Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Holden Excerpts

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Shadow Secretary of State, I welcome you to your new position.

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

Thank you very much indeed, Mr Speaker. I also thank the Secretary of State for her welcome last night, and welcome the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Selby (Keir Mather) to his new role.

I associate myself with the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Broadland and Fakenham (Jerome Mayhew) regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday. He was a champion of freedom of speech and open debate, and I know hon. Friends and Members from across the House all want to see politicians disagreeing well. On the subject of disagreeing well, I will come to my questions.

Fundamental to economic growth is a functioning transport system, but faced with tax hikes and inflation-busting fare rises people will find the Secretary of State’s comments difficult to believe—ASLEF strikes on CrossCountry, our capital city hammered with tube strikes and bus drivers striking tomorrow. Next weekend, Manchester will see the biggest strikes in years, followed closely by strikes in Luton, Milton Keynes, Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead, Preston and even, Mr Speaker, Chorley. Sir Sadiq Khan says that strikes in London are nothing to do with him. The Department for Transport, Downing Street and the whole Labour Government say that they are nothing to do with them, despite many of the unions on strike being Labour’s multimillion pound funders. So I ask the Transport Secretary, will anyone, anywhere in the Labour Government stand up for passengers facing an autumn of discontent?

[Mr Speaker]

Before the Secretary of State answers, I say to the right hon. Gentleman that welcoming the shadow Secretary of State does not mean that he can then have an essay to portray one question! [Laughter.]

[Heidi Alexander]

Let me congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on his appointment. I know he has experience as a Transport Minister. And, of course, he had extensive experience of travelling the length and breadth of the country before the last election searching for that rarest thing, a Tory safe seat. [Laughter.]

On the substantive point, I of course recognise the frustration of the travelling public about strikes. The Mayor of London is completely right to have called for the RMT—the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers—to get back around the table with Transport for London to find a resolution to the dispute. May I caution the right hon. Gentleman, though? He might wish not to adopt such an indignant tone, because when he was at the DFT there was a rail strike one day in every 10. In fact, under the Tory Government, we saw the highest number of total strike days for any 19-month period since the 1980s. Forgive me, I will not be taking any lectures from him on industrial relations.

[Mr Holden]

I have obviously followed the Secretary of State’s lead; I believe she had a constituency once upon a time in south London, but now represents Swindon. It is great to have that leadership there.

Growth requires investment, which Labour is cutting as it gives billions in no-strings-attached pay rises to train drivers. We have already seen a 50% increase in the bus fare cap, and just last week we saw the draft road programme published, with investment down 13% in real terms on the past five years. Labour is delaying schemes and cancelling vital upgrades like the A303 entirely, with hundreds of millions of pounds wasted. As ever, 90% of journeys take place on roads. Can the Secretary of State name one thing this Government have done for the millions of motorists who drive petrol or diesel cars?

[Heidi Alexander]

We have frozen fuel duty—that is what we have done. We have also invested £1.5 billion this year to fix potholes—a record amount of money—which will fix the equivalent of 7 million extra potholes.

I also say gently to the right hon. Gentleman that I am a very proud representative of my home town in Swindon. Searching around the country for a safe seat was not something that I indulged in.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

When we next have transport questions, the Budget will be just days away, so can the Transport Secretary rule out any of the following—increased duty on fuel or flights, VAT on private hire, increasing the insurance premium tax or raising rail fares above inflation? If she will not, has she at least spoken against any of these measures in Cabinet or to the Chancellor since she took up her role?

[Heidi Alexander]

I know the importance of affordable public transport to people in Britain. I know the importance of the fuel duty freeze that we brought in last year. I assure the right hon. Gentleman that I will have conversations across Government to protect businesses and the travelling public.