James Asser
MP for West Ham and Beckton · Labour · United Kingdom
“Q9. This summer I visited a holiday activities scheme, whose organisers told me they had to increase the size of the lunch portions because children were hungry, and with schools closed, it was the only meal some of them were getting.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I recently visited the British Airline Pilots’ Association training facility and flight simulator with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. I confess, Mr Speaker, that the results were mixed: if you are flying on your holidays next week, you would not want to fly with either of us!”
House of Commons16 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“High street crime and shoplifting remain key concerns for my constituents, who have seen some pretty awful examples. My local police have had some successes, and they are running local initiatives on high streets that are starting to deliver results.”
House of Commons13 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T3. Recently, I witnessed an attempted phone snatch outside one of my stations by three masked youths on electric bikes; fortunately, they were unsuccessful, but residents raised this as major concern at a community neighbourhood safety forum. Will my hon. Friend outline what progress we are making against tackling phone theft?”
House of Commons13 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am sorry to report to the House that last week, a 13-year-old boy lost his life in the Royal Victoria dock in my constituency, following a similar incident in the Thames in my constituency last year. The Royal Life Saving Society has reported evidence of an 80% increase in child deaths related to drowning over the last five years.”
House of Commons9 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We are going through another heatwave, but we know that well tree-lined streets can reduce temperatures by 5°C to 8°C. The data shows that we are significantly behind Europe, with 18% coverage compared with 30%, and that, where there is coverage, it is mainly in more affluent areas rather than poorer, more deprived areas.”
House of Commons9 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“Q9. This summer I visited a holiday activities scheme, whose organisers told me they had to increase the size of the lunch portions because children were hungry, and with schools closed, it was the only meal some of them were getting. The Prime Minister has rightly talked about the need to tackle the cost of living crisis and bring people hope again, which is essential in my constituency. Will he join me, our trade unions and community organisations in prioritising the elimination of food poverty? No child in our country should go to bed at night feeling hungry.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I recently visited the British Airline Pilots’ Association training facility and flight simulator with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. I confess, Mr Speaker, that the results were mixed: if you are flying on your holidays next week, you would not want to fly with either of us! But if I had wanted to fly, I would face training costs in excess of £100,000, with very few funding packages to provide support. That means that kids in my constituency can watch the planes take off at London City airport but stand very little chance of actually joining that industry. Does the Minister agree that we need accessible pathways to pilot training in order to drag the system into the 21st century and to remove it from a position where only a small minority with the financial means to do so can access the industry?”
House of Commons16 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“High street crime and shoplifting remain key concerns for my constituents, who have seen some pretty awful examples. My local police have had some successes, and they are running local initiatives on high streets that are starting to deliver results. Given that there will be other such examples around the country, will the Home Secretary make sure that, as well as the national initiatives, we are gathering together localised initiatives and local successes, and sharing good practice, to make sure that we are bringing it all together as part of an attempt to clean up our high streets?”
House of Commons13 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T3. Recently, I witnessed an attempted phone snatch outside one of my stations by three masked youths on electric bikes; fortunately, they were unsuccessful, but residents raised this as major concern at a community neighbourhood safety forum. Will my hon. Friend outline what progress we are making against tackling phone theft? Does she agree that the phone companies should do much more to ensure that criminals cannot profit from phone snatching?”
House of Commons13 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We are going through another heatwave, but we know that well tree-lined streets can reduce temperatures by 5°C to 8°C. The data shows that we are significantly behind Europe, with 18% coverage compared with 30%, and that, where there is coverage, it is mainly in more affluent areas rather than poorer, more deprived areas. I ask the Minister to look at a national strategy, working with the relevant environmental bodies and local councils, to ramp up and increase proofing our streets against extreme heat.”
House of Commons9 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am sorry to report to the House that last week, a 13-year-old boy lost his life in the Royal Victoria dock in my constituency, following a similar incident in the Thames in my constituency last year. The Royal Life Saving Society has reported evidence of an 80% increase in child deaths related to drowning over the last five years. This week, I joined the Port of London Authority in launching a water safety campaign ahead of the summer holidays. As my right hon. Friend will be aware, this has been an issue across the country this summer. Could we have a debate in Government time on what more we can do to improve water safety, particularly for our young people and children?”
House of Commons9 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am dealing with huge numbers of groups of leaseholders, and one of the things we have discovered—with the managing agent very much as my hon. Friend is describing —is this habit of subcontracting, only for the leaseholders to find that the subcontractors are owned by the same company; the name has just been changed. When we raised this point, the answer we got from FirstPort last week was, “We can do what we want.” Does that not reinforce my hon. Friend’s argument about regulation?”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“A teacher of Sudanese heritage in my constituency came to see me to tell me about the experience of her family. She said, “They had just enough time to grab their flip-flops and run for their lives. Having left all their property, they are now scattered in multiple countries across the region.” Her concern was that Sudan has never received the publicity or attention that it has deserved, and that that has been at the expense of the civilian population. Can I ask the Minister and the Government to put a proper spotlight on this conflict, and to use our weight and influence to prioritise the protection of the civilian population and the provision of humanitarian relief?”
House of Commons25 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does she agree that the key to fighting that is to put the voices and experience of those who have been abused in this way at the front and centre—people like my friend, who had to flee his house, his family and his city to avoid being forcibly “treated and cured” of being gay? Does she agree it is the case not just that they need to be protected from that abuse, but that their voices and experiences should be heard?”
House of Commons25 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for all the hard work and conscientious effort she has put in to get us to this point. This is not just a Government promise; this is a long-standing request by the LGBT community, and it is a significant gap in our 30-year journey to legislative equality. That journey has been underpinned by a need to prove that we are not people to be pitied, treated, cured or, dare I say, reformed, but people to be respected, and this legislation will do that. My hon. Friend is wise and experienced, and she knows that there will be pushback—the same old tropes and bigotry dressed up as plausible excuses and sympathetic concerns.”
House of Commons25 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I know the constituent my hon. Friend has spoken about. My hon. Friend also makes a valuable point about the need to speak with people who have lived a life, given that these things have been done in ignorance. Her point about parents is key. I have a constituent who is trans whose parents have engaged with me and explained the difficulties of learning to deal with and manage the situation. Their voices, alongside those of clinicians, are really important in understanding the issues. Does my hon. Friend agree?”
House of Commons23 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I very much welcome the work being done to prioritise and expand apprenticeships, but all too often their image is dated and the modern situation is not fully understood. While my local university tells me that good work on promoting apprenticeships is being done in private and grammar schools, that is not always reflected across the wider state sector. Will the Government consider how we might tackle the issue, working with apprenticeship bodies, industry organisations and the unions, to ensure that modern apprenticeships are fully known about and the opportunities they provide are fully understood?”
House of Commons27 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Child poverty is a major concern in my east London constituency, and faith and community organisations play an incredibly important part in providing support. While my constituency is very much multi-faith, the Church continues to play a hugely important part through its churches, schools, community facilities and experience. Can my hon. Friend assure me that the Church will continue to work across faiths, and with community and charity organisations, to make sure that that network of support, on which so many families in need in my constituency rely, remains strong and is there when they need it?”
House of Commons16 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Would the Department work with the national meningitis charities, the National Union of Students and university authorities to run a national awareness campaign, so that the symptoms he has outlined are fully understood, and students are aware of them and can understand what to do if they spot them?”
House of Commons17 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I join other hon. Members in sending my condolences to the families of the students who have died. As my right hon. Friend will be aware, I was once upon a time the National Union of Students officer responsible for national health campaigning, and a meningitis outbreak on campus was always one of our great anxieties. We used to run awareness campaigns that, as we know from feedback at the time, enabled students to be aware of the symptoms and get urgent medical treatment. Although this is a localised outbreak, there will obviously be anxiety among parents and students across the country.”
House of Commons17 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I put on record my role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Bulgaria. The APPG recently visited Sofia, where we met businesses that are keen to build their trade relationships with this country, particularly in the energy and tech sectors. We also saw the good work being done by our embassy in partnership with the UK-Bulgarian chamber of commerce. Does the Secretary of State agree that we need to look at trading with many of the newer markets in eastern Europe, which are keen to create trade, particularly when we have active business communities from those countries in the UK that are keen to build a partnership that will benefit both our country and theirs?”
House of Commons12 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the West Ham station attack, in which an IRA bomb exploded on a tube train, injuring nine people. Post Office engineer Peter Chalk was shot and seriously injured, and the tube driver, Joseph Julius Stephen, was shot and killed, as they attempted to stop the attacker escaping. Mr Stephen was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Gallantry medal, and we are marking his sacrifice at the station this week. Will the Leader of the House join me in marking this anniversary, and in sending the House’s best wishes to his widow, Janet? Does he agree that we should always mark significant anniversaries, particularly when they involve public sector workers who stepped up, went above and beyond the call of duty, and sacrificed or risked their life to protect the public?”
House of Commons12 March 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Based in North Woolwich in my constituency is Fight for Peace, a boxing and martial arts facility that also delivers employment and education skills for young people, helping to divert them from gangs and knife crime. Like so many organisations over the last few years, it has faced a tough time. Does the Minister agree that organisations such as Fight for Peace, which supports over 1,300 people and employs over 50 people, are vital for urban and inner-city communities like mine, and what more can the Government do to secure their future? May I also extend an invitation to the Ministers to visit North Woolwich and see the fantastic work that the club does?”
House of Commons26 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My constituents are plagued with endless disruption and roadworks from Thames Water, which is leading to disruption for motorists, delays in public transport and, in some cases, serious safety concerns for cyclists. Does the Secretary of State agree that such infrastructure works should be properly monitored and inspected so that they are carried out effectively and efficiently—and, frankly, so that our constituents can see some benefit at the end of the disruption?”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Rokeby school in Canning Town has just received national recognition from the Department for Education for its exceptional achievements among disadvantaged pupils. This is an incredible achievement for the school and the local community, where families and children face many disadvantages and challenges. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Rokeby on its success, and does he agree that when we are discussing education we need to find opportunities to shine a light on such successes?”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T2. The London Design and Engineering university technical college in the Royal Docks has just received an “outstanding” Ofsted report, including a commendation for the way it prepares students for the next stage of employment. Does the Secretary of State agree that an industry-level offer of resources and training at that stage in education is vital if we are to have thriving science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors?”
House of Commons4 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I recently had a conversation with a chip shop in my constituency. One of the issues it raised was getting younger people interested in going into the business because there are other opportunities elsewhere. Indeed, the person I spoke to—it was a family business—had moved on to other opportunities. The hon. Member is coming on to the many issues that face the sector. Does he agree that we need to look at opportunities for education in catering colleges to encourage people that fish and chip shops still present a viable business opportunity? Like many other long-standing businesses, if interest is lost, that is how they die out. That is one issue we need to look at.”
House of Commons3 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I declare that I am a leaseholder. Correspondence from leaseholders in my constituency, which makes up a lot of my inbox, mentions poor service, rising charges and homes that they can no longer remortgage or sell, causing financial difficulty. They will very much welcome today’s announcement, but will the Minister reassure them that the Government will rise to all the challenges that they face, swing the balance of power back towards homeowners, and tackle the real problem of service charges, through which leaseholders are being fleeced for poor-quality services that are often not even delivered?”
House of Commons27 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My constituents are not receiving the service they deserve. Many are facing real issues over water pressure, which is intermittent, unreliable and on some days non-existent. This issue has even been raised with me by primary school children when I am on school visits. Can the Secretary of State reassure my constituents that the White Paper will begin to force the water companies to take action on these day-to-day issues that really affect people’s lives? If they do not do so, will the regulator give weight to those complaints and will it have the kind of teeth that forces the companies to act, so that my constituents can get the service they deserve and, frankly, are already paying for?”
House of Commons21 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Edward Daffarn: From very early on, our thoughts were that if Hillsborough is to mean anything, it is that we as Grenfell survivors are not having to make a generational battle out of what we are trying to fight for. And yet we are sitting here, eight and a half years after Grenfell, still fighting for justice. At its core, what this Bill says about candour, honesty, changing culture and criminal sanctions addresses Bishop James Jones’s razor-sharp comments about the imbalance of power. That is really important. If that imbalance of power can be addressed, then hopefully people in future will not have to suffer in the way that the Hillsborough families suffered and we suffered.”
House of Commons27 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Q Thank you for what you have told us; it is important to hear from people who are directly involved. We have heard a lot today from the Hillsborough families. I do not want to put words in your mouth, but their experience was 35 years ago, and yours is much more contemporary, but it feels that in the three decades between the two there has been no progress and no improvement. You are just experiencing a variation on what they experienced. Is that a fair assessment? If it is, do you feel that the only way we are going to get the culture change that you and others have spoken about is by having the legal redress and recourse to be able to force that to happen?”
House of Commons27 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On a point of order, Mr Dowd. Before we hear from this panel, I need to declare an interest. From 2014 to 2015 I worked for Hacked Off, alongside one of the witnesses.”
House of Commons27 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There is growing concern about settler violence on the west bank. Churches in my constituency have raised that concern, and have particularly highlighted the attacks on the Christian community, which is, in their words, small and often overlooked. May I ask the Second Church Estates Commissioner, via the Leader of the House, to use the role of the Church Commissioners to ensure that this issue stays on the agenda and in the public eye, so that this community and what is happening to it is not forgotten, either in Parliament or in the wider world?”
House of Commons27 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The foundation now supports families both here and abroad, and the insights it has gathered are invaluable in helping to shape thoughtful and compassionate reform. Shelina’s story, sadly, is not unique. Each year, thousands of children in the UK are diagnosed with life-limiting neurological conditions.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am pleased to have secured this Adjournment debate on the support available to children—and, crucially, their families —living with serious neurological conditions. I applied for this debate after hearing the moving testimony of my constituent, Shelina, a mother who, like so many parents in similar circumstances, never expected to find herself navigating the complex and overwhelming world that confronted her when her daughter Tafida fell seriously ill. Following Tafida’s diagnosis, Shelina not only became an advocate for her own child, but went on to support others facing similar paths. She founded the Tafida Raqeeb Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping families understand treatment options, access specialist knowledge and feel supported at a time when many can feel at their most isolated.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Some families receive exemplary support, while others find themselves waiting months or navigating multiple agencies before help arrives. Strengthening those forms of support so that they are reliable, accessible and sensitive to the pressures that families face would greatly reduce the emotional and financial burden that parents often shoulder. The third area is ensuring that public services are co-ordinated, compassionate and connected. Many parents describe the system as fragmented, not through lack of dedication from professionals but because structures do not always align. Families may find themselves repeating their child’s history multiple times, facing delays in equipment provision, or juggling unco-ordinated appointments. For children with complex neurological needs, health, education and social care are deeply interconnected.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would be grateful if the Minister outlined, when she replies, what further steps might be taken to strengthen these early support mechanisms and to ensure that families across the country have timely, consistent access to the specialist guidance they need. The second area where the Government can make a difference is in emotional and practical support for families. Caring for a child with a serious neurological condition frequently requires round-the-clock care. Parents become experts in medical equipment, emergency responses, symptom patterns and complex medication schedules. This can take an enormous emotional toll. Consistent access to counselling, respite breaks, community nursing and psychological support can make an extraordinary difference. However, we know that this provision can vary.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Similarly, early involvement of mediation and clinical ethics support can help families and clinicians work through complex decisions collaboratively, rather than feeling pushed towards formal disputes. When available at the right moment, these mechanisms can preserve trust and keep conversations centred on the child’s best interests. Families have also highlighted the importance of having clear and safe hospital transfer options. Where another suitably qualified hospital, whether in the UK or abroad, is willing to accept a child, and where the clinical risks are manageable, families understandably value the reassurance that such a transfer could be facilitated. Greater clarity on how transfer decisions are made would help families feel respected as partners in their child’s care.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The first is access to high-quality information and specialist expertise. In the early weeks and months after a child’s diagnosis, many parents simply do not know where to turn. Conditions may be so rare that even highly experienced clinicians have encountered only a few cases. Understandably, families seek second opinions, sometimes internationally, in their search for clarity and reassurance. That is why proposals for more consistent access to second opinions, including clarity on how families can request them and where they may come from, are so important. Ensuring that such opinions are available promptly and from appropriately qualified clinicians would help prevent misunderstandings and reduce distress at an already emotional time.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am very happy to join my hon. Friend in that. I certainly know, and I think the House knows, his expertise in this area and the knowledge he brings to the House. That is something I will touch on further in a little while. Some conditions present at birth and others emerge unexpectedly in early childhood. What unites the families is not only the complexity of the diagnosis, but the emotional, financial and practical challenges that follow. When faced with these circumstances, support is not an optional extra; it is the difference between families coping or reaching breaking point. Today, I want to focus on areas where the Government can continue to make a tangible difference, while also reflecting on several principles identified by families and organisations working closely in this space.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. That is the thrust of this issue. There are multiple agencies involved, but if one is failing in an area or there is a gap, it creates huge problems. It is about being parent-sensitive and child-sensitive, looking at where the gaps are and ensuring that we have the necessary facilities, support and access available speedily where they are needed.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We do not require radical restructuring to make progress; what is needed is better co-ordination, commitment and recognition that caring for children with serious neurological conditions is a whole-family, whole-system challenge. In honour of the children we have lost, in support of those still fighting and in solidarity with every family navigating these profound challenges, I believe we can continue to do better.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Their experience with families in the most difficult circumstances offers valuable insight, and their contributions can help inform the foundations of a more supportive framework, one that ensures parental involvement, early resolution of disputes, safe transfer options and improved rehabilitation, all centred on the welfare of the child—much as my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) suggested when he spoke about involving families. Finally, I pay tribute to the extraordinary resilience of the families: the parents who become carers overnight; the siblings who grow up with remarkable empathy; and, above all, the children themselves, who show courage that humbles us all. Their strength inspires us, but it also reminds us that our systems must match their resilience with compassion, clarity and consistency.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“For children with long-term neurological conditions, timely access to specialist rehabilitation can significantly improve outcomes, independence and quality of life. Reducing the overall burden on families, emotionally, practically and financially, should remain a guiding principle. Strengthening the pathways for second opinions, mediation, ethics involvement, transfer options and rehabilitation would all help to support families during their most vulnerable moments. I want to recognise the work of the Tafida Raqeeb Foundation and similar organisations.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend makes an important point. Communications are a key part of the point I was making about interconnectivity. Parents are required to repeat the diagnosis so many times. Agencies need to be talking to each other and sharing information to make life easier for the families and carers of children. A joined-up approach can help relieve the pressure. Within that, it is vital that parents—and grandparents, where that is the case—are recognised as genuine partners in decisions about their child’s care. Their experience, insights and wishes should carry appropriate weight from the outset, and reflect the deep understanding they hold of their child’s day-to-day needs. In addition, families have emphasised the importance of improving access to paediatric neurorehabilitation, which is uneven across the country.”
House of Commons20 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In the summer, I led a Backbench Business debate to mark the fifth anniversary of the covid pandemic. One of our asks was for a database that properly records all the covid memorials around the country. I am delighted that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched today an online interactive map that does exactly that. I join the Leader of the House in congratulating Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, which has done so much to keep victims’ memories alive. Will the Leader of the House ensure that the data released today is circulated to all hon. Members so that it can be promoted in our constituencies and all our local memorials can be properly recorded?”
House of Commons13 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I join other Members in expressing sympathy to all those who have been affected, and in thanking the emergency services, members of the public who got involved, and of course the train crew, who acted heroically to protect their passengers. Given the developments today, and the Home Secretary’s statement on the incident in east London and Pontoon Dock in my constituency, there is a great deal of anxiety and fear among my constituents in West Ham and Beckton, and I place on record my thanks to the police for their engagement with me this afternoon. What assurances can the Home Secretary give my constituents about safety on public transport, particularly in east London, where there are a lot of smaller, unstaffed, open-access docklands light railway stations, which are essential to the daily life of my constituents?”
House of Commons3 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I have in my constituency a very well-established funeral director that operates in a large area and has been around since the Victorian era, and many other Members will have similar firms in their areas. The hon. Gentleman has talked about the trade bodies. Does he agree that such long-established family firms have a role to play in any future regulation as their experience and respect will add to the weight of the regulation?”
House of Commons27 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend mentions gradual change, which was apparently the policy of the Conservative party. Does he agree that a six-month temporary arrangement that takes a quarter of a century to overturn is the epitome of gradual?”
House of Commons4 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for joining me at Curwen primary school in Plaistow recently to see its excellent early years education work. He heard from parents about the struggles they often face as a result of serious economic and housing hardship. Will he assure my constituents that the Government will look at communities like mine, where housing and poverty create serious challenges for families, to ensure that all children, no matter their circumstances, get the best possible educational start in life?”
House of Commons21 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Perhaps, by putting them on the record, I may encourage people who knew or remember them—or, indeed, unleash that amateur army of genealogists that we are so good at producing in this country—to come forward with more details, so that we can properly record their names and service. I very much support the work to create a permanent memorial in recognition of all the incredible, dedicated reconnaissance pilots who served our country between 1939 and 1945. I also commit that I will work to create a local memorial in Newham, so we can honour those six men from West Ham and any others who served from the wider borough, to remember both nationally and locally the service and sacrifice of this incredible unit.”
House of Commons17 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Flight Lieutenant Arnold Rumsey was shot down on a mission to photograph the Scheldt estuary, where the Dutch royal naval shipyards are located. The pilot of the plane drowned, but Arnold and the rest of the crew were taken prisoner. He spent the rest of the conflict as a prisoner of war, and survived. Warrant Officer Anthony Sams was born in West Ham in January 1923; he joined up in December 1941. We know very little, other than he served in the PRU and survived the war, dying in Hornchurch in December 2001, aged 78. I hope that, by putting their names on the record, I have allowed those men something of a memorial to their service and sacrifice.”
House of Commons17 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We know little of his RAF career, but we know that he survived the war and died in Epsom in 2007. Sadly, all we know about Flight Lieutenant Ronald Kemp-Lewis is that he was born in West Ham and served in the PRU. Flight Sergeant Alan McLaren, the son of Ernest and Lily McLaren, trained as a Spitfire pilot and served in 683 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron in the Mediterranean. On 18 August 1944, he failed to return from a mission to photograph Udine in Italy. His remains are missing and he is one of the 144 with no known grave. He was 23 years old. Aircraftman First Class John Phypers served in 541 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire. Sadly, he was badly troubled by the ongoing stress of the war, and took his own life on the base on 16 June 1943, aged 39.”
House of Commons17 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“An accurate portrayal, it showed his character undertaking missions alone, with only his camera as defence. As we know, many of the PRU missions were undertaken without ammunition, and only the pilot’s skill and training to get them out of trouble. In the film—this speech contains spoilers, but the film is over 70 years old, so I hope that will not cause issues—Alec Guinness’s character is killed on a mission. That is, of course, poignant, as so many of these men lost their lives in that way. In discussions about the campaign, I am aware that six reconnaissance pilots were from West Ham. I wish to put their names on the record and say a few remarks about them. Flying Officer George Borrett was born in June 1920. He was a clerk in a shipping agent when he joined up in 1939.”
House of Commons17 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is good to see you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) for securing this debate. I also put on record my thanks to the Spitfire AA810 project for the work it has done to highlight the work of the Photographic Reconnaissance Units, and to get them a proper memorial. For many, the PRU will be an unknown group. Indeed, I was unaware of the unit until the project approached me. People will, of course, have seen the photographs many times in books, in museums and in films, but we rarely think about how those photographs were gathered, or the person behind the camera. As we have heard, over 26 million pictures were taken. Preparing for this debate, I could think of only one portrayal of a reconnaissance pilot in popular fiction: the role played by Alec Guinness in the film “Malta Story”.”
House of Commons17 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗