Oral Answers to Questions

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

Wednesday 21st October 2026 Commons Chamber

[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?

--- Later in debate ---

[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?

--- Later in debate ---

[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.