Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jon Trickett and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 19th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I know the right hon. Gentleman feels strongly about this issue. As he says, the Government are neutral on the passage of the Bill. It is a matter of conscience; there are different and respected views across Parliament, and it is for Parliament to decide in the end on any changes in this Chamber. Scrutiny of the Bill in the Lords is a matter for the Lords, but the Government have a responsibility to ensure that any legislation that passes through Parliament is workable, effective and enforceable.

[Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth) (Lab)]

Q3. When the Conservatives were in government, they said that they would level up the country, but in fact they left the country divided. Austerity, de-industrialisation and stagnant wages all ripped the heart out of mining communities like the ones I represent. Everywhere we can see the legacy that the Conservatives left. How can it be right that the hard-working, loyal people in my constituency earn £400 a week, or £20,000 a year, less than people who live in Kensington? Will the Prime Minister declare that it is the Government’s moral purpose to eliminate economic injustice—starting, in the Budget next week, with an announcement of massive investment in the north, and wherever else poverty and low pay raise their heads?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. [Laughter.] Conservative Members laugh, but working people paid a very heavy price for 14 years of economic failure. Austerity damaged the economy and decimated public services; the botched Brexit deal stifled growth; and the reckless borrowing of the mini-Budget saw mortgages and the cost of living soar.

My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. We are determined to tackle inequality; he will be pleased to know that under this Government, wages are up, but we need to do more. We have had a pay increase for the 3.5 million lowest-paid, and the Chancellor will deliver a Budget based on Labour values.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jon Trickett and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 10th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am very sorry to hear about the case that the hon. Gentleman raises, and I am sure that the thoughts of the whole House will be with the friends and family of the constituent that he referenced. Indeed, our thoughts are with all those affected, particularly farmers, and I want to join him in thanking our firefighters, who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe. We have provided Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue authority with an increased budget of almost £75 million, but I will ensure that he gets the meeting he has asked for to ensure that we can properly support our firefighters and protect our farmland.

[Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth) (Lab)]

Q8. This morning, I spoke to the parents of a young man who is unemployed in my constituency. There are 20 people on the dole in my area for every job that is advertised. Unemployment is a personal crisis and a social crisis. Will the Prime Minister join me in reminding the House that unemployment is not a price worth paying, which the Conservatives clearly believe, and will he indicate that he will break with the failed economic orthodoxy that suggests that such a thing is true?

[The Prime Minister]

I am pleased that the employment rate is up, that inactivity is down and that we have created over 380,000 jobs since we have been in power. Going further, I know that my hon. Friend, as a proud Yorkshireman, will welcome the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield airport just yesterday, which was made possible by the decisions we have made. That is a Labour mayor working with a Labour Government to create jobs across the country.