Ben Maguire
MP for North Cornwall · Liberal Democrat · United Kingdom
“I sincerely thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for asking the urgent question. Highly skilled, experienced coastguard volunteers are being badly let down by the Government, and I cannot imagine other rescue service personnel being treated in the same way.”
“Will he commit himself to a full risk assessment of these damaging changes? Finally, will he confirm that the Government are considering viable alternatives, such as a statutory stipend system, passing legislation to exempt CROs from worker status, or even just embracing their worker status?”
“I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for dairy. I welcome the fact that the Government’s farming road map explicitly designates food production as an issue of national security, but I am deeply concerned that their water White Paper proposes a blanket extension of environmental permitting, from poultry and p…”
“15(1)(Exempted business) shall apply to proceedings on the Bill. (9)Standing Order No. 82 (Business Committee) shall not apply in relation to any proceedings to which this Order applies.”
“Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill (Business of the House) Ordered, That the following provisions shall apply to the proceedings on the Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill— Timetable (1) (a) Proceedings on Second Reading and in Committee of the whole House, any proceedings on Consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall be taken…”
“Both the Government and Cornwall council regularly tell me that there is no money available for any more buses, even if routes are a matter of life or death. Of course, I recognise the absolutely incredible and tireless work of our nurses, doctors and other staff at our hospitals and medical facilities; I want to make that clear.”
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“Will he commit himself to a full risk assessment of these damaging changes? Finally, will he confirm that the Government are considering viable alternatives, such as a statutory stipend system, passing legislation to exempt CROs from worker status, or even just embracing their worker status?”
“I sincerely thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for asking the urgent question. Highly skilled, experienced coastguard volunteers are being badly let down by the Government, and I cannot imagine other rescue service personnel being treated in the same way. No one could argue that £11 an hour was enriching these volunteers; it was merely enabling them to do their vital work. As one coastguard volunteer from my constituency put it, “I make significant personal and financial sacrifices to be available for emergency callouts—and I didn’t join the service to get paid.” Sadly, we did not need to get to this point. Did the Minister even speak to any of the CROs to hear what impact the changes would have on them before this rushed decision was made?”
“I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for dairy. I welcome the fact that the Government’s farming road map explicitly designates food production as an issue of national security, but I am deeply concerned that their water White Paper proposes a blanket extension of environmental permitting, from poultry and pig farms to the dairy sector, despite animals in the former being kept mostly indoors and cattle mostly outdoors. My North Cornwall constituents and National Farmers’ Union delegates estimate that this could cost around £10,000 per farm and produce much more paperwork. Can we please have a debate in Government time on the need to support farmers to produce food for this country, rather than deterring our farmers from actually farming?”
“I thank my hon. Friend and Cornish neighbour for giving way and join him in commending the Cornish coastguard agencies, particularly Boscastle, Bude and Padstow in my constituency. Boscastle had its fair share of disasters in 2024. Does my hon. Friend agree that there are other options, such as statutory retainers, and that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency did not consult on those?”
“I will be brief. My local fishermen in North Cornwall have been waiting three years for the inshore fisheries and conservation authority and DEFRA to implement a byelaw to restrict vessels above 12 metres in the inshore Cornish waters within 6 nautical miles. Does my hon. Friend agree that this is urgently needed and would do exactly what he has been calling for by restricting those larger vessels and helping to manage the stocks that he is talking about?”
“(14) (a) Any private business which has been set down for consideration at a time falling after the commencement of proceedings on this Order or on the Bill on a day on which the Bill has been set down to be taken as an Order of the Day shall, instead of being considered as provided by Standing Orders or by any Order of the House, be considered at the conclusion of the proceedings on the Bill on that day. (b) Standing Order No. 15(1) (Exempted business) shall apply to the private business so far as necessary for the purpose of securing that the business may be considered for a period of three hours. —(Mark Ferguson.)”
“(11) (a) No dilatory Motion shall be made in relation to proceedings to which this Order applies except by a Minister of the Crown. (b) The Question on any such Motion shall be put forthwith. (12) The start of any debate under Standing Order No. 24 (Emergency debates) to be held on a day on which the Bill has been set down to be taken as an Order of the Day shall be postponed until the conclusion of any proceedings on that day to which this Order applies. (13) Proceedings to which this Order applies shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to the sittings of the House.”
“15(1)(Exempted business) shall apply to proceedings on the Bill. (9)Standing Order No. 82 (Business Committee) shall not apply in relation to any proceedings to which this Order applies. (10) (a) No Motion shall be made, except by a Minister of the Crown, to alter the order in which any proceedings on the Bill are taken, to recommit the Bill or to vary or supplement the provisions of this Order. (b) No notice shall be required of such a Motion. (c) Such a Motion may be considered forthwith without any Question being put; and any proceedings interrupted for that purpose shall be suspended accordingly. (d) The Question on such a Motion shall be put forthwith; and any proceedings suspended under sub-paragraph (c) shall thereupon be resumed. (e) Standing Order No. 15(1) (Exempted business) shall apply to proceedings on such a Motion.”
“(5) On a Motion so made for a new Clause or a new Schedule, the Chair or Speaker shall put only the Question that the Clause or Schedule be added to the Bill. (6) If two or more Questions would fall to be put under paragraph (4)(d) on successive amendments moved or Motions made by a Minister of the Crown, the Chair or Speaker shall instead put a single Question in relation to those amendments or Motions. (7) If two or more Questions would fall to be put under paragraph (4)(e) in relation to successive provisions of the Bill, the Chair shall instead put a single Question in relation to those provisions, except that the Question shall be put separately on any Clause of or Schedule to the Bill which a Minister of the Crown has signified an intention to leave out. Miscellaneous (8) Standing Order No.”
“(4) For the purpose of bringing any proceedings to a conclusion in accordance with paragraph (1), the Chair or Speaker shall forthwith put the following Questions in the same order as they would fall to be put if this Order did not apply: (a) any Question already proposed from the Chair; (b) any Question necessary to bring to a decision a Question so proposed; (c) the Question on any amendment, new Clause or new Schedule selected by the Chair or Speaker for separate decision; (d) the Question on any amendment moved or Motion made by a Minister of the Crown; (e) any other Question necessary for the disposal of the business to be concluded; and shall not put any other questions, other than the question on any Motion described in paragraph (10)(a) of this Order.”
“(d) This paragraph shall have effect notwithstanding the practice of the House as to the intervals between stages of a Bill brought in upon Ways and Means Resolutions. Timing of proceedings and Questions to be put (2) When the Bill has been read a second time: (a) it shall, despite Standing Order No. 63 (Committal of bills not subject to a programme order), stand committed to a Committee of the whole House without any Question being put; (b) the Speaker shall leave the Chair whether or not notice of an Instruction has been given. (3) (a) On the conclusion of proceedings in Committee of the whole House, the Chair shall report the Bill to the House without putting any Question. (b) If the Bill is reported with amendments, the House shall proceed to consider the Bill as amended without any Question being put.”
“Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill (Business of the House) Ordered, That the following provisions shall apply to the proceedings on the Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill— Timetable (1) (a) Proceedings on Second Reading and in Committee of the whole House, any proceedings on Consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall be taken at today’s sitting in accordance with this Order. (b) Proceedings on Second Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion three hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Motion for this Order. (c) Proceedings in Committee of the whole House, any proceedings on Consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion four hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Motion for this Order.”
“Ben Maguire accordingly presented the Bill. Bill read the F irst time; to be read a S econd time on Friday 16 October , and to be printed (Bill 108) . Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Bill Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 56), That the Bill be now read a Second time. Question agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time. Question put forthwith, That the Bill be now read the Third time. Question agreed to. Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.”
“The mental health charity Man Down provides excellent mental health services, and countless other charities, staffed by incredible volunteers, fill in the service gaps. To end, I would ask the Government to set out for my constituents in writing how they plan to ensure minimum staffing levels at MIUs and urgent treatment centres in rural areas like North Cornwall. I ask the Government to let my constituents know exactly how they will expand the provision of medical facilities in the rural areas that need them most. I commend this Bill to the House. Question put and agreed to. Ordered, That Ben Maguire, Andrew George, Steff Aquarone, Mr Joshua Reynolds, Ian Roome, Edward Morello, Rachel Gilmour, Dr Danny Chambers, Layla Moran, David Chadwick, Freddie van Mierlo and Charlie Maynard present the Bill.”
“Our local GP surgeries also experience enormous pressure during MIU closures. The Minister for Secondary Care, who is in her place, has helped me and my constituents to finally secure a desperately needed new GP surgery building in Bodmin, but unfortunately the battle continues, and I will come back to her for further assistance with that. We have needed help, funding and more support in North Cornwall for decades, but we have not just sat by and waited for it. Our amazing volunteers and their excellent initiatives have demonstrated that we can offer real value for money and great healthcare outcomes, even compared with more urban areas. Barry Cornelius runs a pioneering healthcare transport system, and Cym Downing and many others run amazing memory cafés.”
“Both the Government and Cornwall council regularly tell me that there is no money available for any more buses, even if routes are a matter of life or death. Of course, I recognise the absolutely incredible and tireless work of our nurses, doctors and other staff at our hospitals and medical facilities; I want to make that clear. They work in incredibly stressful environments, and with stretched resources, dealing with patients who have been let down by the system. However, this Government must put in more effort on the recruitment and retention of MIU staff. That must include expanding the provision of key worker housing for MIU nurses. The lack of that housing seems to be a key reason why Cornwall is failing to attract a workforce, and it further exacerbates our problem of closure due to constant short-staffing.”
“We know that the NHS dental contract needs urgent reform, but will the Government also look at stopping integrated care boards handing back unused ringfenced funding, such as the unspent £1.2 million recently handed back by the Cornwall ICB? All the issues that I have raised affect thousands of my constituents. They have paid their taxes and national insurance contributions for decades, and they have put their faith in a national health service, but they have been very badly let down when they most needed support. What I have described sounds like the sort of access to healthcare that would shock us if we were looking at a third-world country, but sadly this is the reality that my constituents face, and there is seemingly no help on the way on healthcare transport.”
“I urge the Government to ensure that rurality is factored into their ongoing mental health consultation, as part of the 10-year health plan commitment. I come to one of the most pressing issues for my constituents of all ages: the total lack of NHS dentists in North Cornwall. This massive issue puts huge strain on our major hospitals, but it also has a serious knock-on effect; patients visit their local MIU with serious dental problems. That is not to mention the huge pressure on A&Es, if patients can get to one. In the strategy required by this Bill, I would ask the Government to address the chronic lack of NHS dentistry in rural areas.”
“On the subject of waiting times, those suffering from mental health issues in Cornwall can be stuck on referral waiting lists for months and months. When they reach crisis point, their options are limited. Some attend their local urgent treatment centre or MIU. In rural areas like mine, people can be extremely isolated, and their mental health can really suffer. Our farmers in particular face a mental health epidemic. In Cornwall, mental health patients can be sent from one end of the duchy to the other, or even to the other end of the country. They are often driven miles and miles from their family and support systems, and are isolated even further. One constituent who attended my surgery just last week had waited 313 days for accommodation back near his family.”
“Had I not gone in to feed her every evening, she would not have eaten. For dementia patients interacting with the rest of our creaking health system, the situation gets even worse. One constituent with advanced dementia fell and sustained a head injury. After an hour-long journey to the nearest major hospital, he was forced to wait outside in an ambulance for over eight hours. During this time, he was brought in for an assessment and then taken back outside again. As night fell, he became more confused and more agitated, and his family had no choice but to take him home to Launceston, without blood tests, and without confirming the suspected brain bleeding, and with no testing and no treatment.”
“My constituents have also urged me to raise the issue of the lack of dementia care. Despite having one of the oldest populations in the UK, Cornwall sadly ranks among those with the lowest capacity for dementia care, due to its lack of specialist care home beds and community support. Despite being one of the worst affected areas, Cornwall has less than half as many specialist care home beds per 100,000 people as Surrey, even though about one in three people in Cornwall are over the age of 70. On a personal note, my grandmother suffered from dementia towards the end of her life, and my father and I shared her care in her final years. Through this experience, I saw at first hand how dedicated the care home and medical staff were, but also how dangerously overstretched they were.”
“The hospital told her that this was down to staff shortages due to sickness, but why was there no adequate cover in place for vital appointments? Staff shortages due to sickness caused major problems for my constituents in Launceston last summer when, during the peak tourist season, those shortages caused the town’s minor injuries unit to close its doors. The “shortages” were just one staff member being off sick. The remaining staff were then distributed to other MIUs, none of which I would describe as being nearby, leaving my constituents and North Cornwall’s visitors travelling much further to access minor injury treatment—that is, if they were able to travel at all. Many told me that during that time, they had vital aid administered at home, instead of being seen by a healthcare professional.”
“Bude to Barnstable hospital is a five to six-hour round trip involving three buses. Bodmin to Treliske is a four-hour round trip involving two buses and a lengthy train journey. Launceston to Plymouth is a four-hour round trip involving three buses. Wadebridge to Treliske is a five-hour round trip, and Camelford to Treliske is a six-hour round trip. That is not to mention the many villages across North Cornwall that have even worse bus connectivity. To access her 20-minute chemotherapy appointment, one constituent was forced to travel from Bude to Derriford hospital, which is a three-hour round trip, even by car. She did that journey every day for three weeks. Another constituent undertook a 120-mile round trip to Tiverton last week, only to be told that the appointment had been cancelled when she got there.”
“I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to prepare a strategy for expanding the provision of Minor Injuries Units and Urgent Treatment Centres in rural areas; to require the Secretary of State to report to Parliament annually on the implementation of the strategy; and for connected purposes. Since my election as North Cornwall’s MP almost two years ago, I have worked on far too many cases with constituents who face huge barriers in accessing healthcare. The first is the issue of getting to hospitals and healthcare centres. Bus services in my constituency are few and far between, to put it mildly, and the transport network lacks direct bus services from every single one of my major towns to their nearest district hospitals.”
“I wanted to pick up on the hon. Lady’s point about the complexity of the scheme, on top of the additional costs for small businesses. I have a fantastic vineyard in my constituency called Camel Valley, which has talked about spreadsheets being almost matrix-like—branded, non-branded and so on. It is so complicated for businesses to understand. Does the hon. Lady agree that as well as the punitive costs on our fantastic local breweries, vineyards and other businesses that she has described, it is the complexity of the scheme that is really holding back so many amazing businesses?”
“Unfortunately, Cornwall was unsuccessful in the latest Pride in Place funding round. Does the Minister agree that Cornwall desperately needs a proper devolution settlement so that Cornwall council can fill the many empty shops in Bodmin, in Launceston, elsewhere in my constituency and across Cornwall? The council does not currently have the power to easily put shops back in community use or put them to other excellent uses.”
“I congratulate my hon. Friend on being a fantastic animal champion; he has done fantastic work on puppy smuggling. Does he agree not only that there should be stronger sentencing powers, but that those with a proven track record of serious animal abuse and harm should face complete ownership bans?”
“I commend my hon. Friend on an excellent speech. Some of my residents still travel to their NHS dentist clinic in Nottinghamshire, which is a more than 500-mile round trip from Cornwall. Does my hon. Friend agree that Cornwall integrated care board needs to sort out its underspend? This year, there was a £1.2 million underspend that could have been invested in vital NHS dental services. I understand that West Sussex is a good example: it has managed to reinvest any underspend money on the services that my hon. Friend is talking about, which are so desperately needed in West Sussex and in Cornwall.”
“The hon. Member is giving an impassioned speech about areas that are underserved by rail connections. My constituency is one such areas—it does not have a single mainline station, despite being the largest constituency by land in Cornwall. Unfortunately, the North Cornwall railway was a victim of the Beeching cuts. Will the hon. Member ask the Minister how the Bill will help such areas to bring back vital rail links? There are initiatives such as Kernow Connect, which has the potential to connect my constituency at Launceston, but does the hon. Member agree that the Bill does not go far enough in that regard?”
“South West Water has pleaded guilty to illegal sewage dumping across my constituency, including at Bodmin and Harlyn. It will likely get yet another fine and a slap on the wrist—a cost of doing business. The Water Minister kindly met me recently, but she has confirmed in writing that vital sewerage upgrades will not take place until 2030. If the Government will not push South West Water to speed up its investment plan, will the Minister support my efforts to hold it to account through a group action legal claim?”
“Recent CPS data shows a welcome reduction in victim attrition in domestic abuse cases where the defendant was charged. However, the same CPS dataset shows little evidence of corresponding improvements in charging rates, timeliness or wider prosecution performance. By what metrics will the Solicitor General measure the success of the recent £5 million investment in CPS pre-trial support for victims of domestic abuse across pilot regions, alongside the CPS’s “Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2025-2030”? What specific outcomes do the Government expect to see in order to determine whether they are delivering meaningful improvements for victims and the wider criminal justice system?”
“I have been supporting a project called Kernow Connect alongside Cornwall council, and it looks to advance freight capacity to Cornwall significantly. We have Falmouth, one of the deepest ports in the world, and fantastic resources such as critical minerals, but we do not have the infrastructure to take the freight to the rest of the country. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Minister could start thinking about such projects, which are potentially ready to go, and get some feasibility study money to see if they are viable so that we can have the freight revolution the country needs?”
“I have heard from countless hospitality business in my constituency, be it the Bullers Arms in Bude, which has seen astronomical business rates, or Stir café in Wadebridge, where VAT is a huge struggle. National insurance contributions, wage costs and energy costs are going up. Does the hon. Member agree that the sector needs long-term support from the Government, such as the 5% VAT cut that the Liberal Democrats have proposed?”
“I therefore share the disappointment expressed by many VAWG charities and organisations regarding the lack of substantive focus in the recent King’s Speech on protecting women and girls in practice. Warm words are not enough. Victims deserve a justice system that protects them, listens to them and enables them to access safety without traumatisation and without financial ruin. I urge the Minister to ensure that this year’s violence against women and girls strategy is accompanied by meaningful cross-departmental implementation, including vital action on legal aid, family court reform, judicial training and economic abuse.”
“Around 75% of child arrangement cases in the family courts involve allegations of domestic abuse. Although much of the issue falls within the remit of the Ministry of Justice, I must take the opportunity to reinforce Refuge’s demand that the VAWG strategy should explicitly reflect plans to improve the response of the family justice system to domestic abuse. As we have heard, too many victims still feel that the courts minimise their experiences and fail to understand the realities of coercive and controlling behaviour. We cannot continue with a system where victims are forced to act as litigants in person because they cannot access or afford legal representation.”
“That is particularly important given that legal aid was mentioned only fleetingly in the Government’s 2025 violence against women and girls strategy, despite legal representation often being one of the most important protections that victims have when facing their abusers in court. The Law Society and the Legal Aid Practitioners Group have long called for urgent improvement in this area. From my constituency casework, I know that many victims face severe bias once they enter the family court system, even when they are represented. I therefore echo Women’s Aid in calling for all family court professionals, including judges and court staff, to receive high-quality, mandatory and regularly updated domestic abuse training. This issue cuts across every aspect of domestic abuse within the justice system.”
“That gap risks deterring victims from pursuing protection, or even from resolving cases safely through the courts. Even when the grant of legal aid is technically possible and victims make the means test cut, access to justice is again undermined by the severe shortage of family law legal aid solicitors. In rural communities such as mine, the legal aid deserts are among the worst in the country. I would welcome further discussions with the Minister and the Justice Minister responsible for legal aid, the hon. and learned Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Sarah Sackman), on increasing legal aid fee rates in line with inflation, similar to the increases that we have already welcomed for immigration and housing law. Only then will we attract more legal aid solicitors to where they are most needed.”
“Economic abuse frequently involves perpetrators controlling finances, restricting access to income and withholding key documents. As a result, many victims are unable to provide the evidence required under the legal aid system, and are therefore excluded from support precisely when they need it the most. That heavily ties into the safeguarding aspect of today’s debate. Victims feel completely at a loss and deserted by the justice system. There is also a significant cliff edge for working victims of domestic abuse. Many individuals earning slightly above the eligibility threshold are deemed to be ineligible for legal aid, yet cannot realistically afford legal representation without sacrificing substantial portions of their income.”
“The removal of the long-criticised presumption of contact established under the Children Act 1989 finally places children’s voices and experiences back at the centre of decisions that affect them. However, survivors now need clarity on its implementation. When will the repeal come into force? Before the Minister claims that some of these matters fall outside her direct remit, I would like to make it clear that I and organisations including Surviving Economic Abuse, Rights of Women, Women’s Aid and Refuge have jointly written to her to underline the urgent need for a practical, cross-departmental action plan to protect and support victims of domestic abuse. The violence against women and girls strategy must be matched by that cross-Government delivery.”
“Meanwhile, the National Audit Office estimates that CMS arrears could reach £1 billion within five years. That is only one example of where change is urgently needed. The Government’s child poverty strategy promised an overhaul of the system, yet there is still no clear timeline for implementation, and our children are the ones suffering. We Liberal Democrats welcome the continued roll-out of child-focused courts, which have shown reductions in case length and therefore in the re-traumatisation of victims who are forced through drawn-out proceedings. I sincerely hope that the Government fulfil their promise to expand those courts nationally. I also recognise the important steps that have been taken in recent months, on which I will take this opportunity to congratulate the Government.”
“I entirely support colleagues calling for urgent reshaping of the CMS system and for the Ministry of Justice to fully implement the findings of its own 2020 harm panel report. That report identified harmful practices including a pro-contact culture, adversarial court processes, resource constraints and siloed working between agencies, all of which allowed abuse to go unnoticed or even continue through the system itself, as we heard earlier. I wish to focus on economic abuse, which my hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham highlighted so well. Research by Surviving Economic Abuse has found that a third of UK women with a child under 18 have had child maintenance payments deliberately blocked or manipulated by an ex-partner, despite that ex-partner being able to afford those payments.”
“The crime survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 estimated that in the past year alone around 3.8 million people in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse. At the same time, one in five children in the UK experienced domestic abuse, with only one in 10 child victims receiving any support, according to Women’s Aid. That reinforces wider findings that despite the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children are too often overlooked as victims of domestic abuse by police, social care and health services. As other hon. Members have set out, perpetrators continue to manipulate loopholes in the Child Maintenance Service system to further coerce and control victims emotionally, economically and physically.”
“Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Alison Hume), who described the case of a paedophile and an abuser accessing legal aid to use the court system against his ex-partner and effectively continue that abuse. I also thank the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Chiswick (Andy Slaughter), who highlighted the value of the FDAC’s role in domestic abuse cases and the way it proactively supports victims to break cycles of abuse, but also the fact that it needs expansion and long-term and more secure funding. As many Members have pointed out, the family courts are in serious need of reform. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, has worked tirelessly to ensure that children are recognised and understood as victims in their own right. The statistics alone are staggering.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Ms Furniss. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for securing this really important debate. I congratulate him on his excellent speech. I also welcome the new Safeguarding Minister to her place. I thank the hon. Member for Gravesham (Dr Sullivan), who reiterated calls for domestic abuse specialists to be embedded in our family courts. My hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Mr Forster) spoke movingly about the case of his constituent Sara Sharif, and about how the family court in that case did not question children’s services and the appalling culture that was described. I thank the hon.”
“I always welcome the cutting of red tape and I await the details excitedly. My North Cornwall constituent, Hannah Willow, runs two art businesses. Prior to Brexit, around 30% of her sales were to customers in Europe, but this has now fallen to 10%. As a result of recent tariffs on trade, her exports to the US have also declined by 20%. Now, adding insult to injury, the de minimis threshold will be removed from 1 July this year. That means that items valued at under €150 entering the EU will no longer be exempt from customs duty and will incur a flat €3 fee per item. Will the Government take up the Liberal Democrats’ call to negotiate a bespoke customs union and finally put our small businesses back at the heart of economy, where they belong?”
“I warmly welcome the Chief Secretary to her new role. My rural constituency does not have a regular or reliable bus service. It does not even have a single mainline train station, so my constituents are forced to rely on their cars to get to school or work and to care for relatives, not to mention the transport of goods. I welcome this modest freeze, but please will the Minister meet me to discuss North Cornwall being part of the Government’s rural fuel duty relief scheme? While we are there, perhaps I can explain how our excellent Lib Dem proposals are all fully costed.”
“I am grateful to the Minister for his statement, having applied for an urgent question alongside the leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster, the right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts), and other hon. Members. One of my constituents, Katy Davidson, was on board the Global Sumud Flotilla and has been illegally arrested and likely subjected to the disgusting and degrading treatment that we have all seen. The Israeli Government flout international law after international law against British citizens. Does the Minister agree that it is time to ban all imports from the illegal settlements in the west bank, finally close the shameful arms export loopholes, and enforce a total arms embargo? What more do war criminals like Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and others need to do before this Government act?”
“Rocketing fuel prices are hitting rural families in constituencies like mine, but the answer can never be to play directly into Putin’s hands by weakening sanctions, just as Ukraine is finally pushing back against Russia’s war machine. Does the Minister agree that we can both stand firmly with our Ukraine allies, maintaining sanctions on Russian jet fuel and diesel that is refined in third countries, while also supporting rural households through a temporary VAT cut on heating oil and a 10p cut to fuel duty, which could be funded through a levy on big banks’ eye-watering profits?”
“Cornwall continues to face some of the UK’s worst legal aid deserts, with rurality and lack of transport adding to the postcode lottery. According to the Law Society, a third of domestic abuse survivors were forced to represent themselves in court, as even when advice is available, eligibility criteria often stand in their way. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss raising the income threshold for the legal aid means test in line with inflation and removing the capital assets requirement altogether to ensure that victims of economic abuse can access justice?”
“I therefore hope that all my Cornish colleagues and Members from across the House will join me this time to vote against the Government’s latest attempt at blocking Lords amendment 98. Let us please not hand this Government or future Governments this unlawful power to combine authorities against the will of local people—our constituents. To the Minister, I say again that she has not considered Cornwall’s national minority status, contrary to the European framework convention, and so she will likely expect a legal challenge if the Bill becomes law.”