← LEADERSHIP TERMINAL

UK PARLIAMENT · SITTING

Martin Rhodes

MP for Glasgow North · Labour · United Kingdom

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

The Commonwealth games festival fund will support a wide range of community events across my constituency, including Canal Quest on 1 August, Bike for Good taster sessions, the cultural programme at SWG3, and activities delivered by the Maryhill Integration Network and many other local organisations.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE · 2026-07-16 · READ IN HANSARD

However, success in one area should not obscure challenges elsewhere. Wood burning affects air quality inside homes. There must be a focus on air quality indoors, where we spend up to 80% to 90% of our time, as much as a focus on air quality outdoors and on how we protect buildings such as schools, hospitals and community facilities.

AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

Clean air is an equity issue: those more likely to have underlying conditions are also more likely to live in environments that worsen them. The areas most exposed to pollution are often the poorest, where proximity to traffic and poor housing often go hand in hand. That is why tackling the root causes is essential.

AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

Many of our wild plants and much of our natural environment cannot tolerate high pollution levels, which can devastate grasslands, peatlands and moorlands, leading to a loss of pollinators and significantly harming biodiversity.

AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Brent West (Barry Gardiner) on securing this important debate. Clean air is not simply an issue about health and the environment, but a moral imperative of our time.

AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

Community-led initiatives, such as local monitoring, clean transport and neighbourhood campaigns, would make the pollution issue visible, and give people a real stake in improving it. I hope that the Minister can say something about the involvement of communities in taking forward the important measures that are required.

AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

The complete record

Every one of 294 lines we hold for Martin Rhodes, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 6.

  1. The Commonwealth games festival fund will support a wide range of community events across my constituency, including Canal Quest on 1 August, Bike for Good taster sessions, the cultural programme at SWG3, and activities delivered by the Maryhill Integration Network and many other local organisations. Will the Leader of the House allow for a debate in Government time on the importance of ensuring that communities directly benefit from major events?

    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE · 2026-07-16 · READ IN HANSARD

  2. Community-led initiatives, such as local monitoring, clean transport and neighbourhood campaigns, would make the pollution issue visible, and give people a real stake in improving it. I hope that the Minister can say something about the involvement of communities in taking forward the important measures that are required. Public engagement must be at the heart of our efforts. Clean air should be seen as essential to everyday health. By raising awareness, and giving people the opportunity to shape solutions, we can turn an invisible scourge into a shared priority. With national ambition and local action, we can become a world leader in air quality again.

    AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  3. However, success in one area should not obscure challenges elsewhere. Wood burning affects air quality inside homes. There must be a focus on air quality indoors, where we spend up to 80% to 90% of our time, as much as a focus on air quality outdoors and on how we protect buildings such as schools, hospitals and community facilities. Yes, we need more ambitious targets and a stronger framework, but, just as importantly, we must secure buy-in from local communities. Although national targets set direction, local needs are best addressed locally. That means empowering not only local authorities, important though that is, but communities themselves. Clean air cannot be delivered from the top down alone; alongside funding, we need expertise and partnerships so that residents, schools and community organisations can lead change.

    AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  4. Clean air is an equity issue: those more likely to have underlying conditions are also more likely to live in environments that worsen them. The areas most exposed to pollution are often the poorest, where proximity to traffic and poor housing often go hand in hand. That is why tackling the root causes is essential. Interventions can make a real difference. Air pollution was once widely associated with transport, but strategies—most notably, the shift away from diesel and the uptake of electric vehicles—have reduced transport’s impact. Alongside national action, local strategies matter. As has been mentioned, London’s ULEZ reduced NO 2 levels by 40% before lockdown, and, since the clean air zone was introduced in Bradford, it is reported that GP visits for cardiovascular and respiratory problems have reduced by 25%.

    AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  5. Many of our wild plants and much of our natural environment cannot tolerate high pollution levels, which can devastate grasslands, peatlands and moorlands, leading to a loss of pollinators and significantly harming biodiversity. That matters on a bigger scale, because the ecosystems that we depend on for air, water and a liveable planet are being damaged. Poor air quality is a public health issue. It shortens lives and contributes to between 30,000 and 40,000 premature deaths every year. It increases the risk of diseases such as dementia, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects all of us, but particularly the young, the old, pregnant women and their unborn children. That brings me to air quality as a social justice issue.

    AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  6. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Brent West (Barry Gardiner) on securing this important debate. Clean air is not simply an issue about health and the environment, but a moral imperative of our time. It is a challenge that requires urgency, with current legislation and frameworks lagging behind the science, alongside more joined-up thinking and action across agencies, Government Departments and devolved Administrations. I hope that the Minister can say something about the work that his Department is doing with others to take the issue forward. Clean air is an environmental, health and social justice issue. Poor air quality is an environmental challenge.

    AIR POLLUTION · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  7. T3. How are the Government working with trade unions to support workers in understanding and claiming their new rights under the Employment Rights Act 2025?

    TOPICAL QUESTIONS · 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  8. Improving our relationship with the EU is about trade barriers, but it is also about standards. Many UK companies already follow the EU’s corporate sustainability due diligence directive in order to trade with our biggest external market. Without alignment, we risk becoming a dumping ground for unethically sourced products while responsible UK companies are undercut by less responsible enterprises. What conversations has the Minister had with Cabinet colleagues about aligning our human rights and environmental due diligence regime with that of the EU, to protect UK companies that do the right thing?

    UK-EU RELATIONS · 2026-06-25 · READ IN HANSARD

  9. What steps is the Cabinet Office taking to co-ordinate work across Government on national resilience, particularly in relation to supporting SMEs in extreme weather conditions, such as we have at the moment?

    TOPICAL QUESTIONS · 2026-06-25 · READ IN HANSARD

  10. If we act, continuing to turn our words into deeds, the clean energy revolution will not simply be a policy programme; it will become a lasting national achievement.

    CLIMATE CHANGE · 2026-06-24 · READ IN HANSARD

  11. Much of the progress made has been on the things that were easier to do; what is left to do is perhaps more difficult. Not only is the task ahead more difficult in itself; the consensus on progress has sadly fractured. But this is not a time to retreat. It may be a time to reflect on how we build, and I look forward to the Government’s publication of the delivery plan for this carbon budget, but it cannot be a time to retreat. The challenge is no less urgent; in fact, it is more pressing. Scrutiny is important, but it is not enough, and making the case for clean energy cannot be done through words alone—it must be done through actions that deliver for working people and for all our communities. Talking about a just transition does not in itself deliver a just transition.

    CLIMATE CHANGE · 2026-06-24 · READ IN HANSARD

  12. To do this, we must combine arguments with policies that improve the lived realities of communities across the UK. This means ensuring that the costs of decarbonising our economy do not fall disproportionately on less advantaged communities. We must work with, and in, communities and industry to ensure that the benefits for UK jobs and incomes are delivered. This mission is based on scientific evidence, and it needs a technical and practical set of solutions, but we will not succeed if we limit the debate to the scientific and the technical—we need to recognise that it is rooted in the values of social justice. The interconnected causes of environmental, social and economic justice are the challenge of our time. It is clear that bringing people with us may be becoming more difficult.

    CLIMATE CHANGE · 2026-06-24 · READ IN HANSARD

  13. I very much welcome the opportunity for this House to debate the seventh carbon budget, but as important as this debate is, it cannot be the only place in which this discussion is held. I welcome the Government’s recognition of this in their clean energy mission, which states that that mission “will only succeed if we take people with us.” That means not just having this debate, welcome as it is, but making sure that we reach out to communities. If we do not, the space will too quickly be filled with misinformation and false narratives that undermine public trust in the need for carbon reduction and a better environment. We must continue to make that case so that support is broad, durable, and rooted in the everyday experiences of communities across the country.

    CLIMATE CHANGE · 2026-06-24 · READ IN HANSARD

  14. Since the recent fire on Union Street in my constituency, there has been a lot of focus on illicit vape shops, and there have been calls for further legislation. We will see what the investigation says, and then action may need to be taken. Does my hon. Friend agree that this is about not just legislation but enforcement and having the resources available? I would welcome extra resources to ensure enforcement can take place.

    HIGH STREET SHOPS: ILLICIT ACTIVITY · 2026-06-17 · READ IN HANSARD

  15. The 2026 Commonwealth games represent the next stage in that journey: an opportunity to reinforce the city’s global reputation, drive further economic growth and, importantly, ensure that that growth is shared more widely across the city region, including by the communities I represent in Glasgow North. What matters now is that we match that opportunity with an even greater level of long-term ambition. If we do, Glasgow 2026 will be not simply a one-off great occasion, but a lasting legacy of change for the Glasgow city region.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  16. That is why we need a more strategic and long-term approach to major events such as Glasgow 2026—one that plans ahead, aligns activity with economic priorities and co-ordinates delivery across the region. It is also why I have consistently argued for greater devolution to the Glasgow city region. This is not about constitutional preference but about practical delivery: local people are best placed to ensure that opportunities such as the Commonwealth games translate into tangible outcomes for our communities. In that context, Government support must go beyond the successful delivery of the event itself. It must recognise the SEC as a strategic national asset, align the games with wider priorities such as tourism, trade and investment, and support a long-term plan that builds on Glasgow’s proven strengths in hosting major events.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  17. Success cannot be judged solely by attendance figures or broadcast reach; it must instead be measured by whether the economic benefits are felt across the entire city region, particularly by those communities who have waited longest for change. That means linking the games more directly to local employment and skills, and I welcome the work that the games’ organisers have done on that. It is also important that local businesses are able to participate in supply chains, and that we invest in the necessary connectivity so that people across the region can access the opportunities created. The reality is that economic activity in Glasgow now operates at a regional scale, with major events intersecting with transport systems, labour markets and investment decisions extending well beyond the city boundary.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  18. In 2026, more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations will come to Glasgow, with the SEC hosting the opening ceremony and the basketball, wheelchair basketball, bowls, para bowls, boxing, judo, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting events. The fact that so much activity will take place in my constituency illustrates both the scale of the opportunity and the responsibility that comes with it. Today, Glasgow stands as one of the UK’s most important city regions, with world-class universities, advanced industries and a thriving cultural sector. However, as I have said in the House before, it is also a city still marked by inequality, where growth exists alongside deprivation and where opportunity has not been felt across all communities. This is a key test for the 2026 games.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  19. Every major event hosted in Glasgow—whether it is COP26, an international aquaculture conference or a Charli XCX concert—brings with it not just visitors but investment, knowledge exchange and long-term connections. The Commonwealth games bring all that together at scale. In this debate we are rightly focusing on the Commonwealth games, but it would be remiss of me as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for events not to highlight the consistent economic benefit of the many business events and conferences that take place in the SEC and elsewhere in the city on a regular basis. It is important that the UK Government and the Scottish Government support not only the Commonwealth games and other important sporting and cultural events, but the hugely significant business events sector.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  20. In my constituency of Glasgow North sit three of the key venues for the Glasgow Commonwealth games 2026: the OVO Hydro, the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo, which together form the Scottish Event Campus—a central part of Glasgow’s economic life for over 40 years. The SEC is not simply a venue; it is an essential piece of economic infrastructure for the city. It has developed into one of Europe’s leading event destinations, supporting over 5,000 jobs, generating £557 million each year for Glasgow’s economy and attracting more than 2 million visitors annually. Major events such as the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth games are not simply important occasions; they are economic instruments that can, when embedded within a wider strategy, drive growth.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  21. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) on securing the debate. She is a consistent and effective advocate for Glasgow and for sport in Scotland, and her contribution in this House and elsewhere in public life has undoubtedly helped to shape the strong sporting and events culture that Glasgow rightly prides itself on today. This debate goes to the heart of something that I have spoken about in this place before: how we use opportunity to deliver growth that is not only strong but shared.

    GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  22. Given Scotland’s significant assets in a variety of sectors, what steps is the Secretary of State taking with ministerial colleagues to ensure that city regions such as Glasgow are not only attracting inward investment, but exporting their world-leading strengths in technology, life sciences and advanced manufacturing to key international markets?

    PROMOTING SCOTTISH INTERESTS ABROAD · 2026-06-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  23. I recently attended a Glasgow schools clean air event, organised by Parents for Future Scotland, at which I met pupils from St Charles’, St Mary’s and St Patrick’s primary schools in Glasgow North. They are leading inspiring work to tackle air pollution in their communities. May we have a debate in Government time on how we can better involve young people in addressing the climate crisis, and how we can ensure that their ideas and leadership are reflected in national policy?

    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  24. There will be those who seek to divide us. Our place of Pride is not some fabulous rainbow-glittered ghetto; our Pride is everywhere: on every train and every bus, in every pub and every café, in every factory and every office, in every supermarket and every petrol station, in every food bank and every restaurant, in every sports grounds and every cinema. This month we mark Pride Month, but every month, every week and every day when we live without shame, it is Pride—in place of fear, peace; in place of hate, love; in place of shame; Pride.

    PRIDE MONTH · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  25. I hope that across this House we can support legislation to bring that into force. There are times when I have celebrated progress, times when I have been frustrated by the pace of progress and times when I have been worried by barriers to progress. The truth now is that I have all those feelings in this debate. I can see progress to be celebrated; I can feel some frustration that some things are taking longer than I had hoped for; and I can see opportunities for progress that I feel are being missed. That is why this Pride Month it is all the more important for me to be in that place we call Pride and to share that place with others. I recognise that Pride does not mean that there will not be those who will mock and name call, threaten and abuse. There will be those who seek to roll back progress and to restrict rights.

    PRIDE MONTH · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  26. We need to find ways as a society to offer protection to all, but that do not infringe on the privacy of all. We need to find ways of ensuring that all feel safe and are treated with dignity. That may not be straightforward, but it should not be impossible. I welcome what this Government have done to equalise the law so that hate crimes towards LGBT+ people attract the same severity of sentence as other forms of hate crime, and I commend the work of my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) in advocating so effectively with others for that change. I welcome the Government’s commitment to a fully inclusive ban on conversion practices. No one should be allowed to be systematically abused because of their gender identity or their sexuality.

    PRIDE MONTH · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  27. Pride, above all else, should be a place free from shame—that shame we are so often taught from an early age, the shame felt at being who we are, that feeling that we are not quite who we should be. At best, it is the casual assumption by others that we are something we are not. At worst, it is name calling, mockery, rejection and hate. That shame is reinforced by social norms and assumptions. Pride is that place where people do not have to justify who they are. Yes, Pride can be a public place, a place of declaration, but Pride can be a private place, too—a private place where people find calm in knowing who they are, shedding shame and being themselves. No one should be expected to have to declare repeatedly who they are on request. No one should be challenged on a regular basis to justify who they are.

    PRIDE MONTH · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  28. I opened it and the email was thanking me for telling his story. That indicates why Pride is so important: it is about stories being told, voices heard, lives recognised. It is about our community of communities being seen and heard. It is about being recognised and celebrated for who we are, not just kindly tolerated. Every year during Pride Month, we seem to get into the debate about whether Pride is a celebration or a protest. My contribution to those discussions has usually been along similar lines to those used by the Minister in her opening contribution: it is both a celebration and a protest. But now I think it is perhaps something else: Pride is indeed a place. Pride is a place where people can be their authentic selves without judgment or fear.

    PRIDE MONTH · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  29. This time last year, in the debate on Pride Month in this House, I told the story of one of my constituents who had served in the military and had been dismissed because of his sexuality. He was treated at that time with a casual brutality. One positive thing about the debate was that a large number of Members wanted to speak, and with a desire to accommodate everyone—understandably—a time limit on contributions was introduced, so unfortunately I had to hurriedly reduce my seven or eight-minute speech to three minutes to fit the time limit. The next morning, having thought about this, I resolved to contact the constituent to apologise, because I felt that in the limited time available I had not done justice to his story. However, when I opened my emails to find his contact details, I saw there was an email from him.

    PRIDE MONTH · 2026-06-04 · READ IN HANSARD

  30. Parts of the region have some of the highest deprivation in the UK, along with some of the highest drug deaths in Europe, although the city region also contains some of the wealthiest areas of Scotland. That gets to the crux of the matter. Support for the Glasgow city region economy must be judged not only by headline growth figures but by whether the benefits reach all communities, particularly those who have waited longest for change.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  31. This is a city region that includes UNESCO City of Music status for Glasgow, and playing host to COP26 in 2021 and the Commonwealth games in 2014, to be hosted again in Glasgow this summer. That all paints a picture of the Glasgow city region as a major economic and cultural success, but it is still held back by historical challenges. Its history of deindustrialisation has left deep-rooted issues of poverty and inequality that are still being grappled with today in many communities. The region has one of the highest percentages of people with no formal education, while also having one of the highest percentages of people with higher-level qualifications or more.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  32. I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for the Glasgow city region economy. It is a pleasure to serve with you chairing, Ms Jardine. The Glasgow city region is at the heart of the Scottish economy and is a fundamental pillar of the larger UK economy. Home to 1.85 million people, across eight local authority areas, the Glasgow city region accounts for around a third of Scotland’s employment and economic output. Shipbuilding on the Clyde; world-leading university research and spin-offs; the largest production of miniature satellites in Europe; one of the largest financial sectors in the UK outside London; an established and growing advanced manufacturing base; and a dynamic and thriving cultural sector are integral parts of the city region’s economy.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  33. That is in stark contrast to the Scottish Government, which instead of passing that funding increase to local government, continued to enforce cuts to communities. From 2013 to 2026, Glasgow city council alone has seen a £1.5 billion loss in Scottish Government funding. Those cuts to local government funding have left councils across the region overstretched and focused on struggling to deliver core services, with little left over for the long-term investment the city region needs.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  34. As the city region is right now, I welcome the significant investment that the UK Labour Government are already delivering. The new local growth fund, combined with the Pride in Place programmes, is set to deliver nearly £94 million in investment over the next three years. The combination of those funds delivers long-term infrastructure and renewal. That approach will help the Glasgow city region to invest in long-term renewal, an ambition that needs to be matched by sustained adequate local government funding from the Scottish Government. This UK Labour Government have delivered the largest spending review settlement in the history of the Scottish Parliament, which amounted to £50 billion in last year’s settlement.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  35. I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. I agree and will go on in my speech to talk about how the work of the city deals needs to be developed further. Those structures and activities need to be built on to ensure we get the most from that initial interest to develop it further. The Glasgow city region economy has seen real investment from the UK Labour Government but much more can be done. With greater devolved powers over areas such as infrastructure, skills, investment and public health, the region will be better placed to shape solutions around the needs of its communities. That would not be devolution for the sake of it. Greater local autonomy can help reduce inequality, improve health outcomes and create new jobs and opportunities across the region.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  36. The hugely beneficial impact of UK-funded initiatives such as the local growth fund, the Pride in Place programme, the Norway defence deal and the city deal—

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  37. World-leading universities, high-skilled jobs and art, culture and sport make it one of the UK’s greatest city regions. It deserves the support it needs to tackle the challenges it faces and deliver real change for the communities of the Glasgow city region. As for the future, regional devolution for the metropolitan areas of Manchester, Liverpool and the west midlands is proof that greater city region devolution can work. The foundations for governance are already in place in the Glasgow city region, and the UK Labour Government have shown, through significant investment and their partnership with the city region body, that they understand that empowering the Glasgow city region will help it succeed further, economically and culturally.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  38. There is now a growing recognition that city regions such as ours are best placed to shape solutions to the challenges and opportunities facing our communities. Importantly, that work is being matched by growing investment and institutional confidence. The city region now oversees a portfolio of more than £2 billion and is working with partners, including the National Wealth Fund, to shape the next stage of the region’s development. If we get this right, the Glasgow city region can play an even greater role in the Scottish and UK economies while delivering practical improvements in people’s lives: better transport, stronger local economies, good jobs and healthier communities. In the meantime, there is so much to be proud of.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  39. Any transfer of power must come with clear accountability, strong governance and a focus on what matters to our communities: reducing poverty, improving health outcomes and creating good jobs. As the city region develops, there will also need to be stronger democratic accountability around the decisions being made. What matters most, however, is that power is placed closer to the communities affected by those decisions. That means better systems to identify the barriers keeping communities in poverty and regional solutions to break down those barriers. That stands in contrast to years in which powers have sat concentrated in Holyrood, with little meaningful transfer to the city region. The Glasgow city region is reaching an important moment in its development.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  40. However, that governance structure was created for a particular purpose: to oversee a significant but limited city deal programme. It needs to be transformed to meet the new reality and the ambition of the region shown by recent UK Government investment. Since being elected, I have met with businesses, public transport providers and campaigners, and representatives from the city region to discuss this issue. All of them acknowledge that the Glasgow city region as a metropolitan area needs a regional structure to deliver aligned region-wide policies. That would allow the Glasgow city region to tailor its policies to the needs of our communities. However, devolution must be about outcomes, not simply structures.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  41. REACT brings together industry and academia to design sustainable solutions for the electronics sector. Projects like that create high skilled jobs, strengthen supply chains and ensure that Glasgow city region remains at the forefront of future industrial development. With that dynamic and growing economy in the region, it is clear why devolving power and funding to the city region would help industry, businesses and communities. It would allow policies to be better shaped to serve communities where these investments are happening. Already, the Glasgow city region cabinet, a unique governance structure established to oversee the Glasgow city deal that brings together the leaders of the local authorities, helps to deliver these types of regional programmes.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  42. While the Scottish Government neglect the Glasgow city region, this Labour Government have been representing its interests in our trade abroad. The £10 billion defence deal with Norway has secured thousands of jobs at shipyards on the Clyde while also supporting many small and medium-sized UK and Scottish businesses in the supply chain. This Labour Government are supporting skilled jobs and opportunities in our city region communities that need them. The UK Government are not supporting only traditional industries such as shipbuilding; they are also supporting the region’s future technology industries. I recently visited the University of Glasgow-based Responsible Electronics and Circular Technologies programme, which was established in my constituency in 2024 with more than £6 million of UK Government funding.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  43. Yes, I agree that we need devolution of power from Holyrood. One of the ironies of the devolution period in Scotland is that although powers have been devolved from the UK to Scotland, power has been hoarded in the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government and not devolved to local government and local communities. The UK Labour Government’s investment is not a substitute for sound local government funding. It is targeted, strategic funding designed to deliver the transformational projects that drive growth, create better jobs and build more prosperous communities. That investment reflects real ambition for the city region and is a fundamentally different offer to the Scottish Government’s short-sighted approach.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  44. The test will be how it delivers for all our communities, and for all in our communities, so that they can not only survive or live but truly flourish.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  45. My constituents in Glasgow North, along with people in the rest of the region, deserve high-quality affordable homes, an integrated transport network and good jobs, which an empowered city region can help deliver. I welcome the Minister’s reflections on what steps the UK Government plan to take to support the Glasgow city region’s economic ambitions. I also welcome any further reflections on what the UK Government can do to help accelerate the transfer of powers to the city region. The Glasgow city region is a major economic and cultural success, but it is still held back by historical challenges. With the right powers behind it, with sustained local authority funding and with the UK’s Government’s investment, it could go much further in delivering improved health, good housing and rewarding, well paid jobs for our communities.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  46. I thank my hon. Friend for his customarily well versed arguments for his constituency and the skills, developments and opportunities there. It is true that when we talk about the city region we are talking about not just the city itself but all parts of the city and the surrounding region. The impact of every £1 of investment could go further. When funding is channelled through empowered regional structures, with engagement, accountability and governance systems providing tailored local policies, it has a multiplier effect on everything it delivers. That means delivering for not just the wealthiest parts of the city but those communities that are most in need of support in all parts of the city region, within the city boundary and beyond.

    GLASGOW CITY REGION ECONOMY · 2026-06-02 · READ IN HANSARD

  47. I welcome the proposed legislative measures in the King’s Speech to support good business, and over this parliamentary Session, I will continue to urge Ministers to take forward measures to ensure human rights and environmental due diligence in supply chains. The successful future of our economy, further growth in our economy and good-quality jobs can be based only on responsible and sustainable business practices, with strong workers’ rights and protections for consumers. I am confident that measures in the King’s Speech will build on legislation in the previous Session on delivering those goals.

    BACKING BUSINESS TO CREATE ECONOMIC GROWTH · 2026-05-18 · READ IN HANSARD

  48. Some 50 leading businesses have already signed statements calling for human rights due diligence legislation, including brands such as Tesco, Twinings and John Lewis. Such legislation could promote more ethical consumption, allow companies to better manage risk and help British businesses to grow. The European partnership Bill is an opportunity to align our due diligence regime with EU standards. Following the responsible business conduct review, I hope that the Government might see the Bill as an opportunity to make those changes happen. I am proud to support this Government’s agenda of regulating the market, so that it works for consumers and small businesses, and of putting fairness and dignity at the heart of our economic system.

    BACKING BUSINESS TO CREATE ECONOMIC GROWTH · 2026-05-18 · READ IN HANSARD

  49. Europe is our largest and closest trading bloc, and breaking down trade barriers with it will help businesses to grow, create jobs and ease cost pressures for UK households. I support these positive moves, prioritising trade, business and jobs above refighting past political debates. That said, we should be more ambitious in aligning requirements for British businesses with EU standards where possible and appropriate. Many UK companies are already required to follow the EU’s corporate sustainability due diligence directive in order to trade with our biggest external market. We risk becoming a dumping ground for unethically sourced products, while UK companies—following best practice in order to trade with our closest and largest neighbours—are undercut by less responsible enterprises.

    BACKING BUSINESS TO CREATE ECONOMIC GROWTH · 2026-05-18 · READ IN HANSARD

  50. Hon. Members across the House have already referred to the fundamental and structural challenges we face as a society and an economy. One that has been mentioned is the challenge around the rapid rate of technological change. That brings opportunity and benefits for many, but it also brings uncertainty and exclusion for others. It is a challenge that highlights the more general need for Government intervention to nurture and protect, for regulation that does not hinder but encourages growth, and for growth that is necessarily inclusive. Because of the limits of time, I will concentrate on one area, the European partnership Bill, which will focus on rebuilding our relationship with Europe in this fractured geopolitical and economic world.

    BACKING BUSINESS TO CREATE ECONOMIC GROWTH · 2026-05-18 · READ IN HANSARD