We now come to Prime Minister's questions. Mr Speaker, yesterday evening, Royal Air Force Typhoons successfully conducted strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen in a joint operation with our US allies. This action was in line with long-standing policy of the UK government. to defend freedom of navigation in the Red Sea after Houthi attacks fuel regional instability and risk economic security for families in the UK.
Mr Speaker, I'm pleased to say that all UK aircraft and personnel returned safely, and I pay tribute to the professionalism and bravery. of all our servicemen and servicewomen. The Defence Secretary, Mr Speaker, is making a statement immediately after PMQs. Mr Speaker, can I congratulate Prime Minister Mark Carney on his election in Canada? Our two countries are the closest of Commonwealth allies, partners and friends, and we will work together to deepen our economic relationship.
to benefit working people here in the UK. Mr Speaker may also congratulate everyone across the House including members of this House and the Press Gallery. who ran marathons in London and Manchester. in particular the Honourable Member for Gordon and Buchan for the fastest run of any female MP. And, of course, the Shadow Justice Secretary. who I'm reliably informed is...
This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today. Clive Jones Thank you very much Mr Speaker I'd like to associate myself with the remarks of the Prime Minister about the professionalism of our armed forces and also congratulate Mark Carney on being elected as Prime Minister of Canada.
for everybody who took part in the London Marathon. Both my daughters have done it. It's something I can't do anymore, sadly. Later today, Mr Speaker, I'm introducing a bill to guarantee Parliament as the final say... on any trade deal, including any agreement with President Trump. This isn't new. It's exactly what Labour promised to do in an official policy paper put forward in 2001.
I'm asking this government to keep its promise. Currently, Members of Parliament have no vote. They have no voice on trade deals. So will the Prime Minister... Order, order, order. I think the Honourable... I think you're on American yourself. I think the Prime Minister may have got a grip. Prime Minister. Mr Speaker, can we extend our congratulations? to his daughters for running the marathon in relation to trade deals the government retains the right obviously to
to strike trade deals, delivering growth jobs and opportunities for working people. We clearly set that out in our manifesto. That's exactly what we're doing. Parliament, as he knows, does have a well-established role in scrutinising. and ratifying these deals. He knows that was strengthened under the last Labour government, as he references. Dan Tomlidge. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
There's going to have to be a coming together of reform and the Conservative Party in some way. A deal, a pact or a merger. These aren't my words, Mr Speaker, but those of the most senior Tory in elected public office. in the country, the mayor of the Tees Valley. So if senior Tories are plotting it, the leader of the opposition won't deny it. Doesn't that mean that the only way for us to stop this plot is to vote Labour?
No need to answer. You've no responsibility for any part. Right, let's move to the Leader of the Opposition, Can Ubedo. Thank you, Mr Speaker. On Monday, the Prime Minister's Safeguarding Minister... admitted on the floor of the House that there was a cover-up of the child rape gang scandal. Does the Prime Minister think we should expose this cover-up? Mr Speaker, this is obviously a serious issue. I oversaw the first grooming gang prosecution, which was in Rochdale more than a decade ago.
There is a contrast here because the Leader of the Opposition... when she was Minister for Children, Women and Equalities, never raised this issue in the House in three years. Mr Speaker, the Shadow Home Secretary held 352 external meetings during 20 months. How many were on this issue? Not one. And they failed, of course, to implement a single recommendation for the independent inquiry into child sex abuse. Mr Speaker, my position is absolutely clear. Where there's evidence...
the police should investigate and there should be appropriate prosecutions. That's route number one. Route number two, we should implement existing recommendations which did expose what went wrong. Those recommendations were not implemented by the last government. They're being implemented by this government. We are providing for local... inquiries, we're investing more on delivering truth and justice for victims than the party opposite did in 14 long years.
Mr Speaker, in the last year of Conservative government, we had a gangs task force that found 500 perpetrators protecting thousands of victims. We launched that inquiry that he's talking about, but more still needs to be done. It's now four months. four months since I asked him for a full national inquiry. Instead, he promised five local inquiries.
There will be one in Oldham. Will he now name where the other four inquiries will be? Prime Minister. Mr Speaker, we are providing for local inquiries. They've got so much to say now. Why did they not implement a single recommendation in the 14 years they had in office? We're taking for those. There are recommendations already implemented.
about the change that needs to be taken. They sat on a shelf under the last government. We are acting on them. We are providing for local inquiries and we're investing more in delivering truth than they ever did. He cannot name a single place because nothing is happening.
He stood there at the dispatch box, promised five local inquiries. Nothing is happening. On the last day of term, he had his minister come out to water down the promise to say they would provide funding. That is not good enough. At least 50 towns are affected by rape gangs. Places like Peterborough, Derby, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, Rotherham, Rochdale and Preston. Is he dragging his heels on this because he doesn't want Labour cover-ups exposed? Mr Speaker.
I spent five years prosecuting this case. Mr Speaker, I was the prosecutor that brought the first case. And when that file was brought to my attention, Mr Speaker... I noticed that one of the defendants had not been prosecuted previously. I asked for that file so that I could have a look at it. On the back of that, I then changed the entire approach to prosecutions.
which was then lauded by the government we were doing the right thing and brought those prosecutions so my record my record was going after where I thought something had gone wrong and putting it right she stayed silent throughout their years in government, and so did the entire front bench.
Mr Speaker, he's not the Director of Public Prosecutions anymore. He is the Prime Minister. People want to know what he is going to do now, not talk about what he did years ago. We are asking for a full national inquiry. Andy Burnham wants a national inquiry. He's not conservative, he's Labour. Harriet Harman wants one. The member for Rotherham wants one. All of the victims I have met want a full national inquiry. He keeps talking about local inquiries.
yet they have not got going and they haven't got going because local authorities don't want to investigate themselves. Local inquiries cannot force witnesses to appear. Local inquiries can't force people to give evidence under oath. So why won't he have? a national inquiry. We've had a national inquiry. We've had recommendations. There are hundreds of recommendations that have been made in relation to this issue. It is a serious issue. I strongly believe...
that we should implement the recommendations that have already been made. And that is what we are doing. I strongly believe we should listen to victims, and we've been listening to victims on this side for decades, and working with victims for decades in relation to what they want, which is local inquiries, and we've set those local inquiries up. Mr Speaker, he says we should listen to victims. The victims want a national inquiry.
We haven't had a national inquiry. We had the child sex abuse inquiry, which conservatives launched. There is still more to be done. It didn't cover this scandal in detail. In Manchester, just last year, authorities were still covering up abuse. the local inquiry chair there has quit. Bradford Council, an area of some of the worst abuses.
refuses any inquiry, local or national. Whether it's the streets of Birmingham or the Town Hall of Bradford, it is chaos and cover-ups with Labour councils. When will he show leadership and do the right thing? Thank you. The right thing is to implement the recommendations that we've got, which is what they palpably failed to do in government. The right thing to do is to have the national inquiries that we need, which was what the...
The right thing to do is to invest in our criminal justice system so we can bring people to justice. They've absolutely collapsed the criminal justice system. Prosecutions parade under their watch. They go up or down. They went down to record lows. in prosecuting these cases went down. Their record was abysmal. They should hang their heads in shame.
Mr. Speaker, this is just distraction tactics. He hasn't read the recommendations, because if he had read the recommendations, he would know none of them would tackle this issue. The fact is, if I was standing where he is, we would have had a national inquiry months ago. This issue is personal for me. I have met many of the victims. This is about the protection of children. Nothing else.
is more important. In the last few days Mr Speaker I've been to Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Kent All of them have outstanding children's social care. Do you know why, Mr Speaker? Because they're all run by Conservatives. That's the difference that Conservative Council is making. between chaos and cover-ups under Labour councils or better services under the Conservatives. She says they'd have a national inquiry. Fourteen years. Fourteen years and they didn't.
Do it. It's so hollow. And yes, tomorrow is the first opportunity the country has. to pass their verdict on the Leader of the Opposition and the Party Opposition after the General. Have they changed? Have they learned? It's passing verdict on the Leader of the Opposition. We'll see you next week. Right.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, I wish that the Leader of the Opposition would stop weaponising victims of child sexual abuse. It's damaging victims, and if she cared about child protection, she wouldn't be doing that. It's a disgrace, more disgrace. Mr Speaker, new data shows that in March last year in Heysen Green and Arboretum Ward in my constituency. 64% of children were in poverty, the highest proportion in the whole of these Midlands.
and a damning indictment of the previous Conservative Governments. One of the proudest achievements of the last Labour Government was the action it took on child poverty. Can the Prime Minister confirm that this Labour Government will do everything in its power to eliminate child poverty? and that its task force has not ruled out abolishing the two-child benefit limit.
the single most cost-effective way to pull children out of poverty. Madam Minister. Well, she's absolutely right to raise the disgraceful record of the previous government, which saw an extra 900,000 children in poverty. I am proud of Labour's record in reducing child poverty, which is what we do in government.
and the taskforce exploring every lever to reduce child poverty. Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Edward Davies. Thank you, Mr Speaker. And on behalf of my party, can I send our congratulations. to Mark Carney and the Liberal Party of Canada on their historic victory. We wish them well as Canada continues to stand up strongly to President Trump's tariffs and threats. when you do a trade deal with President Trump. He can't be trusted to stick with it.
The Prime Minister didn't answer my question last week and he didn't answer my Honourable Friendly Member for Wokingham just now. So let me ask again. Will the Government give members of this House a vote on the floor of this House. on any deal he agrees with President Trump. Yes? Mr Speaker, we are in negotiations with the US in relation to a deal
We will act, obviously, in the national interest to make sure that if there is a deal, it's the right deal for our country. If it is secured, it will go through the known procedures for this House. Well, Mr Speaker, I'm very disappointed in that reply. There was no yes or no response. We do want to vote and we will keep pressing him and his government on that. But turning to a domestic issue now, Mr Speaker, my honourable friend, the member for Dorking and Hawley.
has taken up the cause of Fiona Lascaris, whose autistic adult son, Christopher, was horrifically exploited and then murdered by a convicted criminal. As ITV News has reported, when Fiona tried to get a mental capacity assessment for her son, she was dismissed. So Christopher never got the support that might have saved his life. We're going to try to change the law so families' concerns over a loved one's mental capacity have to be considered.
Will the Prime Minister give his personal backing to that change? to stop another tragedy like Christopher's. family and friends affected by this and we'll certainly look into what else we can do and if there's further details that can be given to me of the particular case I'll make sure that we follow it up. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'd like to start by congratulating Truro City Football Club, who've gone from homelessness to league champions in one season.
In Cornwall, clean energy is a huge opportunity. We're fortunate to have vast natural resources onshore, offshore winds, geothermal and tidal. We have a strategically vital port and a workforce ready to step up. I welcome that Falmouth Community Hospital will be getting new solar panels and benefiting from those first investments made by GB Energy. as we pursue our Clean Power Plan.
Will the Prime Minister confirm this is just the beginning of that investment in renewables in Cornwall? Can I add my congratulations to Truro. Clean energy investments are powering our plan for change, Mr Speaker. And that's just the beginning. We'll go further. 200 schools and hundreds of NHS sites across the country will benefit from GB Energy's first solar project.
including Falmouth Community Hospital in my honourable friend's constituency. Hospitals will save, Mr Speaker, £45,000 a year off their energy bills. with that money going back to the frontline services. That's the better future we're building, good for patients, good for jobs growth and our energy security. To date so far this year, 10,000 young undocumented males have illegally crossed the English Channel into our country.
a 40% increase on this time last year. Many coming from cultures that are somewhat alien to us. They are being housed at a cost of many billions of pounds a year in hotels and increasingly in private rented homes. The effect on communities is one of a sense of deep unfairness actually bordering.
on resentment. In Runcourt alone there are 750 of these young men. Is it not time to admit that smash the gangs was nothing more than an election slogan and not a policy and isn't it time to declare a national emergency will you give way Mr Speaker we are passing a borders bill with extensive powers
smash the gangs. These are terrorist-like powers that give powers to the police to intercept where they think the suspects are committing people smuggling, which is a vile trade. We must take back control of our borders after the last government lost control. But what did he and his party do?
Did they support those extra measures to actually smash the gang? No, they went in the lobby with this lot in their new coalition to vote against them. And let's be clear what a vote for his party means. It means a vote to charge for the NHS. It means a pro-Putin foreign policy. And now we hear, Mr Speaker, he's recruited Liz Truss as his new top advisor, as he was cheering on the mini-budget.
suffered from a lack of local health provision but next month that will begin to change thanks to a new partnership that I built with our local NHS Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors at a centre for excellence in women's sport. This will be a shining example of shifting health care. from hospitals into communities. So can I urge the Prime Minister to continue with our plan for change and ignore the member for Clacton who for decades has pushed to dismantle our NHS so that my constituents must pay
see their doctor. I see the Member for Clatchon complaining, but what did he say? He said, we're going to have to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare. His words, if you can afford it, you pay. Not under our watch, Mr Speaker. While he's busy taking Liz Truss's advice and falling over Porton, we're driving down waiting lists. Three million extra appointments delivered.
and waiting lists slashed in the most deprived areas. That's six times the waiting list will come down, including during the winter here as we're rebuilding our NHS, rebuilding our country of future and delivering for working people. Just before Christmas, thousands of my constituents in Eastleigh were left without water after yet another incident involving southern water, the latest in a long series of issues, including outages...
and sewage dumping in our precious chalk stream, the River Itchin. Yet this month, my constituents face water bill hikes of 47%. Does the Prime Minister understand why my constituents are so angry about this? And what reassurances can he give my constituents? that Southern Water and Ofrot will be held to account.
to her constituents for allowing record sewage into our waterways our water act will clean up our rivers lakes and seas under new powers which came into effect last week in fact water bosses can now face Years in jail for concealing sewage spills. We've banned the payment of bonuses and introduced new powers. And of course we're delivering a major review.
through our Water Commission, and I'll reassure the member we won't hesitate to take further steps. Sam Cole. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Listening to residents in north-west Cambridgeshire on the doorstep and in local coffee mornings, there's a clear message. People want local police that have the time and resources to get to know crime in their areas and tackle it at the root. And I know our Labour mayoral candidate's committed to that as she's elected tomorrow.
So could the Prime Minister update residents across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough on how our plan for change is tackling crime and antisocial behaviour? and boosting police ranks by 13,000 officers that will be visible in all local communities. police. And crimes like shoplifting and antisocial behaviour ran rife. I can tell him what we're doing through the plan for change. Extra police officers, extra PCSOs and more special constables.
On top of that, Mr Speaker, a named officer for every community and more teams out in our town centres. on Friday and Saturday nights. That's what you get with a Labour Mayor working with a Labour Government to deliver change for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. is a veteran who sustained injuries while serving our country. She was awarded military compensation. But because military compensation is currently considered income by this government, her pension credit has been cut.
from £77 a week to just £11 a week. We've met with the relevant minister to try to address this to no avail. So I want to ask the Prime Minister with the 80th anniversary of VE Day just next week. Will he meet with Pauline, who's in the gallery, and I to address this injustice? and to ensure that no veteran is penalised for serving our country. Prime Minister. Can I thank him for raising this important issue with us? We will always stand up for those who serve our country.
Pauline for her service and I will make sure that she gets the appropriate meeting that she wants and needs to discuss her specific case. Thank you, Mr Speaker. This week, thanks to this Labour government, hundreds of free breakfast clubs have opened across our country. Will the Prime Minister join me in sending good wishes? to the staff and pupils at Castle Carrack, Eudale, Longtown, Inglewood, Brook Street, Blackforge...
and Bishop Harvey Goodwin schools in my constituency, which are among the first to benefit from this important scheme. And can he confirm that this is just the start of Labour's plan for change to deliver... for working parents. 30 minutes of free childcare, saving working parents 450. a year and we've opened the first 750 across the country. There'll be many more to come, Mr Speaker. We are, of course, also saving parents 50 pounds a year by making school uniforms cheaper.
something the Leader of the Opposition ordered all her troops to vote against. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The playing of music and loud videos on public transport... without headphones is becoming increasingly common. The various bylaws outlawing such antisocial behaviour are clearly not working, whilst planned cuts to the British Transport Police are bound to make matters worse.
Will the Prime Minister back the Lib Dem plan to introduce effective enforcement and a publicity campaign to persuade people to plug in their headphones? You never know, perhaps we can encourage the uncivil minority to take their feet off the seats. Prime Minister. Well, it raises a really important question of antisocial behaviour. They're laughing about it.
That really sums up what they did in the last 14 years. He knows there are already strict rules in place to prevent antisocial behaviour, including fines of up to £1,000. But we are focused on tackling antisocial behaviour. It's not low level. It does affect people. communities and their sense of safety and what they can do with their own lives and that's why an additional 1.2 billion has been set aside for policing 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers.
new respect orders and a named officer in every community. We take this seriously. They laugh about it. Bill Ribeiro added. Mr Speaker, rent in my constituency is becoming exceedingly unaffordable with the ONS's most recent data. estimating that the average price of rents have risen by over 10%. in the last year, whilst average wages haven't risen at the same level. And I know several metro mayors are calling from the power to control rents.
in their region to help tackle the issue and the steps in the renters' rights bill to cap market rents at the market rate are positive. But as landlords are the ones setting the market rates, renters in my constituency are fearful that this won't be enough to protect them from rising rent. So can the Prime Minister tell me what steps this government is taking to bring down rental prices? Prime Minister, she's absolutely right to raise this important issue.
Communities across the country are facing the consequences of the utter failure of the party opposite to building up homes. Our Renters' Right Bill improves the system for 11 million private renters. blocking demands for multiple months of rent in advance and finally abolishing no-fault evictions. Something they said they'd do over and over again and, as usual, never got round to doing. Mr Speaker, that's backed up by major planning reforms, our new homes accelerator and £600 million to deliver.
300,000 homes in London. Part of our 1.5 million homes we'll build across the country that are desperately needed. Does the Prime Minister recall from our history that Even during the Blitz, the concert pianist Dame Moira Hess continued performing her piano recitals at the National Gallery, including the performance of German music like J.S. Bach. As a trustee of the Parliament Choir and as a singer...
Can I ask him to lend his support to Parliament's own VE Day celebration, which will be next Wednesday evening in Westminster Hall? when we will perform in the presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent and both speakers of both houses. Not only that Bach chorale, but the music of our other allies. And, of course, some British music too. Tickets are still available. Can I wish him the very best of luck? It will be a fantastic event. just one of the many important celebrations that we are.
that are taking place to commemorate the day. I would encourage the whole House to buy those remaining tickets to go along and attend the concert which I think is in Westminster Hall. as well as the many street parks and other events that will be across the country. And I look forward to paying my own tributes on VE Day, but I wish him luck.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the action taken by the government to fix our NHS and deliver two million more appointments, something my constituents are already benefiting from. Together with Warrington and Holt and NHS Trust, I recently submitted a ready-to-go proposal for a new urgent treatment centre and outpatients facility in Warrington.
Warrington has over 200,000 residents and no urgent treatment centre. The proposal would reduce A&E waiting times and deliver 100,000 appointments every year. Will the Prime Minister or Health Secretary agree to meet with me and local health partners to discuss this transformational project? I'm happy to make sure that my hon. Friend meets the Health Secretary. Mr Speaker, we have got waiting lists down for six months now in a row, delivering three million extra appointments.
The Further Faster 20 programme is doubling the rate at which waiting lists are falling, including in her trust. And, of course, earlier this week we froze prescription charges at under £10. There's a lot that's been done, a lot more to do, but our plan for change is working, getting NHS back on its feet.
The non-disclosure agreement was entirely one-sided, gagging me, but not the men or the execs involved. It covered not just business matters, but everything painful I'd endured. I ended up in hospital. These are the words of a victim who suffered intolerable sexual misconduct in her workplace. Does the Prime Minister agree with me and members across this House that the misuse of NDAs in cases like this are totally unacceptable?
And if so, will he help us in amending the Employment Rights Bill going through the Lords now to stop this pervasive practice once and for all? countenance the misuse of NDAs, particularly in a case as serious as the one that she cited, which is why we're looking at whatever we can do to make sure they're not misused.
After 14 years of a Conservative government who let fly-tipping increase to record levels across the country, my constituents in Ealing Southall will welcome the Prime Minister's announcement today that fly tippers will now face action, new technology for enforcement and up to five years in prison. Could the Prime Minister set out what other steps he is taking to help councils tackle fly tipping and the difference this will make. communities like Ealing Southall.
where incidents of fly tipping are up 76%. We're introducing, Mr Speaker, tough powers to seize and crush the vehicles of commercial fly tippers who now face up to five years in prison for operating illegally. That's the Labour government clearing up the mess left by the party officer.
Prime Minister, a week tomorrow, the whole nation will come together to commemorate the E-Day. Those who fought in World War II, including my own father, would often attest that no one did more to maintain their morale in adversity than Dame Viraline, the Force's sweetheart. A doughty band of campaigners for several years have been trying to create a national memorial in her honour. I'm pleased to tell the House they now have a stunning design. They have a site, appropriately, at Dover.
And they've already raised over three quarters of the funding that they would need. So at this very special time... Would the Prime Minister lend his support in principle to this noble endeavour? Would he be prepared to accept a personal briefing? the campaign, in which case I suspect that he and I will meet again. Always a pleasure. But look, I'm going to congratulate him on his campaign. It is really important.
Many people were delighted, I think, to join that campaign. Dame Vera is sewn into our nation's soul, providing the soundtrack. for our greatest generation. And so it's particularly timely. So I'll support the campaign that he has done so much to promote. Adam Thompson. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Whether it is the crevasse on the island outside of Asda in Long Eaton or the array of tyre poppers, on Quarry Hill Road in Ilkeston. Every day my inbox is filled with complaints.
about potholes that Conservative Derbyshire County Council has failed to fix. Given that the government has poured £1.6 billion of extra funding... into road repairs and that tomorrow is the Derbyshire County Council elections. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that it is high time that Erewash and the wider Derbyshire...
got itself a Labour Council that will actually repair the roads. Well, he's absolutely right. Conservative Derbyshire County Council is home to more potholes than anywhere else. in the country, and drivers are paying the price. Mr Speaker, our plan for change has committed enough funding to fix seven million extra potholes this year, and for the first time...
Councillors like Derbyshire must publish how many potholes they have actually repaired in order to get the cash. The party opposite left Britain's roads crumbling. We are fixing them. The blackouts in Spain which have caused chaos the realization amongst many backbenchers in his own party that Thousands of jobs are being lost in Scotland in the oil industry and the fact that businesses are facing energy costs which are making them more competitive. and consumers being plunged into
Poverty, fuel poverty. Does he not recognise that his net zero policy. is not only bad, but it's mad. And indeed, his own former leader is now accepting this. Will he not accept the advice from someone within his own party if he won't accept advice from this side of the house? Well, many years on the opposite bench, as I learned when asking questions...
PMQs, not just to read the headline on a Wednesday morning, but to look at some of the detail. What Tony Blair said is we should have more carbon capture. We've invested in carbon capture. That's many jobs across different parts of the country. He said that AI should be used. We agree with that. invested huge amounts in A on the jobs of the future. He also said we need domestic targets.
so that businesses have their certainty. If you look at the detail of what Tony Blair said, he's absolutely aligned with what we're doing here. These are the jobs and the security of the future. I would also say that we shouldn't weaponise the difficult position that people in Spain and other countries find themselves in at a very difficult time.
and at a time when European security is critical, it is defence manufacturers in the black country, like Somers Forge in Hell's Ewing and B.B. Price in Cradley Heath, that will be using that steel to make the military equipment that our defence needs. Will the Prime Minister commit to make manufacturing investment in the black country a national priority? so that we can live up to our industrial heritage and create the high quality defence jobs. that our region so desperately needs.
Mr Speaker, it's vital that defence investment creates more jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities in the black country and across the United Kingdom. That's why we've launched a new hub to give up to 12,000 small firms better access to defence contracts. And, of course, we're raising defence spending, the highest sustained increase since the Cold War, something the party opposite failed to do in 14 years in office. Right, we'll let the frontbench change over.