Stockton and Darlington Railway: 200th Anniversary Festival

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 10th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. He is right to underline the heritage festival of the Stockton and Darlington railway. When he mentions what he is celebrating in his constituency, I think of my constituency, where we have a great culture and heritage that started in 1606 with a market town. Does the hon. Member agree that it is important that we celebrate the individual culture and heritage of local areas and communities, understanding that someone who does not know where they come from can never know where they are going?

[Alan Strickland]

The hon. Member is absolutely right that it is only by understanding the rich social and cultural heritage across our United Kingdom that we can look properly at and understand the future. I understand he is also a doughty champion for his constituency, from time to time.

The Stockton and Darlington railway made a great difference. The world’s first railway carriage—quite rightly called “Experiment”—was brought into being. Thankfully, railway companies have slightly upgraded their carriages since the coal wagons were used. Station waiting rooms had to be invented because passengers did not want to wait in the rain; without their invention, David Lean could never have filmed “Brief Encounter”. Railway bridges such as Skerne bridge in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Lola McEvoy), which is the oldest continuously used railway bridge in the world; signalling systems; railway pubs including one where passengers’ pints were pulled by the first woman to work for a railway company, Mary Simpson; and of course iron tracks fixed to railway sleepers to a set gauge—they all had to be invented for the first time by the railway. Each of those elements of travel, used around the globe, traces its evolution to this extraordinary piece of history.

This could not have just happened anywhere; it could only have happened in the north-east. Our region had the key ingredients for this railway revolution: coal under our feet to power the engines; world-leading inventors and engineers, such as George Stephenson and his son Robert, who spent 10 years experimenting with tracks, locomotives and all the parts that make up the railway; and dynamic entrepreneurs, such as local Quaker Edward Pease, whose investment in this groundbreaking technology was critical to its success.

It is difficult to overstate how important that first journey was. Most importantly, it was proof of concept. It showed that rail travel could work for passengers, not just goods, and by connecting people, raw materials, markets and ports it helped unleash the industrial revolution as never before. It also changed how we all live. Changing the way people were connected to each other fundamentally altered Britain socially, culturally and economically. It had a huge impact on all aspects of our lives.

For the first time, working-class people could afford to travel far from the town or village they were born in, powering social mobility. For the first time, people could commute to work, with the railway allowing businesses to diversify and expand their workforces. For the first time, working people could travel for their holidays. Saltburn, in the Redcar constituency, became one of the world’s first tourist resorts, with a hotel that trains pulled up to directly, so that passengers and their luggage could move seamlessly from carriage to room. That first journey might well have led to the world’s first package holiday, when a pub landlord in Shildon in the Bishop Auckland constituency sold return tickets to Stockton races, which included the price of race admission.

Passenger rail also transformed sport, leisure and the way we come together in society. In 1882, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway put on special trains to transport 2,000 fans to the FA cup semi-final in Huddersfield. Did you know, Mr Stringer, that it is the early railways we have to thank for modern timekeeping? As villages, towns and cities became more connected, it no longer made sense for each place to keep its own local time based on the sun’s position in the sky. That was found to be slightly impractical. For reliable railway timetables to be created, the UK embraced a single unified standard time across the whole country, which we had never done before. The event genuinely changed the world for ever, bringing us into the modern age.

We have a proud history of celebrating our region and country getting the world on track 200 years ago. On the 100th anniversary, local schoolchildren were given specially made medals. For the 150th celebrations, quite extraordinarily, special cans were distributed containing steam from Locomotion No. 1. I am not clear how that worked.

It is brilliant that we have been celebrating the 200th anniversary across the country with the Railway 200 campaign. In the north-east, the S&DR200 festival includes more than 40 events from film screenings to steam train galas. I am delighted it is being supported by the Arts Council, the Heritage Fund, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport—for which I thank the Minister—and Transport Ministers including Lord Hendy, a renowned steam train buff whom I met earlier.

I am also incredibly proud that a newly renovated replica of Locomotion No. 1 and its passenger carriage will travel along sections of the original line, including Skerne bridge in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington, where the Hopetown museum has been refurbished. My hon. Friend is working hard to include the local community, including by developing a blue plaque scheme to celebrate the railway heritage of that proud town.

It is also fitting that the train will pass through Heighington station, where this all began. Our history of innovative rail manufacturing continues just a few hundred yards away at the world-class Hitachi train factory, for which I was proud to campaign to secure a bright future. Thanks to Hitachi and the fantastic campaign by local volunteers of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, we have managed to secure the funds needed to renovate the historic station to its former glory and restore the building, which is of such national and global importance. As part of the festival, families will be able to come together to see what those cheering crowds saw 200 years ago. Perhaps, without knowing it, our ancestors witnessed a critical moment in the history of the way we live.

It is with shared pride that I note that this incredible journey began not just in Britain, but in the constituencies of many of my colleagues who are here today. I hope that Members from all parties will join me in celebrating the marking of this incredible piece of our heritage, as well as the rich contribution that the events of 1825 made to our society, our shared culture and the way we live, work and spend our leisure time.

My final message is this: if people are interested in this incredible history, whether they live in the United Kingdom or abroad, they should come and see us. Travel to the north-east for the huge range of events taking place throughout September. Let us make sure that the heritage festival celebrating the 200th anniversary of the incredible Stockton and Darlington railway is an enormous success.

Free-to-air Broadcasting: Cricket Participation

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 9th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Again, it is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. This has been a special afternoon for me; I hope it has been special for you as well.

I commend the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Max Wilkinson) for setting the scene so incredibly well and so clearly outlining his love of cricket. As someone who is maybe not as enthusiastic, but who loved cricket during my time at school at Coleraine Inst back in the late ’60s and early ’70s—that has completely aged me—I can never understand why cricket is not more highly regarded. Indeed, some in those days might have seen the sport as upper class, but nothing could be further from the truth. Cricket is for everyone, and I believe that allowing more cricket to be broadcast will open the door to many others.

I am going to speak about the Irish cricket team. I hope I will not offend any English cricketers when I mention that the Ireland team, which is north and south—people from both sides of the community and both countries play for the Irish team; Ireland’s national team represents both the Republic and Northern Ireland—has increased the sport’s profile with key victories, for instance knocking out England in the 2011 cricket world cup. That boosted national interest and led to a boom in grassroots participation. That culminated in Ireland being granted elite test match status by the International Cricket Council in 2017, which was another step up in the level of cricket back home.

We have plans for the future, with Cricket Ireland initiating projects to build world-class facilities to support the sport’s growth, and the board has approved a strategic £1 million investment for phase one of a major redevelopment at the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association at Stormont in Belfast. Just some four weeks ago, I attended an event at which games from both sides of the community were promoted. I spoke to the guy in charge of cricket and was really encouraged by what he told me they were going to do. This investment will transform the international venue of Stormont to host matches for the 2030 T20 world cup, which Ireland is co-hosting. We anticipate great things for that tournament, which will be an opportunity to celebrate right across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland south—a cricket tournament in which we will be sharing venues for this special moment.

Despite the positive momentum, cricket in Northern Ireland still faces challenges. Although investment is under way, a lack of quality training and playing facilities remains a barrier to expansion—the hon. Member for Cheltenham set that point in perspective for his constituency and his area. The co-hosting of the 2030 T20 world cup, while a major boost, has faced funding challenges in Northern Ireland. A funding shortfall was reported in July 2025, just a few months ago, requiring consultation with Government partners to secure necessary investment. The Northern Ireland Assembly Member Gordon Lyons has been in touch with the Minister here to see how they could advance. I look forward to the Minister’s contribution, as I think we all do, because the Minister always brings energy and enthusiasm for the subject matter, and today it is cricket. I wonder whether the hon. Lady has played cricket. If she has, I am sure she would have been dynamic. There is no doubt about that.

On trying to find a way forward, it is important to have a joint approach delivering the cricket world cup, if we are hoping to sponsor it jointly. Cricket faces strong competition from more established sports in Northern Ireland, such as soccer, rugby and Gaelic games. For the sport to thrive it needs to be more widely available and accessible. I support the motion, as it would allow cricket to be a riveting game that is understandable and available to people throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Future of Terrestrial Television

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) for securing today’s debate on this issue. It is right to start this conversation, which needs to be heard. I will follow what others who wish to see terrestrial TV retained have said—with one exception, but I do not think they are really against us. The future of TV is ever advancing, with countless new streaming services available each year, but it is important we remember the Freeview channels that are already available. Millions of people still take advantage of them on a daily basis.

Terrestrial television offers free access with no multi-subscription fees and wide channel availability for so many. For the United Kingdom, it also offers local and regional channels and homegrown programmes. I love the ones that they do back home because they go into some of the rural areas that people do not often hear about or see. I love those programmes. I understand “Mahon’s Way” is coming to Ballywalter, which we will get to explore. I want to see what he has got to say about it. When it comes to the local news headlines, it also requires no internet and no broadband, so it is an ideal option for low broadband areas.

There is no doubt that there is uncertainty over the future of the BBC. It is clear that more people are becoming opposed to the drastic TV licence payments. Perhaps the BBC could look at other Freeview channels that make money through advertising. That could give the likes of pensioners that little bit extra in their pocket.

There are millions of people across this United Kingdom who use streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus and Paramount+ to watch films and series, but I must admit that, in my home, it is my wife, my children and I suspect my grandchildren who have the knowledge of how it works. I could not say how it works at all. Maybe that is just me being old fashioned. Maybe I never caught up. Whatever the reason, I do not use them, even though everybody else does. I want to speak for those who do not and those who do not have that opportunity.

I know that there are many like me who take advantage of these TV services every day. My brother Keith had a serious road accident some 20 years ago, which left him with mental issues and unable to do things. The carers come in four times a day, and he has the ability to interact, but for him the TV is the No.1 subject matter in that house, because of his disabilities. It is so important not only to him but to other disabled people. For elderly and vulnerable people, if they did not have their TV—and let’s be honest, their wee dog or their cat—they probably would not have very much. The TV is so important, so I want to speak up for those in rural areas and communities and older viewers to ensure that public broadcasting remains as accessible as possible.

I note how much these main channels contribute to daily life. I often reflect on my family being glued to the news on the BBC or ITV, with news of the Queen and her passing or a royal wedding. Those channels are pillars, providing breakfast news, breaking news and news that is important to us, which not everyone has access to on social media. They should be protected and preserved to that extent.

Technological advancement is wonderful in society—so many take advantage of it—but we must not ever forget the services that are available to us on terrestrial TV. We must also protect that. I look to the Minister for a commitment to deliver just that.

Diabetes in Sport

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Chris Bloore]

I thank the hon. Member for her contribution. I will come on to hypos, as we call them, in a minute, but she is right that reassurance and education are so important.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I commend the hon. Member for bringing forward this debate; he is right to highlight these issues. I want to tell him about a young boy from back home. I recently read an article on diabetes.co.uk about a young man called Ryan Nixon-Stewart from Lisburn in County Down who has his sights set on Olympic victory in athletics after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I know that the hon. Gentleman wants to inspire people, and this young man similarly wants to inspire others. His story is inspirational to those who wrongly believe that diabetes and sport do not co-exist. I am pleased to see the Minister in her place; she is always helpful. Does the hon. Member not agree that we must do more to educate our young people to break down the barriers to sporting victory? Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker; I should have declared an interest as a type 2 diabetic.

Sport England: Tackling Racism

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 9th July 2025 Westminster Hall

[Naz Shah (Bradford West) (Lab)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the role of Sport England in tackling racism in sport.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. I am grateful to have been granted this debate, because this is an issue I have been dealing with for over seven years now. We know that racism exists within sports across the country, but what we do not talk about enough is when it impacts at a grassroots level—in local clubs that work and are situated in marginalised communities. This is not an issue exclusive to my constituency of Bradford West.

Although I will make mention of wider racism in sport, my focus today is Onna Ju-Jitsu, a multi-award-winning martial arts club based in my constituency. For several years, I have had the privilege of supporting the club, which delivers self-defence and ju-jitsu training to children and adults from all backgrounds, ethnicities and faiths. Its membership includes students and individuals from disadvantaged communities, and I have witnessed at first hand the dedication and excellence this club brings, not just to the sport of ju-jitsu, but to our diverse communities.

Impressively, the club has achieved a 50:50 male-to-female participation ratio and is led by a strong, accomplished female coaching team under Sensei Mumtaz Khan, a 7th degree black belt with over 32 years of experience. I would not want to get on the wrong side of Mumtaz.

Almost seven years since I raised this issue directly with Sport England—it was on 29 November 2018, to be exact—I am raising this matter in Parliament because, despite Mumtaz’s best efforts to seek justice for her students who have been wronged, Sport England has failed. It has not only failed the club and those individuals; it has failed to uphold its own policies, and has engaged in what I can clearly see are—and I am clear in calling out as—textbook attempts to cover up that failure.

The tragedy is that the very students who Mumtaz tried to seek justice for have now left British ju-jitsu without the justice they deserved. Any ambition they may have had for a future in sport ended the moment that accountability and justice were not provided by the very organisations that could have taken action.

During a competition bout at the British Ju-Jitsu Association National Championships in Birmingham on 1 September 2018, a competitor from Onna Ju-Jitsu was injured by a kick to the face and head. The impact was significant; it was caught on video, and required attention from the event’s first aider and qualified paramedic. According to the accident report, the paramedic advised the competitor not to carry on the round due to the pain. The competitor accepted this reluctantly. That instruction was clearly conveyed on the accident report and verbally to the competitor and to Mumtaz. Despite this being directly attributed to an uncontrolled kick to the head—a move that would ordinarily receive a red card and disqualification—the bout was then awarded to the opponent.

At the same championships, Ruqayyah Latif was moved up a weight category and missed out on a guaranteed gold or silver. Safa Zahid clearly won her match, but had her win go to another opponent. In fact, in one BJJ competition—not the championships—Safa Zahid was entered into a category to fight boys. She still managed to win a bronze, fighting boys with her two long plaits.

Ismail Ghani fought someone whose dad refereed the final. He was told that he lost by one point to make him feel better, even though referees are not allowed to disclose scores. His brother, Eessa also suffered the same fate, losing his match by, again, apparently one single point. At the 2017 nationals, Eessa clearly won his final match. Even his competitor and the competitor’s father apologised to him, because they believed he had won. That match is all on video and recorded, by the way. Between them, those two brothers missed out on three gold medals.

Another boy at the club was moved to a higher weight category and fought boys weighing up to 10 kg more than him, which was a serious safeguarding risk. The Minister responded yesterday in the main Chamber to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) regarding Alex Eastwood’s tragic death, and the same safety issues apply in this case.

Going back to Onna Ju-Jitsu, when Halah, a young girl at the club, clearly won her match but was still handed a loss, that was when things erupted. This was not just one student fighting in one competition alone; the club competed for the first time at the British Ju-Jitsu Association national championships in 2014. During that competition, and subsequently at the championships of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the club experienced numerous questionable decisions that denied its competitors gold medals and national championship status.

We arrive here today as the result of literally years of systemic discrimination and bias faced by these competitors of ethnic minority backgrounds. Many of these students decided to leave the sport and never competed again, due to the blatant bias and discrimination that they faced. For that reason, Mumtaz lodged an official complaint with Martin Dickson, chairperson of the BJJA, regarding the award in one fight.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I commend the hon. Lady; she has outlined a number of very serious issues and will deliberate upon them shortly. Does she agree that sports are a real equaliser and that we must use this tool effectively with our children to bring friendships and other bonds into a natural setting? It is not just about having regulation to ensure that these things do not happen again; it is about ensuring the essential funding to help clubs to become attractive to people of all classes, all creeds and all cultures.

[Naz Shah]

I thank the hon. Member for his intervention; he is absolutely right. I will come on to the role that sport plays in bringing communities together and why it is so important.

Just as its institutional nature was to pass off bias and discriminatory results in tournaments, so the BJJA dismissed Mumtaz’s requests, using improper processes and technical committees made up of the very same people who are embedded in the very same institutional culture—people marking their own homework, so to speak. It is an organisation that lacks constitutional clarity, organisational transparency and democratic credibility. No information about its governance structures or democratic procedures is publicly available, and there are no minutes of annual general meetings, committee meetings or executive meetings publicly available.

To top things off, Mumtaz’s complaints were never going to be heard, because the very person overseeing the process and in control of the BJJA, the chairperson Martin Dixon, and the BJJA’s secretary were themselves promoting openly racist, Islamophobic and homophobic content online on their social media pages. I was going to quote some of it, but I thought it best to leave people to see it for themselves.

Having no confidence in the BJJA, I supported Mumtaz to raise her complaint formally with Sport England, an organisation funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport that exists to help to bridge the gap between under-represented communities and sport. It is meant to help to remove barriers and increase participation. Sport England does not directly fund the BJJA, but it provides it with recognition, and as such holds the power to de-recognise it and ensure accountability.

This evidence of racism was forwarded to Sport England on 29 November 2018. It is worth noting that, despite Onna Ju-Jitsu having previously won Sport England’s Satellite Club of the Year award, Sport England, instead of looking into the complaint, proceeded to engage in a phishing expedition and decided to

“chase up Sensei Mumtaz Khan’s coaching qualifications”,

claiming that was standard procedure for high-risk sports. I note that Sport England did not do that when it awarded Onna Ju-Jitsu its Satellite Club of the Year award, and the same yardstick is not applied to other clubs across the country. Sport England subsequently deemed that Mumtaz Khan’s coaching was invalid, to quash her complaint about the BJJA. That is a textbook example of trying to cover things up.

Combat Sports for Children: Safeguarding

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 8th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I commend the hon. Gentleman; this is a very difficult subject and he is speaking with admirable compassion and understanding. I am sure the family appreciates that. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that while there is a moral duty and a legal obligation to protect children and young people in sport through the creation and promotion of a safe environment that protects them from harm, each sport has different requirements when it comes to fulfilling that obligation? While it is reasonable that a football coach does not need to lay hands on a child in any case, it is also reasonable that a karate instructor must position children, and that must require regulation and Government action. Does the hon. Member agree that there must be a sport-by-sport approach to safeguarding and regulation?

[Dan Carden]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for being here tonight, and I know that the family will be grateful for the interest he has shown. I will go on to talk about the lack of regulation and what the family are calling for.

I know that the family would want me to thank the coroner in this inquest—Michael Pemberton—for his approach to Alex’s case. He described the match that Alex was part of as “chaotic and somewhat disjointed”. There was no national governing body oversight, and no clear or enforced safety standards. Gordon Mitchell, head of welfare and governance at Kickboxing GB told the inquest that the organisation would never sanction a light contact bout in a ring. He explained that such matches are permitted only on mats, where mitigating factors such as fighters stepping off the mat allow referees to step in, in the event of a mismatch or escalating risk.

On the broader framework governing children’s participation in combat sports, the inquest heard that standards around safety, medical oversight and safeguarding vary widely, and in many cases are absent all together. In the words of the coroner, the level of confidence in organisational safeguards that people would expect to exist within the sport is “sadly lacking”.

If a match is unofficial or unsanctioned, there is no guideline minimum standard that must be met to provide safeguarding for a child participant, no minimum standard of medical support that might be required, no maximum rounds, no periods of rest, no welfare checks on participants, and no risk assessment and critical incident plan. It should stop us all in our tracks to learn that in this country, children can be placed in combat situations without clear, enforceable national protections.

Alex’s family did everything right—everything a loving family would do. They encouraged him to get involved in a range of sports and activities and supported him when it became clear that he had a talent for kickboxing. They enabled him to thrive in what he loved doing and to become a six-time world champion. However, as the inquest made clear, they and Alex were failed by a lack of safeguarding, responsibility and regulation.

Every single day, children up and down the country take part in activities like Alex did. They lace up gloves, put on headgear and step into training halls and rings, with no minimum standards in place to ensure their safety. Parents who just want the best for their children, and who want them to be fit and healthy, to enjoy sports and to discover and nurture their talents are sending their children to participate in contact sports without realising the risks. Many people do not know that there are sanctioned and unsanctioned bouts, or what that means in terms of safety. Many people do not know that there is no one governing body for kickboxing and that membership is not mandatory.

That is the shocking reality exposed by the inquest into Alex’s death. It is the reason the coroner took the highly unusual step of issuing to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport a regulation 28 prevention of future deaths report before the inquest had concluded. In that report, he raises concerns that

“there is no guidance or regulation of contact sports involving children’s participation.”

He says that

“action should be taken to prevent future deaths”

and that the Government

“have the power to take such action.”

I welcome the fact that the Secretary of State has tasked her Department with exploring ways to urgently improve the safety and welfare of children in martial arts and combat sports and to ensure that it is always a priority. Urgent action must follow, and I would be grateful for any further update that the Minister can provide today. What Alex’s family are demanding is simple: clear, enforceable national protections for children in combat sports. That would replace the current patchwork in which there is no consistency in rules, no oversight and no accountability.

From this tragedy, a better system must emerge. We owe it to Alex and to his family, we owe it to every parent who believes in good faith that their children are protected by the rules operating around sport and we owe it to every child who steps into a ring or on to a mat, trusting that the adults around them are keeping them safe. No child should lose their life participating in a sport they love.

I finish with the words of Alex’s parents:

“Our lives have been changed forever. Alex’s future was taken—and with it, part of ours too. We miss him every second. Now, all we have left are memories, but we also have the responsibility to make sure his death was not in vain and for his sake we will make sure we do that.”

We cannot bring Alex back, but we can ensure that his legacy is one that prevents such a tragedy from ever happening again.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 3rd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lisa Nandy]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend and throw the Government’s full weight behind the work he is doing to support this area? I have seen it for myself at Shakespeare North in Knowsley, where young people are developing communication and oracy skills that they would not otherwise have had, through the amazing work that those institutions do. That is why this Government are determined to turn around the appalling legacy that we inherited from the last Government.

We will shortly publish the interim report of our national youth strategy. I was appalled to find that only one in five young people in the last year has been able to access the arts in this country. We are determined that will change.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

The Secretary of State is getting a liking for visiting Northern Ireland. With that in mind, what discussions has she had with her counterparts in Northern Ireland on the importance of further engagement between local theatres and schools across Northern Ireland—the very thing the hon. Member for West Ham and Beckton (James Asser) mentioned—to ensure that young children can access drama in educational settings?

[Lisa Nandy]

We are very aware of the importance of the arts in Northern Ireland, and my hon. Friend the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism has had discussions directly with our counterparts. It is a devolved matter, but it is the clear view of this Government that arts and culture belong to everybody. We are working closely with all nations and regions across the UK to make sure that wherever people grow up and whatever their background, there is no barrier to them being able to access the arts, which are an essential part of a richer, larger life.

--- Later in debate ---

[Marsha De Cordova]

As I highlighted, there are other funds, and I will write to my hon. Friend to set out some additional support that might be available. I understand that works at St Nicholas church will cost around £200,000, which is a great deal of money. I am very pleased to hear that she, too, will be lobbying the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for certainty about the listed places of worship grant scheme. I really think I have done my job in calling for that today.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the hon. Lady for her answers. Like other Members, I will ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether there will be more money for churches, given that the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism says that funding is now available. Churches are more than just buildings for people in rural communities; they are hubs for worship and social engagement. Let us be honest about the £25,000 cap: building materials cost maybe 30% to 50% more than they did a year ago, which means that the grant does not go very far. The heritage lottery fund gives some moneys, but what can be done to work with other organisations to ensure that moneys can come from other groups that may be anxious and willing? I have a church in my constituency that got a six-figure sum, which gives the House an idea of what moneys can be gained through co-operation and partnership.

[Marsha De Cordova]

The hon. Gentleman rightly highlights that there are other ways to acquire funding, such as through the heritage lottery and so forth. I will certainly write to him if there are specific places that he is concerned about. Although the grant scheme is for the Church of England, I am certain that there is other support for churches, and I can certainly put him in touch with the relevant people, if that is helpful.

Flags: Public Buildings

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 25th June 2025 Westminster Hall

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the flying of flags from public buildings.

Thank you, Sir Desmond, for calling me to speak in this debate about the importance of flying flags from public buildings across our United Kingdom. I have studied and campaigned on the subject for many years, even before I entered the House of Commons. In 2000, as a councillor in the London borough of Havering, I campaigned for the Union flag, also correctly known as the Union Jack, to be flown all year round from the main flag mast at our townhall in Romford. It was a great sadness to me that the then Labour council, supported by some members of the Havering residents association, voted against my motion to do so. That led to a public outcry, leading to the eventual backing down of the then administration, which accepted that the people of my borough wanted to see their national flag flown 365 days of the year.

I mounted a similar campaign when I entered Parliament in 2001, calling for our national flag to fly from the Victoria Tower throughout the year. But the tradition then was that it would only fly when Parliament was in session. After nine years of campaigning for this rule to change, I finally managed to persuade the powers that be that it was only right and proper that the Union Jack should fly all year round, during weekends, evenings and recess periods—at all times.

The idea of the flag flying only when the House was sitting originated, so I was told, from when the monarch looked out of their window at Buckingham Palace to see whether the flag was flying and know whether Parliament was in session. When Her Majesty, our dear late Queen Elizabeth II, visited Romford around the time of the golden jubilee, I was proud to sit with her over lunch in the Wykeham Hall of St Edward’s church in Romford market and was able to discuss the matter directly with her. I was surprised to learn that Her late Majesty had never heard of that tradition. She told me that when she wanted to see whether the House was sitting, she would generally switch on BBC Parliament.

After much debate, following that revelation, the Union flag was eventually raised permanently above the Victoria Tower on 6 January 2010, where it has proudly flown every day ever since, for the millions of visitors to London to see and for everyone to take pride in.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate, which intrigues me. Coming from Northern Ireland, we are a nation of flag fliers; I have flown a flag nearly all my life. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the only flag that should have pride of place on public buildings is the Union flag? We should take the opportunity to fly it to encourage a sense of national pride, and as a symbol of the things that unite us. We have different colours, creeds, genders, ambitions, qualities and skills, but we are all British, and together we can make this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland a better place for everyone.

[Andrew Rosindell]

I entirely concur. I commend the hon. Member for his patriotism, his love of country and his understanding of the importance of being proud of being British. Flying the Union flag is an essential part of that.

I refer the House to early-day motion 1199 of 29 March 2010, signed by Mr Speaker himself, which records the significant moment in parliamentary history when the Union flag was raised permanently on the Victoria Tower in the Palace of Westminster. In 2007, I established the all-party parliamentary group on flags, which became the APPG on flags and heraldry, and which now forms a central part of the APPG on British heritage, which I am proud to chair.

Swimming Facilities

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 4th June 2025 Westminster Hall

[Joe Robertson]

I agree, and schools often also rely on public swimming pools. Wherever schools need those facilities, I ask the Government to provide support. There is no other obvious support, as school and council budgets are already overstretched and must be used for other statutory duties.

Swim England’s “Value of Swimming” report showed that swimming generates £2.4 billion of social value each year and improves wellbeing, as my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and Malling (Helen Grant) said. A 2014 Department for Culture, Media and Sport study valued swimming the highest of all the sports it included.

The Isle of Wight is representative of the challenges faced across England. Pricing for swimming activities has become less inclusive as there are cost pressures for providers, so some of the concessionary rates that benefited those who are less well off or older have been discontinued. On the island, we have the challenge of four ageing facilities, built in 1974, 1978, 1980 and 1993. In 2010, Isle of Wight council withdrew support for Ryde swimming pool, but thankfully the local community saved it through the formation of the Waterside community trust. That pool continues to operate today, albeit without any ongoing funding from the council.

In 2023, Isle of Wight council faced a £1.2 million hole in its leisure and sports development budget, and there were concerns about the continued provision of the two remaining facilities. It is my clear view that our small unitary authority cannot be expected to fund the ongoing costs of those facilities, given that energy prices and the cost of employing staff, due to national insurance contributions, are so high, and particularly when it comes to the capital investment that is needed.

Facilities on the island have benefited from Government support in recent years. I now turn to the historical funding that swimming facilities have received. The last Conservative Government created the swimming pool support fund, with £80 million of funding for swimming facilities. That was £60 million direct from the Treasury and £20 million from the national lottery. The funding was oversubscribed and has now been used—it has come to an end. On the Isle of Wight, Ryde Waterside pool and The Heights in Sandown both benefited from the support.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. Obviously, the interest in it is enormous, which is why everybody is here. One of the things that I wanted to say—I probably will not get the opportunity to because of the number of Members here—is that having swimming facilities available, as we have in the neighbouring constituency to Strangford, gave people the chance to swim who never would have had it. It also gave us some Olympic champions, such as Bethany Firth—that is a fact—who learned to swim at the Aurora complex in North Down, with the Ards swimming club. Her opportunity gave us a gold medal at the last Olympics. The opportunity is there, and so are future Olympic champions.

Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 6th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan.

I am honoured to be opening today’s debate as we come together as a House and a country to mark 80 years since victory in Europe on Thursday 8 May. On 15 August, we will mark victory over Japan.

In May 1940, in his first speech as Prime Minister, Churchill proclaimed,

“let us go forward together with our united strength.”—[Official Report, 13 May 1940; Vol. 360, c. 1502.]

That is what the country did. That generation’s united strength carried them through six years of war, six years of suffering and six years of sacrifice to preserve the way of life that we enjoy and the values that we hold dear today. From the evacuation of Dunkirk to the battle of Britain and the blitz, we remember the brave service personnel from Great Britain and the Commonwealth who served their country, and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. We thank you and we remember you.

We remember those on the home front, the evacuated children and the women who stepped into essential roles. I think of my Aunt Kath, my grandad’s cousin, who went to work for the first time in a factory, and of the Bevin boys—many from Barnsley—who worked down the pit to power the war effort. We are proud to remember their contribution and the lasting legacy of peace that they fought so hard to secure—today and always.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I notice an oversight in the Minister’s contribution: Northern Ireland made a very significant contribution. There was never any conscription needed in Northern Ireland, and the great thing about it was that the women filled the gap. They worked in aircraft factories, at Harland and Wolff, in engineering, on the farms, in the fields and in rope factories. Some 12,500 women made a contribution to support their men at the front.

[Stephanie Peacock]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and I will come on to speak about Northern Ireland later in my contribution. I was delighted to visit Northern Ireland a few weeks ago to see at first hand how it will commemorate VE Day. I am sure that Members will share how their constituencies or families played their part in the war effort.

This year’s commemorations to mark VE Day and VJ Day have been, and will continue to be, led by those with first-hand experience of the war, and the Government are honoured to be working with veterans and the Royal British Legion to bring this to life. However, as we mark 80 years between today and the end of the war, the number of people with living memory of it is becoming ever smaller. This year’s anniversary may be the last when veterans who contributed directly to the victory can be in attendance, and when young people can speak to family members who contributed to the effort. I am lucky to have grown up hearing stories from my grandad, who served in the Royal Air Force, but the generation born today may not have the same opportunities to connect directly with veterans. It is up to us to keep their memory alive.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is great that this House is commemorating the historic victory that marked the end of the war, which had taken so much. At a time when we are often asked to apologise for so much, it is important to recognise the victory that we had in the name of democracy and freedom throughout the world. It is good to see the Minister in his place.

Members will be aware that I had a debate in this Chamber on the heroism of Newtownards man Blair Paddy Mayne, who richly deserves to be awarded a posthumous VC. I was amazed by the number of people who, until they watched the TV drama “SAS: Rogue Heroes”, did not quite understand how integral Blair and, indeed, Northern Ireland soldiers were to the war effort. It has to be remembered that we had no conscription in Northern Ireland—we did not need it, because every single man who joined up did so out of love for King, country and the principle of freedom. That is still the case today for serving armed forces personnel from Northern Ireland, who proudly serve King and country and who gave their all during the troubles.

The debate on Blair Mayne highlighted to me that as a youngster, I was taught about the essential contribution of Northern Ireland’s men and women to the UK’s war effort to secure victory over the Nazis, and over Japan in Asia. My constituents in Strangford gave their lives, with war memorials in the Ards peninsula, Comber, Killyleagh and Ballynahinch. Hundreds of young men, and indeed some women, gave their all for King and country at that time.

We need to remember that Northern Ireland contributed significantly to war production. Weaponry, munitions, aircraft, tanks, ships and small arms were all built in Northern Ireland. There were also opportunities for women. For example, the Royal Ulster Constabulary required female police, although they were subject to a marriage bar. Similarly, women were employed in the auxiliary services for the armed forces and as an additional agricultural labour force. In engineering, some 250 women were employed, and by 1943 some 12,500 women were employed in Northern Ireland.

For these reasons, those from both sides of the community—Roman Catholic and Protestant; nationalist and Unionist—will be celebrating with a full heart, with family stories and memories handed down through the generations. I think some 44,000 served in uniform, and 10% of those did not come back. Separately, 1,000 people lost their lives in the Belfast blitz, which acknowledged the importance of the Northern Ireland war effort. Some time ago, I attended a memorial service to the young RAF and Army men who were killed in the blitz in Newtownards.

The role of Ireland Northern in the victory for the allies cannot be overstated. As the MP for Strangford, I am proud not simply to lay a wreath in their memory each year, but to raise my hand in salute to the members of the armed forces, the labourers and engineers, the women who filled the gaps and those who lost their lives in the blitz. We salute them all again today, and honour their sacrifice. The best way we can honour them is to recreate that British spirit in our children and our grandchildren, and remind them of the cost of all we hold so dear. We will remember them, and on 8 May we will celebrate them in communities throughout this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.