Christmas Adjournment

Nusrat Ghani Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. Being called early, as he has a flight to catch, is Jim Shannon.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I am going to struggle to get everybody in, and interventions do not help. I call Alex Mayer.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

The good news is that I can get you all in; the bad news is that there is a speaking limit of two minutes.

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[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

People across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages are looking forward to a very merry Christmas. In the run-up to the big day, many will have enjoyed opening Christmas cards from friends and loved ones—well, they would have done if the cards had arrived. For far too many people across my area, the post simply does not arrive.

The Christmas period is a busy time for letters, so let me be clear: this is not a seasonal issue in Lichfield and Burntwood. Residents have been telling me about serious problems with deliveries from Royal Mail for months. Constituents have gone weeks without mail before receiving a huge bundle of delayed letters all at once. Households tell me that they regularly receive mail only once a week or fortnight—and, in some cases, only once every three weeks. Constituents have missed jury service or court hearings because summonses have not come; they have missed hospital and GP appointments because the invitation and reminder arrived three days after the appointment; they have been fined for late payment of credit card bills that they had never received; or they are waiting for vital letters from their banks with debit cards or pin details.

Royal Mail has clear delivery targets: 93% of first-class letters delivered by the next working day, 98.5% of second-class letters delivered in three working days and 99% of delivery routes to be completed six days a week. In my area, those targets are a joke—we are nowhere near that. I have been writing to Royal Mail about these issues for months and working closely with the Communication Workers Union. I want to take this opportunity to make it clear that none of this is the fault of hard-working posties. They are doing a brilliant job and doing as much as they can, and I want to thank them this Christmas. No, this is on Royal Mail.

Royal Mail has been consistently slow in dealing with my requests and, when it has got back to me, it has batted away my concerns and claimed “There’s nothing to see here.” It has finally admitted that there is a problem, but I am eager to know what action it is going to take in the new year to fix it in the long term for the people of Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages.

In my remaining 10 seconds, I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, all the House staff, and every right hon. and hon. Member for their support this year. I wish everybody a very merry Christmas.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Marie Goldman (Chelmsford) (LD)]

I would like to start by saying a big thank you to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, to Mr Speaker and to all your Deputy Speaker colleagues for all your hard work over the year. I also thank all the House staff and parliamentary staff, without whose amazing work and organisation we simply would not be able to do our jobs. It has been wonderful to listen to this afternoon’s debate and especially to hear the pride with which hon. Members from across the House have been speaking about their constituencies.

As many of us look forward to spending more time with our loved ones over the Christmas period, I find myself looking back over 2025 and reflecting on all the amazing people I have visited in my constituency. What strikes me is something very simple: none of the organisations that I visited would be anything without the people working in them and, more often than not, volunteering for them. In every constituency, there are people who give up their free time to help others. That is something to celebrate, to champion and to shout about, especially at this time of year. If you will indulge me, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will share a few highlights based on my visits to some wonderful charities in my Chelmsford constituency and further afield.

In January, I spent a cold and blustery winter’s morning with the dedicated Chelmsford Litter Wombles. This is a fabulous group that turns out all year round in large numbers to help keep our streets, verges, parks and everywhere else in between free from litter. Rather than complaining about unsightly rubbish and pointing a finger to say it is someone else’s problem, they roll up their sleeves, quite literally, and get stuck in.

In March, I visited Open Road, a crucial drug and alcohol support service operating across Essex and Medway. Hearing about the important, often lifesaving work that they do with people with addiction problems was incredibly heartwarming. I was delighted to attend a reception in Parliament recently celebrating the work that they do, and crucially hearing directly from some of the many people they have helped, some of whom are now volunteering themselves to help others.

In April, I visited the brilliant Independence Project. This great little organisation in Chelmsford provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities and autism to achieve independence. The team do an amazing job supporting those who are perhaps less fortunate by giving them the skills and opportunities they need to lead rich and fulfilling lives.

There are so many more voluntary organisations that I have met in Westminster and beyond who are doing fabulous work on a national level. I am privileged to be taking part in a new initiative called the parliamentary knowledge scheme for frontline services, which is a crucial opportunity for MPs to hear at first hand from the emergency service organisations that rescue us in our hour of need. So far, we have spent time with the amazing Royal National Lifeboat Institution, hearing about the bravery of their volunteer crews who go out in all weathers, all year round, and at any time of the day or night to help those in distress at sea.

An organisation with which I have a personal connection is Mountain Rescue England and Wales. I say that because the service saved my life when I fell from height in Scotland a few years ago. If it were not for the actions of the service’s heroic volunteers, I may not have been here today. While we tuck into our Christmas dinners, or snuggle up on the sofa for some festive viewing, many of those selfless volunteers will be on call, ready to help those in need.

In conclusion, I ask all Members from across the House to spare a thought for all those continuing to help others over the festive period. I encourage everyone to hold their loved ones tight, to raise a glass to those not with us and to celebrate in style the dawning of a new year. Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Deputy Leader of the House.

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[Bob Blackman]

With the leave of the House, I thank the other 25 Back Benchers and the three Front Benchers who have contributed, who have made this such an interesting debate for all those who have sat through all of it. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for managing the debate so that we actually got everyone in who wished to contribute. It remains for me to wish Mr Speaker, the Deputy Speakers, the whole House, all our staff and everyone who makes this place tick a very Merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah and a happy, peaceful, prosperous and, above all else, healthy new year.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House has considered matters to be raised before the Christmas adjournment.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

With the leave of the House, I would like to put on record my thanks and pay tribute to all the House staff, the Doorkeepers, the Clerks, the staff in the Ways and Means office—Abi Samuels, James Holland and Emily Pullen—my constituency staff, who enable me to do my job, Pavlina Aburn, Alison Dobson, Conor, Abi, Asja and Bob. I wish everyone in my constituency and everywhere a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.