Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Twist Excerpts

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Kenneth Stevenson (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)]

3. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Scotland.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

6. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Scotland.

[Mike Reader (Northampton South) (Lab)]

9. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Scotland.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Alexander]

Of course, North Lanarkshire has been at the heart of Scottish manufacturing for many decades. Since 2019, it has actually grown faster than the national average in Scotland, due to its highly skilled workforce and ambitious local development plans. I am delighted that large US companies such as CoreWeave have recognised that potential, with CoreWeave having invested £1.5 billion in North Lanarkshire’s growing AI infrastructure. I can assure my hon. Friend that North Lanarkshire has a strong advocate and supporter in the UK Government—we are determined to fulfil that potential.

[Liz Twist]

Buses are hugely important to our communities and our transport network, so it is vital that Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis Ltd and its supply chain, including Dellner Glass in Consett in my constituency, are supported. It has taken the SNP First Minister over a year to recognise that. Can the Secretary of State set out how he is working with other Departments to ensure that jobs and the company not only survive, but thrive?

[Mr Alexander]

Of course, I warmly welcome the decision to keep Alexander Dennis’s Falkirk and Larbert sites operational. That will be a huge relief to the talented workforce, not just in those parts of Scotland, but at Dellner Glass and other parts of the supply chain. I recently met the president and managing director of Alexander Dennis, Paul Davies, to discuss its strategic plans and the growth of UK bus manufacturing, and I am also supporting the positive progress made by the Department for Transport’s UK bus manufacturing panel—the first of its kind—which brings industry leaders such as Alexander Dennis together with metro mayors to support manufacturing, boost regional economies and create jobs.

Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Twist Excerpts

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am going to get an update from the Chancellor on Grangemouth in just a minute. The right hon. Gentleman is clearly not interested in Grangemouth. I would have thought, on a day like this, that he would want to welcome the £120 million investment into Grangemouth. It is a landmark investment protecting 500 jobs there and hundreds more across Scotland’s supply chain, and he cannot even bring himself to mention it. That is on top of the Typhoon defence jobs in Edinburgh and the shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde. After decades of SNP rule, its Members are totally out of ideas and they cannot even welcome the Grangemouth news. Scotland deserves change next year with Anas Sarwar.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

Q5. In 2020, my constituents John and Karen Rowlands lost their son Andrew in a road collision. He was just 18 years old and a passenger. Like too many others, the driver of the car should never have been on the road. He was under age, unlicensed and uninsured, and he bought the car on social media using cash. Can the Prime Minister tell me how bereaved families like the Rowlands can have a meaningful say on our road safety strategy to ensure that the right checks are in place to prevent future tragedies?

[The Prime Minister]

May I send the condolences of the whole House, I am sure, to Andrew’s family? It is an awful case and every life that is lost to dangerous driving is a tragedy. The range of measures that we are taking to protect young drivers include penalties for driving uninsured and unlicensed, and measures to reduce the risks posed by unroadworthy vehicles. On her constituents being able to have an influence, I would be very happy to set up an appropriate meeting for them.

Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Twist Excerpts

Wednesday 10th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Let me tell the House what we are doing. We are working with the former President of the National Farmers Union, Baroness Minette Batters, to review farm profitability—that is the key issue. We are delivering the 25-year farming road map, and we have struck a deal with the EU, which is of great benefit to farmers, and which of course the Conservatives say they will reverse. That is on top of the £5 billion that we put into farming in our last Budget.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. It can be scary to talk about suicide, but we need to. So many of our constituents will know or love someone who has taken their own life, or they may have suicidal thoughts themselves. But suicide is not inevitable; it is preventable, and everyone has a role to play in saving lives. Will the Prime Minister reaffirm the Government’s commitment to preventing deaths by suicide and say how they are tackling this vital issue?

[The Prime Minister]

May I start by thanking and paying tribute to my hon. Friend for her work as my Parliamentary Private Secretary for the past 14 months? She has worked tirelessly and with huge commitment and respect across the whole of this House.

I think that suicide prevention matters to everybody in this House. I will reaffirm our commitment and I will work across the House with all Members to deal with suicide prevention.

Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Twist Excerpts

Thursday 24th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ms Julie Minns (Carlisle) (Lab)]

3. What steps he is taking to strengthen emergency preparedness.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

16. What steps he is taking to strengthen emergency preparedness.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Ms Abena Oppong-Asare)]

The Government are introducing a range of measures to strengthen our emergency preparedness. We hold regular cross-Government planning exercises for a range of scenarios. Later this year, we will undertake a pandemic response exercise, and we will also undertake a national test of our emergency alert system. Next week, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will open the new UK Resilience Academy, which will train over 4,000 people a year.

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

This is an issue that I recognise, and I reassure my hon. Friend that my colleagues in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working very closely with telecoms companies and Ofcom to ensure that consumers are protected throughout the public switched telephone network migration. As she mentioned, that will include provisions to protect access to emergency services during power outages.

[Liz Twist]

Local resilience forums such as Northumbria LRF and Durham and Darlington LRF, which cover my constituency, play a very important role in identifying potential risks and supporting our local communities. Can the Minister tell the House how the Government are working with these local forums, and how they will ensure that their insights feed into the Government’s planning and preparation for risks such as pandemics?

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

I thank my hon. Friend for her important question. The Government recognise the importance of local resilience forums and the role they play in boosting resilience in places and communities. I hope she feels reassured that I have met all local resilience forums across England to discuss their concerns, and I have also met businesses to talk about the importance of local resilience. We will continue to work closely with local resilience forums, including Northumbria LRF in her local area, to plan and prepare for a broad range of risks, including pandemics.