Business of the House

Bell Ribeiro-Addy Excerpts

Thursday 15th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The total funding settlement for the police for 2026-27 provides up to £21.2 billion for police forces, for counter-terrorism policing and for wider systems, but it is important that that money finds its way to the frontline, particularly in town centres. What the hon. Gentleman has said will echo with other town centres. It is important that we use that money to get extra neighbourhood officers on patrol. I hope that his local council and his local police force have heard what he has said, because they have a crucial role to play. If they are getting the resources that they need, there are no excuses; they need to get on and use them to make sure that people feel safe in their town and village centres.

[Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill) (Lab)]

I chair the all-party parliamentary group for Afrikan reparations, and this Saturday 17 October will be our fourth annual conference. It has been an eventful year in the global campaign: the UN declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity; the King referred a petition from Jamaica to the Privy Council; and a UK representative even spoke at a UN General Assembly side event on restitution. However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office still has not accepted our invitation to address the conference. Given the changing global landscape and the likely focus at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government summit on reparations, will the Leader of the House encourage his colleagues to send a Minister or at least to let us know when we might expect a slightly changed statement on the Government’s evolving position on reparatory justice?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The Government’s position on reparations—I saw what happened, in particular with the petition that came from Jamaica—has not changed. However, I will take away my hon. Friend’s request to see whether the FCDO can provide a Minister, because it is important that we work together, even if some people will not necessarily want to hear what the Government have to say.