Chris Vince
MP for Harlow · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“It is hugely important that we build those international alliances because we cannot do that on our own. I ask the Minister to address in closing the economic impact on the UK of not getting the peace process back on track and trade flowing through the strait.”
“The hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) took an intervention right at the end of his speech, which threw me. It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. May I take this opportunity to thank my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey)?”
“I apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker, because I get really annoyed when others do that but I have just done it as well. I will move swiftly on and get to the main point of my speech.”
“I think Members across the House recognise the huge importance of debating these issues and the very concerning times that we live in—that is probably putting it mildly—and I cannot think of anybody else I would want to see debating them at the Dispatch Box, other than maybe my hon.”
“The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right and I absolutely do, and I will add to that too. I wanted somehow to shoehorn in my support for the BBC World Service and ask Members to bear with me as I am going to do that, because it is also important that we recognise the malign influence of the Iran regime in this country.”
“My hon. Friend makes a really important point. I do not mean this response to sound jokey, but if I, for example, wanted to promote Harlow to be the UK capital of culture—sadly, we got rejected—the way to achieve that might not just be to directly say to people, “Come on, let’s get behind Harlow.” I am not suggesting that these bad actors…”
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“Bordering Roydon are Lower Nazeing and Dobbs Weir, which are home to the Lea Valley growers—some of the biggest vegetable producers in the country. I also represent Sheering, one of whose most notable residents is Rod Stewart. For the first time, Harlow also includes Hatfield Heath and Hatfield Broad Oak—I know that the Leader of the Opposition will vaguely remember those places—which are incredible communities with a strong sense of what it means to look after your neighbour; I have got a “Neighbours” reference in there for the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport! Ironically, one of my predecessors, Bill Rammell, moved out of Harlow to one of the villages, but Harlow was not keen on this so it expanded its boundaries to include him back in the constituency, and we welcome him.”
“Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon) is waiting anxiously for me to point out that I stand here in this place as not just a Labour MP, but a Labour and Co-operative MP. I am proud of the Co-operative party and the work it has been doing alongside the Government to empower local communities, like mine in Harlow, through community ownership. I hope this next Session will bring even more co-operative opportunities for people in Harlow. Of course, like those of many hon. Members in this place, my constituency name does not encompass the full nature of my area. The Harlow constituency does not end at the town boundary; I also represent incredible villages with incredible histories. I represent Roydon, a village that first appeared in the Domesday Book.”
“When we talk about cost of living pressures, it is easy to get lost in the numbers— as a mathematician at heart, that is even easier for me. But to bring the issue home, when I think of the reality facing hard-working and proud families in Harlow, I think of my friend Jamie, who works six days a week to pay the bills, put food on the table for his two-year-old son and provide for his family. At the end of the month, he has very little, if anything. He cannot enjoy himself. He cannot treat his family. This parliamentary Session must be defined by being the one where we see living standards improve for everyone in our society, not just for the privileged few. That is what will be in my mind’s eye when I cast my votes in this place. I am sure my hon.”
“I would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to mention a personal focus of mine in this place: supporting young carers and young adult carers. I call on the Government once again to ensure that support for those particularly incredible young people is a golden thread running through everything that they do. Of course, Harlow is about more than just its young people, and my community has not been immune to the pressures of the cost of living crisis. I welcome the work already done—the freezing of rail fares and prescription charges, the lifting of the two-child benefit cap and the raising of the minimum wage—but most of all I am pleased that this Government, in this King’s Speech, recognise that there is more to do to support families in Harlow.”
“Some might say the fact that I am standing in this Chamber, giving this speech, means that anyone can achieve anything if they are resilient enough. Let me tell you, Mr Speaker, I can roll with the punches, and believe me, my journey to these Green Benches did not happen without me getting knocked down along the way. I say now, directly to the young people of Harlow: Do not give up on your dreams. Do not let someone tell you that you can’t do it. If you really want something and you are willing to work hard for it, you can achieve it. I am proof of that, and I know that in this Government, you have a Prime Minister dedicated to giving that opportunity to others—because he is even more proof of it than I am.”
“Member can recall a constituent coming to them broken, with nowhere to turn, at their wits’ end with a SEND system that benefits no one; I certainly can. I also welcome the Government’s commitment to review the national curriculum to make it broader, recognising the importance of citizenship and financial education and the dangers of online harm. What our younger generation learn is so important. If I could achieve one thing, when I look back on my time serving Harlow, I want it to be achieving for the young people in Harlow the aspiration that they deserve. Every young person now sitting in a classroom in Harlow—primary or secondary—should have the opportunity to aspire to achieve whatever they want to do. That is what I want for Harlow.”
“These inspirations are a reminder of what it means to be British, to achieve so much and to have such a proud community behind you. Harlow has a history to be proud of and a future to be excited about. As a former teacher—I do not know whether I have mentioned that fact—I am filled with pride when I visit schools across Harlow and see the incredible young people learning there. That is why I am proud that education is at the heart of this Government’s offer in the King's Speech, building on the work done in the previous parliamentary Session. Looking to this Session, the Government will tackle the broken special educational needs and disabilities system, giving every young person with SEND the support they need and supporting parents, not leaving them to battle a broken system. This issue cuts across this House. I am sure every hon.”
“To this day, Harlow is one community built by lots of smaller and close communities—communities like Potter Street, Bush Fair, Church Langley and Little Parndon. As Harlow grew into its new town, so too did its pioneering spirit. Just two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to recognise one of those pioneers by unveiling a blue plaque in memory of Harlow-raised scientist Dr George Hockham, one of the key brains behind the invention of the fibre-optic cable. Fibre-optic cable, created in Harlow, revolutionised modern communication not just in Britain, but across the world. For me, George Hockham and many others like him from Harlow can be an inspiration for Harlow’s next generation—a generation who deserve a Government on their side. I also think of inspirations like Professor Hannah Fry and Paralympian Anne Strike.”
“When I think of Britishness, I think of Rainbow Services, which supports projects across Harlow by getting young people to build infrastructure for their community; I think of Streets2Homes, the homelessness charity I worked at that supports the most vulnerable in our society; and I think about the Michael Roberts charitable foundation, which runs the local food bank. As I mentioned, Harlow is a post-war new town designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd to be a place of neighbourhoods and communities. It was built as a solution to the problem of overcrowding in London. Harlow sought to alleviate that pressure, while keeping communities tightly knit together. We can still see remnants of that today, with people from Walthamstow moving to The Stow in Harlow, which gives people a fresh start in life with all the comforts of their community.”
“I saw unity. I saw people coming together to cheer on perfect strangers in their shared endeavour. I saw Gordon Ramsay randomly heckle me to carry on. I even got support from a Man United supporter. I saw everyone—man or woman, black or white, gay or straight—all lining the 26.2-mile course. And by the way, that 0.2 miles at the end is only made possible by those supporters. That is the Britain I know. That is the Britain that I love. That sense of supporting one another, and of coming together as a community in hardship and celebration, is alive and well in Harlow. In fact, it was baked into the very foundation of Harlow when it was first conceived as part of the new town revolution under the first majority Labour Government in 1945. Harlow remains a strong community today.”
“Members, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about. During this turmoil, I have taken the time to reflect on what it means to be British—those British values. What is our country about? What is the real Britain? We mention Britishness more and more, but it can mean any number of things to any number of people. When I think about what it means to be British, I think about my recent experience running the London marathon. To be clear, I am not referring to when the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden), with his Union flag shorts on, overtook me on mile 17, just as I hit the metaphorical wall. I have looked it up and he is two years younger than me, so I have an excuse. During my marathon run—or perhaps in my case I should say my marathon limp—along the streets of London, I saw neither hate nor division.”
“I have to say that I am not particularly bright and I am not particularly young—[Hon. Members: “Ah!”] But I am definitely a thing, so I can claim one third of that description. I think the Chief Whip asked me to give this speech because he was aware that, on the last day of term, I failed to achieve my 400th contribution to Hansard . I thank everybody for being here so that I can now do so. In this parliamentary term I look forward to making 400 further contributions, with multiple references to Harlow, my mother’s sterling career at HMRC, and the fact that I may have previously been a maths teacher. [Hon. Members: “More!”] There is more; don’t worry. I think we all recognise, as His Majesty does, that this King’s Speech comes at an increasingly dangerous and volatile time that, like hon. Friends and other hon.”
“Those listening at home may wish to count the number of times I do so. I believe the current count is seven. [ Interruption. ] Is it eight? What did I do for a living? Harlow is never a dull place to represent. Members across the House will know that Harlow once again bucked the national trend when it came to last week’s local election results. We are getting quite good at that, even if it might not have been in quite the way I would have liked. However, it shows the ambition of the people of Harlow to see their town improve and grow—something that can only happen with this Government’s continued investment. Hint, hint! The Chief Whip also told me that it was tradition to have an established MP propose the Loyal Address and for a “bright young thing” to second it.”
“Friend the Member for Bradford West—and most Members across the House, I am sure—my first thought was, “What have I done wrong?” I thought that perhaps, as some Members across the House did, he had misheard me when I said “horned” during a speech; I did not much fancy explaining to him on a train full of my constituents that I had said “horned” and not another word that sounds like “horned”. Thankfully, that was not the case. The Chief Whip told me there were certain traditions around the King’s Speech—that the seconder’s speech should be humorous and was an opportunity to mention the Member’s constituency as often as possible. This did sound like a good gig to me, to be fair. I cannot necessarily promise humour—although I will give it a good go—but I can certainly promise that I will mention Harlow as often as possible.”
“I have checked the records, and I am the first MP for Harlow to have had the opportunity to do so—mind you, Harlow has only been a constituency since the 1970s, and I am not counting Winston Churchill, who represented what is now Harlow when it still came under Epping. It may be the first time that a Harlow MP has delivered this speech, but I believe that this opportunity has come at the right time. When I reflect on the hurdles ahead, a lot can be learned by looking at Harlow’s past and Harlow’s future. My seconding the Humble Address came about when I received a phone call from the Chief Whip on the train home. Like my hon.”
“It is an absolute honour to second this Humble Address. First, I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford West (Naz Shah) for her incredibly powerful speech and echo her words about the importance of communities coming together to tackle the divisive politics that we have seen so often. I thank her for those comments. May I also echo her comments about the House staff and the incredible job that they do to support all of us? Following my recent London marathon run, two of the Doorkeepers suggested that the only reason Sabastian Sawe did it in less than two hours was to get away from me talking about Harlow. As a big fan of curries, I look forward to having the opportunity to sample one in Bradford in the future, although I cannot speak for all my fellow Essex MPs. Speaking to this motion is a unique opportunity.”
“I saw that the other day during the debate on the Pension Schemes Bill, in the discussion about mitigation. I disagreed with what Opposition Members said, but I respected their right to disagree, and I think it is important that in any debate—including this one—we can agree to disagree.”
“I want to gently respond to those on both sides of the House who have implied that those who do not agree with them are somehow selling their soul. I respectfully disagree. As Members know, I was a teacher before I came to this place, and I came to this place because I was angry with the former Member for Surrey Heath. I frankly disagreed with some of the decisions he made about education, but what really struck me when I came here was that Opposition Members are not the horrible, terrible, horned beasts that I was led to believe they were—some of them, maybe. [Hon. Members: “Horny?”] Did I say that? I meant horned. I feel like I am going to have to make a point of order and apologise in a minute. Opposition Members genuinely believe in what they are voting for.”
“On a lighter note, I was reluctant to speak in this debate because I could not work out how I was going to make reference to Harlow in it. [Hon. Members: “But you have.”] Twice. Then I realised that that was the point; I come to this place to talk about my constituents. Take my constituent, friend and former work colleague Jamie, who works six days a week, and has nothing left with which to enjoy himself or treat his family, including his two-year-old son. I want to be talking about how this Government help people like Jamie. [Interruption.] Sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker—again, terrified. I want to be talking about how we in this House can make a difference to Jamie and tackle the cost of living crisis.”
“Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to put on record my deepest respect for the Speaker’s Office, and for you personally. As you will be aware, I find you just a little bit terrifying. [Hon. Members: “Quite right.”] More cross-party agreement. I absolutely respect Mr Speaker’s decision to allow this debate. I will admit that I was reluctant to speak in it, not because I lack faith in the Prime Minister—that faith remains firm—and not, to mention an issue raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff West (Mr Barros-Curtis), because I genuinely worry about my security and that of my family, although I have to put on record that I do; Members from across the House who have supported me in that matter will know what I am talking about.”
“Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart) was not able to intervene on me, because I avoided being party political; I appreciate that the challenge is on again. I do my best to avoid being too party political, except when it comes to education policy, but I declare an interest there. I have actively engaged in this matter, and have contributed when the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister has attended this House to speak on the subject of the Humble Address, as he has done a number of times. I see he is not here; he has slipped out while I am giving my speech. I have represented to him my genuine concerns about the vetting process, and I would ask him to refer to that in his winding-up speech, if he were here. I have expressed my genuine concern about the impact of Peter Mandelson’s appointment on the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.”
“I apologise to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the fact that I cannot promise as learned and long a speech as that given by my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton West (Phil Brickell). [Interruption.] Even in such a heated and highly controversial debate, I have managed to gain cross-party consensus. My day has not been wasted. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak. I am perhaps not so pleased that I am speaking in this particular debate, but the opportunity to speak in this place and represent the people of my constituency is an honour every single day. I hope that Members from across the House will recognise that I do my best to avoid being too party political. In fact, I gave a whole speech in which the right hon.”
“I thank the hon. Member for his contribution, I think. I am sorry that he is offended by my handwriting, but there are probably more important things to discuss.”
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for a far better intervention. The comment I made about the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister while he had popped out was that, as he is aware, I have contributed many times when he has spoken about the Humble Address, and have asked him a number of questions about the vetting process, as well as the impact that this ongoing issue obviously has—”
“Opposition Members should trust me when I say that it would be far easier for me to join them in the Lobby this afternoon, but I do not believe that is the right thing to do.”
“Trade envoy to Harlow, did you say? I asked the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister about the impact that this ongoing issue has on the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. I think it is really important that we recognise that, and I ask him to comment on it in his wind-up. The point that I wish to make, and I hope it is taken on its merits, is that I absolutely appreciate that the Labour Members who have spoken in support of the motion did so because they believe that it is right. However, do not assume that those of us who are not speaking in support of the motion believe the same. The majority of Members, whatever political party they represent, vote in the Lobby for what they genuinely believe is the right thing to do, for whatever reason. I reject the concept that that is not the case.”
“I just want to put on the record my thanks to the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee for his able chairing of the Committee throughout my time on it. I think he would agree that we have had some really good and useful debates in this Chamber and Westminster Hall because of the work of the Backbench Business Committee.”
“The Minister is right that the fees are not proportionate, but they also sometimes do not meet the cost of the tribunal. Does she agree that that is one of the reasons why this legislation is so important?”
“I will not lie, Mr Speaker: bobbing is slightly more difficult than normal this morning. Can the Minister detail what the ombudsman found about the financial loss women suffered as a result of the delay in sending out letters? On a more general point, can he say what this Government are doing to support women in retirement in my constituency of Harlow?”
“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. [ Interruption. ] . Are we all finished? I thank the Chief Secretary for returning to the House again on this issue. Will he reiterate how due process for the conducting of security vetting before appointments are announced will change as a result of this affair?”
“When I was a councillor in Harlow—I got my mention of Harlow in—it was a real challenge for the opposition to do its shadow budgets and for the administration to do its budgets.”
“I thank the shadow Minister for giving way, and congratulate him on his efforts yesterday. I am sure we are both struggling to bob in the Chamber this afternoon. I agree with the shadow Minister about the cabinet model for local councils. I am sure he agrees that one of the advantages of that model is that there are fewer meetings, which makes being a councillor more accessible for those who have jobs and childcare commitments and means that we do not just rely on councillors who are perhaps retired. On his point about the Government’s approach to local authorities, does he agree that one good thing that this Government have done is ensure multi-year funding for local councils?”
“I do not like to think about it like that, because that is not why young carers and young adult carers care for their loved ones; they do it for love, don’t they? Equally, we must make sure that they are supported as much as possible throughout their lives, not just at school but as they transition to higher education, training and employment. I thank the Backbench Business Committee—I am a member of it, so I would say that—for allowing me to have this debate, and I look forward to hearing the contributions from other Members, including the shadow Minister and the Minister.”
“Again, I emphasise that any reporting on NEETs should include whether people have caring responsibilities. I feel passionately about this subject. From day one in this place, I have been determined to ensure that I continue to be a champion for young carers and young adult carers, as I was in my previous role. None of us could fail to recognise the hugely important role of young carers and young adult carers, not just in supporting their loved ones but in the wider community. When we talk about young carers and young adult carers, many people talk about the huge economic benefits they provide. If these young people did not take on that caring responsibility, there would be a greater number of admissions to hospital and a greater cost to the NHS.”
“Again, I welcome the Milburn report, but I would call for a cross-Government carers strategy to ensure that young carers and young adult carers are a key thread in everything the Government do. I would also ask the Minister and Ministers from the DWP to work with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that local authorities can meet their statutory obligations on transition assessments, so that they provide assessments for all young adult carers and, of course, age-appropriate support on top of that. I would also like to talk about the importance of improving data about young adult carers. We need to be led by the data. In Essex, for example, there are 10,000 young carers and young adult carers. I suspect that the number is actually much higher, because many young carers do not necessarily recognise that they are young carers.”
“I am delighted to have a fantastic school called Mark Hall Academy in my constituency, which does some fantastic work to support young carers. I would emphasise the importance of having a young carers lead in every school to support young carers not only in school itself but in any transition they make moving forward, and with careers advice. Secondly, there is removal of financial barriers. A report has come out today that talks about the 21-hour rule, and I would be interested to hear the Minister’s views on that. I would also ask the Department for Work and Pensions to provide financial solutions so that young adult carers do not have to choose between caring and learning. We should also improve young carers’ access to employment and training opportunities.”
“The first recommendation, which is key for not only young adult carers looking to access higher education, further education, employment or training but all young carers, is to improve the identification of carers. I often tell the story, from my time as a teacher, of when I was unaware that a young person in my class was a young carer until it came to parents evening; I think that that is particularly relevant and moving. That is an issue for not only secondary schools but higher and further education institutions, and it is perhaps even more of a challenge in universities, where the same relationship is not necessarily built with teachers as in schools. It is also important to improve the support for young adult carers in education.”
“For young adult carers, distance is often a key motivating factor when choosing which university to go to, with two fifths choosing to stay at home when studying. The nature of higher and further education in this country means that that decision can have a key impact on what that young person chooses to study and on their other life chances, given that they do not have a full range of choices when it comes to university. MYTIME Young Carers also recognises the challenges young adult carers have in meeting deadlines, which is also cited in the report, as Members might expect. I will move on to some of the report’s recommendations, and I would be grateful to hear the Minister’s thoughts on them.”
“I will quote one particular young adult carer, who said: “At one point, it felt like I would never be able to live my own life or make decisions that didn’t directly benefit” the health of the person they cared for. While I have this opportunity, I want to thank all the organisations that took part in the inquiry, such as MYTIME Young Carers in Bournemouth, Action for Family Carers in Essex, the Carers Trust, of course, and other partners. We received representations from carers in Gloucester and Sheffield, as well as in Northern Ireland, and I look forward to hearing a contribution about Northern Ireland later. MYTIME Young Carers recognises that there is often pressure to stay at home and not access further education, training or employment.”
“It was really interesting to hear that. Of course, young adult carers going on to university face other issues, which I hope to touch on in my speech. The APPG’s previous inquiry into young carers, which took place in 2023, before I entered this place, heard that more than 40,000 young adult carers are caring for their loved ones for more than 50 hours per week. In our recent inquiry, we heard from 198 young carers and young adult carers, and only a quarter said they had the same access to opportunities in education—particularly higher and further education. Some 73% said they felt they were falling behind their peers in education, and 79% said caring had a huge impact on their mental health and is a key factor impacting their career plans.”
“I know that this falls under a different Department, but I am sure he will work with the Work and Pensions Secretary on the Alan Milburn report, which will recognise the importance of tackling people not in education, employment or training. He will recognise that a higher proportion of young carers and young adult carers are NEET, for reasons I will highlight in my speech. What we found from the young adult carers who came to the APPG and spoke about their experiences of going into higher education is that they face a number of barriers, some of which I will come to. I was really struck by the fact that when they applied for university, they did not feel there were models—not exactly role models, but models of young carers and young adult carers going on to university—they could learn and get aspiration from.”
“As chair of the APPG, a former teacher and a young carer lead for Action for Family Carers—a charity based not only in my constituency of Harlow but across Essex—I am keen to talk about educational opportunities for young carers and young adult carers. As you will be aware, Mrs Harris—I mention this quite often—I was a secondary school teacher. Having had conversations with young carers and young adult carers, I felt it was important to focus the APPG report on the transition from school to further and higher education, training and employment. As the Minister knows, that fits nicely with the Government’s aims.”
“I particularly want to thank the young carers who contributed to the report—in particular, our co-chairs, Farzana, Bakoory and Danny, and also Ashleigh, Jahnavi, Sammi, Becca, Elaroop, Emma, Isla, Joanne, Lewis, Luna, Ruby, Sammie-Jo, Tariq and Zaynab, for their really important contributions. Anecdotally, if you ever find yourself on a panel of speakers with a young carer or young adult carer, I would advise going first, Mrs Harris. If you find yourself, as I did at my party’s conference this year, speaking directly after a young adult carer—in this case, Farzana—you will find that anything that you have to say absolutely lacks impact, because the young adult carer will have said something far more powerful and, in my case, far more intelligent.”
“I beg to move, That this House has considered access to education and training for young adult carers. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. Before I start, I want to declare that I am the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for young carers and young adult carers. Throughout my contribution, I will refer to the APPG’s recent report on removing the barriers to higher education, employment and training for young adult carers, and I thank the Carers Trust, the APPG’s secretariat, for publishing it. I also thank the vice-chair, the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett), who sadly cannot be here because she is on Bench duty.”
“He recognises the challenges posed by the 21-hour rule, and has endeavoured to go away and look at that. I am happy to attend any meetings he is having with anybody, because he is a very good Minister. Finally, huge thanks to everyone who has participated in the debate. I hope that it has been productive. I am sure that we will continue to have conversations about young carers and young adult carers. I certainly intend to, and we have some positive steps to move forward with. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered access to education and training for young adult carers.”
“I thank the Minister for his contribution. He will be finishing the marathon at least two hours quicker than me on Sunday. He correctly recognised the importance of better inclusion in schools for young adult carers and of improving the data. I welcome Ofsted—that is a rare thing for a former teacher to say—and its focus on young carers. The Minister is right that schools have a number of challenges and things they need to focus on. They cannot do everything, but making sure that it is in the Ofsted framework will ensure that schools focus on the issue. This needs to be a cross-party and cross-Department conversation. I recognise the Minister’s comments about bursaries and maintenance grants, and appreciate his commitment to talk to Alan Milburn about his inquiry.”
“Having worked in the charity sector, I often found that although there is funding to support young carers or adult carers, that middle group is not supported. There is a big difference between a 21-year-old supporting a loved one and an older person doing so. That is an important point to make. I thank the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East (Saqib Bhatti) for his kind words. He is not a bad bloke—for a Man United supporter. I recognise the genuine attempt by the previous Government to improve the data on young carers, but we need to do more to make sure that schools fill in that census properly. I think that 69% of schools still say that they do not have any young carers, which we just know is not correct. The hon. Member rightly recognised the importance of the Government working to improve that data.”
“I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for his powerful contribution and for recognising the sacrifice that young carers and young adult carers make. As the Minister said, he made it personal and very real for us. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Chris Bloore) for his contribution. Some universities and higher education colleges do support young carers very well, and that is hugely important. During our APPG’s inquiry, we heard representations from Liverpool University, the Open University and others that want to get this issue right. I thank the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted (Victoria Collins) for recognising the unique challenges facing young adult carers.”
“Happy St George’s day, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his earlier remarks on procurement, and I agree that £400 billion of public spending is a significant lever that this Labour Government have to better support businesses across our country. How will the Minister and his colleagues across Government work with me to ensure that our public money will be spent well and deliver for well-skilled jobs in—drum roll—Harlow?”
“May I ask the Leader of the House to welcome the new owners of Harlow Town football club to their role after a period of uncertainty, when the club went into administration. As I know he is a fan of football teams that play in red and white, will he join me in wishing Harlow Town football club, often known as the non-league Man City, a successful season next year?”