Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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In his constituency, local NHS trust's waiting lists have decreased but concerns remain about long A&E waits inherited from the previous government. Constituents in Rugby face travel to Coventry for general hospital services.
Under this Labour Government, NHS waiting lists are down for five months in a row. The Hospital of St Cross in my constituency of Rugby is playing its part, but many of my constituents remain concerned about long waits in A&E, which we inherited from the Conservatives—especially those constituents who have to travel to the general hospital in Coventry. Will the Prime Minister set out how our plan for change to bring the NHS back into the heart of Government will help us to support the frontline and deliver better emergency care closer to the community, which our constituents have long called for?
Our plan for change has already cut NHS waiting lists by almost 200,000. That has happened for five months in a row during the winter months. The local trust’s waiting lists in my hon. Friend’s area are down 93%, and he is doing great job for his community. We have already delivered 2 million extra appointments that we promised because of the record investment in the Budget.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not directly address improving emergency care closer to the community or addressing A&E wait times specifically in Rugby.
Focused On Overall Nhs Improvements
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Q2
Partial Answer
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The Education Secretary started a review of the ban on mobile phones in schools despite Labour MPs voting against it last week, and evidence suggesting that such bans improve school results.
In 30 minutes, we will hear the Chancellor’s emergency Budget—even the Home Secretary’s husband calls it an emergency Budget—as she scrambles to fix the mess she made last October. But first, let us turn to another Government Minister who is making a mess of her brief: the Education Secretary—Why did Labour MPs vote against banning phones in schools last week?
Because it is completely unnecessary. I have teenage children. Almost every school bans phones in school; they do it already. We need to concentrate on what is really important here, which is getting to the content that children should not be accessing.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not directly address why Labour MPs voted against the ban despite evidence suggesting benefits of banning mobile phones in schools.
Emphasized Focus On Controlling Content Rather Than Implementing Bans
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Q3
Partial Answer
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The national insurance hike means that every state school in the country has to pay more for teachers, and some schools are facing shortfalls of up to 35%. The Education Secretary promised compensation but it hasn't happened.
The Prime Minister did not answer the question about compensating schools for the jobs tax, which is costing schools a lot of money. The CEO of the United Learning group says that the grant they were given is 20% short. Some schools will face shortfalls of up to 35%. Can he guarantee that no teacher will lose their job as a result of his jobs tax?
It was Labour that introduced academies and pushed up standards. This is not ideological. I am a parent of two teenage children, both of whom go to a state school, so I am invested in this, and it matters hugely to me.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide a guarantee that no teachers will lose their jobs due to the national insurance hike.
Deflected By Talking About Ideological Approach
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Q4
Partial Answer
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Visited Harlow College and saw the work it was doing in training bricklayers and electricians for future house building. Wants to know what support his government will provide.
Q2. I recently visited Harlow college and saw the work it was doing training the bricklayers and electricians of the future. Does the Prime Minister agree that the work of further education colleges like Harlow’s is vital for the house building that we need for future generations? What will his Government do to support Harlow’s next generation?
My hon. Friend is a great champion for his constituents. We are investing £600 million in training up to 60,000 more skilled house builders to support the next generation and deliver 1.5 million new homes. We are creating technical excellence colleges and investing in Stansted airport, creating 5,000 jobs nearby, which will create more opportunities for young people in Harlow.
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Q5
Partial Answer
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The British drama “Adolescence” has highlighted the negative impact of social media on young people, especially teenage boys. There are reports that the Government is considering changes to online safety legislation and scrapping the digital services tax.
I am concerned about the disturbing reports that the Government are considering scrapping the digital services tax and watering down Britain’s online safety legislation to appease President Trump and Elon Musk. Will the Prime Minister categorically rule out both those things, and make it clear that he will guarantee that British laws on tax and social media will be written in this House?
Online safety is important, and important new measures are coming in the next few months under the Act. We need to see whether we can go further on this issue, because there are concerns about whether the measures go far enough. But will the laws be made in this place? Of course they will.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not address the specific question regarding the digital services tax and weakening online safety legislation.
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Q6
Partial Answer
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The Government has ordered the permanent sealing of two UK shale gas wells, raising concerns about potential future energy security.
Why is the government ordering the permanent sealing of Britain’s only two shale gas wells? Does the Prime Minister not recognise that taking a decision now to permanently seal these wells could limit future Governments' ability to use them in emergencies?
There are real consequences of fracking, as I have set out. What we need to do to secure our independence and lower bills is move at speed to renewable energy. That is why I am pleased that record investment is coming into renewable energy so that a tyrant like Putin cannot put his boot on our throat.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not address the specific question about sealing shale gas wells and its potential impact on future energy security.
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Q7
Partial Answer
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Medina, a constituent of the MP's constituency who is registered blind, has been facing difficulties accessing support from Access to Work and finding paid employment.
What is the Prime Minister’s message to Medina and others like her, who have been abandoned and shut out of employment for far too long? They face great difficulties getting support from Access to Work, which is essential across my constituency, and were not helped to find paid employment. It is so important that disabled people who want to work are supported to do so.
Every person should have the right to work, and we will always protect the most severely disabled. We are investing £1 billion in personalised and tailored employment programmes and introducing the right to try work guarantee to support those who can and want to work.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not specifically address Medina's situation or difficulties with Access to Work.
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Q8
Partial Answer
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Acorns children’s hospice is facing a significant increase in national insurance contributions due to government policies, which could affect charitable donations and frontline services. The question arises from the need for an exemption or additional funding.
Acorns children’s hospice provides compassionate care to very young cancer patients and their families across Bromsgrove and the villages, yet it faces a staggering £416,000 increase in national insurance contributions as a result of choices made by this Government. With no exemption for hospices and no uplift in non-capital funding, this means that the charity will have to draw on charitable donations made by the public, which will affect frontline services. This is not right, so will the Prime Minister take this opportunity to right that wrong and exempt hospices from this tax?
We are investing £100 million in adult and children’s hospices to improve facilities, equipment and accommodation, as well as £26 million in funding through the children’s hospice grant. [Interruption.] Conservative Members’ cries and moaning would have a lot more value if they started their questions with an apology for crashing the economy in the first place.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not address the specific ask for an exemption from national insurance contributions.
Diverting To Blame
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Q9
Partial Answer
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Potholes are causing significant issues in Burton and Uttoxeter, leading to financial burdens for local people. Despite funding provided by the government, councils have not been able to address these issues effectively.
Roads in Burton and Uttoxeter and across Staffordshire are littered with potholes. Local people are forking out thousands because of the Conservatives’ neglect and incompetence, despite this Labour Government giving Tory Staffordshire county council £39 million to get the job done. Does the Prime Minister agree that the people of Staffordshire deserve better than roads with more dimples than a Staffordshire oatcake?
My hon. Friend is right. Potholes are a real nuisance; if somebody is using their car or van for work and they hit a pothole, they are looking at a bill of several hundred pounds, which for many working families is unbudgeted for. That is why we are handing the West Midlands combined authority an additional £8.6 million to help repair its roads, as part of a record £1.6 billion invested across the country. On top of that, every council must now publish how many potholes it has filled so that we can show that we are making progress and delivering—something that did not happen under the last Government.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister provided funding details but avoided addressing the specific issue of Staffordshire roads.
Diverting To Government Achievements
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Q10
Partial Answer
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The issue of the head of prosecutions in Scotland sitting in Cabinet has been raised due to a police probe into SNP finances and an investigation involving former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. This situation is seen as problematic.
When he was Director of Public Prosecutions, I do not think the right hon. and learned Gentleman would have sat comfortably in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Cameron, but incredibly in Scotland, we have a situation in which the head of prosecutions—the Lord Advocate—does sit in Cabinet. This situation has been thrown into sharp focus lately by a police probe into the finances of the SNP, and has been thrown further into focus because, although not personally involved, the Lord Advocate ultimately sits at the head of the investigation into former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who faced potential criminal charges. This situation has been created by the SNP, who will not fix it. Does it sit with this House to amend the situation?
This is a really important issue, and Labour in Scotland has been clear that it would separate that role. That is the right thing to do, for the reasons that have just been articulated; it is the obvious thing to do, and obviously it is what we do in England and Wales. There have been calls for a review of this issue since 2021, but the SNP has not acted fast on those calls. It really does need to bring forward proposals now to deal with this problem, which has been sitting there for a very long time.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not directly address whether it is the House's responsibility to amend the situation.
Diverting To Criticism Of Snp
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Q11
Partial Answer
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The abduction of children in Ukraine is a humanitarian issue that has been highlighted through international efforts and the Bring Kids Back initiative. The question pertains to potential funding from UK contributions for this initiative.
I join the Prime Minister in welcoming the delegation from Bring Kids Back, which is trying to return the tens of thousands of children abducted by Vladimir Putin in an act of pure evil. The Prime Minister will be aware that that initiative has been working with Yale University’s humanitarian lab, which was tracking thousands of those children inside Russia until recently—I say “until recently” because it has had its long-term funding removed. Will he consider using our existing contributions to the partnership fund for a resilient Ukraine to resume that important work, and in doing so, restore the hope that those children can be returned to their anguished families?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for emphasising this issue again. Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children is sickening—I think all of us across the House would agree on that. A peace settlement in Ukraine must see Russia held to account and those children reunited with their families. In specific reference to my hon. Friend’s question, the UK is playing our full part in international efforts, including funding the Bring Kids Back initiative through the partnership fund for a resilient Ukraine. I want to reassure the whole House that we will do everything we can to see those children returned and reintegrated as safely and quickly as is possible.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister directly addressed the question by providing details of UK funding efforts.
Response accuracy
Q12
Partial Answer
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There has been a rise in Islamophobic attacks, including at a mosque in Aberdeen. The question pertains to the steps being taken by the Government to address hate crime and promote community cohesion.
While our nation was being engulfed last year by racist riots, in Slough, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs and people of faith and of no faith openly declared that if anybody tried to attack a mosque in our town, we would stand in solidarity with our local Muslim community to protect it. Since then, however, many have become more fearful, with a rise in Islamophobic attacks, including at a mosque in Aberdeen this month. Will my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister confirm for the country what steps the Government are taking to tackle such hate crime and promote community cohesion, so that those seeking to divide our British society are not allowed to succeed?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question; he does great work to bring our communities together, especially in Slough. Any form of racial or religious-based hatred is abhorrent and has no place in society. We have set aside over £50 million to protect faith communities and freedom of worship. That is the right thing to do; it is a shame that we have to do it. Our £15 million community recovery fund has been supporting communities affected by the disorder last summer—again, that is the right thing to do, but it is a shame that we have to do it.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister provided funding details but did not explicitly confirm specific steps or measures taken against hate crimes.
Diverting To Praise
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Q13
Partial Answer
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The closure of Manston airport in Kent has left the south-east without a major diversion facility, making it vulnerable to disruptions at Heathrow.
The problems faced by Heathrow earlier in the week have highlighted again that since the closure of Manston airport in Kent, the south-east lacks a major diversion facility. Although such a facility would not compensate for the closure of Heathrow, does the Prime Minister agree that the reopening of Manston, planned for October 2028, will be a significant contribution to the resilience of aviation in the south-east?
The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise the concern about the situation at Heathrow and I think everybody is very concerned by what happened last week. There are clearly questions that need to be answered on a number of fronts in relation to what happened, and an investigation is ongoing.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not directly address the reopening of Manston airport or its contribution to aviation resilience.
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Q14
Partial Answer
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CalMac ferry fiasco in North Ayrshire and Arran has a negative social and economic impact, with daily revenue losses of £170,000.
In my constituency of North Ayrshire and Arran, the SNP ferry fiasco is having a devastating social and economic impact on Ardrossan and the Isle of Arran. As well as a CalMac ferry being built that does not fit into the existing harbour, the Fraser of Allander Institute estimates that the disrupted ferries cost the Isle of Arran £170,000 of lost revenue per day. Does the Prime Minister agree that the SNP Government need to find a rapid solution to swiftly address this serious situation?
I thank my hon. Friend for fighting SNP incompetence on behalf of her constituents. Yet again, the SNP is failing island communities. Hospital appointments are being missed and livelihoods destroyed. Scotland has a proud history of shipbuilding and engineering. The SNP should be supporting Scottish workers and focusing on delivering for our communities.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not address the need for a rapid solution to the ferry fiasco.
Attacking The Opposition
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Q15
Partial Answer
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Proposed incinerator in Canford Magna will burn more waste than the whole of Dorset's use annually.
Canford Magna in my constituency is proposed as a site for a new energy-from-waste incinerator, which will burn 260,000 tonnes of waste a year—more than the whole of Dorset’s use. I am concerned that as we reduce our levels of waste with the brilliant new plans to recycle more, we will end up having to feed the monster. The area already has 95% of the capacity, so does the Prime Minister agree that we should not allow new plants where we already have sufficient capacity or where carbon capture will not be included?
I hope the hon. Lady will forgive me, but I do not know the details of the particular incinerator she speaks of and I am not across that. I will make sure, however, that she gets an answer to her question in written form as soon as possible.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not directly address the proposal for a new energy-from-waste incinerator.
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Q16
Partial Answer
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The UK is increasing its defence spending to protect democratic freedoms, which should benefit British jobs and businesses.
May I commend my right hon. and learned Friend for his leadership on Ukraine, showing that the UK is once again at the forefront of protecting democratic freedoms? Does he agree that as our defence spending increases, we need to support our supply chain companies to increase their capability, creating good jobs and apprenticeships in places such as Stockton North and across the country? Will he meet me and the Teesside defence and innovation cluster that I have established, which is helping to create that new defence capability for the UK?
This is a once-in-a-generation moment for the security of our country and our continent. We have set out the fully funded increase in defence spending to 2.5% in 2027, the biggest sustained boost since the cold war, but that must benefit British jobs and British businesses. That is why I will make sure that my hon. Friend gets the meeting that he wants with the relevant Minister.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not directly agree to meet Chris McDonald himself.
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Q17
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The Chancellor delivered a massive tax, borrow, and spend budget last year which has since collapsed.
In October last year the Chancellor delivered a massive tax, borrow and spend Budget. Now her plans have collapsed around her ears, with an emergency Budget to cut that spending, so has the time now come for the Prime Minister to state in public that he has full confidence in the Chancellor?
I have full confidence in the Chancellor—thank you.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not address why he has full confidence despite collapsing plans.
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Q18
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Albion Rovers is facing a perilous situation after relegation and lack of financial support for teams leaving professional leagues.
Albion Rovers has been a football institution in Coatbridge since 1882. However, following relegation and the lack of financial support for teams leaving professional leagues, it now faces a deeply perilous situation, and the very future of one of Scotland’s oldest football clubs is at risk. Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that clubs such as Albion Rovers are integral to the fabric of our communities? Will he join me in encouraging all parties to be solution-focused on this matter, and in encouraging football authorities to strengthen our clubs in the lower leagues to help protect their future?
My hon. Friend is a superb local champion. Regardless of which club any of us supports, we share a love of the game and they are at the heart of our communities. Albion Rovers is exactly that—a huge point of local pride. I would encourage all efforts to secure the future of the club.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not directly commit to supporting football authorities or specific measures for securing Albion Rovers' future.
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Q19
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Campaigners are seeking justice for victims of horrific crimes who did not receive adequate sentences.
We are joined in Parliament today by Katie Brett, whose 16-year-old sister Sasha was raped and stabbed to death; by Ayse Hussain, whose cousin Jan was killed by a sex offender who stored her body in a freezer; by Paula Hudgell, whose adopted son Tony lost his lower legs as a result of childhood cruelty; and by Becky and Glenn Youens, whose daughter Violet-Grace was killed by a hit-and-run driver who spent barely more time in prison than she was alive. Supporting them are Jeremy and Susan Everard, who received justice for the murder of their daughter Sarah, but who know that too many others do not. They have come together to say with one voice that it is time for us to start ensuring that sentences truly deliver justice for victims and their families. Would the Prime Minister agree to meeting them to hear their stories at first hand?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this issue. The courage of these campaigners, after simply appalling cases, is astounding and I find it humbling. I am pleased that the Minister for Victims my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones) will be meeting the group—today, I think—and I look forward to meeting them in future, because we must prioritise victims and make sure that sentences punish offenders and protect the public.
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Assessment & feedback
The Prime Minister did not directly commit to meet campaigners himself but mentioned a planned meeting with his minister.
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