Business of the House

Rachel Hopkins Excerpts

Thursday 15th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

Order. Members should be aware that I am seeking to finish business questions by around 12.30 pm, so please keep questions short and succinct.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

I want to take this opportunity to publicly praise Luton Town football club for calling out racist online comments directed at several of its black players and, earlier this week, at its assistant manager, Chris Powell, following Luton’s great win over Stevenage. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning those who express these racist and prejudicial views online, and will he make time for a statement on the progress of the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 in this regard?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in condemning the views that she described. There is absolutely no place for hatred of any kind in our society. Real progress has been made in football in general and at many football grounds, and it is a pity that she has to continue to raise these matters. I join her in praising Luton Town football club for doing its part in fighting racism, along with all the other football clubs that take the matter extremely seriously. She may wish to raise her concerns directly with Ministers at the next Department for Science, Innovation and Technology questions, which are on 4 February.