Business of the House

Wendy Morton Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I pay tribute to the staff and pupils at Seaton Delaval first school for their hard work, and thank my hon. Friend for her question. It is important that young people are at the heart of decisions that affect their lives; that is why we recently published the national youth strategy, and it is why we are committed to extending the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, but also to making sure that they are equipped with knowledge about how voting works and about their role as voters. My hon. Friend may wish to attend Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government questions on 12 January to learn more about our work to ensure that young people are equipped and empowered to participate in democracy.

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

When we lost our police station in Aldridge, we were told that the choice was between bobbies and bricks. Now, under Labour’s police and crime commissioner, there is a £41 million funding gap, which means that there will be 80 fewer officers on our streets next year. Can the Leader of the House explain how cutting police numbers in my constituency delivers Labour’s promise to get more police into our communities?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

We are committed to increasing the number of police officers; the situation we were left at the time of the last election was a disgrace. We are committed to a neighbourhood policing guarantee, and are putting 13,000 more officers into neighbourhood policing roles, which is a 50% increase. As for choosing between police stations and bobbies on the beat, it is up to police and crime commissioners to make a choice about where their resources can best be deployed.