Commons Chamber

Wednesday 14th October 2026

(began 1 hour, 59 minutes ago)

Share Debate
Watch Live
Skip to latest contribution
11:33
11:33
None Portrait Oral questions: Attorney General
-

Ian Sollom number one, please, Mr. Speaker.
11:34
11:34
11:35
11:35
11:35
11:36
None Portrait Q2. What steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to enhance the whistleblowing framework. (901395)
-

Tom Collins Preston, Mr. Speaker.
11:36
11:37
11:37
11:38
11:38
11:39
11:39
11:40
11:41
11:41
11:42
11:42
11:43
11:44
11:45
11:45
11:46
None Portrait Q4. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecutions for non-domestic stalking. (901398)
-

Anna Dixon for, Mr. Speaker.
11:46
11:47
11:47
11:49
11:49
11:50
11:51
11:51
None Portrait Q6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve prosecution rates for crimes of violence against women and girls. (901400)
-

Lee Barron. Mid Sussex.
11:51
11:52
11:53
11:53
11:53
11:54
None Portrait Q7. What steps she is taking to ensure the UK meets its legal obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. (901401)
-

Mr. Merritt. >> Seven, Mr Speaker. >> General.
11:54
11:55
11:55
11:56
None Portrait Q9. What advice she has given the Government on the potential impact of removing jury trials in certain circumstances on the rule of law. (901404)
-

Robbie Moore benign, Mr.
11:56
11:57
11:57
11:58
11:58
11:58
None Portrait Q10. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for domestic abuse. (901405)
-

Will Forster Mr. Speaker.
11:59
11:59
11:59
12:00
12:00
12:01
12:01
Andy Burnham Portrait Rt Hon Andy Burnham, The Prime Minister (Makerfield, Labour )
-
-
Number one. Mr. Speaker. Prime Minister.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Mr. speaker, could I add my tribute to Sir David on the fifth tribute to Sir David on the fifth anniversary of his death? David was someone of whom I was very fond and someone of whom I was very fond and worked with very closely on the Health Select Committee. When I arrived in this House in 2001. We send our deepest condolences to David's family. There is more work to be done on the security of members of this House, and we will do it.

Mr. speaker, I look forward to welcoming President Zelensky to Downing Street later this afternoon. Our support for Ukraine is unwavering, and I have asked for further military and financial support to be drawn up, ready for the coming weeks. Later today, I will also meet Archie Goodburn, an incredible athlete and inspiring campaigner for brain cancer research. And finally, Mr. Speaker, can I also pay tribute to councillor Pat Karney, who served North Manchester for almost 50 years as a councillor in such a dedicated way, he saw the city through some of its greatest challenges.

He has fittingly been called Mr. Manchester on the front page of the Manchester Evening News today. Thank you, Pat, for your contribution to Manchester and to politics in our country. This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House. I shall have further such meetings later today.
12:03
12:03
12:04
12:05
12:05
12:07
12:08
12:08
12:09
12:10
12:11
12:12
12:12
12:13
12:15
12:16
12:17
12:18
12:19
12:20
12:21
12:22
12:24
12:25
12:25
12:26
12:27
12:28
12:28
12:29
12:29
12:30
12:31
12:31
12:31
12:32
12:33
12:33
12:34
12:34
12:35
12:35
12:36
12:36
12:37
12:38
12:39
12:40
12:40
12:41
12:41
12:42
12:43
12:44
12:44
David Burton-Sampson Portrait David Burton-Sampson MP (Southend West and Leigh, Labour)
-
-
>> Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I beg to move that leave be given to bring in a bill to make provision about the marketing, advertising and offering for sale of wet wipes, to make provision about the labelling of wet wipes and for connected purposes. Madam Deputy Speaker. The city of Southend has seven miles of beautiful beaches, and Leigh on Sea is well known as a picturesque fishing village which still has a very vibrant cockling industry. My constituency is also home to many wild swimming groups, such as the Blue, who find the refreshing waters of the Thames Estuary provide great exercise as well as benefits to their mental and physical wellbeing.

Although I have to say, when I took a dip in December for charity, I didn't find it too relaxing. All this might help you understand why water quality is so important to my constituents and to me. Like so many, they were rightfully outraged that the sewage dumps that sadly have become routine during the years under the former conservative government. So the people of Southend West and Lee did what they so often do. They came together to make a difference on something they care about.

They worked together to form quarterly water summits in 2024, giving residents the opportunity to hold water companies directly to account, to collaborate with the council, Ofwat and the Environment Agency and many more to find solutions to our water problems in Southend. This was the first summit of its kind in the country, and those summits continue to this day, and I thank my constituent, Daniella Boon, who's

**** Possible New Speaker ****

up in the gallery today, for her leadership on these summits and in this area. OK.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

OK. It was through chairing these water summits as a newly elected MP, that I came to learn just how complex the issues affecting water quality and sewage discharges are. Certainly, water companies play the most important role, and I welcome the work being done by this government to hold them to account. But sewage discharges happen when the water system fails on so many different levels. Councils, the community planning decisions, green spaces, even the choice of whether or not to pave your driveway.

All these things come together to influence outcomes. Last year, when spending time at our local sewage treatment plant, I learned that blockages are a leading cause of sewage discharges. When the sewers block, there are only two places for that sewage to go. In Southend it will be out into the estuary or back up into people's homes and toilets. We will have all seen in the media that these blockages are often caused by fatbergs. Yeah, the pictures can be very shocking.

The Guinness World Record belongs to the Fatberg found in Whitechapel in London in 2017, which was 250m long longer than Tower Bridge. There's no wonder with blockages of this size that our sewerage system sometimes copes to struggle, struggles to cope with its functions and alongside grease and fat, these bugs are most oftenly made up of wet wipes. In Anglian Water's network alone, around 500,000 wet wipes are flushed every single day. Instead of breaking down, many wet wipes remain largely intact.

They snag on roots pumps and rough surfaces within sewers, and they combine with fats, oils and grease to create these large blockages. In my constituency alone, Anglian Water dealt with 610 blockages last year, all caused by unflushable items. Now, this government brought in legislation to ban plastic in wet wipes, a measure which both me and my constituents welcome. This is an incredibly necessary step. It reduces harmful microplastics that poison wildlife and enter the food chain. But biodegradable doesn't necessarily mean flushable.

And the truth is that even plastic free wipes are made of tougher fibres that don't break down in the toilet in the same way that paper does at our water. Summit's Anglian Water will often remind us that there is no such thing as a flushable wipe. When I visited Anglian Water's water treatment plant on Stock Road, I got to see a whole skip. Yes, an entire skip filled with long, stringy fibres from wet wipes that had been fished out of our water system.

And you can only imagine how that smelt people flush wipes because they're labelled as flushable. The package is packaging is often clearly marked with a flushable logo. The wet wipe may disappear when the handle is pressed, but disappearing down the toilet is not the same thing as passing safely through the sewage network. Yeah, consumers can't see and don't know what happens after that wipe has been flushed. And if the packaging says it's flushable, why would you think otherwise? Yeah, we shouldn't expect consumers to decipher competing claims from water companies and manufacturers, and we can't expect them to conduct their own experiments before deciding to flush the wipes down the toilet.

We did conduct some experiments in my office, and we could see that some of these flushable wipes don't actually dissolve in water. People should be able to trust what's on the packaging. Every October, campaigns such as En bloc tober encourage people to think before they flush. These campaigns have helped to raise awareness, but awareness alone is not enough. We cannot spend one month of the year urging people not to flush wet wipes, while allowing manufacturers to market those same products as flushable the whole year long.

Education and labelling should not be pulling in opposite directions. The public needs a clear and consistent message to just bin it. Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to be clear. The ultimate responsibility for fixing our water systems does not lie with consumers or even wet wipes manufacturers. It lies with the water companies. We know that they took on the serious responsibility of protecting our waterways, rivers and seas, and often they have failed. This Labour government has successfully passed the Water Special Measures Act to strengthen regulations of the water industry, allowing bonuses to be banned for company owners who pollute our waterways and even making it possible to hold water company executives criminally responsible.

It will also enable independent monitoring of every sewer outflow outlet, and we will go further with plans for greater public control of water coming later this year. No amount of responsible flushing is going to repair the outdated infrastructure, prioritise investment or build new reservoirs. But it is part of the picture in keeping our waterways clean. I would like to welcome the 90 million plus investment by Anglian Water, working in partnership with Southend City Council, which will help tackle flooding, improve water systems and public spaces.

Now, this bill proposes that there should be a clear indication on all wet, wet wipes showing you that they should be disposed safely in the bin and encouraging people to only flush the three PS pee poo and paper Non-flushable wipes should be clearly labelled as such, with a visible symbol on the front of the packaging. Wipes that pass. Rigorous testing could continue to be labelled as flushable, but the owner should be on the manufacturer to prove that they will break down and cause no damage to the water system or to the plumbing of people's homes.

Labelling should also clearly and prominently instruct consumers as to the restrictions, such as only flush one wipe at a time. Now, the ISO published a technical specification on flush ability in August this year. It's vitally important that the water industry works closely with manufacturers to establish clear and realistic specifications around what can be classed as flushable moist toilet tissue. Consumers need confidence that flushable actually means flushable, and right now this is not the case. This is a matter of consumer choice.

I'm not telling people to use alternative to wet wipes, although alternatives do exist. I know that people will want to use wet wipes for medical reasons, or just because it's what they prefer. But they should know that for the sake of our pipes, our plumbing bills, and for our wildlife, they should just be lit.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Thank you. The question is that the hon. Member have leave to bring in the Member have leave to bring in the bill, as many of that opinion say aye. I note the ayes have it. The aye. I note the ayes have it. The ayes have it. Who will prepare and bring in the bill?

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Madam Deputy Speaker Lee Ingram Cat Eccles Chris Bloore Chris Vince Cat Eccles Chris Bloore Chris Vince Danny Beales. Alex Barros-Curtis. Lee Barron. Mike Reader. James Naish. Lizzi Collinge. Bayo Alaba. And myself. Keep Keep it straight, straight and steady.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Marvellous. Wet wipes labelling, sale and

**** Possible New Speaker ****

marketing bill. Father of the House. Where? Second Reading. What day?

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Second Reading. What day? Friday the 13th of November.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Friday the 13th of November. Friday the 13th of November. If we're ready, Deputy Chief, we're ready. We now come to the opposition day motion on MoD Bicester and illegal migrant. I inform the House that the speaker has not selected any amendments, and I call the opposition spokesperson to move the motion. Shadow Minister. Joy Morrissey.
12:56
12:57
Joy Morrissey Portrait Joy Morrissey MP (Beaconsfield, Conservative)
-
-
towns, cities and villages across the country. So let me start with a the country. So let me start with a simple question to Labour MPs today. simple question to Labour MPs today. Will they put the interests of women before those of the Labour Party? I have been to Piddington. Party? I have been to Piddington. I've been there twice. The right hon. Friend, the Leader of the hon. Friend, the Leader of the Opposition and our shadow Home Secretary have also been there to speak with the women firsthand.

We all could see clearly that the safety of women and girls in that small village is at risk. A village of 350 people, shortly to have 1300 migrants imposed on them, men who have already broken the law by coming here illegally. Men, I will give way.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I'm grateful. To my hon. Friend, for bringing this motion and opening it in the customary powerful way she is. Piddington has the headlines, but it's not just Piddington, it's also it's not just Piddington, it's also the women in Oakley, in Marsh, Gibbon in Ludgershall, in Brill, in Borstal, in Long Crendon and many Borstal, in Long Crendon and many other villages just over the Buckinghamshire border that are within walking distance of MoD

**** Possible New Speaker ****

within walking distance of MoD Bicester site a. Joy Morrissey. excellent.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Point and it is not just in that area, but it is across the country. It is and it is affecting women and It is and it is affecting women and girls and constituencies everywhere

**** Possible New Speaker ****

girls and constituencies everywhere across the UK. I will give way. To reiterate that that issue that the hon. Gentleman put forward that the hon. Gentleman put forward in his intervention, it's a massive issue illegal immigration and illegal migration in my consisting illegal migration in my consisting of Strangford. My constituents tell me that every day that I'm on the doors. Illegal migrants aren't just a problem for the UK mainland, they're a problem is Strangford across Northern Ireland the. The annoyance amongst my problem.

My concern is that illegal migrants use the ECHR system to bypass the system to be an obstacle. Does the hon. Lady agree with me? It's time for the ECHR to be abolished and

**** Possible New Speaker ****

for those illegal migrants to be sent back home. Thank you, my hon. Friend makes

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Thank you, my hon. Friend makes an excellent point and we will be voting with. We are back in government to leave the ECHR as conservatives because we believe that we want to deport illegal immigrants from the start, from the immigrants from the start, from the moment they arrive and the village of Pittington. Madam Deputy Speaker, of Pittington. Madam Deputy Speaker, it does only have 350 people, but the 1300 migrant men will be a blight on their small village men from cultures where women are treated worse than animals.

Men that the government have decided need a leaflet asking them to not

**** Possible New Speaker ****

rape women and girls. I will give way. I thank you everybody for giving

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I thank you everybody for giving way and I. And I commend her efforts to raise the voices of all people from across this country. So under the Conservatives, my city, Stoke on Trent, has something around 1400 migrants living in the around 1400 migrants living in the dispersed there. That number has come down significantly under this government. So can you tell me which conservative Ministers and which conservative Ministers and maybe herself visited Stoke on Trent in their government time to listen to the voices of that community? Or is it only now she

**** Possible New Speaker ****

cares about the voices when it's politically expedient? Thank you. Well, actually, I went as the PPS for the Prime went as the PPS for the Prime Minister at the time because we held a Cabinet meeting in Stoke on Trent. So actually I was able to see first hand the the issues that see first hand the the issues that the hon. Gentleman has mentioned. So thank you for raising that. It was good to remember that. And and was good to remember that.

And and I did raise this issue about the safety of women and girls. Madam Deputy Speaker, a few weeks ago, when my first oral oral questions to the shadow Minister and I asked two questions very directly, did the government agree that men entering this country illegally from countries such as Eritrea, Afghanistan and Sudan, pose a direct threat to the safety of women and girls? And did the government agree that men who enter Britain illegally and need a leaflet telling them not to rape women and girls should instead be

**** Possible New Speaker ****

deported immediately? I will give way. Grateful to my hon.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Friend giving way. She lists some of the countries Pakistan, Eritrea and. Sudan and Afghanistan and there the top five countries. and there the top five countries. And of course, it's right to talk about national security. And we hear a lot about that over the last few days. But today we are talking about personal security, the personal security of women, of young girls and indeed young boys. And of course, not everybody coming over here illegally would seek to attack, but too many do.

And even when they go to prison because of the ECHR, we're no, we're not able to deport them. So we need to leave the ECHR. We need to secure our

**** Possible New Speaker ****

borders. We need to have a deterrent, and we need. We are a fair minded country. But enough is enough. Yeah.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Yeah. I. Agree with everything my hon. Friend has said and I will echo Friend has said and I will echo those those things in in the speech as we go along. So thank you for as we go along. So thank you for that. Because when when we asked these questions, the legitimate questions raised about women and questions raised about women and girls being under threat, the Minister at the time could not find the answer. And perhaps today the Minister can.

The women of Puddington deserve our thanks in this House because they have made their voices heard, but they are far from alone. The women of Linton on Ouse in North Yorkshire, are worried about the 1200 men about to descend on their community. The women of Barnham in Suffolk, facing 1250 illegal migrant men in their midst. The women in Crowborough in Sussex, who have been working so closely with their excellent local Member of Parliament for Sussex Weald to deal with illegal migrant men already in their community, may I pay tribute to their very hard working local MP, who has been battling a coalition of Greens, Lib Dems, Labour, everyone and the Home Office.

Interestingly enough, in a moment the Home Office, interestingly made an asylum application for 540 asylum seekers, which moved in in January, and now they have extended that application to 2030. And the Member for Sussex Weald has been single handedly battling against the council, battling against the Home Office, and she is at the front lines of this issue. So thank you for raising women and girls voices. I will give way.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I'm extremely grateful to member for giving way. I was making a powerful speech in defence of right powerful speech in defence of right and decency and my constituents and hers. The problem we face, and hers. The problem we face, and she's alluded to it in her remarks enough now, is the whole of the Liberal establishment either can't Liberal establishment either can't see this or won't see it. And at the root of the problem is they the root of the problem is they don't recognise that cultural cultural equivalence doesn't exist.

Some of these people are coming to countries where their values are entirely different from us, where they regard things as acceptable, that we see as either unpalatable or, frankly, horrendous. And the failure to accept that fact underpins the unwillingness to do

**** Possible New Speaker ****

anything about what she just described. So my. Hon. Friend makes an excellent

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Hon. Friend makes an excellent point. And it isn't just their values being different from ours, it is taking advantage of our it is taking advantage of our nature and our culture and our

**** Possible New Speaker ****

values. And I will give way. Thank you. Madam Deputy Speaker. I'm really grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way. She's talking about giving way. She's talking about values and culture. She's already alluded to the fact that she served in the previous government. I wonder what the culture of that government was when boat crossings were at a record high, when the hon. Member for Newark was opening
Feed Live - Click to view video
Return to start of debate - Return to top of page