Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill

Graeme Downie Excerpts

2nd reading
Wednesday 11th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Graeme Downie (Dunfermline and Dollar) (Lab)]

Like my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) said, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Luke Taylor) should never be ashamed of being a geek of any kind. I definitely do not have his knowledge of formulas or anything like that, but I certainly am a self-professed aviation geek who has spent probably far too long sitting at the end of runways watching planes land for hours on end. When I was in high school, I used to cycle with one of my friends who lived close to the end of Edinburgh airport runway to just sit and watch aircraft come in—to the point that one time, the police came along and asked why these two 14-year-olds were sitting at the end of the runway watching aircraft land. I can assure everyone that nothing untoward or illegal was happening—we were just being that sad and geeky. I think that was the problem the police had; they did not believe that that was what two 14-year-olds were intending to do.

[Luke Taylor]

I would challenge the hon. Member’s commitment to aviation spotting if, during university, he did not take a date to the final approach at Heathrow airport and have her observing the flights coming in for a good two hours. He may be a geek, but he is not quite there yet.

--- Later in debate ---

[Graeme Downie]

I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. I will not ask for a second intervention on how that relationship progressed.

Aviation is a critical part of our national story and our economy, as others have said. As an island nation, we rely on the maritime and aviation sectors to get goods and people in and out of our country, so it is clear that aviation must continue to play a role in our future. In Scotland and in my constituency, that includes the movement of products like salmon and whisky, as well as tourists, to and from Dunfermline and the rest of Scotland. However, with aviation expected to become the largest transport sector emitter of carbon by 2040, it is clear that a range of transformational, long-term changes are needed in the sector to make it sustainable.

I recently had the privilege of hosting a sustainable aviation technology showcase in Parliament with companies such as Airbus, Boeing, easyJet, International Airlines Group and others, including some of the ones that have been mentioned. There I saw technological solutions ranging from radical changes to aircraft design to hydrogen-powered aircraft, as well as a number of SAF producers. I have also heard from Edinburgh airport, one of the largest employers in my constituency, of the importance of airspace reorganisation and regulatory changes, all of which will have a role in modernising aviation and reducing the environmental impact. I know that the Minister has been relentless in pursuing all these avenues to improve aviation in the UK, and we should thank him, his officials and the ministerial team for that work and commitment.

For all those people from different parts of the aviation ecosystem, the issue of SAF has been prime. On taking office, this Government took action much faster than many expected with the introduction of the SAF mandate. It obligates companies supplying fuel to airlines operating out of the UK to either incrementally increase the amount of SAF in use or pay a buy-out fee. That mandate started at 2% and will rise to 10% in 2030 and to 22% in 2040. That is the kind of direction and steer that the industry needed, but it will mean nothing if we do not produce SAF in the UK and invest now in the much longer-term plans for third generation SAF to make that a reality here and to make the UK a world leader in this technology, as well as playing a part in the future of our fledgling hydrogen sector.

Developing a strong SAF industry is a major industrial opportunity for the UK, as others have said. The UK can lead the SAF industry with job creation and innovation. At the event I mentioned, Airbus told me that it is committed to enabling 100% SAF capability across its aircraft production by 2030. According to the Back British SAF campaign, there is potential for over 10,000 jobs in the UK by 2030 and 60,000 jobs by 2050, a number of which would be in Scotland and in my constituency, as well as in the constituencies of other Members across the country. In due course, I hope that some of that might include investment in different parts of the SAF infrastructure in Fife, with proximity to Edinburgh airport and excellent sea, road and rail links.

For these and other reasons, I am delighted to see the Bill come forward. It clearly sets out the revenue certainty mechanism and the framework for setting a strike price that will support businesses and investment cases to make SAF a reality in the UK. It also establishes the route for funding via a levy on suppliers, along with enforcement and oversight.

I hope the Minister might respond in his summing up to a few specific points, some of which have been mentioned by colleagues. Under clause 1, what process does he intend to use to shape precise price points for producers and to calculate the market reference price? Clause 11, on financial penalties, contains provision to amend amounts in the light of inflation. Are those the only circumstances in which penalty amounts can change? Under clause 14, what oversight does he envisage if financial assistance is required to ensure value for money?

Clear and stable policy frameworks like this SAF Bill will be essential to unlocking private investment, accelerating SAF supply chains and positioning the UK as a global leader in the net zero transition, but the pace at which the legislation is introduced will be key, so will the Minister consider what steps he can take to accelerate the creation of a successful SAF industry here in the UK? As my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Euan Stainbank) asked earlier, will the Minister begin work to create strike price contracts so that they are ready as quickly as possible when the legislation is passed? Will he consider moving the start date for the revenue mechanism forward to allow projects to get started as quickly as possible?

The Bill will be a significant part of the future of British aviation, British industry and British growth. I look forward to seeing its progress through the House.

Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill

Graeme Downie Excerpts

Committee of the whole House
Tuesday 3rd September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Graeme Downie (Dunfermline and Dollar) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am delighted to make my maiden speech today as the first MP for the new constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar. It is a privilege to follow the hon. Member for Bicester and Woodstock (Calum Miller), and I would like to congratulate all MPs who have made such fantastic and powerful maiden speeches this afternoon. With such a high turnover of MPs, the calibre of the speeches I have heard since the election should give everyone a sense of optimism about the future and what this Parliament can achieve.

I believe I must start my speech with a particular tribute, and so I shall. They are known for being colourful and preening, strutting around like they own the place, and expecting to be waited on hand and foot by a fantastic team of underpaid and overworked staff. They demand honours, and they disappear without permission whenever the mood takes them. In the past century, their names have included Andrew, Malcolm and Angus, and I am even told that some individuals have been found in bushes in a horrible state. No, these are not my honourable predecessors. They are not even Members of the other place. Instead, they are the names of just some of the peacocks that reside in the beautiful surroundings of the Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline, and that only last week were awarded the freedom of the city.

I am sure that my immediate predecessors for the seats that now make up the constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar will not object to being upstaged by the peacocks, but I would like to place on record my thanks to both Douglas Chapman, the Member for Dunfermline and West Fife from 2015 until retiring prior to the election, and John Nicolson, the Member for Ochil and South Perthshire. Douglas and John worked hard on behalf of their constituents in the best and truest tradition of public service, and I wish them well.

I would also like to thank my immediate predecessor from the Labour party, Thomas Docherty. Thomas is still known by many in this House, and we should remain grateful to him for first proposing the idea of recalling MPs, although I suspect that gratitude is perhaps felt by me and some of my colleagues rather than by some of the Members opposite.

My “Aww, Dad” sense of humour is something I was accused of having long before I had children, and where better than a debate on railways to put some of that reputation to the test. So I will steam ahead with my remarks and do my utmost to stay on track, hoping to reach my destination on time and not come up against the buffers of your patience, Madam Chair.

I have never served in the armed forces, but I was raised in a family that did. Much of the sense of public service that I hope to bring to my contribution to this House is rooted in the values of the members of my family who have done so. My grandma, Margaret Delworth, was a plotter for the RAF during the battle of Britain, with the air raid sirens next to her playing a part in the deafness she suffered later in life. My grandpa served in the Royal Signals in campaigns in north Africa, Italy, including at Monte Cassino, and later with the UN in Korea. My parents, Jim and Cathy, were both members of the Royal Observer Corps—indeed, that was where they met—and I am very proud that they are in the Public Gallery today.

When I was six, my parents took what I now realise must have been an incredibly brave decision: to move our family to Berlin, where we lived on RAF Gatow for three and a half years. Many of my early memories are from there, and it has shaped the rest of my life: I played football with FC Westend, a German club based nearby; the death of Rudolf Hess was historic but meant I got a day off school; and the defection of a Soviet general saw my sister locked in the cellar of an air traffic control tower for hours—Helen has always been a very supportive older sister, but I would be lying if I said that there have not been times when I wished she had been left there just a little longer.

But it was an early November morning in 1989 that truly shaped my politics. I was woken at 2 am by my dad, who sat me down in front of a German TV channel and proclaimed, “This is history.” I watched as tens of thousands of people scaled the Berlin wall, heralding the beginning of the end of the cold war and moves towards a united Germany. The events of 1989 taught me that oppression is not, cannot and never will be either acceptable or effective, and neither should it be tolerated.

I want to take this opportunity to add to the sentiment across this House that the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to fight the aggression of Vladimir Putin. He might hold the honorific of “president”, but a dictator is a dictator, as many before have warned from these Benches.

It is that history—that privilege of observing good triumphing—that makes me immensely proud to be serving the constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar. The area has a proud military history and, with the Royal Navy base HMS Caledonia, that continues to this day. The firth of Forth was a regular home to the grand fleet, and throughout the 20th and 21st centuries the ships and sailors that protected us then and continue today have called that part of west Fife their home.

This allows me to mention Rachel Squire, who some might remember was the Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife before her sad death in 2006. She led the successful battle to save the dockyard at Rosyth, which remains a vital and major asset to the local economy and our community. I visited the dockyard just last week to see the progress on the construction of the first two Type 31 frigates and was impressed by the talented and dedicated workforce who build and maintain the warships that keep our country safe. As the world continues to look to Britain for leadership and security, we must never forget the communities and workers who are the backbone of a deterrent and strength that so many depend on.

I am afraid I will now return to the bad puns as we ride the rails again from Rosyth to Dunfermline, Scotland’s ancient capital. Close to Pittencrieff Park and the preening peacocks we find Dunfermline abbey, the resting place of Scotland’s king and queens, including Robert the Bruce, and the birthplace of Charles I. Close by is the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, the great Scottish businessman and philanthropist, who valued and promoted industry, innovation and education with a global view of Scotland and the UK. His legacy of libraries and education is strongly felt in Dunfermline and around the world, and nowhere more so than in the United States, in institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. However, a local historian told me that after Andrew’s death his widow employed a certain Mary Anne MacLeod as a domestic servant in her home in New York—answers on a red baseball cap for why I might not want to dwell on that connection too much.

As I continue my journey, poor rural transport sadly means that a replacement bus service is required as I take us to Dollar, a beautiful village at the foot of the Ochil hills. I held an excellent surgery there this weekend and I am very tempted to return this weekend for the village’s annual beer festival—I note that beer has been a theme in many of the maiden speeches we have heard since the election. Dollar is most famous for Dollar academy, and despite cordial disagreements over certain aspects of the Labour party manifesto, I am very grateful for the excellent work it does with the local community and schools in the area to share its learning and experience.

Travelling back towards Dunfermline, we will find the railway tracks once again. These tracks transported coal from the mines in nearby villages such as Oakley, Comrie, Valleyfield, Saline and Steelend, and were more recently used by the former Longannet coal power station near Kincardine. As the Member for a constituency with a proud history of mining, I was delighted to stand on a manifesto that will end the injustice of the mineworkers’ pension scheme.

At this point, I will mention just one more of my predecessors, Gordon Brown, who was elected as the Member for Dunfermline East in 1983. In preparing my speech today, I read his incredible first contribution to this House. I urge others to do the same, as it was a powerful speech focused on the need to tackle unemployment. With this new Labour Government investing in green jobs, manufacturing and infrastructure, we will have the opportunity to make the constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar and sites such as Longannet drivers of the Fife, Scottish and UK economies once again, tackling unemployment by establishing new industries and expertise that will help the global fight against climate change.

I began this speech by talking about the contribution of family and my optimism for the future, and I will begin winding up in the same vein. First, I want to take a moment to thank my wife, Jen. It is very simple: without her love and support, I would not be standing here today. We have heard about the importance of family in maiden speeches from Members from all parts of the House. All Members of this House will be aiming to make even the smallest contribution to creating a better community, a better country and a better world for our own families and future generations. I want my two daughters, Hannah and Eilidh, and all children, regardless of where and how they started their life, to be able to grow up in a world where the opportunity exists for their own aspirations and ambitions to be met, nurtured, supported and fulfilled. That is something we have heard powerfully in speeches this afternoon. As the Dunfermline-born author Iain Banks wrote,

“the future remains malleable and retains the possibility of change”.

Those are wise words that I will try to remember as I work across the House to create that better future.

[The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means (Judith Cummins)]

I call Rebecca Smith to make her maiden speech.