Oral Answers to Questions

Andy Burnham Excerpts

Wednesday 21st October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 21 October.

[The Prime Minister (Andy Burnham)]

Today we welcome the Sultan of Oman on the occasion of the state visit, which is an opportunity to recognise the deep and historic ties between our countries and the vital role they have played regarding the strait of Hormuz.

As you say, Mr Speaker, today also marks the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster. I am sure that the thoughts of the whole House will be with that community today and with the people of Wales. I visited Aberfan on Monday and heard how the injustices the people suffered at the time and in the aftermath of the tragedy at the hands of the state still hurt. This is a day to recognise that and say sorry for it, but also to celebrate the strength and spirit of the community that has stood together through adversity all of these years.

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

[Clive Jones]

Like you, Mr Speaker, I have recollections of Aberfan and being at primary school myself at that time.

Too many patients are suffering because of treatment delays and having their cancers missed. My private Member’s Bill, the Cancer (Reporting and Strategy) Bill, would require annual reports to Parliament on cancer diagnosis, outcomes and delivery. Will the Prime Minister commit to supporting this Bill to ensure that his Government and all future Governments are held to account by this House for improving cancer diagnosis and outcomes?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and recognise his sincerity and personal experience in this regard. We have a national cancer plan to drive the improvements that he calls for. As part of that, we are also establishing an independent national cancer board, which I will ask to look at his proposal. Last week I met Archie Goodburn, with the Health Secretary, to look at how we can make the UK a world leader in trials for brain cancer treatments. There is huge progress, but we can work with him to deliver more.

[Alex McIntyre (Gloucester) (Lab)]

Q4. When Ian and Emma bought their flat a few years ago, they were told there was a 10-year warranty on its conversion from office buildings. The lift broke down in February this year and it is still not fixed. Emma is disabled, so she relies on that lift and has effectively been trapped in her own home for months. It turns out that the warranty does not cover the lift and residents are being asked for £50,000 to fix it. Will the Prime Minister update the House on when Gloucester residents like Ian and Emma can expect to see his commitment to leasehold reform move forward?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that question. I think we all feel for Emma, given the position she is in. I can give him an assurance that she and many thousands of others up and down the country need wait no longer for leasehold reform. We will bring forward the leasehold reform Bill as soon as possible—hopefully this year.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Leader of the Opposition.

[Mrs Kemi Badenoch (North West Essex) (Con)]

May I associate myself with your remarks, Mr Speaker, and those of the Prime Minister on the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy? We express our heartfelt and continued condolences to that community.

Last week I asked the Prime Minister to stop faffing about, so can I thank him for finally approving the Jackdaw gasfield? [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] I notice that there were no cheers from Members on the Government Benches. The Conservatives first approved Jackdaw in 2022. Rather than fighting the leftie activists who tried to block it, Labour appointed one of them as Energy Secretary. So many jobs lost, and so much time and money wasted. Britain cannot be a serious player on the world stage if the Government dither for two and a half years over approving a single licence. We have the resources, the expertise and the people; what we have lost is the confidence to make tough decisions. Will the Prime Minister now overturn Labour’s ban on all new oil and gas licences?

[The Prime Minister]

Can we get something straight at the start of Prime Minister’s questions today? We have made a decision that the right hon. Lady’s Government messed up. That is why there was the delay: because they did not do the process properly. We have made a pragmatic decision that will allow us to do two things. First, it will allow us to build a bridge to a renewable future, because the resources that come in from this decision will allow us to invest in renewables, bring forward clean energy and, in this Parliament, substantially delink gas and electricity prices so that we can bring bills down. It will also allow us to do more to help people with bills. I can tell the House today that I have asked the Chancellor and the Energy Secretary to look at whether we can remove standing charges from gas bills and to report back to this House at the earliest opportunity.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I was surprised to hear the Prime Minister mention process—it almost felt like Keir Starmer was still standing there. The Prime Minister talks about renewables. Of course we need renewables, but we live in the real world—the world that still depends on oil and gas. If we do not produce it, Britain and Europe will buy it from Russia. In July, the Prime Minister said:

“The question isn’t whether Britain will still be using oil and gas, the question is where does it come from.”

He was right. Does the Prime Minister accept that every barrel of North sea oil that we produce is a barrel that Europe will not buy from Vladimir Putin?

[The Prime Minister]

Can I find a point of agreement with the right hon. Lady? This decision does strengthen our energy security. It will release gas into British homes and British industries, starting in the next few weeks, and it supports us in a difficult time. I appreciate that she wants us to take further decisions that she messed up when she was in government, but can I make something really clear? The reason why they messed up those decisions is because they are quasi-judicial decisions. We will run those decisions properly. The Energy Secretary considered that decision against our climate obligations and concluded that it was consistent, and she will oversee the same process in relation to future decisions.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The Prime Minister says that this decision strengthens our energy security, so that means that he should approve all new oil and gas licences. He blames the process and our decisions, but he is the Prime Minister now, and we are facing a global energy crisis. Drilling more oil and gas in the North sea would give us more energy, more jobs and more tax revenue, which is something we desperately need. There is a red warning light flashing on the economy. Just this morning, total Government borrowing hit £3 trillion, its highest level ever. That is £100,000 for every household in the country. Even the Prime Minister’s former economic adviser, Andy Haldane—not someone I always agree with—has warned that Britain faces a “precarious fiscal backdrop”, so what is the Prime Minister doing to get borrowing down?

[The Prime Minister]

On energy, can I just say to the right hon. Lady that she is displaying for the House and the nation today why the Conservatives got those decisions wrong, because she and they did not give any regard to our climate obligations? These things have to be considered in the round, and they have been considered in the round. That is why the decision the Government have made is the right decision.

On the economy, I am not sure that the right hon. Lady has read last week’s report from the International Monetary Fund, because if she had read it, she would see its clear conclusion that Britain is the stand-out nation for deficit reduction and the joint fastest growing country in the G7. Britain is the country that, only yesterday, saw unemployment down and improved labour market statistics. It is time that the right hon. Lady talked the country up, rather than constantly talking it down.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I asked the Prime Minister how he was getting borrowing down—he did not answer. He is talking about the IMF report. I have looked at it, but I do not think that he has, because it downgrades the forecast for next year. It also talks about deficit reduction plans in 2029, which is after an election. The Government are not going to be here after that election. They have not made any cuts. We are spending more on interest payments than we do on schools, the Army and the police combined. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is worrying about loud music on trains. This is not serious. The only solution to the challenges facing our country is to cut spending and cut borrowing. The out-of-work benefits bill is set to rise by £50 billion under this Labour Government, so will the Prime Minister get a grip and cut the welfare bill?

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Lady asks me about cutting spending. I did exactly that on my first day in office with the digital ID programme, so that we could take action to support people and remove VAT from electricity bills, which is what we have delivered—a tax cut.

The right hon. Lady asks about the big decisions, and I want to come directly back to what she is saying. I am not going to apologise for doing the small things that help people have better lives, but I also take the big decisions that the Conservatives have avoided for many years. Let me go directly to one: social care. I grasped the nettle in a way that nobody on their side ever has. I made a difficult spending decision to lay a path towards a national care service. Have they had the time to read the covid inquiry report yesterday about the appalling state of social care as it went into the pandemic, the hundreds of thousands of British people who suffered as a result of that, and the lives that were lost? I need no lectures from the Conservatives about taking tough decisions on social care. I suggest they go away from this PMQs, read that report and have a period of reflection.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I asked the Prime Minister about welfare—he did not answer the welfare question. That is because he is not planning to cut welfare. This morning, The Telegraph exposed that the reforms he is talking about will not save any money before 2030; in fact, the Prime Minister’s plan is to save money on welfare by spending more money on welfare. This is ridiculous. He is talking about big decisions, but he has not made any decision on social care. Talking about it is not making a decision. He is going to keep spending more, and that means he is going to keep borrowing more. We know where that leads. This morning, inflation rose to 3.5%, the third rise in a row. Families are paying higher bills and more for their weekly shop, and it is leading to higher mortgage rates. Does the Prime Minister accept that his failure to control borrowing is contributing to higher inflation?

[The Prime Minister]

I do not think the right hon. Lady was listening to what I said. I did take a difficult decision to lay a path to the national care service, and it involves a change to the triple lock. I am happy to stand at this Dispatch Box and defend that, because I am confident that we should support older people financially, but with better social care support in later life. That is my decision. I am happy to stand here and defend it. Where is the Conservatives’ decision on social care? When are they going to respond to what the report said yesterday?

On welfare, I will do the same. I do not want to see anybody in their 20s on benefits in this country; I want to see them in work, in training, in education. That is the reform that we will bring forward on the back of the Milburn report. The right hon. Lady mentions inflation. She may notice that there is a situation ongoing in the middle east of which we do not have full control. What I can say to her is that the fundamentals of the British economy are getting stronger and stronger under this Government. We will take the right long-term decisions. She should wait for the Budget, when she will see that laid out in this House.

[Mrs Badenoch]

We are waiting for the Budget, and next week at the Budget the Prime Minister has a choice: he can cut spending, he can cut the deficit or he can cut tax. There is no other way. That is why that is the Conservatives’ plan. It is a plan that even his former economic adviser Andy Haldane says is the better way. Will he follow that plan, or will he bottle it just like Keir Starmer did?

[The Prime Minister]

As I have said, there are signs of growing strength in the British economy. Before the Budget next week, we will have a new book published about the mini-Budget of a few years ago. Opposition Members have gone quiet, because the authors of that mini-Budget are sitting on the Opposition Benches, including the shadow Chancellor. Does anybody on this side or anybody around the country believe that party, of all parties? The Conservatives have the audacity to come to this House and lecture us about how to do a Budget. People in this country—British households—are still paying the price of their disastrous Budget.

[Claire Hanna (Belfast South and Mid Down) (SDLP)]

Q8.   Last week, three-year-old Maryam Ghanem was pulled from her home in Gaza, badly burned, having watched her mother be killed by an Israeli airstrike. On the same day, Irish writer Sally Rooney’s publisher announced that it would stop distributing her books across the UK because she is donating her royalties to Palestine Action, which was proscribed by Keir Starmer’s Government. The Prime Minister has acknowledged that the previous Government’s response to Gaza was inadequate, and his Foreign Secretary, making a powerful move on sanctions last month, has said that those campaigning for change were right, but the proscription remains in place. That has had extraordinary consequences for freedom of expression, including for constituents of mine who are facing terror charges for peaceful protest. Will the Prime Minister commit to reviewing the proscription of Palestine Action and righting this unnecessary wrong?

[The Prime Minister]

We agree that the scenes from Gaza and the west bank are deeply distressing, and that is why the Foreign Secretary has taken the action that he has. We will not stand by when the viability of the two-state solution is threatened, and he has made a further statement in relation to that this week. The proscription of Palestine Action followed a rigorous and evidence-based process that came before this House and was endorsed by Parliament. The matter is a live legal case, so I will not comment further.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the leader of the Liberal Democrats

[Ed Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)]

May I associate myself with your remarks, Mr Speaker, and the remarks of others about the terrible tragedy in Aberfan 60 years ago? Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors, their families, and the whole community there.

I find it amazing to hear the Conservative leader talk about the economy after everything that her party did to wreck it. The single biggest thing that the Prime Minister could do to fix growth is take the UK back into the European single market and the customs union, on which the Conservatives failed the country. That would boost revenues, so we could raise the personal allowance and give everyone a tax cut. When I pushed the Prime Minister last week on a new economic strategy based on trade with Europe, he said no. Is he really saying, after all that he has rightly said about the damage that the Conservatives’ Brexit has done to our economy, that he will wait until after the next election before considering the single market?

[The Prime Minister]

We have ahead of us a UK-EU summit on 20 November. It is an opportunity for the House to come together and get a good deal for food producers, for farmers in this country and for Northern Ireland in relation to energy costs there, as well as, hopefully, more co-operation on illegal migration. It is an opportunity to take an important step back to secure growth in the British economy and more control of migration. I am picking up the message that the right hon. Gentleman will give us that support. We are already working to reduce the risks from the Made in Europe initiative, and we are making good progress there. If the House were to come together—I wait for the party opposite to do so—it would put me in the strongest position to go to that summit and get a good deal for British farmers and British food producers, which is exactly what they need.

[Ed Davey]

We need to grow our economy. Without a proper plan—a more urgent plan—for re-engaging with Europe on trade, next week’s Budget will not be the growth Budget that our country needs.

This week, Ukraine’s defence system was seriously undermined by the US restricting access to Elon Musk’s Starlink system. Musk says that the order came from the White House, but The Telegraph and The Wall Street Journal have revealed that he put the idea to Donald Trump. I understand the Prime Minister’s reluctance to criticise the President of United States, but does he agree that directly aiding Putin in this way is beyond the pale? Will he work with European allies to prevent Elon Musk from obtaining the licences that he wants, because that would make our continent even more dependent on his satellite system?

[The Prime Minister]

Of course I have concerns about any move that diminishes the military capability of Ukraine in the position in which it finds itself. The right hon. Gentleman is right about that, and I am sure that the sentiment is echoed throughout this country, but the situation is currently fragile and needs careful handling. There were talks in Oslo yesterday at which the UK Government were represented. We need to handle the situation carefully so that we can bring back all sides to get the support behind President Zelensky and Ukraine. I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that the UK Government are working on every single level to bring that about.

[Pam Cox (Colchester) (Lab)]

Q9.   Endometriosis affects about 1 in 10 women in the UK, and I have heard from many women in Colchester and north-east Essex who are living in chronic pain with the condition—a pain that is prolonged by unnecessarily long waits for treatment and diagnosis. What steps are the Government taking to speed up access to treatment?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right to raise this condition in the House. I know that women across the country suffer terribly with it, and often feel that they are not seen and not listened to when it comes to the treatment that they need. Our women’s health strategy sets out precisely how we will improve treatment for conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women, including endometriosis. It is about redesigning clinical pathways and removing the need for repeat appointments. There is a lot to do, but I can assure my hon. Friend that this is very high on the Government's agenda.

[Dr Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) (Green)]

The Energy Secretary herself has admitted that Jackdaw will not bring down bills and will create only 27 jobs. The 2024 Labour manifesto said that the climate crisis is the greatest global challenge we face, and the UN has warned today that we are breaching safe climate limits, meaning more of the heatwaves, wildfires and catastrophic floods that killed thousands this summer. Can the Prime Minister explain why he is pouring more fuel on the fire of climate breakdown? Does he disagree with the overwhelming scientific consensus that fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or was the oil and gas lobby simply too difficult to ignore?

[The Prime Minister]

The gas would still be needed; it would just be imported from somewhere else if we did not use our own reserves. In these difficult times, when we have resources, the public would expect us to use them to secure jobs in Aberdeen, and I am sure that people in Aberdeen appreciate what has been announced. There is, however, a big difference between an ideological approach, which is what the hon. Lady is putting to the House, and a pragmatic approach, which is what I am announcing today. The truth of the matter is, the revenue that comes into the Treasury from this decision will enable us to speed up the roll-out of renewables and build towards a clean energy future. In the end, that will help us delink gas and electricity prices and get bills down.

[Imogen Walker (Hamilton and Clyde Valley) (Lab)]

Q12. My constituents should be able to rely on deliveries from Royal Mail, but post is being held up for weeks on end, and it is causing serious issues for far too many people. Will the Prime Minister join me in urging the senior leadership of Royal Mail to do the right thing by my constituents and our postal workers, and put in place a system that works?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right: Royal Mail’s service has been unacceptable for far too long. The leadership have been asked in to see Ministers on a regular basis. Ofcom is looking at the situation as well. Let us be clear: they need to bring forward a plan to restore service standards to the level they need to be at. They need to do it quickly, or we will consider further measures.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

Q2. Last week the Prime Minister struggled to disclose all his dealings with the owners of Manchester City football club, so I ask him this: in September, did he have a meeting scheduled with Khaldoon Al Mubarak?

[The Prime Minister]

I answered the hon. Gentleman last week, and I set it out very clearly in the statement that I made. It was all covered in that statement, and there is no more I need to add.

[Lewis Atkinson (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

Q14.  Waits for NHS mental health care are far too long. Our constituents are 200 times more likely to wait 18 months for help with a mental health condition than for a physical health condition. A key reason is that, for a long time, there have been clear standards set for physical health access that we are all familiar with—four hours for A&E, and 18 weeks for physical health—but such standards have not been set by successive Governments for mental health. Our manifesto promised to reform the NHS to give the same focus and attention to mental health as to physical health. Will the Prime Minister ensure that the forthcoming mental health strategy delivers on that and sets clear standards, to reduce mental health waits for people of all ages?

[The Prime Minister]

The mental health strategy will do precisely that. It will confirm the plan to open 100 new community mental health centres across the country to get mental health support right into communities, and the Health Secretary is ensuring that we also bring forward 59 mental health emergency departments to give same-day support to people experiencing a crisis. I am pleased to say to my hon. Friend that there will be one of each in Sunderland.

[Manuela Perteghella (Stratford-on-Avon) (LD)]

Q3. My constituent Matilda Davis was a wonderful and devoted mum, and a full-time carer for her disabled seven-year-old child. Despite providing round-the-clock care, she received almost no support, leaving her physically and emotionally exhausted. Last October social workers visited Matilda, and she took her own life 15 minutes after they left. She was 36. Research from the University of Birmingham shows that 41% of parent carers have contemplated suicide. Will the Prime Minister meet with me and Matilda’s family to discuss mandatory suicide prevention training for local authorities and other measures, so that no more families suffer such a devastating loss?

[The Prime Minister]

I will ensure that a Minister meets the hon. Lady to discuss that proposal, because I find myself in agreement with it. The right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey) has been very powerful on this point about unpaid carers or family carers who often sink under their responsibilities and find it very, very difficult. Sadly, in the case of Matilda—the hon. Lady’s constituent—it is obviously a devastating situation, so I will arrange that meeting, and I thank her for raising the issue in the House today.

[Michelle Scrogham (Barrow and Furness) (Lab)]

Q15. My constituent Ian has a rare and aggressive form of cancer that is now, sadly, incurable. Clinicians have advised that regorafenib is the only remaining life-extending option. Until recently, the drug was provided free of charge through the compassionate use scheme. Following the Government’s announcement on VAT reform, the developer, Bayer, has withdrawn from the scheme—the only company to do so—leaving Ian with no further options. Ian does not have the luxury of time, so will the Prime Minister urgently commit to ensuring a solution to the VAT issue, to provide Bayer with certainty to rejoin the scheme, and will he meet my constituent to see the real-life impact of these life and death decisions?

[The Prime Minister]

I recognise that Ian is obviously in a very difficult position. I am pleased to say the Exchequer Secretary has announced that we will bring forward a new approach to this issue. We have been working on a solution that will remove VAT as a barrier to free-of-charge donations of innovative medicines. It will be permanent, backdated to 23 June, so that it supports companies to continue to make donations. We will set out the details shortly, and I am sure a Minister will be pleased to meet my hon. Friend, too.

[Sir James Cleverly (Braintree) (Con)]

Q5.  Last week, the Prime Minister was kind enough to pay me a compliment, so let me return the favour. When he was Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Greater Manchester police had more police officers than before he was appointed. When I was Home Secretary, Essex police had more officers than at any point in its history. However, over the last 10 years, the Metropolitan police has failed to recruit, and police numbers have fallen. So what is it that he was able to get right and that I was able to get right, but that Sadiq Khan catastrophically has failed to get right?

[The Prime Minister]

The second round of auditions, Mr Speaker! I saw Essex got a mention this week, but it was still a question about London. I did increase police numbers in my time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, but the right hon. Member will know it is not something you can do from the local level alone; you need Government support as well to do that. Sadly, that support for the Metropolitan police was not forthcoming in sufficient quantity during the period that he was in office—so he cannot come here and absolve himself of any responsibility in his quest to come second to Sadiq next year.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

The Prime Minister will remember that, in 2013, he met me to discuss the hormone pregnancy test drug Primodos, and he has supported the affected families since. One of them is his own constituent Marie Lyon, who has led this fight for decades. More recently, Marie suffered a heart attack—a stark reminder that time is running out for the families who have already waited a lifetime. Now that he is the Prime Minister, will he meet me and Marie to finally deliver the justice that these families deserve?

[The Prime Minister]

I will. Marie Lyon has been an incredible, indomitable fighter for women affected by Primodos. I pay full tribute to her. I was so sorry to hear about her recent illness, but I can say from this Dispatch Box today that, as Prime Minister, I will work with Marie and my hon. Friend to get justice for the Primodos victims.

[Robin Swann (South Antrim) (UUP)]

Q6. The Prime Minister will be aware that the Northern Ireland Executive have now been without an agreed budget for the seven months of this financial year. Is he aware that that means my party colleague Robbie Butler, the Health Minister, has neither the finance nor the legal ability to pay our health and social care workers their agreed pay award for this year, and that they are now balloting for industrial action? Will the Prime Minister work at pace with the Northern Ireland Secretary and the Northern Ireland Executive to get a budget agreed that will deliver for our health and social care workers in Northern Ireland?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman and colleagues will know that I did go to Northern Ireland shortly after coming into office to speak to all parties, including on this very important issue of the budget. I returned here and found more money for Northern Ireland, in a very difficult situation, I have to say, when we are finding more money for defence—despite what the right hon. Member for North West Essex (Mrs Badenoch) says, we will fully fund the defence investment plan. Even in those circumstances, I found extra money. There comes a point when people have to work together to set a budget. It cannot always be our responsibility. We stepped forward and I ask all parties in Northern Ireland to do the same: set a budget and get Stormont functioning as it should.

[Tony Vaughan (Folkestone and Hythe) (Lab)]

My constituent Joe Bennett, who is in the Public Gallery, has not seen his parents Craig and Lindsay Foreman since January 2025, when they were arrested and detained by Iran, and presented with fake charges of espionage. I thank the Foreign Secretary and his predecessors for their work on this case, but will the Prime Minister consider additional action, including a clear public condemnation of their detention as arbitrary and unlawful in international law, and provide them with diplomatic protection, as we have in other cases, to increase the pressure on Iran to bring Craig and Lindsay home?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. and learned Friend is doing a sterling job in speaking up for his constituents. I agree that Lindsay and Craig’s sentence is appalling and unjustifiable. That is why the Foreign Secretary has raised this case directly with his Iranian counterpart. We will continue to pursue the case relentlessly until Lindsay and Craig are safely returned home to the UK and reunited with their family.

[Daisy Cooper (St Albans) (LD)]

Q7.   Three million households are in debt on their energy bills, pushing up everyone’s energy bills by around £50 a year to cover it. As a result, energy companies and Ofgem are ringing the alarm bell that the almost £7 billion of energy debt in this country is now undermining the sector’s ability to make the investments that could lower bills in the long term. Will the Prime Minister be more ambitious than the VAT cut on electricity and reviewing the standing charge on gas, and introduce an essential energy guarantee, where 50% of average use is charged at a cheaper rate permanently, to cut bills and help families and the energy sector to escape Britain’s energy debt crisis?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Lady makes a very strong point. Getting energy bills down, gas and electric, is at the very top of my list of priorities. It matters for households. She described the number of people in debt, which is an appalling situation for so many people to be in. It matters to businesses, too. Businesses are struggling with the cost of energy and to get grid connections. That is why the energy sector needs significant reform, and we will make it. We will go further, on the back of the VAT cut, and we will set out more in due course.

[Sarah Smith (Hyndburn) (Lab)]

Mr Speaker, you will remember that the last Labour Government established children’s trust funds, but sadly around 80,000 children across the country, including my constituent James Gilbert, are unable to access them due to an expensive and bureaucratic courts process for those who lack mental capacity. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that this Government finally fix this problem, which has left our campaigners frustrated for over six years since they first raised it with Ministers?

[The Prime Minister]

I know how important this issue is. Child trust funds for disabled children are crucial, and they need to be unlocked quickly. I will ensure that Treasury Ministers are working with other ministerial colleagues to make progress quickly; hopefully we will have an answer for my hon. Friend soon.

[Edward Morello (West Dorset) (LD)]

Q10.   The Prime Minister has said that he wants growth in every postcode, but current devolution plans mean that West Dorset risks being left behind as other regions gain devolved powers in investment. A Wessex mayor could unlock £460 million in additional annual funding and generate as much as £16 billion of additional economic output over the next 30 years. Will the Prime Minister commit to a mayor of Wessex by 2028?

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, I am always happy to create more mayors. [Laughter.] I am not joking—yes. I would like to see a fully devolved south-west of England. I know Cornish Members were in No.10 North this week to discuss a devolution deal. I met Devon Members this week who are seeking the same. I will offer the same to Wessex Members. Let us move quickly to get a fully devolved Wessex and south-west of England.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

We know the Prime Minister likes a pint—including, as he told me, a pint of Burton’s finest, Bass—so he will be sad to learn of the news from Carlsberg of the planned closure of Marston’s brewery next year. This puts at risk 310 workers and our historic ales, like Bass and Pedigree, being brewed in Burton upon Trent. Will the Prime Minister meet with me to discuss how to safeguard the site and keep it as a brewery?

[The Prime Minister]

I do like a pint—sadly, I am spending less time in pubs these days, but I will certainly make up for that by meeting my hon. Friend and having a chat about the home of brewing in this country, Burton upon Trent. It is a proud tradition. I was sorry to hear about the potential job losses, and we will see what we can do to support my hon. Friend and his constituents.

[Zoe Franklin (Guildford) (LD)]

Q11.   At Guilford’s probation hostel, experienced staff are being refused skilled worker visa sponsorship because their salaries fall below the Government threshold, despite earning over £42,000 when essential overtime is included. I understand from local probation management that this could affect hundreds of staff across the 104 probation hostels in England and Wales at a time when probation services are already under huge pressure from the Government’s early release scheme. The Government have made special visa provision for prison officers, so why not for probation staff, who also protect the public? Will the Prime Minister review these rules urgently before experienced probation staff are lost from the service, which is already stretched to breaking point?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Lady is right that we have to do everything we can to support our staff in the Probation Service right now. I will ask the Justice Secretary to look at those rules and come back to her.

[Dr Zubir Ahmed (Glasgow South West) (Lab)]

One hundred years ago this month, my family’s proud tradition of service and contribution to Britain began when my grandfather, Imam Mohamed, travelled from Indian Punjab to serve in the Royal British Hong Kong police force. Does my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister share my concern that, in the light of ITV’s exposé of elected Reform politicians indulging in racist behaviour, families like them, of whom there are thousands in this country, will wonder who now represents them? Can he reassure me that the Government he leads will make sure that everyone’s contribution is respected and recognised?

[The Prime Minister]

I will always do that, and I pay tribute to the people who work in social care, who cared for my dad, and who come from around the world to provide support to people, and we thank them for their contribution. It is incumbent on all parties represented in this House to root out the politics of poison, which has seeped far too far into our politics. Where unacceptable, racist and discriminatory comments are made, the firmest of action should be taken on the back of those revelations. That should unite us all in this House, and we are still waiting to see the right level of action from the party opposite.

[Sir John Whittingdale (Maldon) (Con)]

Q13. Unlike the Government’s shameful attempts to hand over the sovereignty of the strategically important Chagos islands, will the Prime Minister confirm that this time the Government will strongly oppose the case being made by the Government of Argentina to the international tribunal to try to stop the exploitation of oil reserves around the Falkland Islands, which is authorised by the United Kingdom?

[The Prime Minister]

Indeed we will, and I am happy to make that clear again today. We will take the firmest of action to support the Falkland Islands—the right to self-determination of the islanders, who chose to remain British not so long ago. The Defence Secretary has met his counterparts to reiterate that position, and the Foreign Secretary too. I raised the matter with President Trump. There is no diminution in our strong support to keep the Falkland Islands British.

[Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire) (Lab)]

North West Leicestershire has an out-of-hospital survival rate for cardiac arrest of just 3.5%—roughly a third of the national average. I have been championing greater defib access and hosting CPR training, and last week I hosted the British Heart Foundation, Resuscitation Council UK and Cardiac Risk in the Young, among others, for a roundtable in Parliament. Discussions focused on the importance of CPR education and defib provision and the benefits of heart screening among young people. October is Restart a Heart Month; will the Prime Minister meet me to discuss my mission to improve cardiac arrest survival rates and defib accessibility, and consider how we can reduce the shocking stat of 12 young people dying each week of an unknown cardiac arrest?

[The Prime Minister]

I strongly support my hon. Friend on that issue. Having had the training myself, and having used a defibrillator once before, I know that they save lives. We should commit to ensuring that they are clearly and publicly available in all communities—something that I have long called for—so I would happily work with my hon. Friend on that. The 10-year health plan talks of a shift from hospital to community. The Health Secretary and I are determined to make that a reality, and heart care is a prime example of where we can make a difference.

[David Davis (Goole and Pocklington) (Con)]

This week, The Sunday Times reported on its front page how Ministry of Defence police attempted to prosecute five members of the SAS over bogus allegations made by our enemies. They arrested the soldiers and subjected them to continuous—and frankly incompetent—investigation for three years while they were fighting ISIS on our behalf. That action has travelled like a shockwave through Hereford, destroying morale and undermining one of our best fighting units. Nobody wants to put soldiers above the law, but will the Prime Minister speak to the Defence Secretary and stop British agencies acting with credulous complicity with enemies that are trying to use lawfare against our soldiers?

[The Prime Minister]

I am aware of the high levels of concern among those who served in the SAS, and the right hon. Gentleman has spoken to that. Without going into all the details, I am happy to meet him to discuss the case and see how we can resolve some of the issues that arise from it, giving an assurance to people who served this country that we will have their back and always treat them fairly.

[Mr Speaker]

With the final question, I call Amanda Martin.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

On Monday, the Children’s Commissioner found that Portsmouth is, devastatingly, the 12th hardest place in England to be a child, and the worst place in England to access post-16 education provision. However, Hampshire, the county that we sit in, is one of the best places to be a child. Does the Prime Minister agree that this must be a wake-up call for my Lib Dem city council, and that we must do all we can to ensure that this changes? Portsmouth’s children and young people deserve so much better.

[The Prime Minister]

I agree—they do. That is why we are going deeper than just thinking about how we help people in their 20s or late teens into work; we need to rethink how we support young people in the 21st century in Portsmouth and elsewhere. One of the things is an education system that balances academic and technical education, and that gives young people routes into good jobs. The Education Secretary is working hard on that. I know that that will give all young people in Portsmouth a path to a good life. It is the kind of change that will make a difference, and I look forward to working with my hon. Friend on delivering it.