Commons Chamber

Wednesday 18th March 2026

(began 2 hours, 14 minutes ago)

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None Portrait Q1. What steps she is taking to help ensure reliable broadband services in hard to reach areas of rural constituencies. (908394)
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Joe Morris thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I spoke to my constituent Luca, who spent months
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Liz Kendall Portrait Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Leicester West, Labour)
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Naushabah Khan.

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Question number four, Mr. Speaker. Secretary stay. With permission, Mr. Speaker,

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With permission, Mr. Speaker, I'll answer this question and question nine together. Every child question nine together. Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and that applies as much to the online world as it does to the real world. We know families everywhere are grappling with the impact of phones and social media. That's why we've launched our national consultation with, and we've had over 25,000 responses so far. We want to hear from everyone, in particular children and young people themselves, and that consultation is going to be one of the first of its kind to specifically hear from them with the child friendly design.

We also want to make sure the views of children with special educational needs and disabilities and those in needs and disabilities and those in care, are particularly reached out to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Parents of Gillingham and Rainham strongly backed this government's efforts to keep children safe online. Does the Minister agree that repealing the Online Safety Act, as reform have pledged to do, would recklessly expose our children to online predators and leaving without the protections they deserve, and that any party serious about families must have a credible plan for child online safety, not simply tear up Tijuana.

Yeah.
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Liz Kendall Portrait Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Leicester West, Labour)
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Adam Thompson for. >> Five Mr Speaker. >> I am very proud that this Labour government has put the biggest investment into research and development of any government ever, development of any government ever, with a record £38 billion for UKRI, including £14 billion for curiosity led research. This week we announced our ambitious plan to buy usable, usable, large scale quantum computers by the early 2030s, backed by £2 billion of funding. A world first. Backing our world leading quantum sector because we're determined to do everything we're determined to do everything to back our brilliant British scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs.

 Adam Thompson. answer. And despite the massive government increases in funding generally. In a recent meeting of the Select Committee, we heard how the Science and Technology Facilities Council. STFC is currently dealing with a significant reduction in funding, particularly in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics. While Michelle Docherty, the executive chair of STFC, placed the blame squarely on decisions made prior to her arrival and explained her efforts to sort out the mess. It's the scientific community, research professionals and UK science that's going to feel the science that's going to feel the brunt of this funding crunch.

What's the Secretary of State doing then, to ensure that UK science is then, to ensure that UK science is not damaged by STFC historical failings?
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Liz Kendall Portrait Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Leicester West, Labour)
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To topical Kirith Entwistle number one Mr Speaker. So stay.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No woman or child should live in fear of having their image sexually having their image sexually manipulated by technology. That is why in the last six months, we've made intimate image abuse and cyber flashing priority offences. Under the Isa, we've criminalised the the Isa, we've criminalised the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes and mandating those images are taken down within 48 images are taken down within 48 hours. We've introduced an offence banning AI notification apps and we stood up to Grock and X, but we know technology moves fast as and as a government we have to keep up.

as a government we have to keep up. So where we need to go further, we will. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Whilst I

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am. Proud of the steps our government has taken to advance online safety, we are merely online safety, we are merely playing catch up. What more is the government doing to ensure we keep pace with the reality facing women and girls, and how will it address emerging technologies like AI smartglasses, which are operating without scrutiny?

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without scrutiny? I thank my hon. Friend for this question. One of my reflections in this job is that it took eight this job is that it took eight years for the Online Safety Act to come in, and it's still yet to be fully implemented. We need to move faster. MPs discuss a Finance Bill every year. Technology moves incredibly fast, so I am always prepared to take further action where I need to. where I need to.
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Keir Starmer Portrait Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP, The Prime Minister (Holborn and St Pancras, Labour)
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opportunity to ask anyone who attended Club chemistry on March 5th, sixth or seventh to come 5th, sixth or seventh to come forward? Please to receive antibiotics? And Mr. Speaker, yesterday President Zelensky yesterday President Zelensky addressed parliamentarians. Many people were there and I had the people were there and I had the opportunity to reaffirm to him that no matter other international events, the UK support for Ukraine will not waver. I also welcome Prime Minister Carney and NATO Secretary General Rutter to Downing Street for further discussions on international security.

Mr. speaker, this morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House. I shall have further such

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meetings later today. No. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I first of all associate my self with the comments and the condolences made by the Prime Minister regarding those people affected by the meningitis outbreak. New data the meningitis outbreak. New data today shows that nearly 60% of hospices are considering cutting frontline services in the West Midlands. Saint Giles Hospice has Midlands. Saint Giles Hospice has already reduced beds and reduced staff due to financial pressures. So with services being cut, can the Prime Minister explain why hospices are being told to wait until autumn for the new framework? And will he commit today to proper long term commit today to proper long term sustainable funding to secure this vital lifeline for the future?
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Kemi Badenoch Portrait Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex, Conservative)
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Five minutes. >> But, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, this is important. He does want to talk about anything does want to talk about anything else except what I'm asking him. Three times I have asked him if the Prime Minister spoke to Peter Mandelson three times. He has refused to answer. We can only assume he did not speak to Peter Mandelson from the documents published, we know he left the questioning of Mandelson's relationship with a convicted paedophile to two of Mandelson's closest friends, one of whom was also friends with a convicted paedophile.

Asking those questions

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should have been his job. Why did he fail to do his duty. Prime Minister?

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Mr. Speaker, so her position is that the shadow justice Secretary is defending British values when he is defending British values when he says Muslims praying together in Trafalgar Square are not welcome. Trafalgar Square are not welcome. Mr. speaker, even Tommy Robinson, I can hardly believe I'm saying this, has said today that if the shadow has said today that if the shadow Justice Secretary had made these hateful comments two years ago, the Conservative Party would have kicked him out. Now, Tommy Robinson isn't some sort of moral signpost.

He was pointing out how much their party has changed. They're more inclined to his views. And he's right about that. The fact that right about that. The fact that he's sitting on her front bench shows she's too weak and has got absolutely no judgement.
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Greg Smith Portrait Greg Smith MP (Mid Buckinghamshire, Conservative)
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Yeah. >> He changed, but with the upcoming HS2 reset, will he make a personal intervention to ensure that my constituents and communities living with this hell on earth of a construction project are finally treated with the

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fairness and respect that they deserve. Prime Minister. Can I thank him for raising this?

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Can I thank him for raising this? I do know how much it impacts his constituents and how deeply they feel about it, and it is important, feel about it, and it is important, as we reset and clear up the mess that was left that we bear in mind and have in our mind's eye those

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that are most effective and make sure that it is fair and that their voices are heard, and we will do so. Oliver Ryan.

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Oliver Ryan. Thank you. Mr Speaker. Burnley. Manchester Road station is a key driver for growth. It's Burnley linked to Manchester and Leeds and more importantly for them, it's their link to Burnley, which had over half a million journeys last year. And yet it's inaccessible. Despite big empty promises from the last Tory government. We're no further to fixing it. Promise was a promise of funding was made which promise of funding was made which never came. Will he help me get this delivered and back? My campaign to make Burnley Manchester Road an accessible, modern station Road an accessible, modern station fit for Burnley's ambition? Yeah.
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Abena Oppong-Asare Portrait Ms Abena Oppong-Asare MP (Erith and Thamesmead, Labour)
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understanding of menstrual and gynaecological health, including measures to counter inaccurate or measures to counter inaccurate or misleading information online relating to menstrual and gynaecological health and for connected purposes. Mr. speaker, in this bill, I'm addressing one aspect of women's health menstrual health. Menstrual health is health. Menstrual health is surrounded by misinformation, fear and failure to support millions of women and girls. For women who menstruate, the experience of asking for advice or even medical treatment is routinely dismal.

Ask any woman from school days onwards. It's a nightmare or stigma, shame and a failure of the NHS to help. The recent Women and Equalities Select Committee report states and I quote stigma around menstruation, sex, fertility and childlessness is a barrier to discussion of reproductive ill health, it continues. It contributes to delays in diagnosis and treatment, and can lead women and girls to turn to online forums, to self-diagnose, or to avoid seeking treatment altogether. And of course, that self-diagnosis can be missed, misguided and dangerous by dubious online fake cures and claims the internet is not a safe place for clear, expert advice for girls and women wanting to know about their periods and menstrual health.

A poll commissioned by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found that over half 53% of women in the UK who had experienced symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction did not seek help from a healthcare professional. 1 in 5 that is, 21% felt too embarrassed to seek support. In 2018, a YouGov poll found that period shaming happens at home, in the workplace and at school in the UK. The Royal College further noted that there is immense societal pressure on women and girls to conceal their periods due to beliefs that menstruation is unhygienic or unclean, and talking openly about periods is often not considered a social norm.

We live in a modern day society with an openness to address all manner of including mental health. Yet talking about menstrual health remains a stigma shrouded in shame and embarrassment, and, frankly, medieval attitudes held by many in the call for evidence, the Women's Health Strategy had 29% of respondents who said they did not feel comfortable talking to healthcare professionals about gynaecological conditions for teenage girls aged 16 and 17, this rose to 40%. So these shocking figures show that this stigma has real world consequences on women's health.

Women and girls get the wrong advice or dangerous advice or no advice. Their shame means that their conditions and diseases are not diagnosed. Sadly, conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease. Pelvic organ prolapse. Prolapse, ovarian cysts and others are far too often missed, leaving many women to endure years of unnecessary pain. The time for diagnosis for endometriosis has actually gone up, not down, with women waiting on average nine years and four months.

And for women of colour and women from other ethnic minority backgrounds, that average wait is 11 years. Why, you might wonder, are women of colour waiting longer? Well, I'm afraid to say we suffer discrimination within the health system. Our pain is dismissed, our concerns are ignored. There is well documented bias embedded in the NHS when it comes to black women's health, leading to poorer outcomes and terrible experience for so many women. And we must also address to the cultural assumptions within some communities which tell girls that periods are punishment or dirty or something to be ashamed of, or something to be kept as a secret, a dangerous cocktail of misogyny, misinformation and myth leading to all girls, to leading to girls and women who are misinformed, mistreated and misdiagnosed.

So my Bill aims to tackle that stigma and get society talking about periods and menstrual health. Let's start. Let's smash the stigma. Starting in schools with teachers well equipped to support their pupils, no school girls should suffer in silence. Let's use the rollout of more diagnostic hubs and the shift to more community based preventative care to raise awareness about menstrual health, more public awareness campaigns on the same scale as NHS sepsis campaign and not just the public, but also medical professionals from the very start of their careers.

Every doctor needs proper training on menstrual health to spot endometriosis, fibroids and other gynaecological conditions early to give proper advice to their patients to debunk online myths and misinformation, to be aware of and tackle racial bias within the healthcare system. We need every employer to be aware of menstrual health, to have proper systems of support in place for the workplace, to have period products available for free. To recognise that if a woman needs time off because of their blinding pain, they are not making it up.

So I welcome the work of the TUC and the trade unions in this area. We also need to have more difficult conversations. We need more men squirming in their seats as we discuss our periods, our bleeding, our pain. And we need to stop talking in euphemisms, all those little silly terms about periods, disguising the reality and stopping an open conversation. We need more women's voices to be heard. And not just that, but women to be actively leading the design and delivery of the healthcare system.

The NHS must no longer be male by default. And I speak to so many women and girls who have been let down, whose mental and physical health have been damaged. This must stop. The upcoming women's health strategy must be more than a document, but a manifesto for revolutionary change. Or else what is the point of it? Yeah, no more girls crying and changing rooms. No more workers hiding in toilets. No more shame. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes.

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The hon. Member have leave to bring in the bill. The question is that the hon. Member have leave to that the hon. Member have leave to bring in the bill, as many are of that opinion, say aye, of the that opinion, say aye, of the contrary, no, I think the ayes have it. The ayes have it. Who will prepare to bring in Bill?

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prepare to bring in Bill? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Marsha de Cordova Olly Glover Paulette de Cordova Olly Glover Paulette Hamilton Carolyn Harris. Christine Jardine. Tulip Siddiq. Valerie Vaz. Gill Furniss. Kirsteen Sullivan. Simon Hoare. Sir. Alec Shelbrooke Simon Hoare. Sir. Alec Shelbrooke

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Menstrual Menstrual and Menstrual and Gynaecological Health Bill. Second Reading. What day?

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17th of April.

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17th of April. The 17th of April. We now come to the opposition day motion on the to the opposition day motion on the fuel duty. I inform the House that I have selected the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister. I call the opposition spokesman to move the motion. Shall. Secretary Mr. Holden.
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Richard Holden Portrait Rt Hon Richard Holden MP (Basildon and Billericay, Conservative)
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government, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that this is a moment the opportune time to cancel the fuel duty freeze. The last government, the last conservative government, kept for 13 years, protecting hard working people from paying extra to get to work, to have appointments, to visit friends have appointments, to visit friends and families. Conservatives cut this by £0.05 a litre in 2022, the this by £0.05 a litre in 2022, the biggest cut ever in fuel duty £0.05 a litre, and that really helped when the economy was facing headwinds from Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Yet under this government, on top of the countless tax rises they have already shafted us with, we can't even get through two years before they decide that the British people need yet another tax rise. And it is a tax rise in a sneaky and stealthy way. Labour are busy deploying their salami tactics one penny in September, the back to school tax, £0.02 in December, the Christmas shopper tax, £0.02 in March. Spring time for taxes. And we shouldn't forget that A5P litre increase in duty actually means six per litre increase, because on top of the tax VAT is added to.

In September last year in this chamber, the Transport Secretary trumpeted and I quote, that Labour had frozen fuel duty. That is what we have done. Yet we know this is simply not the case. It reminds me of my childhood watching Chris Tarrant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, saying, but we don't want to give you that, Mr. Speaker, the right hon. Lady said said as said, not once, not twice, but three times. Three times, Mr. Speaker, that tax rises are now coming and they're coming in September, December and in March next year, with economic growth at a dismal 0%.

That's right. 0%. The British people deserve better than underhand taxes, swindling them out of the pounds in their pockets, and to pay for what? Mr Speaker to pay for more welfare. A tax on every car, every van, every motorbike and every bus. This is a tax on hauliers too. A tax on businesses, a tax on families, a tax on the country over. It is these families, thanks to her government, who will be forking out

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an extra £156 a year. I'll give way to my hon. Friend. First of all, can I congratulate the Shadow Minister and the opposition bringing this forward? And it's very important that we do this. Consider this. We're fast this. Consider this. We're fast approaching a crisis that cannot be circumnavigated. The shadow Minister agree that government must Minister agree that government must consider reopening North Sea production and to produce enough for our needs. If government continues to refuse to play their continues to refuse to play their part to secure the fuel pass.

And does the Shadow Minister not agree that fuel duty can and should see the benefit of self-reliance and not dependent on volatile nations, which it is at this very minute?

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Quite right, gentlemen. Mr. Richard Quigley, I cannot agree more with the hon. Member. We need to get back to drilling in the North Sea. It's quite clear that Norway is drilling on one side of the same basin and actually getting the same basin and actually getting the benefit of those jobs of the tax revenue. It's bemuses me as to why we're not doing it here, am I right, hon? Friend, the Member for Surrey East has consistently said Surrey East has consistently said from these benches, as the shadow energy Secretary, that's exactly what we should get on and do.

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give way on the same point, grateful to my Right. Hon. Friend, and he makes a powerful point about North Sea oil powerful point about North Sea oil and gas and says it won't make any difference to the global price of difference to the global price of oil and gas. But billions and billions of pounds in tax will be billions of pounds in tax will be lost as a result of having no new licences in the Arctic. Those billions could be used to replace billions could be used to replace the revenues generated by fuel duty.

So in fact, if the government wished it, it could convert those billions into into cuts in price at the at the pump for every single family in the country, including

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those in rural Beverley and Holderness who are suffering today. My right hon. Friend makes it

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My right hon. Friend makes it incredibly important point. The. The government is currently forgoing tax revenue, which is going into the coffers of other going into the coffers of other Treasurys right across the right, across Europe and across the world. It's for going that is, for going that. It's for going that revenue. that. It's for going that revenue. And why? To what end? They they will. We'll see if the Ministers will actually answer that question as to why they're willing to forgo that hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions of pounds every year.

They could spend it on anything they wanted to, and they're not even going they're not even going to do. order.

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Order papers are not there to trip all the way through and give solutions to a problem. I have

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solutions to a problem. I have great confidence in the Minister to answer when he comes up. Richard Holden indeed, Mr. Speaker, for reminding the right Speaker, for reminding the right hon. Member of Israel, and indeed, indeed I will. I will give way to

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indeed I will. I will give way to my hon. Friend. Does he agree with me that the government's policy. Fails on its.

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Fails on its. Own terms because it says it wants to subscribe to net zero and make us much greener the way we approach our energy consumption. And yet we know that importing LNG from countries like the US is a causes a multiple in terms of the carbon cost, then extracting the stuff in this country within our own territorial sea would do. And therefore, if they're serious about

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net zero, they will be pumping LNG from the North Sea and not importing it from the US. Richard Fuller the hon. Member

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Richard Fuller the hon. Member makes an incredibly important point, and I think he he makes it really and I think he he makes it really clearly as well. And he's in agreement with the Committee on Climate Change, who say we're going to have to be using oil and gas to have to be using oil and gas well in to the second half of this century. So why on earth shouldn't we drill our own at lower cost and we drill our own at lower cost and bring in those jobs and taxation? And also, obviously with the environmental benefits of doing it on our own doorstep as well, and doing it under British regulations as well.

So we're not going this isn't going to be extracted in other countries with lower regulations, lower environmental standards. The best environmental standards in the world exist in our North Sea, and I'll happily give way to the hon. Member.

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I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. Part of this part of the debate is really around sustainability and around net zero, and obviously, honourable colleagues have made a number of interventions already around that, and I understand that the Shadow Minister's position. But does he Minister's position. But does he agree with me that actually, whilst we're also focusing on the hiking fuel duty, the government are also increasing the charges on electric increasing the charges on electric vehicle drivers. So it's both sets of drivers that are being hammered by this government who haven't thought through the consequences of

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their policy. My hon. Friend makes a very interesting point as well at this at this juncture, it's very clear that the government is also trying to undo the damage that is done by its own new tax, and actually, it's having to put more money in in terms of the electric car grant than it's going to get out from these pay per mile schemes, which is actually the government previously said it would not introduce. So the government is actually costing itself more money by imposing a tax.

It's quite incredible what the government is up to when it comes to the North Sea, or whether it comes to taxation policy. And I will in a moment. The Taxpayers Alliance has said that almost £40,000 of fuel taxes will be paid by the average driver over the course of a lifetime after this tax hike, and it will be a high proportion of that income. If you're on a lower paid job and need a car to get

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about. And I'll give way on that point. To my hon. Friend, I think. I thank the honourable. Gentleman friend for giving way. Gentleman friend for giving way. Just to make a couple of points, however, and he's talking about how money may be spent from taxation. Just to highlight the point that Just to highlight the point that local authority road maintenance budgets fell from 4,000,000,000 in budgets fell from 4,000,000,000 in 2006 to 2,000,000,000 in 2019, so halved in that 13 year period. And halved in that 13 year period.

And then just to look at inflation, where you see the Bank of England's data shows from 2006 to 2026, the overall inflation ran at 74%, but

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fuel inflation was just 58%. Indeed. And on that second point,

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And on that second point, obviously the inflation would have been higher overall if the fuel inflation had been higher overall. The hon. Member makes an important The hon. Member makes an important point about potholes and road maintenance as well. It is interesting that he stood on a manifesto at the last general manifesto at the last general election, which promised an extra million potholes will be filled a year. We saw the figures just a few year. We saw the figures just a few weeks ago saying that exactly the same number of potholes was filled in the last year as it was in the last year of the last government.

So I look forward to seeing, actually, his government starting to deliver on any of the pledges. It's it's proposed and it could perhaps it could do so a bit more easily if it had that tax revenue coming in from the North Sea, which is what this side of the House would like to see. Now, this is a Labour's regressive tax rate. Do we really expect do we really understand, I think from the government benches, just how punitive this tax measure is going to be? Of course not.

Of course not. How could we when it feels like the. I will give way to my hon. Friend in just a moment. How could we understand when it's actually rural communities that are going to be hit hardest by this, as it is always with transport? The truth is that the DFT and the Treasury working together are more like watching an episode of hustle. The con is on and it's being

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perpetuated by this Labour government and I give way to. My friend. Agree, though.

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That in large rural constituencies like mine, it's not just constituents having to pay at just constituents having to pay at the pump the additional fuel duty they pay through everything that they buy, because everything has to they buy, because everything has to be transported into these rural areas or the services that they areas or the services that they acquire. So they pay twice and makes this tax rise doubly regressive.

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My right hon. Friend raises an incredibly important point. It is incredibly important point. It is not just those who have a car who will be paying for this, although they will be paying the most. It's not just those who rely on a van not just those who rely on a van for their business or work to get around, but it's actually everyone. Whether you use the bus or whether Whether you use the bus or whether you're using a. Just go to the shops, because the truth is that everything has to be transported by road in this country.

This, this, this tax rise is going to have huge inflationary pressures right across the board, not just in terms of the individual fuel, whether that's for heating or in today's debate for road transport. But the hon. Member is absolutely right. It will play right across the board into so many other areas, areas which have not even been considered, I don't think,

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by the Treasury at this moment. And I'll happily give way to the hon. Member this point. All his. Arguments stand.

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Arguments stand. And that was before the war in Iran. So the Prime Minister stood there on Monday saying the freeze there on Monday saying the freeze is still in place. Yes, that was before the world has changed literally around us. So does he share my concern that actually this government isn't being reactive and following the change, because there is going to be a big impact and a is going to be a big impact and a knock on, and the Prime Minister is touting this as though it's some new policy brought out that was

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actually in the Budget from last year. My hon. Friend makes an important point about that, and important point about that, and he'll also be aware that when the fuel price goes up, actually the government's VAT revenues from fuel government's VAT revenues from fuel go up at the same time. So the government's actually already seeing hundreds of millions of seeing hundreds of millions of pounds a year extra in VAT, purely from the fact that the duty that the the price has gone up itself, the the price has gone up itself, the underlying price.

But my right hon. Friend makes another important point, that this is a moment for the government to reconsider on this side of the House. We oppose this measure at the Budget because we thought it was the wrong thing to do to hit working families, but it's doubly the wrong thing to do when prices are also going up internationally. But I've already

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given way to the hon. Member, but I have to give way to the hon. Lady. Thank the hon. Member for giving

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Thank the hon. Member for giving way. Would he agree with me that the 53 million is welcome but calculated out? It's about £35 per calculated out? It's about £35 per household, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Would he agree that fuel duty should be cut, agree that fuel duty should be cut, VAT should be removed and the North Sea opened up and that's a. As well as fertilisers and red diesel which are impacted heavily as well. We need support now for people.



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The hon. Lady raises a really important point. And actually, with those revenues from reopening the North Sea for oil and gas, she North Sea for oil and gas, she raises a number of different areas which that money could be spent on. We've got to open the North Sea, a cost free alternative, an environmentally positive alternative, in order to get that tax revenue in. And then obviously, tax revenue in. And then obviously, we can look at all sorts of different things that members on all sides of the House would want to spend money on.

I'll just make a little bit of progress. We've seen since Labour came into office just how much they've hit transport across the country today. And the 5PA litre fuel duty rise is just the latest in those. First of all, they abolished. First of all, they abolished the much loved £2 fare cap which. Which this side of the House on buses had had pledged pledged at the general election to continue through the entirety of this Parliament. So that side of the House has put bus fares up 50%.

They've also up airport business rates by a staggering 295% on average, 295% on average. Now, who's benefited from that? Certainly not passengers, certainly not the airlines, and certainly not British business. And you know what else they've done. They've also raised air passenger duty with passengers facing a 15% jump in one year alone, followed by permanent increases year after year after year of between 3 and 4%, just to get on a plane. And you know what else they've done in the last few weeks? They've actually raised the price of railcards for the first time since.

Maybe they'd like to touch on this one. Do you remember this one, guys? Nothing from this one. 2013. That's the first time in over ten years we're seeing rail cars. Senior Railcards veteran railcards young people's railcards new taxes on people right across the country, all being raised by this government. A 16% rise the first time since 2013. And they didn't even know about it, because they don't care about young people, about old people, about the people being affected by these tax rises hitting people right across the country from September.

And Labour have just introduced a new policy that will leave ferry passengers. Ferry passengers on the Isle of Wight also facing bigger crossing charges, £30 more per crossing, hitting family holidays in the UK and people just trying to get about their daily lives from the Isle of Wight as well. Labour are stealthily onside as their tourist tax absolutely hammering, working, absolutely hammering, working Britain and those taxes. Those are just the taxes on transport that they're imposing. There's plenty of others to go out and I'm happy to

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take any interventions. If any hon. Members like to mention, I give way to my hon. Friend. I thank my hon. Member for.

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Member for. Allowing me. Is it worth emphasising that the Conservatives froze fuel duty for 14 years, which took £100 billion off the cost of driving? That's tax cuts by us over driving? That's tax cuts by us over the last 14 years. In contrast, this government has increased taxes

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this government has increased taxes by £66 billion in the last two years. It's outrageous, isn't it? It's quite right. And he and some of those tax rises, some of those tax rises are hitting many of the companies who are also going to be hit by these fuel duty rises today. I've spoken to hauliers in my own constituency and across the country, already facing increasing business rates, already facing increasing national insurance costs and now being hit with a fuel duty

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rise as well. I'll give way to the hon. Lady. My hon. Friend, for giving way, and he's giving a great speech, as and he's giving a great speech, as we always expect from him. Does he remember in the Budget in 2024, when the Chancellor then stood when the Chancellor then stood there and said that increasing fuel duty would be the wrong choice for working people? And she said then working people? And she said then that was because of uncertain global events and that the cost of living remained high.

Does he remember anything changing between

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remember anything changing between now and 2024? Because I don't think it's gotten any better, does he? I, I totally agree with the hon. Lady. She's absolutely right. And she's a real champion, actually, for the North Sea oil and gas sector, which is largely based in her own constituency as well. So on top of these taxes, on rail cars, on ferry prices, on airlines, on airline business rates, obviously hiking bus fares by 50%. What else are labour up to? Well, they've been talking about something quite a lot called Simple Affairs.

Now what they're actually doing is cutting out the cheaper fares preferred by passengers and replacing them with more expensive journeys. In fact, that's been confirmed in a letter to me by the Secretary of State herself, who I noticed isn't here today. She says some passengers may pay more under this new structure, but will gain perhaps more flexibility in their return journey. Well, my own constituent, Mr. Nottage of Ramsden Bellhouse, near Billericay, has been quite perturbed by having to pay an extra 10% and he's having to pay an extra five a year for his senior railcard as well.

Hardly. Rail prices frozen under Labour actually. Rail prices going up on working people right across our

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Member. My friend is making a passionate speech about the increase in rail fares for his constituents in fares for his constituents in Billericay, but he will also be aware for drivers in Billericay, like in the South Side in Bexley, like in the South Side in Bexley, have also faced increases in the Dartford Charter bridge charge being hiked by 40% by this Labour government in September. The government in September. The introduction by Sadiq Khan of the Blackwall Tunnel charge for those trying to cross east to south and trying to cross east to south and likewise the other direction, the expansion of Ulez for those that need to travel into London again against the wishes of people in outer London, so does my hon.

Friend agree that this isn't just the government's tax increases on drivers, but it's also the increase of the mayor of London on everybody in the outskirts of London need to travel in and out.

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The incredibly important point this isn't just about the Labour government, it's also about Labour mayors and Labour councils having mayors and Labour councils having their war on motorists up and down the country. And we see it, whether it's a dark charge or the Ulez charge, or the fact that we even charge, or the fact that we even saw Zipcar having to cease operations in the UK because of the mayor of London's extension to mayor of London's extension to electric vehicles of that congestion charge.

Every day we're actually seeing a reduction in actually seeing a reduction in shared transport options under this Labour government and this Labour mayor here in our capital city. It's an absolute disgrace. I'm sorry. I need to make a tiny little bit more progress, but I'll happily come back to my hon. Friend later on. However you travel, Labour are after you. Is it about. Is it a train? Is it a plane? No. It's Labour's tax man coming for you. And where will this money be spent? Where will this money be spent? Mr.

speaker, all this extra money that we're taxing off the public, not on hard working families, not to create jobs and boost opportunities, but to fritter away on more welfare, because this Prime Minister and this government front bench are too weak to stand up to their own back benches and ensure that welfare is kept under control in this country, picking the pockets of hard working people to pay for those who choose not to work. And when it comes to paying at the pump.

Rachel Reeves has been happy to try and lay the blame at the feet of petrol stations. But what makes up most of the cost of a litre of petrol? Her fuel duty is by far the biggest chunk. In fact, in fact, taxes make up 55% of the cost of fuel and it's going up under labour. And when the Energy Secretary was presented with these sickening stats, he claimed that's why with frozen fuel duty. Well, why on earth therefore, don't they actually do what we did and freeze it all the way through? In fact, they could do it today.

They could do it today. They could do it today. But they're not going to do it because they are too afraid of their own back benchers when it comes to welfare. And I am surprised, I'm surprised that hon. Members are aligning themselves with the spluttering spinelessness of Mr. Miliband. Sorry. The hon. Member for Doncaster North, we know that for her and Ed, when the facts change, when countries all around the world change, Labour just dig in. Just like with their pathetic.



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Oh, sorry. Torbay also called Rachel Reeves the Chancellor of the Exchequer. If we can stick. And Ed, Exchequer. If we can stick. And Ed, I don't think he's quite the title. And I know you wouldn't want to do that. Of course.

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that. Of course. Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Doncaster North should also always right hon. Member should always get his his proper should always get his his proper title, just like just. But this is very similar, Mr. Speaker, to Labour's pathetic intransigence Labour's pathetic intransigence when it comes to the zero-emission vehicle mandate, they remain entirely aloof, soldiering on whatever the cost is to British companies, to British workers, to British taxpayers. Just like the electric car mandate, the impact on industry, the unions, their own paymasters, for crying out loud, the Financial Times, even the renewables sector.

Everyone knows that we've got to have a change to the to the electric vehicle mandate. Everyone on this side of the House also backs driving forwards with North Sea oil and gas exploration. And what and what do Labour do? What do labour do? They just bury their head in the sands and instead turn to taxation to. In order to pay for their policies? And I give way to the honourable.

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Member. Can you try and make a better effort when you want to get, you know, just waving your hand out, you're not a taxi rank now, I think. you're not a taxi rank now, I think. Are you giving way to Mr. Stewart? There you are, Graham Stuart. Give him.

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him. Oh it's me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Off the chair. It might help. I don't know whether I'm being

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I don't know whether I'm being picked on or especially stood out, but anyway, I thank you. I thank but anyway, I thank you. I thank you for selecting me. The other aspect which the. My right hon. Friend hasn't turned to today is the fact that the Clean Power 2030. By bringing it forward from 2035, it means that we are overpaying for the renewables. We're locking those overpayments in for 20 years. So as well as the immediate negative impact on our economy and most importantly, on our constituents, does my right hon.

Friend agree that locking in long term contracts for overpriced renewables is going

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to put up the cost of living even further. Is an incredibly important point, and this is one which has actually and this is one which has actually been raised with me by electric vehicle charge point manufacturers and companies here in the UK. Some and companies here in the UK. Some of them are literally on the verge of collapse because of that high cost of electricity. So although the government says it's pursuing a green agenda, but it's actually doing, is making electricity so expensive that nobody can operate a business in this country without business in this country without paying such high energy prices, that it becomes uneconomical to do so.

And he makes an incredibly important point exactly on that point. And I'll give way to the hon. Member.

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Very grateful. He mentioned his perception of the intransigence of this Labour government, to which I would add, brittle hubris in their pursuit of not achieving any form of economic growth. And does he of economic growth. And does he agree with me that the Chancellor would not have to keep dipping the pockets of hard working people in pockets of hard working people in the midst of a cost of living crisis? If she had a clue how to achieve economic growth.

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achieve economic growth. Well, it's not often that I would agree with with spokespeople from the SNP, but I'd very much do so today. I think it's an incredibly important point that the hon. Member is making. This is the Labour Party came to office talking about how growth is our number one priority. Has anybody heard them say that? Has anybody heard the hon. Member say that on telly recently? I certainly haven't. It's their talking points. It's suddenly been put to one side and we can all see why.

Because on their on their watch growth has totally collapsed, inflation has gone up and unemployment has gone up and growth has collapsed. On his watch. For all of his highfalutin ideas, the hon. Member is part of a government. The hon. Member is part of a government that has collapsed growth in this country, and he can't even accept it. No, I've already given way to the hon. Member. I've already given way to the hon. Member previously. Now we are all praying for a U-turn on the fuel duty policy on this side of the House now.

We are very welcome. One now, we'd rather they'd never come up with a in the first place, just like on the previous 16 U-turns we argued against before they did the policy in the first place, and then had to U-turn on them, just like on the after. Just like on the family farms tax where they've partially U-turned, just like on the grooming gangs when they've U-turned, just like on Windsor fuel, where they've had to U-turn as well. After sticking the boot in, we would really hope that they will think again about this, but I'm not holding much store by that.

What's really worrying me and families and up and down the country and members on this side of the House as they go to their constituents who are facing cost of living pressures right across the board, people running businesses, really having to make decisions now as to whether they're going to hire that next person or in many cases, sadly, have to let people go because of the taxes already imposed by this government. This is just another tax, another tax on businesses, another tax on pensioners and families up and down the country.

They've stuck the. I will give way to the hon. Lady.

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So much to my hon. Friend for giving way. Gosport isn't a rural area, but it is reportedly the area, but it is reportedly the largest town in the UK without a railway, so people rely upon their railway, so people rely upon their cars to get around. We all know that the Chancellor can't control the events in the Middle East, but government is about making choices. government is about making choices. And does my hon. Friend agree with me that the choice really here is whether we're going to keep punishing traders who've already had so much punishment from this government, and whether we're going to keep punishing people who don't

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have a choice about whether or not to use their cars. Yeah, I think the honourable. The hon. Lady makes a really important point that this is about choices. But actually she's also right that many people don't have that choice as their cars, and that choice as their cars, and nobody has a choice as to whether they actually have to go to a shop and buy food, because that's going to be delivered by some form of to be delivered by some form of road transport at some point.

So everybody will be paying for Labour's tax or road duty. Road fuel duty increases. That's what's actually happening in this in this legislation, around the choices that this government is choosing to make and who it's choosing to balance the books on the back of. And it's choosing to balance the balance. The books on the back of Woking Britain, on businesses up and down the country. They're facing tax after tax, new bill after new bill in a relentless pursuit to do our country down and throttle anything that seems to give a half chance of delivering growth, all to pay for a ballooning welfare bill.

They would put Dumbo to shame because they haven't got the guts not to reduce welfare. Heaven forbid they don't even have the guts to try and slow the pace in increase in welfare. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, they voted against we voted against tax hikes in the Budget because they're the wrong thing to do for growth in our country, for families, in our country. We voting. We're voting against it today because in the circumstances now, especially of soaring prices in the international environment, the saddle motorists with an extra hike in their cost of getting around is the wrong thing to do.

That is why the Leader of the Opposition tabled a motion before this House. That's why we are urging honourable and right hon. Members across this House to say no to Labour's hikes on fuel duty.
13:14
Torsten Bell Portrait Torsten Bell MP, The Parliamentary Secretary, HM Treasury (Swansea West, Labour)
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Yeah. Paper. I call the Minister to move the amendment. Minister tourism. >> Yes.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Second time lucky and I beg to move the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister, and I thank the Shadow Minister, and I thank the Shadow Secretary of State for opening today's debate. The government recognises that fuel costs matter enormously to people right across the country. Fluctuations in pump prices cause fluctuations in working people's bank balances. The effects are real and the effects, as we've just heard, are widespread. Around 80% of us drive each week. That's why the government has already taken action to ensure that fuel remains affordable.

In November's Budget, we extended the temporary five per litre cut to fuel duty for a further five months. Additionally, we cancelled the inflation linked increase planned for 2627. Our fuel duty changes will save the average motorists over £90 in 2627 alone. A van driver will save an average of £100. I'll make a bit of progress then. I'm sure I'll give way to the hon. Gentleman. He's always very enthusiastic and did actually stand up on this occasion. So that is what a learning curve looks like.

It's a shame the frontbench haven't found 1 in 14 long years. The rising to more than £800 for the heavy goods vehicles. It's not the best. There's much more to come and there's sector specific support continues. I'm enjoying the enthusiasm for the likes of agriculture and horticulture who retain access to red diesel after it was withdrawn from most sectors in 2022, and our extension of the
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