Andrew Pakes

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

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356 held · 346 searchable for Andrew Pakes. The searchable lines are below in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 7.

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1. “Then, in November 1982, archaeologists surveying the depths of the basin came across the timbers of what proved to be an internationally important site, Flag Fen. The rich archaeological collection and remains there are important in understanding the wider prehistoric landscape of the Flag Fen basin, and what was happening in Britain during the bronze age. Almost since Flag Fen’s discovery, the management strategy has been to protect these remarkable remains by leaving them buried in the ground that has protected them for nearly 3,500 years. However, even then we knew that the land would not protect the archaeology forever, but that one day the precious vanished world would succumb to climate change and fen drainage, leaving nothing but dust.”

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2. “I certainly welcome that, and I also welcome the number of Cambridgeshire MPs who are here to celebrate our county’s rich bronze-age heritage. Too often, young people are denied the chance to learn about their history because of the lack of public transport linked to places such as Flag Fen, and because of the pressures on school budgets restricting opportunities for visits and learning. We are beginning to turn that around, and I am proud of our record in Government so far, but there is more to do. A rich world on our doorstep is something that all students should be able to learn from, regardless of background or wealth. Flag Fen’s story began with its discovery in 1971, when excavations ahead of the construction of Peterborough new town revealed an almost intact bronze-age landscape running along the edge of the drained fen.”

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3. “It is why I am proud to have the privilege of being named chair of the Peterborough tourist board, which has just launched the Discover Peterborough website. Together, we are changing Peterborough for the better and, with Government support, we will succeed.”

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4. “There is a lot more going on in Peterborough than meets the eye, from Flag Fen and Must Farm to our majestic 900-year-old cathedral, and from Peterborough Museum, which sold over 17,000 tickets to its recent “Doctor Who” exhibition, to our art deco lido, which celebrates its 90th anniversary next year, and even our very own Oakham Ales, which just this weekend was rated one of the top taprooms in the country by The i Paper . These are all reasons why I love my part of the country, and why I honourably ask the Minister to set out the Government’s ongoing support for them. We value our heritage locally, but we also know the contribution that Cambridgeshire and bronze-age heritage makes to our national and international reputation as a centre of culture.”

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5. “Absolutely; that brings me on to some questions I have for the Minister. Can the Minister set out the ongoing support the Government are providing and their commitment to regional museums and heritage and smaller artefacts in places such as Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire? We have wonderful national institutions, but out in counties such as ours we also have nationally significant places that people can visit, and I am keen to understand the Government’s commitment to those places. What is his thinking on how that funding will develop in future and how the Government will support it? It is really important, not only for the heritage, but to bring people into a city like ours.”

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6. “We do not know all the information yet, but there is great anxiety in Huntingdon and Peterborough, and this is also a national issue. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that we will go the extra mile to tackle knife crime and ensure that our streets and public transport remain safe for everyone for years to come?”

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7. “May I associate myself with the comments about sympathy and empathy for the victims of this attack? The names of Peterborough and the town of the constituency of the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) have flashed across the news here and around the world this weekend because of the terrible events of Saturday night. I do not want my constituency to be known just because of the acts of a single perpetrator, so may I put on record my tribute to the police, the train staff, the first responders and others who stepped forward when actions were needed? I pay particular tribute to my constituent, train driver Andrew Johnson, and his ASLEF and RMT colleagues on LNER, who went beyond the call of duty on that evening. They showed the best of British values, and the true face of the county I represent and its people.”

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8. “If this is the co-operative moment, as I believe it is, we also need co-operative ambition. We need to create the conditions in which mutuals can flourish and succeed, where communities can come together and start up their own ventures, and where destiny for our families and communities is not determined by shareholders or Government alone, but by the people themselves. This truly is a co-operative moment.”

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9. “But I say to the Minister that the unit needs to work with the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and other Government Departments to deliver the reforms we need to support it. Co-operation is living proof that our collective endeavour can be greater than our individual efforts. There is no stronger message for co-operation than the world we stand in today. We need to make sure that that message rings true in Whitehall, where all of these initiatives add up to something greater than their individual aims. These developments have happened as a result of the Government’s new focus, but it is up to all of us to ensure they deliver on those. Finally, why does this matter? It matters because it is about ambition for our communities and also the kind of world and economy we want to live in.”

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10. “With that ambition, we also know it will bring the challenges of how cross-Government working supports it. We know that sectors, which often work across Government Departments, struggle to find effective cross-Government working and effective time. So I welcome the announcement of a co-operative development unit as part of the Government’s pride in place plans. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel), who is no longer in his place, I am an old lag of the movement who spent many years working in co-op housing and co-op development, so I welcome the fact that we now have something that will look at co-op development in housing and local government.”

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11. “Rochdale was the birthplace of a movement, with the power of 28 pioneers organising against the odds and today still a living force for social and economic justice in all of our communities. The Rochdale principles still stand tall in the world. I am proud to be part of a Government with ambition for the co-operative sector: a clear commitment to double the size of the co-operative and mutual sector and to support social enterprises, as my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) said. Such ambition has not been seen by Whitehall before. With ambition will come challenges. It is not the role of Government to build co-operatives, but it is the role of Government to ensure there is not a block to growth. Co-operative activity, as we have heard, spans many sectors and many Government Departments.”

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12. “More widely we see the return of co-operative ambition after a generation of consolidation. It is good to see that happening, with the Co-op Bank coming back into the mutual fold and merging with the Coventry Building Society; with Nationwide expanding with the takeover of Virgin Money; and with the Co-operative Group adding more members year on year. I join my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton in paying tribute to my good friend Joe Fortune and also Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, for their sterling work on behalf of the movement. We should all remember that the movement started many years ago from co-operative principles. A few months ago I attended the Co-op congress in Rochdale town hall with my hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh).”

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13. “Despite moves to demutualise the building societies in the UK—an act of economic vandalism by a previous Government—we still have more than 40 building societies holding nearly one third of UK mortgages. Nationwide, still standing strong in my city and many others, is the biggest lender to first-time buyers in the UK. My constituency is home to the English Mustard Growers co-operative, which I often talk about. My constituency and that of my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Alice Macdonald) supply the seed that goes into Colman’s mustard—many people will know the brand. I am pleased we have an agricultural co-op in Peterborough and our surrounding fenlands. It is an illustration that the mutual drive covers a wide range of industries, not just retail, as many will know.”

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14. “For a post-war generation, building societies and co-operatives were part of the new social contract—if they worked hard, they could get on in life, get a home and make a future for their children. The co-operative and mutual ideal has always been strong in the UK, but the idea of a purpose-driven economy feels even greater in today’s world. Against a backdrop of division, short-termism and populism, mutuals offer purpose and social value to our economy and communities. The co-operative and mutual sector is a vital part of the inclusive growth agenda of this Government, worth £93 billion in gross value added and £180 billion in turnover. Building societies have more than 27 million members.”

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15. “It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner, especially as some of my earliest co-operative meetings took place in what is now Kingston upon Hull East, your constituency. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon) for securing this important debate. One of the first visits that I undertook as a Member of Parliament was to 28 Long Causeway in Peterborough, home of my local Nationwide building society branch. It has been there since 1974 but it started its life in the city in 1954, a few doors down from its current location, as the Co-operative Permanent Building Society—at a time when Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister and the world was very different.”

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16. “On the subject of apprenticeships, is the hon. Lady aware that the Co-operative Group is doing pioneering work at Highpoint Prison in Suffolk using some of its share from the levy? It is working with employers to ensure that offenders get on to an apprenticeship framework so that, when they have served their time in prison, they have a job to go into. That shows that the co-operative movement is leading the way on innovation in apprenticeships. Does the hon. Lady agree that we need to see more in the apprenticeship levy aimed at reducing reoffending and giving opportunities to young people?”

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17. “I warmly welcome this statement. One of the most shameful legacies of the last 14 years in Peterborough has been the rising number of young people leaving school with no qualifications and no hope, with NEETs up and apprenticeships down. Skills are not just good for growth, but good for hope, good for young people, good for their parents and good for communities. One of the most difficult parts in the whole vocational network is the navigation that employers and young people have to do with career services, which have been broken over the past 14 years. Can my right hon. Friend tell us more about how career services and good quality advice will be at the heart of reinvigorating vocational qualifications in Peterborough and the country?”

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18. “You may be interested to know, Mr Speaker, that today is the launch of Peterborough tourist board, and our new Discover Peterborough website. That brings together our great attractions, such as our 900-year-old cathedral and our great museum, as well as the great outdoors such as Nene park and Flag Fen. Will the Minister join me in welcoming the formation of Discover Peterborough, and say what more she can do to support the visitor economy and great attractions in places such as mine?”

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19. “I warmly welcome the £20 million coming to Paston, Gunthorpe and the Welland area of Peterborough. This is pride in place being delivered by my hon. Friend the Minister—the pride of Peckham—and I thank her. I am deeply proud as a Co-operative MP that the co-operative development unit is part of this strategy. Earlier this week, along with Peppa Pig and the Education Secretary, I visited Honeyhill’s childcare centre, which is a family hub in the centre of the area that will receive this funding. Can the Minister confirm that this money will be not just about bricks and mortar, but about changing lives? Facilities such as family hubs will be at the centre of how we can give children the best start in life. We can use this investment to change things for the long term in Peterborough.”

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20. “I welcome the statement and the consultation as a contribution towards modernising our public services. Constituents of mine are frustrated by how they cannot interact with the state. Alongside my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (Jo White), I went on the recent trip to Tallinn, and I was struck by not just how digital identity could make things easier, but how it could drive the uptake of things like childcare and pension credit and actually provide a service to people. I was also taken by the fact that, in Tallinn, the identity system was developed to stop the overreach of the state, and civil liberties are built into it. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that control and data use are a real part of the consultation?”

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21. “In July this year, the Co-operative Group launched a new partnership with City & Guilds for a new apprenticeship scheme for serving prisoners at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk. The scheme offers level 2 rail engineering operative apprenticeships, with guaranteed employment in the rail sector on release. This initiative aims to address the rail skill shortage that this country desperately needs to fill and to reduce reoffending by providing prisoners with qualifications and work experience before they leave prison. The scheme speaks to something that I hope this House holds dear. By providing clear employment pathways, we can break the cycle of reoffending, fix our prisons and rebuild our country.”

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22. “They should be held accountable for the crimes they have committed, but we need a pathway back, with community orders in the Bill to give people a chance to contribute to society as well as serving their time and doing their punishment. This issue interests me greatly through both my faith and my values, and it matters greatly in Peterborough. I am lucky enough to know Gez and Rosy Chetal, who set up Prismstart to work with employers, prisons and offenders to create work experience opportunities. Through their huge efforts, they have secured meaningful employment for more than 60% of the individuals who have come through their scheme and have produced work experience and opportunities for others. I also draw the House’s attention to the work I have been doing as a Co-op MP with the Co-operative movement.”

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23. “To make better use of time, I will not repeat many points, but I will focus on one particular aspect of the legislation and talk in favour of rebuilding our broken probation system. One of the biggest challenges facing society is that our prisons still turn out too many repeat offenders, particularly among young people. Recent data shows that if someone leaving prison is employed within six weeks of release, their likelihood of reoffending is cut by half. That is a powerful testament to the impact and meaningful nature of work. It also speaks to a truth: too many young offenders have been failed by school or lack the skills and opportunities to get on in life.”

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24. “Having listened to many of the important contributions from Members on the Government Benches, I wish that more Members from the Conservative Benches could have been here to bear witness to the legacy that they have left this country, which this Government are beginning to unpick. In my advice surgeries and in my postbag, I regularly hear the issues: of families worried that justice will not be served, but also of a broken system, where the idea that people can offend but go on to have a good life has been lost. I warmly welcome the speed with which the Justice Secretary is grasping the prison crisis with two hands, because that crisis is also a crisis of trust in our public services. It is crucial that we have a just system that punishes offenders and supports victims.”

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25. “It is a privilege to speak on Second Reading. This is an historic debate, as I believe it is the first piece of legislation to be introduced by a Deputy Prime Minister who is a graduate of the King’s school in Peterborough. I welcome the Justice Secretary to his place, as well as the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Jake Richards). As an MP who represents a prison and a crown court, I am very much alive to the issues that the Bill covers, including the failure not only of full prisons, but of a criminal justice system on the point of collapse, with backlogs in the courts, crime unpunished and, for too many people, often justice denied.”

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26. “Can the Minister assure us that lessons will be learned and that, if these things arise again, this Government will uphold the highest standards and take the action needed to protect public life?”

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27. “I associate myself with the comments that others have made about the disgusting crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. Twenty-four years ago today, on 9/11, I was sat in the TUC Congress as a delegate when we were made aware of what had happened. May I put on the record my tribute to the first responders and public service workers in New York who came to the aid of people? Many of them are still paying the price today. A lot has changed in politics in the past 24 years. One of the motivations that got me into public life was about the lack of accountability that we saw from senior Ministers when the Conservative party was in government, their failure to resign when scandals came up and the failure of Front Benchers to take action, so I welcome the swift action that this Government have taken now that new information has come to light.”

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28. “I am not ambitious enough to invite the Leader of the House to come for a swim with me in the lido, but will he join me in congratulating everyone who supports our lido in Peterborough, and may we have a debate in Government time about the vital role that lidos play in so many of our communities?”

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29. “I am aware that you, Madam Deputy Speaker, are a strong champion of animal welfare, so you might be pleased to know that tomorrow, for the end of our lido season, is a “bring your dogs to come and swim” day. You might also be pleased, alongside the Leader of the House, to know that this year over 37,000 people have visited Peterborough lido since it opened its doors in May. That is an incredible turnaround since we faced the risk of it closing earlier this year. I pay tribute to Clare Marshall, the Friends of the Lido and the staff of the lido for that amazing work. We can now look forward to the Year of the Lido in 2026, as the lido celebrates its 90th anniversary.”

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30. “I am aware that my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House enjoys a tipple on occasion, so she will be pleased to know that the 46th Peterborough beer festival, which is entirely run by volunteers, was held last month. Over 21,000 visitors came to the festival this year, and over 58,000 pints of cask ale were served. I was pleased that Green Devil, by our very own Oakham Ales, was crowned the Campaign for Real Ale beer of the festival. Will she join me in thanking Mike Lane for organising his 39th beer festival in the city, as well as all the other volunteers, and will she make time in the House for a debate on the importance of volunteers to such community festivals?”

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31. “He talked about reducing taxation for some of those with higher net worth, but will he also talk about which doctors’ surgeries in my constituency would suffer cuts under his plans, which individuals would receive no protection for their employment rights, and how the people of Peterborough would be worse off because he wants to reduce the spending that will fix the foundations of this country?”

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32. “I am sure Hansard will correct me. The right hon. Gentleman just made some comments about high net worth or high value individuals. In my constituency, I am particularly interested in individuals on low incomes. In Peterborough, I represent a city with one of the highest levels of those employed on zero-hours contracts and in chronically insecure work. Does he not agree that his party often wants all the spending, but none of the funding for delivery?”

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33. “I urge the Minister to work with her colleagues and to ensure that as we proceed with the national inquiry, we also proceed with the updating of legislation to give protection to all.”

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34. “I thank my hon. Friend not only for her statement, but for the care and determination she has brought to this role to centre the discussion and action around victims and young girls, and to work in collaboration with others—not just in this House, but those who are directly affected. May I just add to the points that the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) raised about loopholes in taxi licensing? One of the biggest issues that comes up in my constituency, both from taxi users and women’s groups, as well as from the vast majority of decent, hard-working taxi drivers, is that these loopholes, and ineffective and outdated taxi licensing, give a bad name to the system as a whole.”

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35. “Friend assure me that she will ensure that there is no single bureaucratic block and no stone left unturned in getting the Dragonfly hotel closed as soon as possible, as part of fixing this rotten, broken system?”

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36. “Peterborough is a proud and generous place and has welcomed many people through its doors over generations. I pay tribute to the churches, mosques and community groups that are welcoming people and looking after them. But people are getting fed up with a system that is broken, and it was broken before my right hon. Friend became Home Secretary. Many of my constituents will welcome the record deportations and the focus on article 8 and making efficiencies in driving forward the system. But to be honest, the biggest issue in my constituency remains the hotel that was opened by Serco with no consultation with the police or the council beforehand. Can my right hon.”

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37. “Can the Foreign Secretary reassure us that this Government will strain every muscle to bring the international community together so that we do not just recognise a state of Palestine but start a process that will deliver it on the ground?”

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38. “Starting on a positive note, I thank the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Middle East for their work to secure an agreement to get students and young people out of Gaza to continue their studies. So many of our debates make us feel powerless, but we have demonstrated, at least in one part of this jigsaw, some power to change people’s lives by getting them here to study, so I thank them for that. If that is the best of humanity, this summer has also seen the worst of humanity, with the forced starvation of hostages and civilians waiting at food stations. One concern raised by my constituents is whether there will be a Palestine, west bank and Gaza left to recognise.”

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39. “Residents in Peterborough and across Anglian Water’s catchment area will welcome the statement and the bold action taken. They know all too well that the water system is broken. One of the issues we on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee have looked at is the need for water infrastructure. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the drive and determination he has shown today to fix the water system will also drive forward the Fens reservoir and the infrastructure we need in the east of England? After a generation of delay on reservoirs, we now have the opportunity to succeed. Can he tell us that this will stay on track, and we will get the jobs and the water resources we need in the east?”

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40. “One of the first visits I undertook after the election was to my local branch of Nationwide, which for generations has been providing good financial advice and advice to first-time buyers in my seat, as have many other mutuals. In one of the previous periods of financial deregulation by the Conservative party, we saw a movement that led to the demutualisation of the building society movement, creating uncertainty for thousands upon thousands of potential homeowners and people looking for financial support. Can the Minister reassure the House today that the co-operative and mutual sector will remain absolutely essential to the everyday financial services that working people need?”

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41. “I have been contacted by more than 300 residents in Peterborough about problems relating to FirstPort’s leasehold and management service charges. They face unfair charges, a lack of transparency, bad communication and poor services. Residents in, for example, Hammonds Drive and Manor Drive are fed up with getting a second-class service. What is my right hon. Friend doing to help residents in places like Peterborough get the peace of mind and justice that they so deserve?”

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42. “I hope the Minister will address that, and assure the House that the sentiment has been taken on board, because the new clause will make the Bill better, not worse, and clear the fog. It is important that we push ahead with this Bill. As colleagues have said, work is central to Labour’s mission, because dignity comes from good work and from employers who embrace their employees and give people the ability to work. There is no dignity in allowing 2.8 million people to be thrown on the scrapheap, with no ability to get off it.”

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43. “I think we can move forward with a Bill that begins to fix the foundations of our welfare system, and do so with compassion for those most in need, and I welcome contributions that we have heard today. I also welcome the fact that Ministers have listened to our concerns about the Bill and decided last week to remove clause 5, because it caused anxiety not just to Members of this House, but to many people outside who saw the risk. Bringing the Timms review forward before any changes are made, and committing to fully involving disabled people and their organisations, is the right thing to do; the Government have listened. I recognise many of the points made in passionate speeches, and I support new clause 11, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball).”

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44. “There is nothing to cherish from the Conservatives, who left this Government a legacy of nearly 1 million young people thrown on the scrapheap, not in employment, not in education and not in any meaningful walk of life. No one can say that the system is not broken, and that is the spirit in which many of us in this Chamber have sought, from different perspectives, to approach this legislation. I want to speak against amendments that seek to delay or wreck this Bill, because whatever happens next, we need to get going. One of the criticisms of this Government that I sometimes hear is that we do not move fast enough. Now that we have started to fix our broken welfare system, we are being told by some that we are going too fast.”

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45. “We all hear stories every week, through our casework and in our surgeries, of people who want to work but do not have the necessary support; of the intrusive nature of assessments; of bureaucracy that needs a human touch; of people fearing to try work for fear of losing their benefits; and of disabled people who need more support. One of my hon. Friends, who is no longer in the Chamber, spoke about the broken social contract. While we approach this debate, and this subject, with the compassion and care that are needed, we should also be clear that the social contract is already broken. There is nothing honourable about denying or slowing down action to tackle the problem of 2.8 million people being thrown on the scrapheap for being sick, or long-term sick.”

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46. “I rise to support the removal of clause 5 and the associated amendments, and to comment on a few other amendments, based on what I have read and learned. Many things have been said in this debate, in the Chamber and outside, but it is undeniable that the system is not working for far too many people. We see a welfare bill rising, people trapped on benefits, and opportunities lost. The most heartbreaking part of all this is not the monetary cost, which we seem to talk about too much, but the cost to people of being written off, and spending a lifetime in a failed, broken system.”

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47. “I hope the Minister will expand on those points when he comes to respond to the debate, because it is morally, politically and economically right that young people should be earning and learning, and it is right that we proceed with this Bill. Following the removal of clause 5, I am content that this Bill begins the journey of fixing the system. It is the start, not the end, but it is a start we need to make.”

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48. “I represent a city with one of the highest levels of—this is a horrible phrase—young people who are NEET, or not in employment, education or training, and who are starting their adult life on benefits. We know that the trend has not been helped by the failure of the mental health system and the health system, which has put pressure on people without offering them any help or support to get them through. I am a passionate advocate of apprenticeships. It cannot be right that so many young people in Peterborough and around the country are starting their adult lives on benefits, and I agree that we should not be paying benefits so that young people can stay at home. We should be investing in young people’s ability to earn, learn and train.”

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49. “I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. He makes a powerful case for why our job today is to fix the Bill, not kill it. We should be passionate about the centrality and dignity of work. Unemployed young people in my constituency, and those who are disabled, are frustrated by a system that does not work, and they want the Government to work with them to fix it. That mission was true 80 years ago, when the post-war Attlee Government were elected to pick up the pieces following the devastation of the second world war. Similarly, our Government’s mission today is to fix the foundations of a broken welfare system and a broken economy. As I said on Second Reading, I am particularly concerned about the impact of the welfare trap on young people.”

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50. “Friend join me in congratulating Councillor Jamil and Mr Choudhuri on their leadership on this important issue, and will she ensure that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government continues to support communities such as mine as we develop important cross-community initiatives?”

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