House of Commons · General Debate
24 February 2021 · 18 other contributors
Opened by Derek Twigg Lab Widnes and Halewood
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Derek Twigg raised concerns about prime minister in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
Key points
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Asked the Government to list official engagements for Wednesday 24 February. He then questioned whether the Government's funding for discretionary covid isolation payments was sufficient, highlighting that only 171 constituents had been helped out of strict eligibility criteria set by the Prime Minister’s Government.
Questioned whether the Government's funding for discretionary covid isolation payments was sufficient, highlighting that only 171 constituents had been helped out of strict eligibility criteria set by the Prime Minister’s Government.
Discussed the need for legal and regulatory reform to improve the connection method to the national grid for wind power off his coast in North Norfolk. He suggested this issue could be addressed by the new Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform.
Questioned the Prime Minister's response to misinformation about covid-19 risks and the impact of individuals not self-isolating due to financial difficulties. He called for a £500 self-isolation payment to be made available to everyone who needs it.
Asked about pre-emptive actions being taken by the Government to prevent and limit damage from future health emergencies, ensuring local economies have certainty regarding the end of lockdown measures.
The Prime Minister highlights substantial investments made by the UK Treasury, including £13 billion allocated to Scotland. He criticises the Scottish Nationalist Government's handling of education and criminal justice issues. Johnson emphasises infrastructure spending of £640 billion for rebuilding and restarting the economy, dismissing calls for further fiscal stimulus or a shift away from current policies.
Moore seeks support to maintain rail services vital for his constituents' economic activities. He campaigns against proposed changes by the Manchester Rail Recovery Taskforce, which he deems unacceptable and detrimental to regional development goals.
Davey expresses gratitude for recent policy changes regarding vaccination priorities. He raises concerns over human rights abuses in China against Uyghurs, advocating for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics unless China addresses the issue.
Hudson highlights poor broadband connectivity issues affecting his rural constituency. He welcomes Government initiatives like the shared rural network but seeks assurances that these measures will effectively address coverage gaps in remote areas.
Johnson questions whether a 40% budget cut to Transport for the North aligns with the government's levelling-up agenda, seeking clarity on investment intentions in northern infrastructure.
Webb celebrates local businesses' adaptability during lockdown and invites the Prime Minister to participate in a 'favourite takeaway' competition celebrating culinary entrepreneurship in her constituency.
Streeting underscores ongoing challenges in education funding and child poverty. He questions whether the proposed £0.43 per pupil per day is sufficient, urging the Prime Minister to consider its adequacy for educational recovery.
Roberts discusses a tragic case of unexpected cardiac arrest within his constituency and campaigns for mandatory CPR training in Welsh schools as it has been implemented in England. He seeks the Prime Minister's support to advocate for this change.
Cooper addresses flooding issues affecting school attendance in her constituency, requesting the Prime Minister's intervention with Lancashire County Council and the local headteacher to ensure educational continuity amidst environmental challenges.
My right hon. Friend will know that pubs have been closing all over Britain for decades now, tearing the hearts out of communities. This terrible pandemic has made things even worse. Part of the problem is undercutting by cheap supermarket booze. Surely, now that we are out of the EU, we can do as we please with beer duty. Differentiation in favour of on-sales could deliver great benefits to pubs in communities such as Clacton, at nil cost to the taxpayer.
I was disappointed that the Prime Minister did not accept my offer to meet him when he recently visited my constituency’s wonderful Fujifilm vaccine complex in Billingham to celebrate our local success story. I could have taken him to nearby Billingham food bank, where he would have learned that over a third of the children in my constituency live in poverty, yet two in five of those same children are still not entitled to free school meals because the threshold is so low.
My right hon. Friend will recall from his visit in 2019 that the port of Bristol would make an excellent location for a great western freeport. The West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles, has submitted a bid that could create 50,000 jobs in the region. Will the Prime Minister back our bid, and does he agree that, with house prices in the west of England sitting at nine times average earnings, we need a home building revolution to provide much more affordable housing for our young people as we build back better?
Before the Budget is finalised, will the Prime Minister ensure that his Chancellor reads the Trussell Trust’s new report, “Dignity or Destitution? The case for keeping the Universal Credit lifeline”? His Government have been incredibly generous to pals with personal protective equipment contracts, so surely, instead of cutting employment-related benefits to the lowest real-terms level in 30 years, he must now afford some basic dignity to 6 million people on universal credit and make the uplift permanent.
I start by thanking my right hon. Friend the Education Secretary for his announcement of a new high school for Radcliffe, on the back of my campaign. This new high school will kickstart the regeneration that the town desperately needs. On towns such as Radcliffe and Prestwich, which have not received towns fund or future high streets funding, can my right hon. Friend advise on what assistance this levelling-up Government can provide to make sure these towns are not forgotten?
Government Response
Responded to questions on discretionary funding for councils, emphasised central government's role in supporting local authorities. He also discussed plans to address wind power infrastructure challenges and misinformation about the virus. My hon. Friend makes an extremely good point, which I am sure will be heard with great interest around the country. There is just such a review being carried out after consulting pub owners, brewers and others, and I know that the Chancellor is looking very closely at the findings. I certainly am proud of what universal credit is doing. It is odd to be attacked by a Labour Member over universal credit when it is his party’s policy to abolish that benefit, but the best thing we can do for families in Billingham is to ensure that there are very good jobs there. My hon. Friend is absolutely right in what he says about home building and the need for housing across the country. We sometimes hear that this is a problem mainly in London and the south-east. It is not at all; it is everywhere in the country, as he rightly says. First of all, I congratulate my hon. Friend on his successful campaign to get a new high school; it is absolutely vital.