Sir Alan Campbell
MP for Tynemouth · Labour · United Kingdom
“I am grateful to her Committee and to her for her work on that Committee as well as more widely. I absolutely agree with her about the importance of protecting Members’ rights. The measures proposed today are about enhancing those rights. As she said, it is about modernising and maintaining integrity.”
“The case was referred to the Committee to consider whether, in seeking to prevent the flow of information to Parliament, the Charity Commission’s action constituted a contempt of this House. As the report outlines, the obstruction of provision of information to Parliament is wholly unacceptable.”
“I have a feeling, but it is no more than that. I obviously hope that these changes will be successful and that when the time comes the House will want to carry them forward. In that case, it would be right for us to review them before that. Finally, I turn to the comments of my hon.”
“(10) The chair of the committee shall resume that function either at the end of the period of leave or after giving at least five sitting days’ notice of their intention to return from a specified date.”
“May I thank all hon. Members for their contributions to the debate? I will briefly respond to them. I am eternally grateful to the Chair of the Privileges Committee, the hon.”
“119 (European Committees) be amended in respect of European Committee C, by leaving out: (a) “Business and Trade” and inserting “Business, Innovation, Science and Trade”; (b) “Culture, Media and Sport” and inserting “Digital, Culture, Media and Sport”; and (c) “Science, Innovation and Technology”. E.”
The complete record
Every one of 600 lines we hold for Sir Alan Campbell, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 12.
“My hon. Friend knows that the Government are committed to building 1.5 million new homes to fix our housing crisis and ensure that everyone has a safe, secure and affordable place to live, but she is absolutely right that infrastructure needs to be built alongside those new homes. Our planning frameworks are clear that large-scale development should be sustainable and infrastructure-led. I encourage my hon. Friend to ask for either a Westminster Hall debate or an Adjournment debate when we return, so that she can hear directly from a Minister how the situation can be resolved.”
“First, I congratulate the hon. Gentleman—I am sure many of us envy him—on Stockton making the shortlist for town of culture, which is a great tribute to the work taking place there. The Government are of course committed to doing everything they can to address the crisis in the NHS, not least in respect of infrastructure. This Government are different from the last Government, in the sense that we are not just committed to bringing forward plans, albeit I understand the urgency; we are actually going to provide the money for those plans. That was the bit that was missing.”
“I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for raising this matter, and send condolences to Phil Wright’s family following this tragic case. We are investing £3.6 million in suicide prevention as part of England’s first ever men’s health strategy. Both crisis and community mental health teams should be able to visit patients in their home, and it is sad to hear that that did not happen in this heartbreaking case. The NHS is improving, but I acknowledge that more needs to be done. I know that is of little comfort to my hon. Friend’s constituents. I will raise this issue with the relevant Minister and ask them to write to her about it.”
“These are concerning matters, and the hon. Gentleman is right to raise them. I suggest that he seek either a Westminster Hall debate or an Adjournment debate when we return, so that he can go into further detail on an issue that I am sure is causing distress to some of his constituents.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter, because I know it is of interest to other Members who represent areas that have a Reform administration. The Government are providing councils with a record £7.3 billion over the next four years for local road maintenance. This is not the first time she has raised the underperformance of the Reform-led East Sussex county council in this House. As I have said before, Reform is very good at offering to do a great deal in order to get elected, and then it delivers much less service to residents. I hope that Reform councillors have listened to her contribution today, that they take their job seriously and that they get on with the work that is necessary. The lack of communication from the leader of her council is disrespectful to Members of Parliament, and I hope that he has heard my hon.”
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his consistent attendance at these sessions, for raising these very important matters and for the tone in which he raises them. He should be commended for that, and he asks a serious question. The UK strongly condemns the persecution of Baha’i communities in many countries around the world. We continue to raise concerns about freedom of religion and belief with the Egyptian authorities, and I will ensure that he gets a response from the relevant Foreign Office Minister.”
“I certainly will. My hon. Friend makes a point about the fantastic work that churches and church communities do, which I am sure is echoed around the Chamber. They are absolutely central to our wider communities. I thank Linda and everybody else involved, and I wish them well for the future.”
“Yes, I do. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to mention the particular risks of loud fireworks and, as was raised earlier, the risk of wildfires. As he suggests, we have published a written statement today that announces the launch of a consultation on fireworks legislation. This issue has been raised with me repeatedly, and I know that Members will want to take the opportunity to ensure that the voices of their constituents are heard.”
“I want to make a special mention—they have already been mentioned, but I do so from the Dispatch Box—of people such as Margaret Labulo, Godfrey Asare and Richard Pengelly who are leaving this House after many years of distinguished service. I thank them for all their years of service to the House—they will be greatly missed. Of course, our thanks go to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, Mr Speaker and the other Deputy Speakers. As we rise for the summer recess, I offer my best wishes to everyone here today and to those listening, and I hope that everyone has a restful and safe summer recess.”
“Member for North East Fife and the right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn). I give him my undertaking that I will pick up the case he spoke about with the Home Office. But as far as his comments about the Prime Minister and our party are concerned, I saw the right hon. Gentleman coming in and thought he would be coming to this debate and maybe making those points. As I recall, he was sporting a new baseball cap. I would just say to him, if the cap fits, wear it. In closing, I want to express my gratitude to House staff, including Doorkeepers, cleaners, Clerks, catering, security, broadcasting, Hansard, and those in visitor experience, as well as our staff and constituency teams, and the civil servants who come together to make this place function.”
“We heard moving cases from both my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (Sarah Hall) and the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Dr Spencer); in my experience, those are often the most powerful stories, as we give a voice to the voiceless. My hon. Friend the Member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard (Alex Mayer) complained that she is running out of issues to campaign on because of the success of the Labour Government. I take a lot of pleasure in saying, “Long may that continue.” We also had the important theme of international affairs, which is as important if not more important than it was before. I do not want to go through all the difficulties faced now, but they are numerous. Again, issues have been raised that give a voice to the voiceless. That came through powerfully in the contributions of my friend the hon.”
“Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), that Parliament will have an opportunity to consider the issue because, first and foremost, it is a matter for Parliament. It is true that taxpayers’ money will be required to put this place right if that is what the House decides to do. There will be a decision for Parliament. However, I gently remind the right hon. Gentleman—he knows this—that it is not as if we can afford not to spend money and to keep things as they are. We are spending a fortune now, and we are not seeing the kind of improvement that restoration and renewal will bring, even though it is costly. We have also heard from inquisitors at a local level— I am not sure that is the right word for the people I am about to mention, but I mean the MP as an inquisitor, who picks up an individual case or cause.”
“Public sector workers and elected representatives are not often thanked, but I do so now. We also heard from MPs who are best described as being in the great tradition of MPs as inquisitors. We had the inquisitor general, the right hon. Member for Goole and Pocklington (David Davis), who reminded us of the murky waters of the SNP. All I would say to anyone listening to him, particularly north of the border, is that he is more often right than wrong—so more strength to his arm in that particular cause. We also had the financial inquisitor general, the right hon. Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Steve Barclay), who raised the issue of restoration and renewal. I say to him and to the deputy shadow Leader of the House, the hon.”
“Members have raised the role of the Member of Parliament in working hand in hand with public bodies and public servants, and in holding them to account. Civil servants, NHS staff and teachers have been mentioned. My hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend (Mary Glindon) reminded us that when someone has spent their life working in the civil service, they expect that their pension is dealt with properly. She is absolutely right. My hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland Central raised the importance of teachers in our local community; we send them our thanks. My hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) raised a sad case. We should put on record our thanks to elected councillors, who play a fantastic role in our local communities.”
“A constant theme has been that behind a hard-working and successful MP is a hard-working office, which is very often the face of the Member of Parliament in a constituency. I thank my constituency office; they have persevered with me for a very, very long time. That theme was echoed by the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain), my hon. Friends the Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) and for South Derbyshire (Samantha Niblett), the hon. Member for Torbay (Steve Darling), and my hon. Friend the Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy. I place on record our collective thanks to the people who work in our offices tirelessly; they often see lots of things that we would rather we did not see, and they just get on and deliver.”
“Member for Brigg and Immingham (Martin Vickers) and my hon. Friend the Member for Southend East and Rochford (Mr Alaba), concerned the significance of coastal communities—a matter dear to my heart, because my constituency is one. I encourage people to spend the rest of this fantastic summer in coastal communities; they might want to avoid Clacton until 13 August, but they will be welcome in places like Whitley Bay, in my constituency. Slightly darker matters have also been raised. My hon. Friends the Members for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Alison Taylor) and for Hendon (David Pinto-Duschinsky) mentioned the sometimes dangerous context in which we conduct our affairs and, unfortunately, as the name of this debate tells us, the price that is sometimes paid.”
“I will mention just some of the MPs who spoke, but again, that was a constant theme. My hon. Friends the Members for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin), for Colchester (Pam Cox), for Sunderland Central (Lewis Atkinson) and for Luton North (Sarah Owen), the hon. Member for Stockton West (Matt Vickers), my hon. Friends the Members for Erewash (Adam Thompson) and for Carlisle (Ms Minns), and my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) raised a range of individual issues that I do not have time to go into, but all of them showed the importance of campaigning MPs. I hope, and I believe, that constituents appreciate that. Some Members have raised not just constituency matters, but the issues that most affect the kind of constituency that they represent. Two important contributions, from the hon.”
“One constant theme of today is praise for volunteers in our local communities who have taken part in a range of community action, from parks to phone boxes. They were raised by the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton) and my hon. Friends the Members for Stirling and Strathallan (Chris Kane), for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward) and for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor), as well as being a theme throughout many of the speeches. At the heart of these debates, very often, is the importance of the campaigning constituency Member of Parliament. I am delighted that in my considerable time in this House, I have seen the role of MPs change and develop, with an expectation that they are constituency-based and that their constituencies inform their work, which they then bring to this House.”
“Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) and thank him both for organising this debate and for his work as the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee. He often brings constituency matters to our attention on the Floor of the House, but he is also a powerful spokesman on matters of faith and foreign affairs. I happen to regard him now as a force of soft power all of his own. I turn to the other contributions—I am sorry if I cannot give detail of every one. I will approach my speech slightly differently and look at some of the themes that have emerged this afternoon. If our constituents tuned into this debate, and if this kind of debate were a bit more frequent, I wonder whether they might see a different side of MPs than is sometimes portrayed outside, particularly on social media.”
“675.] I also reiterate my condolences, which I paid on behalf of myself, the Government and the House this morning, to the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this dreadful time. Regardless of party affiliation, at the heart of our politics are people and their families. Moments such as this are a stark reminder of the seriousness with which we must treat the safety of those in public life, and of the significance of how we speak to and treat each other. The tone that we take in this House matters. We set the standard of public discourse, and as this debate has shown, it is often made up of good-natured exchanges, beyond our party political differences. At my count, we have heard from 29 Members today on a range of subjects, and I will refer to as many of them as I possibly can. However, I will start with the hon.”
“It is a pleasure to close this debate, and I thank all hon. and right hon. Members who have contributed this afternoon. One theme in virtually all the speeches, quite rightly, is the way in which we remember the late Sir David Amess, who was an assiduous and tireless advocate for his constituents and constituency. His presence is a constant reminder in these debates that he is sorely missed by colleagues across the House. I also take the opportunity to pay tribute to the legacy of our friend Jo Cox. Last month marked 10 years since her murder, and it is debates such as this one that prove the truth, in her words, that we “have far more in common than that which divides us.” —[ Official Report , 3 June 2015; Vol. 596, c.”
“With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a short statement to update the House on tomorrow’s business. The business for tomorrow is now: Wednesday 15 July—A general debate on Iran— [ Interruption . ]”
“The general debate on Iran will be followed by a motion to approve a statutory instrument relating to national security. The business for the remainder of the week is unchanged. Thursday 16 July—The Sir David Amess summer Adjournment debate. The subject of which has been determined by the Backbench Business Committee. The House will rise for the summer recess at the conclusion of business on Thursday 16 July and return on Tuesday 1 September. I will make a further business statement on Thursday.”
“I have to say that that is the first I have heard of the motion; no such motion was tabled for the Opposition day tomorrow. We did not see the words of the motion. A decision was made on whether the House should debate an unfolding international crisis. The right hon. Gentleman talks about what might happen on Monday. He had the opportunity yesterday to raise the question of whether the future Prime Minister would come to the House on Monday. Others raised that issue, but he did not.”
“If I may, I will introduce some facts into the situation. I appreciate the frustration of Members when business is changed at short notice and when debates are postponed, but they will appreciate the importance of the House being able to discuss the escalating and fast-moving situation in the middle east before the recess. The right hon. Gentleman, who knows that I hold him in high regard, may want to take away the word “distastefully” and have another think about that. What is distasteful is the crisis erupting once again in the middle east. This is an opportunity to update the House, and for Members to give their views on this matter at the earliest opportunity. The right hon. Gentleman reads out a motion that, he tells us, was to be tabled for tomorrow.”
“The right hon. Gentleman might have raised it in the Daily Mail , but he did not raise it in the business statement yesterday, unlike others across the House. As for his suggestion that there should be a statement tomorrow, I remind him that if the business tomorrow was as he asks for it to be, there would be no statement. We do not have statements on Opposition days.”
“The reality is that if a new Administration is formed on Monday, it will take some time to get that Administration into place. As I said yesterday, there are no plans to change the recess dates; those dates were set for the convenience of Members, to enable them to plan ahead. The work of the Government will continue through the recess, and I am sure that once the next Prime Minister is in place, he will come to the House, following recess, to update it on his plans.”
“I absolutely welcome many of the Conservative hon. and right hon. Gentlemen who are present, because we do not often see them in this place. Mr Speaker, it tells you something about the state of the modern-day Conservative party when its Members can turn out en masse for this statement, but not for debate on some of the big issues of the day.”
“The right hon. Gentleman was a very distinguished Chief Whip, but I fear that he is looking back at when he served in that role with rose-tinted spectacles. I remember both what we did to his party, and what it did to us. Opposition days are not set in stone, in the way that he is suggesting. Had we known what the motions were, that might have informed the debate on this decision, but I remind the House that there is a crisis escalating across the middle east. As for the future Prime Minister, the work of the Government will continue through the recess, and once the Prime Minister is in place, they will come to the House at the earliest opportunity following the recess.”
“The right hon. Gentleman—who, again, was a very distinguished Chief Whip—might well agree with the former Chief Whip sitting next to him, but that does not make them right. I am not sure that the right hon. Gentleman is correct about what happened once a date was agreed, but if he is, that was because of the right hon. Gentleman’s decency in using the usual channels in that way. Perhaps there otherwise would have been a greater degree of uncertainty. As I have said, when the new Prime Minister is in place, he will come to the House at the earliest opportunity, following recess, and update the House.”
“As I recall, Boris Johnson was appointed before the summer recess, and there was time for him to make a statement. If I am incorrect, I apologise, but I am confident that was the case. The right hon. Lady raises an interesting question about whether tomorrow not being an Opposition day creates space for statements. I will take that question away and think about it.”
“I am not sure that it is in the right hon. Lady’s interest for us to debate her time as Chief Whip. I agree that this is unusual, and it is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but I point out to her and to Opposition Members that the situation in the middle east is unusual. We could well be in the midst of a greater conflagration in that region. She talks about a crisis in this place; she is suggesting that scrutinising the Prime Minister is more important than the crisis that is unfolding in the middle east. She is a shadow Foreign Office Minister. I find that statement incredible.”
“The right hon. Gentleman is a very distinguished Member of this House, but I do think that the Opposition are talking lightly about what is unfolding in the middle east. This Government have brought statements and debates about Iran to the Floor of the House, but the Opposition are suggesting that nothing that is happening out there is sufficient to merit a debate tomorrow, before the recess, in which the Government can set out their position, and hon. and right hon. Members can set out their views and inform the Government. I think that this is the right way to go about it. If there is need for a recall of the House during the recess to discuss this or any other matter, that will be considered in the usual way.”
“I am not seeking to usurp that. What I am saying is that I have also been in this place for the past 25 years, to jog the hon. Gentleman’s memory, and it has happened. It does happen on occasion. [Hon. Members: “When?”] Look, I cannot give the hon. Gentleman the dates off the top of my head, but I am absolutely confident that it happened. It happened during his Government—the Government whom he supported. It happened, and I think the record will demonstrate that. This is a highly unusual situation. We are heading towards a recess; the House needs an opportunity to discuss this situation further, and that is what I am seeking to provide.”
“I will not get into the disdain that the hon. Gentleman’s Government, of whom he was a firm supporter, showed for this House, because we simply do not have time. As I have said, when the new Prime Minister is in place, he will come to this House and set out his plans for the future. I will not try to speak for the hon. Gentleman, whom I hold in equally high regard, about what his constituents think, but if he thinks they are not concerned about the situation in the middle east, our brave servicemen and women in the region and the economic impact of what is happening, he needs to go and talk to them.”
“I am sure that when the Prime Minister is in place, he will be coming to this House at the earliest opportunity following recess, and he will set that out. [ Interruption. ] Let me just answer the right hon. Gentleman’s question. I expect that when Ministers get up tomorrow to open or to respond to the debate they will set out Government policy. I do not expect that policy to change, even though the Administration might change. The Government will be setting out the plans for the summer. Even if we have a different Prime Minister and a different Administration, I am not sure that the policy will change in the way that the right hon. Gentleman seems to be suggesting.”
“I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for informing those on the Government Benches what the other topic was going to be for the Opposition day debate. [ Interruption. ] I am standing at the Dispatch Box, and Mr Speaker knows the importance I put on Ministers telling the absolute truth when they stand here. I was totally unaware until the right hon. Gentleman just told us— [ Interruption. ] No, I was totally unaware of the topic, not just the wording. That illustrates his point about the usual channels, because the usual channels, funnily enough, are a two-way process. It is about the Opposition saying to the Government, “This is what we are going to raise”, and then making sure that the debate rises to that, because the Government are informed in sufficient time.”
“I just point out gently to the hon. Lady that I have already said that the Government will continue during the recess. I expect that decisions and announcements will be made, and there was never going to be an opportunity for every new or existing Secretary of State to be brought to this House to answer questions. That is what we will do when the House reconvenes in September. I am sure that those Secretaries of State and the new Prime Minister will want to set out the Government’s plans at the earliest opportunity.”
“Again, the work of the Government will continue through the recess. The Prime Minister will make a statement to the House at the earliest opportunity. I am sure the right hon. Gentleman did not mean to do so, but he must not downplay what is happening in and around Iran. If he wants to talk about embarrassing performances, let me gently remind him of what he said from the Dispatch Box as a Minister. He might want to turn around to his right hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton), the former Chief Whip, and apologise: because of the mess he made on that day, she lost her job.”
“I thank the hon. Lady for reminding us what tomorrow was going to be about, because we did not know. [ Interruption. ] Well, we might have known tomorrow, but we certainly did not know today. [ Interruption. ] That is the point, actually, because if the Opposition wanted to set up something that the hon. Lady says is so important, why was no motion tabled to set out what the debates would be? It is all right for the Conservatives to prepare for that, apparently. [ Interruption. ] If that is the case, it is irrelevant. I am talking about a situation that is erupting once again in the middle east. People who are listening to or watching this debate will be doing so with a degree of incredulity, seeing the Conservatives preferring to go down a route of playing some weird political game while the middle east is on the brink of conflagration.”
“As I have said before, and I say again, when the new Prime Minister is in place he will come and make a statement to the House, and set out his plans on those and other matters. The hon. Gentleman has raised the issue of taxation— [Interruption.] Hon. Members might want to listen to this, because it answers a question that they have asked before and to which I now have an answer. The universal credit vote was blocked on 7 September 2021 by Jacob Rees-Mogg, who scrapped an Opposition day in order to vote for a national insurance rise.”
“That is because on the day the Opposition were suggesting my right hon. Friend should come here and make that statement he will be putting together a new Administration—presumably appointing a new Cabinet, and then a new Administration. He will be setting out— [Interruption.] If Members want to scrutinise an Administration, they should at least provide an opportunity for the Prime Minister and the Administration to be in place. However, that is not the reason why tomorrow’s business is being altered. Tomorrow’s business is being altered because we are on the verge of a conflagration, and a decision was made without knowledge of what the motions would to be for tomorrow. A decision was made that it was appropriate for the House to consider that matter, rather than the motions that were yet to be tabled.”
“I am slightly alarmed by the constant references to the respect in which I am held. I think today may constitute a seminal moment in that regard. This is not a binary issue. It is about deciding, with a relative shortness of time given that the House has voted for the recess to start on Thursday, what we believe should be the priority for the House to discuss. Should it be the conflagration in the middle east, or motions that we had yet to see?”
“The hon. Gentleman’s first point was that it happened to us, or we did it. I understand, because I would have been angry at the time. I can assure the House that I would have been very angry, and I understand the anger on the Opposition Benches. What I am saying, however, is that the decision is a choice between an issue relating to the international situation, which we need to discuss before the recess, and motions that we were yet to see. As for writing to or otherwise contacting my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield, I assure the hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend will know that the business for tomorrow has changed, and he will now know what the topic is, and if he wishes to come here to make his views plain on that particular issue—or if any other Member wishes to do so—that is a matter for my right hon. Friend.”
“Sometimes I expect Opposition parties to use Opposition days to rise to the occasion. Unfortunately, however, I am disappointed yet again.”
“As I have said, the new Prime Minister will wish to come to this place, and, on the points that the hon. Lady has raised, he will want to answer questions; but let me give her a different scenario for what tomorrow might have looked like if it had been an Opposition day. We could have had a motion which, perhaps, the whole House could have got behind, about the dangerous international situation— [Interruption.] We could have done that, because we could have risen to the occasion. But what we got—the shadow Leader of the House read it out—was a party political motion. We did not know that, but it turns out to be proven— [Interruption.] Let me be clear: we did not know the wording of the motion. We did not know what that was. But let me just say this. I do not appear to be so all the time, but I am always optimistic.”
“I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman at all. The work of the Government will continue throughout the recess. What the Government will set out tomorrow is our position on the situation in the middle east. If, heaven forbid, there is a need to recall Parliament or indeed we return to this matter in September, even with a new Prime Minister, I do not expect there to be a major difference in that regard. The hon. Gentleman knows that this is a matter of the highest importance to our constituents. [Interruption.] There is no statement today because we are changing the business for tomorrow to give Members on both sides of the House the opportunity to make their case, perhaps in an extended way, rather than simply in a statement. That is what this important issue tomorrow deserves.”
“I think the hon. Gentleman is making a bid for a role that does not exist but could be created: the shadow Minister for clichés. As I have said, the new Prime Minister will come to this House and set out his plans, but we deemed the crisis unfolding across the middle east to be of sufficient priority to change tomorrow’s business. I apologise that that is the case. Nobody wanted to do it, but that is what the importance of the situation demanded. I am sorry if the Opposition cannot get their head around that.”
“Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I just want to thank the hon. Gentleman for making my point for me. He said— [ Interruption. ] No, he said that the Opposition have until the House rises to put down the— [ Interruption. ] I have not disputed that; he is simply confirming that when we made this decision, that was not clear. We did not know that.”
“No, we did not. The decision was therefore taken to go with the situation in Iran, rather than hang around and wait for what the Opposition might come up with. [ Interruption. ]”