PMQs

Question

In Paisley and Renfrewshire South, the SNP-led Renfrewshire council has sat on its hands while the owners of the Paisley Centre seek support to transform the town centre. Does the Prime Minister agree that it is only the SNP’s lack of ambition and failure of leadership that is letting Paisley down, and will he work with me to restore pride in Paisley town centre?

Question

Mrs Kemi Badenoch asked whether the Prime Minister was aware that Peter Mandelson had continued his friendship even after Epstein’s conviction for child prostitution when he appointed him as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. She further pressed if the official security vetting mentioned Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Epstein.

Question

Every month, people across our constituencies are injured by illegal e-bikes being ridden at 15 to 50 mph through town centres and parks. For every bike seized and crushed, another 10 hit our streets because they are too freely available to buy. Will the Prime Minister set out what action the Government will take to protect the public and ban the sale of these dangerous bikes?

Question

I think the victims of Jeffrey Epstein deserve far better than that; they deserve Peter Mandelson not being appointed in the first place. We do not even know the full extent of the British establishment’s involvement in Epstein’s appalling crimes, or how many British girls and young women were trafficked by him, so we need a full public inquiry, both to get justice for the victims and to protect our national security. The Polish Government think Epstein may have been spying for Vladimir Putin. Is the Prime Minister concerned that Peter Mandelson may have been leaking state secrets not just to a paedophile American financier, but also a Russian agent?

Question

I welcome the news that Bristol East will be getting another three breakfast clubs. As I have seen, these clubs are not just about making sure that no child starts the school day hungry, but about giving staff extra time with children to spot whether there might be trouble at home. On that note, may I urge the Prime Minister to work with schools on our manifesto commitment to identify children with parents in prison, to make sure that those children get all the support that they need?

Question

I will give the Prime Minister some brief respite from Peter Mandelson. However, he will also be familiar with the name Phil Shiner, the disgraced lawyer who was struck off and convicted for repeatedly inventing vexatious cases against British troops in Iraq. It is something of a surprise that the Prime Minister authored a chapter in Mr Shiner’s book about pursuing our veterans via the European Court of Human Rights. Can I ask him specifically: was he ever instructed by Mr Shiner’s law firm, Public Interest Lawyers, to act in any legal case?

Question

This year in Aldershot and Farnborough, we are looking forward to hosting the national celebrations for Armed Forces Day in the home of the British Army. Businesses in my community welcome this Government’s record investment in defence in the years ahead, but our banks still struggle to lend to defence companies because of international regulations. Will the Prime Minister ensure that the UK works with Canada and our other allies to found the multilateral defence security and resilience bank, so that we can get money moving to our defence industries, get our armed forces what they need, and stand firm against our adversaries?

Question

For months, our communities in Epping have been deeply distressed by the Bell hotel reopening as an asylum hotel. My thoughts remain with the victims of the sexual assaults, including the 14-year-old Epping schoolgirl whose trauma was compounded by the mistaken release of the offender from prison. Weekly protests continue, some of which have become violent, with injuries to 10 brave police officers. I am grateful to the Minister for Border Security and Asylum for meeting me recently about this untenable situation, but will the Prime Minister listen and act now, close the Bell hotel once and for all, and help restore our town of Epping?

Question

I am concerned about Hartlepool having the third highest number of children in care in England, fueled by southern councils shipping families here. This is causing a £6 million funding shortfall. Percentage increases in funding mean less for Hartlepool than elsewhere, yet costs remain unchanged. The fair funding settlement announced in December is insufficient. I am fighting non-stop for a better deal for my town to avoid higher taxes or austerity. We need support. Will the PM commit his Ministers to working across Government to fix this for Hartlepool?

Question

I am proud that Labour MPs voted yesterday to remove the two-child limit and lift 400,000 children out of poverty, but child poverty cannot be eradicated while children are living in overcrowded temporary accommodation without their own bed or anywhere to do homework. Will the Prime Minister commit to urgent and persistent action to drive down the use of temporary accommodation, ensuring that our councils, including my councils of Lambeth and Southwark, have the funding they need in the final local government finance settlement next week?

Question

I associate myself with the comments of my party leader about Lord Wallace, but conversations are taking place today and up and down the country about Peter Mandelson’s involvement with the paedophile who trafficked women. Given that millions of women, especially here in this country, will be triggered by this news and given the establishment’s proximity to what happened, will the Prime Minister assure us that helplines will be set up and that we will support direct victims as well as those indirectly triggered?

Question

I am pleased to tell the House that Lincoln medical school is in a position to take on its first cohort from 2027. Will the Prime Minister provide the necessary funding for this cohort of students to start to help improve the oral health of people right across Lincolnshire?

Question

As outlined in our cancer plan, early detection and diagnosis is vital. Will the Prime Minister agree to consider the campaign by my constituent Gemma Reeves to ensure that breast cancer screening is available for all women over the age of 40, and will he meet her to discuss how such a change would save lives?

Question

While her first rapist was convicted and sentenced, she was subsequently allegedly abused by police officers serving in South Yorkshire police. One of those officers remains on active service today. Elizabeth made complaints through Operation Linden, but none of them was followed up. She rightly feels betrayed and failed by the very institution designed to protect her. Will the Prime Minister meet Elizabeth, rape gang survivors and me to commit that those who committed and covered up these abhorrent offences are put behind bars, where they belong?