of council investment.”

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25. “To deliver on the Government’s pledge to double the size of the co-operative and mutual sector, we need action that will match our ambition. First, we need a modern legislative framework, acting on the Law Commission’s review, to unlock co-operative growth. Secondly, we need a regulatory system attuned to co-operatives, with the Competition and Markets Authority joining the Prudential Regulation Authority and FCA in supporting their unique role. Thirdly, we need better access to finance, adapting existing funds, such as community development financial institutions and Better Society Capital, to include co-operatives. Fourthly, we need stronger business support, provided through the new co-operative development unit and co-ordinated across Departments.”

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26. “The co-operative model may have been born here in the UK, but Germany’s sector is four times larger than ours, France’s is six times larger, and South Korea has doubled its in just five years by creating the right conditions. We should be no less ambitious now that we have a Labour Government. Over 7,000 UK co-operatives now employ 240,000 people, serve 16.6 million members and generate £42 billion each year. Owned by the people who use them, co-operatives keep wealth rooted in communities and reinvest for the common good. They are proven to be 8% to 12% more productive than traditional firms, twice as likely to survive their first five years and four times less likely to fail during crises. Co-operatives narrow pay gaps, promote equality and strengthen local economies.”

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27. “If any constituents are watching, it has a share offer on at the moment, and I would encourage them to invest, because that will help to get the project open in time for April. Co-operation is in the DNA of Labour. The Labour and Co-operative parties have been sisters since 1927, and the centenary will take place under a Labour Government. Back then, the first electronic TV had just been invented and Parliament was still debating the introduction of traffic lights. We have been sisters for a long time and our partnership has endured, but the Co-op party can at times get lost in and swallowed up by the Labour party. We co-operators need to keep in mind that most fundamental question: what is uniquely co-operative about what we are trying to achieve?”

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28. “I want to shout out to Christchurch Housing Society, which provides housing for older and vulnerable people; Great Western credit union; Bournemouth East Allotment Society; and Cherries Trust, a community mutual that supports the local football club, AFC Bournemouth, which was top of the league for all of half an hour at the weekend—I hope to see it return there soon for much longer. I also want to do a shout-out to Hengistbury Head Outdoors, which has been supported by a Labour Government investment of £668,000 to refurbish and repair its outdoor centre. It now has a 99-year lease, and the co-operative has helped it through the process of issuing shares for community assets and offering a percentage of match funding too.”

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29. “To be a co-operator is to live with hope; it is about striving for better, never accepting second best and always putting people first. Politics is about choices, and we know what the choices made by the Conservatives were. The Conservatives showed us whose side they were on: they sold us out and they wrecked our country. Labour wants to put money and power back where they belong: into our communities. With the co-operative movement at the heart of that mission, I believe that we will be successful. In my constituency of Bournemouth East, we have many co-operators, and across Dorset we have many co-operatives. Indeed, the movement dates back to 1862, with the Parkstone and Bournemouth co-operative. I want to see many more co-operators and co-operatives, and I want to do a few shout-outs, if I may.”

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30. “It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon), who was a superb Labour council leader and a superb Labour Government Minister. He is a fantastic advocate for the Co-operative party and the co-operative movement. I also thank Joe Fortune, the general secretary of the Co-operative party, who has been a fantastic supporter of the movement. If someone is a co-operator, it is in their blood; it is who they are. It is an instinct to trust others, create ideas, craft projects and co-operate. It is about building stronger communities and holding the faith, knowing that life is to be enjoyed and made the most of, and about ignoring the voices of division and misery that feed us the message that life is something to survive and to get through.”

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31. “I welcome the statement and the important work of the Select Committee. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Erdington (Paulette Hamilton) for her leadership. It is striking that in England black mums are twice as likely to die as white mums. In Dorset our NHS is really eager to get this right. We have a new maternity, neonatal, early pregnancy and emergency gynaecology unit at the Royal Bournemouth hospital in the new BEACH building, and there is a plan to make records available in accessible languages and formats. Can my hon. Friend speak a little about what Dorset could do more of to make its healthcare more accessible?”

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32. “Together, they are breaking down stigma, building community and showing us what menopause support looks like in practice. I want women in Bournemouth East to know that I, as their MP, have their back, and agree with them that women deserve consistent, informed and compassionate menopause care in every GP surgery, every community and every part of our town.”

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33. “I will close by giving a few further shout-outs: to Join the Meno-Make, a creative group for women who experience the menopause and perimenopause, who meet together, share stories and make art about their experiences at Re-imagine on Belle Vue Road, and to the Southface dermatology clinic, which, in addition to further events, will host the Kickass Menopause event today—it sold out twice and had to move to a larger venue at the Village Hotel. Lastly, I thank Arts University Bournemouth, which has just completed an important research project looking at creativity in the menopause, organised by Pauline Ferrick-Squibb. In this World Menopause Day debate, I pay tribute to every woman in Bournemouth East and here in Parliament who has spoken up about her experience.”

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34. “Although Beat the Pause began with Sport England funding, which was to last for only a short time, it has kept going because of the commitment of people like Viv and the women who support one another. It is a shining example of how local wellbeing initiatives can complement clinical care, but also of the changes that we know need to happen in employment, combining exercise, education and peer connection into a holistic model that truly works.”

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35. “Thirdly, GPs and pharmacists should routinely promote the HRT prepayment certificate to help to ease the financial burden of ongoing prescriptions. Fourthly, there should be greater consistency across GP practices and primary care networks, so that support does not depend on where a woman happens to live. Fifthly, GPs could partner with local wellbeing providers, such as Beat the Pause, to signpost trusted services and build a joined-up approach between medical and community support. Finally, local councils such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council could do more to support exercise and wellbeing sessions in public spaces, using our beautiful beaches, parks and leisure centres to host accessible activities tailored to menopausal women.”

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36. “You lose all reason and have no idea where to start. We trust our doctors and the NHS—but this is where the biggest amount of work needs to be done.” That experience of confusion, frustration and being left to navigate symptoms alone is far too common. That is why the women of Bournemouth East have been clear about what needs to change. They have developed a community wish list that is both practical and achievable. First, every GP practice should have at least one member of staff trained in perimenopause and menopause care—someone responsible for upskilling colleagues and ensuring consistent advice across the surgery. Secondly, monthly menopause health talks should be held in GP surgeries, including evening sessions for working women, to improve access to accurate, trusted information.”

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37. “Viv runs a brilliant local initiative called Beat the Pause—a programme supporting women through community-based exercise and wellbeing sessions that help to manage menopause symptoms, build confidence and strengthen social connections. I think Viv will be pleased to know that I have just had a conversation with Mariella Frostrup, the chair of Menopause Mandate, who is here today at the invitation of my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East, in which I spoke about Beat the Pause and Viv’s work. Beat the Pause sessions are running locally in Bournemouth, and the women who attend describe them as a lifeline—a place where they can find community, consistency and compassion. As Viv puts it: “When you hit peri-menopause, you can feel completely lost. Your mind and body feel like they belong to someone else.”

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38. “It is an honour to speak in this debate marking World Menopause Day. My mum taught me well; she taught me lots of things, but in particular, normalised the menopause. It is as simple as that. I used to run services that employed in the majority women, and having open conversations and flexible working, as we have just heard, is critical. I want to be a conduit for the women in Bournemouth East who have shared their experiences of the perimenopause and menopause. It is a privilege to speak in a debate called by my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris), for many reasons but especially because she visited Bournemouth a short while ago to meet me and Viv Galpin at BH Live at the Littledown centre.”

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39. “On Saturday morning, I met residents concerned about persistent antisocial behaviour, drug dealing and under-age vaping. I am trying to get the solutions they need by arranging a community meeting with the police. How can I use the Government’s new powers to limit vape shops and barbers in particular areas so that the residents of Warwick Place, Wickham Road, Hannington Road and York Place, and the surrounding streets, can finally feel safe?”

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40. “In Dorset, where I represent Bournemouth East, figures show 39 knife-related incidents per 100,000 people. That is more than half below the national average, but behind every statistic there is a story. I am thinking particularly of 18-year-old Cameron Hamilton, who was tragically killed. His grandmother Tracy, who I had the honour to meet, has set up an organisation called Changes Are Made. Does the hon. Member agree with the mission of that organisation—that we must put lives before knives? Would he also agree that no one should carry a knife, because the quickest way to destroy a life is to carry a knife?”

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41. “The Amazon rainforest is the lungs of the earth, but it is gasping for breath. I am pleased that COP30 will be in the heart of the Amazon. Ella, a school student from my constituency, would like to know what steps the Government will be taking to stop deforestation and back nature-based solutions. On behalf of Ella, may I urge the Secretary of State to go as far as possible and do all he can?”

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42. “I have enjoyed many Bournemouth air festivals, so its cancellation has left a huge gap. I recently met an event organiser who has a plan, and I am open to meeting more organisers. The BH Area Hospitality Association, under the leadership of Rosie Radwell, has launched “Check In – Chill Out”, which is a campaign to showcase how great Bournemouth is. Does the Leader of the House agree in the strongest possible terms that Bournemouth is the best seaside town? Will he congratulate the campaign? Will he grant a debate on tourism, particularly for coastal and seaside towns?”

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43. “In Bournemouth, which has joined two other towns to create a super-city region, we are falling behind in economic growth opportunities because we do not have the interconnectedness we need. I was going to say more, but I will just briefly say that if we can have faster trains to London, accessible stations, the potholes in our roads filled, better bus services, more driving tests and a tram network which, because of its permanence, attracts businesses, organisations and people to move into our areas—those areas are already thriving, but could thrive so much more—Bournemouth would no longer be left behind; Bournemouth would thrive. It is a fantastic, beautiful town, which I am so proud to represent, and with the elimination of our transport inequalities, there would be no limit to the success we could achieve.”

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44. “I have written to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency, but it is nowhere to be seen on this issue. I want this Government to be on the side of learners and to tackle the driving test backlog. I welcome the fact that we have £1.1 million in funding coming to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council for the improvement of transport infrastructure, and that we have an extra £2 million to invest on potholes. I particularly want to make the case, for the first time in this Chamber, for the resurrection of a tram network in Bournemouth, which I think is really important. [ Interruption. ] I can hear murmurs of assent from my hon. Friends. Everyone loves a tram. Trams foster economic, social and cultural growth around them.”

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45. “We need a stronger provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure; it is typically concentrated in more affluent areas, and where it is concentrated in public areas it does not work. When it comes to trains, I am campaigning for an accessible Pokesdown station and faster trains to London. I want to talk particularly about the problems that people experience locally with accessing driving tests. The Labour Government have committed to 10,000 additional driving tests, and we have four additional instructors in Poole, but people in Bournemouth East have to travel to Poole to take their test, because their centre was closed in 2019. Operators are using bots to sweep up months-worth of test dates and sell them to parents and learners at a high profit. That is not fair, and it is an example of inequality.”

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46. “We know that when it comes to transport inequality, as we have just heard, the people who are left behind most are younger people, disabled people, people on low incomes and older people. Madam Deputy Speaker, I note that when you were the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, you called for an older people’s commissioner. In this respect, that could provide real value. In the time available to me, I will major in as many transport forms as possible. Yesterday I spoke about buses. In Bournemouth, we are crying out for a better No. 33 bus, the reinstatement of the bus route in and to Throop, and a bus to the airport that is better and goes more frequently.”

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47. “If inclusive design is to be the baseline, not a bonus, we must listen to my constituent Jennie Savage, a community place-making designer, who, at our surgery on Saturday, spoke about the importance of listening to the very people who use playgrounds.”

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48. “As my constituent Helen from Southbourne says, “We must provide exciting, enjoyable and affordable alternatives to screen time.” Secondly, as Baroness Longfield, the former Children’s Commissioner reminds us, “Play is a social justice issue—it’s about who gets to thrive and who gets left behind.” Among those children being left behind the most are wheelchair users and neurodivergent children. As Terri from Muscliff says: “If a child uses a wheelchair, there is nothing they can do.” Teens for whom traditional spaces such as multi-use games areas and skate parks just do not work are excluded too. In particular, teenage girls who mostly want social spaces near, but not within, family zones are not being catered for.”

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49. “Lloyd George warned how infringing the right to play can cause “deep and enduring harm to the minds and bodies of its citizens.” Lloyd George was right. Today, 2 million children in England live more than 10 minutes from a playground, and one in eight have no garden—in London, it is one in five. Nearly 800 playgrounds have closed in the past decade, casualties of austerity. In Bournemouth East, only 35% of children live within reach of a play area. What are the deep and enduring harms that result when children cannot play outdoors? First, they retreat indoors, glued to screens.”

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50. “Frank Dobson later described it as, “what children and young people do—when they follow their own ideas, in their own way, and for their own reasons.” Play is instinctive and natural; it is how children learn, grow and take responsibility. In Gaza, where children are hungry, exhausted and emotionally wounded, the instinct to play still endures. Just two weeks ago, Palestinian children were filmed playing with a parachute used to drop aid. Play is natural, essential and deeply personal. It nurtures emotional development, builds confidence and fosters creativity, collaboration and resilience. Those are the skills that renew our democracy and reinvigorate our liberal values, but right now, in Bournemouth East and across England, that right is being eroded.”

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