Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

Thursday 15th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Cat Smith]

The Electoral Commission will shortly be publishing its report on the local government elections in May. It will include data collected by returning officers, but also public polling to catch the people who did not get as far as the polling station. The issue of equality impact assessments is a matter for the Government, and I would encourage the hon. Lady to raise it during the upcoming questions to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

[Mr Speaker]

I must now suspend the House for two minutes.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

Tuesday 6th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

When will the Government announce capital funding for the new hospital in Lancaster: before or after 2030?

[Mr Speaker]

And Chorley, of course.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

Thursday 1st December 2022 Commons Chamber

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

3. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the voluntary sector in delivering youth services.

[Mr Speaker]

Welcome back, Minister.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

Monday 8th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I remind Members to put their masks back on if they can. I am sure that those who have not done so have a certificate, because they would not want to put the rest of us at risk.

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

What recent assessment she has made of disabled people’s experience of the personal independence payment application process.

Japan Free Trade Agreement

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

Monday 14th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am sorry about that. We are going to go to Cat Smith.

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

Once the details of this trade deal are published, the Japanese Parliament will get the opportunity to debate and vote on it. Will the Secretary of State be clear about whether parliamentarians in both Houses of this Parliament will get the same rights as our Japanese colleagues?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

Monday 18th May 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We go over to the wonderful county of Lancashire and Cat Smith.

[Cat Smith [V]]

Will the Minister ask local authorities to report on the extent to which landlords are passing on the grants to tenants, because it is not just in Lancaster and Fleetwood that we are seeing widespread evidence that that is not occurring?

Early Parliamentary General Election Bill

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Cat Smith

3rd reading: House of Commons & Committee: 1st sitting: House of Commons
Tuesday 29th October 2019 Commons Chamber

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

I beg to move amendment 2, page 1, line 2, leave out “12” and insert “9”.

This amendment would change the date of the proposed general election to Monday 9 December.

[The Chairman of Ways and Means (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Government amendment 14.

Clause stand part.

Clause 2 stand part.

Amendment 3, title, line 1, leave out “12” and insert “9”.

This is a consequential amendment.

[Cat Smith]

The Prime Minister came to office promising to deliver Brexit by 31 October, and he has failed. He has shown his utter incompetence, and he simply cannot be trusted. We have consistently said that we will support a general election once a no deal is absolutely off the table and when a date can be fixed in law. After lengthy denial by the Prime Minister, we have now reached that point, which is why the time is right for a Labour Government and real change.

The purpose of any general election is to allow the largest possible number of people to participate and have their say on the future of the country. Up to 9.5 million people in Great Britain are not correctly registered to vote. Young people are less likely to be registered, with almost a third of people aged 18 to 34 missing from the electoral roll. This means their views and interests are being under-represented.

The Government know they are less likely to do well in elections when lots of people are registered to vote, which is why they have done nothing to tackle this issue. The Prime Minister even tried to fix the date of the general election to make it harder for students to take part. Students must not be disfranchised by an election date that will not allow them to vote at their term-time address—the address at which they live for the majority of the year, and at which they rightly should be able to vote. Labour’s amendment to fix the date of the general election for 9 December is the best possible way of ensuring the next election is accessible.

We can do better than that, which is why we would have supported, had they been selected, the amendments to expand the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds and to EU citizens with settled status. We recognise their contributions to our society, and they should have a right to vote on their future as well.

Whatever date the House decides the election will be held on, the Labour party is ready to get rid of this Tory Government, who have pushed our public services into crisis. We are ready to put forward our vision for a different kind of country: a country where people get the care they need, from a properly funded NHS; a country where everyone, regardless of their family background, gets the education they need to do well in life; a country where regions that have been held back get the investment they need and a chance to rebuild after a decade of neglect; a country where homelessness is a thing of the past, and everyone can access safe and affordable housing; and a country that is led by a Prime Minister that puts the control of Brexit back in the hands of people in a new referendum, with a real choice between a leave deal and remain.

Labour is the only party that can, and will, let the people decide on Brexit. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to rebuild and transform our country, which is why I urge this House to support this amendment, to ensure that this election is as accessible as possible.