Crispin Blunt
MP for Reigate
Con
Questions Asked by This MP
Parliamentary questions and government responses.
Response classifications show how directly each question was answered.
My right hon. Friend is right to reassure British Jews after the October 7th atrocity. He will travel to the region, seeing shock and trauma accompanied by rage. The danger is that Israel's reaction amounts to a war crime—a mistake. I urge him to ensure restraint on behalf of all.
Context
Concerned about the Israeli reaction leading to potential war crimes and urging the Prime Minister to ensure adherence to international law.
Rishi Sunak
We will always urge Israel to take practical precautions to avoid harming civilians and act within international law, recognising the complexity on the ground. Hamas embeds itself in civilian populations.
Assessment
Specific actions or statements urging restraint from Israel's military operations
Changed Subject
Session: PMQs
View Full Session -->
Yesterday, the Prime Minister said we would finally challenge actions that undercut legitimate aspirations for Palestinian statehood. There are none more fundamental than 57 years of breaches of the fourth Geneva convention by the illegal occupation of territories and 750,000 Jewish settlers being placed in those territories making a two-state solution very difficult. Are we actually now going to do something about that? Is my right hon. Friend concerned that a meaningful resolution could include transferring Gaza out of Israel's hands into another state system, potentially leading to the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank?
Context
The Prime Minister promised to challenge actions that undercut legitimate aspirations for Palestinian statehood, but concerns remain about the impact of Jewish settlers on a two-state solution.
Andrew Mitchell (Foreign Secretary)
My hon. Friend has a long-standing and principled view on these matters. I do not share his view and nor do the Government. Nor do I think that the latter part of his question and the specific points he made are likely to come about.
Session: Israel, Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Access and Human Rights
View All Questions -->
Given that there was a 56% increase in transphobic hate crime between 2021 and 2022, are the Government concerned? What strategies will they put in place to address this rise?
Context
There has been a significant rise in transphobic hate crimes, increasing by 56% between 2021 and 2022. This statistic highlights the urgent need for government action to combat this trend.
Sarah Dines
Transphobic crimes are hateful and represent up to 3% of all hate crimes recorded. The Government is funding groups such as True Vision and initiatives like the national online hate crime hub, with £3 million going to five anti-bullying organisations from August 2021 to March 2024.
Session: Topical Questions
View All Questions -->
My right hon. Friend is aware of the evidence on the use of psychedelic drugs for more effective mental health care. Last month Australia, having assessed the evidence on psilocybin, started the rescheduling process, and Australians suffering from depression will be able to access this medicine from July. In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration has recognised psilocybin as a breakthrough therapy for depression. In Canada, the special access programme allows physicians to request a licence for assisted therapy under certain conditions. Our drug laws remain based on a 50-year-old, unevidenced, prejudiced assessment and nothing else. The Home Office has never commissioned evidence on psilocybin. Does my right hon. Friend understand that this is a primary public health issue, on which he should lead?
Context
Evidence on the use of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin is being assessed in other countries, such as Australia and Canada.
Steve Barclay
I recognise the close interest my hon. Friend takes in this matter, and he is right to draw the House's attention to international best practice. I agree that we should take an evidence-based approach in which we look at the data shared with regulators in other countries, such as Australia.
Session: Access to Mental Health Services
View All Questions -->
I hope that my hon. Friend can give me a one-word answer to my question. Will he confirm what I understand was said by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which is that the Church of England has no objection in principle to suitably qualified humanist celebrants conducting marriages for those couples who so wish to make their vows to each other in that way?
Context
The question refers to a potential objection from the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding humanist celebrants conducting marriages.
Andrew Selous
I think I can make my hon. Friend at least partially happy by telling him that the Church of England has no principled objection to humanist marriage. However, I know he will be aware that any move from a premises-based system of marriage registration to a celebrant-based one in England and Wales would not be a minor reform and would affect everyone involved in registering marriages.
Session: Parenting and Marriage
View All Questions -->
To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support family relationships, parenting and marriage.
Context
The question addresses the Church's role in supporting families, parenting and marriage within communities.
Andrew Selous
The Church is deeply committed to marriage and will always be there to support every family and household. It is for that reason that both archbishops have launched a commission on families and households to look at what more the Church can do to provide the very best marriage preparation and enrichment and to strengthen family relationships.
Session: Parenting and Marriage
View All Questions -->
The Secretary will be aware of potential emerging mental health treatment using psychotherapy and psychedelics, which benefits millions but faces research challenges due to drug scheduling. Will he examine this issue urgently?
Context
Emerging treatments using psychedelic drugs like psilocybin could benefit millions suffering from mental health issues, including veterans. Research is hindered by drug scheduling.
Sajid Javid
Pharmacology plays an important role in mental health, and I am happy to meet him to discuss scheduling.
Session: Topical Questions
View All Questions -->
Yesterday my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said to the Select Committee that she ended the role of her LGBT advisory panel because there were basic disagreements over the rights of trans people to self-ID. Argentina, our co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition, whose conference we host next June, has legally accommodated self-ID for trans people since 2012 without a problem, and now more members of the coalition are following Argentina's example without a problem. How is she going to find a new panel that both has authority and agrees with her in the continuing refusal to accept the right of trans people to self-ID? Can she explain how Britain can host a conference entitled “Safe To Be Me” without supporting the right to be “me”?
Context
The former LGBT advisory panel's tenure ended on 31 March 2021. The Prime Minister has appointed Lord Herbert as special envoy for LGBT rights.
Kemi Badenoch
The former LGBT advisory panel's tenure ended on 31 March 2021. I am grateful to its members for the important insights that they have provided on important policy areas such as ending conversion therapy and the impact of covid on LGBT people. The Prime Minister has appointed Lord Herbert as special envoy for LGBT rights.
Session: Topical Questions
View All Questions -->
Given the decision not to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2004 will inevitably see the United Kingdom fall significantly in the tables of those countries committed to delivering equality for LGBT+ people, what actions will she and her Department take to address this by committing to an 18-week waiting time for gender identity clinics and development services for children as per Dr Hilary Cass's review?
Context
Concerns are raised about the UK's commitment to delivering equality for LGBT+ people, specifically regarding the lack of amendments to the Gender Recognition Act 2004 leading to delays in accessing services.
Kemi Badenoch
We have noted my hon. Friend's concerns about the Government's decision, and we assure him that the UK has a strong record on LGBT rights. The wait for gender identity clinics has been very long, and the Government are looking at that issue. I will not make a specific commitment at the Dispatch Box, but I recognise the concern that has been raised. We will continue to do what we can to speed things up.
Session: Equal Rights for LGBT People International Promotion
View All Questions -->
What steps is she taking to maintain the UK's international promotion of equal rights for LGBT+ people, considering recent funding announcements and global recognition?
Context
The question arises from the UK's ongoing efforts to promote LGBT+ equality globally and concerns about maintaining its standing in international rankings.
Kemi Badenoch
The UK continues to be recognised as one of the most progressive countries globally for LGBT rights. The Government recently announced £3.2 million of new funding to help Commonwealth Governments and civil society to repeal outdated discriminatory laws against LGBT people. We work closely with the Council of Europe and the UN, in addition to co-chairing the Equal Rights Coalition, and we remain committed to delivering an ambitious international LGBT conference.
Session: Equal Rights for LGBT People International Promotion
View All Questions -->
With my right hon. Friend's much enhanced departmental responsibilities, together with Britain's current chairmanship of the 42-nation Equal Rights Coalition, he has an unprecedented opportunity to reinforce Britain's claim to leadership in advancing the freedom of all LGBT+ people around the world to be themselves. Britain also has a special responsibility to address the unhappy legacy of the laws and the culture bequeathed by imperial Britain. What measures is he considering for global Britain to take this opportunity as well as to help to address the legacy of imperial Britain?
Context
The UK has an opportunity to advance LGBT rights globally, including addressing historical legacies of imperialism.
Dominic Raab
I thank my hon. Friend and hugely welcome all his efforts in this regard. We are taking forward all these strands—from media freedom to the Magnitsky sanctions, to the work that we are doing on LGBT rights. He will know that we intend to build on our current official development assistance allocation for the strategic review on LGBT rights, which will be completed in the autumn. As a founding member of the Equal Rights Coalition of 42 states sharing the same values, in 2019 we took on the role of co-chair and we plan not only to deliver the first ever UK-led five-year action plan, committing the coalition to taking domestic and international measures on LGBT and equality issues, but to expand the ERC and, in particular, to try to draw in more participation from Asia, Latin America and Africa, for all the reasons that he mentioned.
Session: Topical Questions
View All Questions -->
Other Parliamentary Activity
Debates led and petitions presented.
Humanist Marriages
27 January 2022
Responding: Tom Pursglove
Main Concerns
['Crispin Blunt expressed concern about the lack of legal recognition for humanist marriages in England and Wales, despite similar recognition in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey. He highlighted that around 1,400 couples have a humanist wedding each year but must also have a civil marriage separately to gain legal recognition, adding a financial burden. Local authorities make it difficult for people to access cheaper ceremonies, restricting attendance and locations, causing distressing questions from loved ones about which is their real marriage or when their wedding anniversary is.']
Specific Asks
['Blunt urged the government to lay a statutory instrument bringing about legal recognition for marriages conducted by Humanists UK celebrants. He suggested that this need only be an interim measure until the Law Commission review completes in July, and he emphasized the economic benefits of enhancing freedom of choice for couples and boosting the wedding industry.']
Remembrance and Veterans
28 October 2024
General Debate
Contributed to this debate
This debate is about honouring and supporting veterans, focusing on the legacy Act in Northern Ireland and its impact on veterans' rights. It also highlights the importance of remembrance events, lear...
Israel and Gaza
23 October 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Gaza: Al-Ahli Arab Hospital Explosion
18 October 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Israel and Gaza
16 October 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Veterans Update
19 July 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Contest: UK Strategy for Countering Terrorism 2023
19 July 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Violence in the West Bank
04 July 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Israel (Promotion and Implementation of Divestment, Boycotts and Sanctions) Bill - First clause of the Bill
03 July 2023
Bill Debate
Contributed to this debate
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities moved that the bill be read a Second time. He paid tribute to Lord Kerslake who passed away recently. The Bill's purpose is to honour a...
G7 Summit
22 May 2023
Ministerial Statement
Contributed to this debate
Psilocybin Treatments
18 May 2023
General Debate
Contributed to this debate
The debate focuses on the motion for access to psilocybin treatments, indicating a discussion on medical and therapeutic uses of psilocybin. The speaker expresses his interest in learning more about t...
1
PMQs Asked
10
Ministerial Questions Asked
67
House of Commons Debates Involved
1
Westminster Hall Debates Led
0
Statements / Bills
0
Petitions Presented
0
Voting Record
Activity Compared to Peers
How does this MP's parliamentary activity compare to the national average across 1457 MPs?
Prime Minister's Questions
-73% below average
This MP:
1
Average:
3.7
Ministerial Questions
-25% below average
This MP:
10
Average:
13.4
Westminster Hall Debates Led
-60% below average
This MP:
1
Average:
2.5
Commons Chamber Debates
+1279% above average
This MP:
67
Average:
4.9
Statements / Bills Proposed
-100% below average
This MP:
0
Average:
9.5
Petitions Presented
-100% below average
This MP:
0
Average:
2.5
Voting Attendance Rate (%)
-100% below average
This MP:
0.0
Average:
69.2
Important Context
- - Ministers answer questions rather than asking them, so have different activity patterns
- - Activity quantity doesn't measure quality or effectiveness of representation
- - Some MPs focus more on constituency work than parliamentary questions
- - Newly elected MPs will have less parliamentary history
About This Page
This page tracks Crispin Blunt's parliamentary activity including questions asked, debates (Commons Chamber + Westminster Hall), statements/bills, and petitions presented.