Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Yasmin Qureshi and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 11th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

May I start with the important point that the hon. Lady makes about Ballymena? I utterly condemn the violence that we saw overnight in Ballymena and other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers. It is absolutely vital that the PSNI is given the time it needs to investigate the incidents concerned, rather than face mindless attacks as it seeks to bring peace and order to keep people safe. The Northern Ireland Secretary is in touch with the PSNI and the Executive, and I am being kept updated in relation to that.

In relation to the tragic cases that the hon. Lady mentions, I thank her for raising them. It is important that we have a legal duty of candour and we will be introducing that, because, as she says, there must be the truth here, based on all people being dealt with on the basis of dignity, fairness and accountability.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

Q6. In the words of the former Israeli Prime Minister, what we are witnessing in Gaza is the“indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.” More than 50,000 people have been killed, and children have been shot while queuing for bread. A growing number of genocide scholars, including leading Israeli academics, believe that a genocide is taking place. Under international law, we have a duty to prevent genocide. I served on the UN mission in Kosovo. We acted to stop mass killing there. What is the difference now? Will the Prime Minister please intervene immediately to alleviate human suffering, and take steps to recognise the state of Palestine?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend will have seen the statement we made yesterday and the actions that we are taking with allies. The humanitarian situation is dreadful and distressing, and the scenes that we have witnessed outside aid distribution centres are frankly heartbreaking. More aid into Gaza is needed at volume and speed, and Israel’s plan for aid delivery is inadequate and insufficient. What is needed is for the UN and other agencies to deliver that aid according to well-established mechanisms, and Israel must allow this. We are working with allies to do all that we can to make this happen, as well as to get the hostages out—they have been held for a very long time—and a desperately needed return to a ceasefire.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Yasmin Qureshi and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 5th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for steadfastly raising this really important issue, particularly during Children’s Mental Health Week. I have met the 3 Dads Walking. They are inspirational and their courage is extraordinary. As the father of young children, I do not know how they are able to campaign in the way that they do. I am not sure I would be able to do so. Of course, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that I will meet them again and push this really important agenda forward.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

Q3. Eighty-six per cent. of trains at Kearsley station in my constituency were delayed or cancelled in the past 12 weeks. That is widespread through Bolton South and Walkden. My constituent Sophie, who commutes from Walden to Manchester, told me that “almost every day one peak time train is cancelled. And when the train finally turns up it’s overcrowded”. Recently, she was stranded for hours after constant cancellations because train crew were unavailable. Can the Prime Minister reassure my constituents that this Government are committed to building reliable railways after 14 years of Tory chaos?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight that the Conservative party left our railways in a terrible state. Two years of strikes cost our economy £850 million in lost revenue. You cannot grow the economy if you cannot run the railways. We will launch Great British Railways to focus relentlessly on passengers and to clamp down on delays and cancellations. I am pleased that Northern has announced the largest ever investment in its fleet to deliver 450 new trains, meaning more comfortable and reliable journeys for my hon. Friend’s constituents.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Yasmin Qureshi and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 4th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, of course. I remind the right hon. Gentleman that 800,000 pensioners are not claiming pension credit, which of course then deals with the winter fuel payment. That is why we are taking so much care to ensure we get those pensioners on to pension credit. Again, aligning housing benefit with pension credit—something that the last Government left undone for years—will make a massive difference, and of course there is the triple lock, which over five years will mean that pensions are expected to rise by up to £1,000.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

Q3. Four years ago, the previous Government ordered a review into the hormone pregnancy test drug Primodos, and found that it had caused “avoidable harm”. Primodos was given to women in the 1960s and ‘70s, and resulted in many babies being born with severe disabilities. For the past 12 years, I have stood in this Parliament and pleaded repeatedly with the last Government to do the right thing. Will the Prime Minister commit to a fresh approach on this issue, and will he meet with me and the campaigner Marie Lyon to discuss how we can give closure to the families who have been denied justice for the past 50 years?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question, and for her work on the all-party parliamentary group on hormone pregnancy tests. I am sympathetic to the families who believe their children suffered from those tests, and committed to reviewing any new evidence that comes to light. At the moment, the Department of Health and Social Care is reviewing a publication from Professor Danielsson, and we will follow the results of that review. I am happy to ensure that the Health Minister meets my hon. Friend to discuss this matter further.