12 Mar
Question
Engagements

The UK House of Commons engagement session was characterized by a mix of both domestic and international concerns raised by MPs. International Issues: A major topic was the progress of talks between Ukraine and international allies, with emphasis on support for Ukraine in the face of its ongoing challenges. There were significant mentions of atrocities committed by Russia and potential actions by international courts against key figures. Domestic Policy: On the home front, key issues discussed included housing, employment rights, economic measures, and social services. Labour MPs criticized the conservative-led government for their policies on immigration, economic mismanagement, and support structures, particularly highlighting the ineffective Rwanda policy and rising living costs. The Prime Minister defended government actions by citing increased investment and job creation. NHS and Social Welfare: The session also touched on discrimination within public services, particularly within the NHS, and discussed equitable treatment and support for disabilities. Political Leadership and Public Sentiment: There was notable criticism of the government's handling of living costs, council tax, and economic growth, with calls for accountability and emergency measures.

1 in 8

Proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training, raising concerns of a potential ‘lost generation.’

Outcome

The session did not yield any concrete legislative changes but highlighted divisions on social and economic approaches between parties. Questions on commitment to particular reforms and actions, like the stance on the International Criminal Court’s actions and deployment of peacekeepers, remain focal points for future discussions. The government's position on taxation and employment illustrates ongoing challenges in public confidence.

Key Contributions

Mike MartinLiberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats

Questioned the Prime Minister on the commitment of troops to Ukraine contingent on the return of abducted children and prosecution of President Putin.

Shaun DaviesLabour
Labour

Criticized the Conservative government's immigration policy and its financial inefficiency, advocating for a more effective Labour plan for border security.

Mrs Kemi BadenochConservative
Conservative

Raised issues with current economic policies, citing inflation, tax impacts, and rising childcare costs, urging reexamination of fiscal policies.

John SlingerLabour
Labour

Called for reforms in disability support and criticized the legacy of past administrations in creating an unfair and inefficient welfare system.

Ed DaveyLiberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats

Stressed the importance of improving support for disabled workers to boost employment and addressed international economic concerns involving US-UK relations.

Claire HannaSDLP
SDLP

Advocated for strong UK-Ireland relations emphasizing shared cultural connections and cooperation.

Andrew SnowdenConservative
Conservative

Critiqued upcoming sentencing guidance perceived to be unequal, pressing for intervention to maintain public trust in the judiciary.

Tulip SiddiqLabour
Labour

Condemned rising antisemitism within NHS workplace as unacceptable, demanding actionable commitment to inclusive healthcare environments.

Original Transcript
Mike Martin
Tunbridge Wells
LD
12:00
Question
UIN: 903143

Q1.   If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 12 March.

The Prime Minister
Keir Starmer
12:01

I welcome the progress of talks between Ukraine and the United States. We must now redouble our efforts to get a lasting, secure peace. On Saturday, I will convene international leaders to discuss how we can make further progress.

I pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of all those responding to the ship collision off the east Yorkshire coast. Our thoughts and, I am sure, the thoughts of the whole House are with the family of the crew member who is sadly presumed dead.

This week we introduced landmark legislation to get Britain building, paving the way to restoring the dream of home ownership for working people across the country. We are also driving forward our Employment Rights Bill, the biggest boost to workers’ rights in a generation.

That is our plan for change in action. This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

Mike Martin
12:02

Russia has abducted at least 19,000 Ukrainian children and transferred them to Russia. They have been told that their parents do not love them, placed in Russian homes and been re-educated.

For that despicable crime and others, the International Criminal Court has issued six arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and his gang.

I note the Prime Minister’s previous fulsome support for the ICC and his comments just last night about the support that the UK will offer to Ukraine in achieving a just and lasting peace.

Will the Prime Minister confirm to the House that British peacekeeping troops will be deployed to Ukraine only if the peacekeeping deal includes both the return of Ukraine’s children and Putin’s prosecution?

The Prime Minister
12:03

I thank the hon. Member for raising that issue, because it is an absolutely terrible case of abduction and kidnapping. When we say a lasting, just settlement for peace in Ukraine, it must of course involve dealing with that issue. As he would expect, we are raising it continually with our allies.

Shaun Davies
Telford
Lab
12:03
Question
UIN: 903144

Q2. Telford and Britain voted for change in July, yet this week we saw the bizarre spectacle of the Conservatives attempting to bring back the Rwanda policy, clinging on to a gimmick that cost British taxpayers £700 million yet sent only four volunteers to Rwanda.

As Labour works to secure our borders through our plan for change, does the Prime Minister agree with me that it is quite clear that the Conservative party has learned absolutely nothing?

The Prime Minister

My hon. Friend is quite right. The Conservatives ran an open borders experiment that saw numbers go up to almost 1 million, and the Leader of the Opposition was the cheerleader, thanking herself for the lobbying that she did.

The Rwanda scheme cost £700 million of taxpayers’ money to remove four volunteers. What a contrast: we have got the flights off and removed 19,000 people who should not be here. As with the NHS, prisons, the economy and everything else, we are clearing up the mess that they left.

Mr Speaker
12:04

I call the Leader of the Opposition.

Mrs Kemi Badenoch
North West Essex
Con
12:04

Later today, the Prime Minister is meeting the family of Sir David Amess. Sir David gave this House and our country 40 years of service. I hope the Prime Minister will agree that getting the response to his murder right is vital not just to his family but to our democracy.

Every week, I speak to businesses that are letting go of staff or closing. Has the Prime Minister been given an estimate of how many people will lose their jobs because of his Budget?

The Prime Minister
12:04

On the question of Sir David, he was a deeply loved and respected colleague—behind me is his plaque, and there is the plaque in front of me for Jo Cox.

I know that this was deeply felt by the House, but particularly, as I acknowledged at the time, by the Conservative party, which lost a colleague and a friend in the most awful of circumstances.

I am meeting the Amess family later on today, and I will make sure that they get answers to the questions that they ask. In relation to businesses, I am really pleased to say that we have thousands of new jobs in the economy.

We have got more investment in than in the last 20 years—an absolute record. Wages are up higher than prices, and there have been three interest rate cuts—the best boost for the cost of living for a very long time.

Mrs Badenoch
12:04

The Prime Minister needs to get out more. Inflation is up, and estimates of job losses are between 130,000 and 300,000. His tax rises are hurting every sector of the economy.

Things are getting worse for nurseries, which are writing to stressed parents right now telling them that fees will go up because of his jobs tax. Can he explain how more expensive childcare is good for the economy or for working families struggling to make ends meet?

The Prime Minister
12:04

We are putting in childcare—look at the breakfast clubs; there are two in the right hon. Lady’s constituency. She is rather forgetting the £22 billion black hole that the Conservatives left, which we had to deal with.

That is why we had to take the necessary but right measures that we did in the Budget. What is her response? It is not that she would reverse them—oh no, she does not say that.

She attacks what we have done, but she does not say that she would reverse it, because she wants all the benefits of our Budget in terms of investment, but does not want to pay for it. That is how we got into the mess in the first place.

The Prime Minister
12:04

The right hon. Lady really should not denigrate what I think she called “60p breakfast clubs”. She should be welcoming them. She asks about council tax. The Tories put up council tax every year for 12 years.

Their Local Government Association manifesto says that Government should: “Remove the caps on Council Tax”. Hampshire county council, which is Tory, wanted a 15% increase, and we said no. Slough borough council, which, again, is Tory, wanted 3%, and we said no.

Windsor and Maidenhead council, which was Tory and is now Lib Dem, wanted 25%, and we said no. We are the ones doing the right things to get this country on the right track.

Mrs Badenoch

The point is that the Prime Minister promised to freeze council taxes, and they are going up. If he wants to talk about councils, let us look at Liverpool, or maybe Birmingham, where the rubbish is piling up so high.

People vote Labour, and all they get is trash—just like what he is saying at the Dispatch Box. People all over the country are suffering, not just in Birmingham. Millions of elderly people have had their winter fuel payments snatched away.

At the same time, care home fees are set to go up by a devastating £3,000 because of the Prime Minister’s jobs tax. How does he expect pensioners on a fixed income to make ends meet?

The Prime Minister
12:09

This is why it is so important that wages are up higher than prices. It is why it is so important that interest rates are coming down. This is the biggest boost for the cost of living for a very long time. What we are doing is picking up and fixing the mess that the Tories left.

Mrs Badenoch
12:10

The Prime Minister is not looking at what is happening out there.

Every day, I speak to businesses that are telling us that they think they are going bust, and as if businesses and families did not have enough to worry about, supermarkets say that food prices will increase by over 4% because of the jobs tax.

That is before we get to the immoral family farm tax on the very farmers who work so hard to produce our food. What does the Prime Minister have against farmers, anyway? Does he not see that his Budget is killing farming in this country, and that he is making life so much harder for everyone else?

The Prime Minister
12:10

The Budget provided £5 billion for farming over the next two years—that is a record amount. We have set out a road map for farming, which has been welcomed by farmers, and many thousands of farms have benefited from the farming schemes. The right hon.

Lady talks about prices; wages are going up higher than prices. It is the first time in a long time that that has happened, so families across the country are better off under Labour.

Mrs Badenoch
12:08

The Prime Minister has got no answers today. What the farmers are complaining about is the sustainable farming incentive, which he has just scrapped, or withdrawn.

The Government are making mistakes with this Budget, which is why in two weeks, the Chancellor will come to this House to present an emergency Budget that the Prime Minister said we would not need.

They will try to make out that it is because of global events, but the truth is that the Government trashed the economy with their bad choices. They said that they would look after pensioners, then they snatched away winter fuel payments.

They said that they would be pro-business, but they hiked taxes on jobs, and the Prime Minister promised to freeze council tax, but it is going up by £100. This is a high-tax, low-growth, job-killing Government. Will he use the emergency Budget to fix the mess he has made?

The Prime Minister

Under the Tories, inflation was 11%, with a £22 billion black hole and a mini-Budget that made us the laughing stock of the world, and they want to give us lectures on the economy? No, thank you very much.

John Slinger
Rugby
Lab
12:12
Question
UIN: 903146

Q4. With one in eight young people across the country not in education, employment or training, people in Rugby are worried about a wasted generation.

Too many people with disabilities and health conditions are not getting the help they need to get into work, so will the Prime Minister set out how this Government will give everyone who is able to work the support they need, provide compassion to those who cannot work, and fix the broken welfare system left behind by—you guessed it—the Conservatives?

The Prime Minister

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. I come from a family that dealt with disability through my mother and brother over many years, so I understand the concerns he has raised. We inherited a system that is broken.

It is indefensible, economically and morally, and we must and will reform it. We will have clear principles: we will protect those who need protecting, and we will also support those who can work back to work. Labour is the party of work, and we are also the party of equality and fairness.

Mr Speaker
12:13

I call the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Ed Davey
Kingston and Surbiton
LD

I would like to begin by giving a shout-out for Young Carers Action Day, which is today, but I promise the House that I will not sing.

The Prime Minister has rightly spoken about the need to get more people into work—he has repeated that today—so that people have more dignity, we can get the economy going, and we can cut the benefits bill after the disgraceful legacy left by the Conservatives.

Does the Prime Minister recognise that the best way to help many disabled people into work is to support them properly, through more special equipment, training, better healthcare and so on?

Will he also today calm anxieties that he himself has raised for many of us by saying that disability benefits for people who simply cannot work will not be cut?

Ed Davey
12:15

Turning to international issues, can I congratulate the Prime Minister on helping to secure the restoration of US military and intelligence support for Ukraine? Can I press him on progress to persuade President Trump against the damaging metal tariffs that are already hitting British industry?

The Prime Minister knows that we on the Lib Dem Benches believe that we must be more robust with President Trump, like the Europeans and the Canadians.

Will the Prime Minister fly out to Canada as soon as possible to show its new Prime Minister and the Canadian people that Britain stands with its Commonwealth allies against Trump’s threats and Trump’s tariffs?

The Prime Minister

Canada is an ally, and a very important ally, too. I have spoken to our allies on many occasions about the situation in Canada. On the question of tariffs, like everybody else, I am disappointed to see global tariffs on steel and aluminium, but we will take a pragmatic approach.

We are, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, negotiating an economic deal, which covers and will include tariffs, if we succeed, but we will keep all options on the table.

Claire Hanna
Belfast South and Mid Down
SDLP

Lá Fhéile Pádraig shona daoibh agus Seachtain na Gaeilge daoibh. Deis lenár dteanga agus ár gcultúr a cheiliúradh ar fud an domhain. Happy St Patrick’s day, everybody, and happy Irish Language Week. It is an opportunity to use Irish language and celebrate Irish culture across the world.

It is an increasingly turbulent world, and relationships and norms have been turned upside-down over recent weeks, which is why I congratulate the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach on re-establishing a warm and firm relationship at their summit last week.

It is reassuring for all of us to know that whatever our constitutional future, that bond is lasting and refreshed. Will the Prime Minister join me in wishing a happy St Patrick’s day to all who value our shared bonds?

May I take this opportunity to invite him, in August 2027, to Belfast, which was announced this week as the host of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann for the first time?

The Prime Minister

I join the hon. Lady in wishing everybody celebrating a very happy St Patrick’s day. She is right that we need a strong and settled relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the need for that has never been greater.

That is why I was delighted to host the Taoiseach in Liverpool last week at our first annual UK-Ireland summit. We have turned the page and started a new era in our relationship with Ireland. I would be happy to go to Belfast in 2027, but I want to go much sooner than that.

The Prime Minister
12:18

Everyone should be equal before the law, and that is why the Lord Chancellor has taken up the issue with the Sentencing Council, but the hon. Gentleman needs to do his homework. The proposal that he complains about was drafted in 2024, and the last Government were consulted.

When they were consulted, what did they say? They said they welcomed the proposal. I understand that the shadow Justice Secretary, the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick), is taking the Sentencing Council to court.

Perhaps he should add himself as a second defendant, so that he can get to the bottom of all this.

Tulip Siddiq
Hampstead and Highgate
Lab
12:19
Question
UIN: 903147

Q5.

I am proud to represent a constituency with eight synagogues, a thriving Jewish population and the United Kingdom’s largest Jewish cultural centre, JW3, but this week, I was horrified to read reports of rising antisemitism on NHS wards, and in particular about a shocking incident in which a Jewish NHS staff member was called a baby killer by a colleague.

The NHS that I know and love is open to everyone, regardless of background. What is the Prime Minister doing to ensure that my Jewish constituents can safely use our beloved national health service?

The Prime Minister

I thank my hon. Friend for raising the subject of those deeply concerning reports. It is completely unacceptable for anyone to experience racism, discrimination or prejudice in the health service, and I know that my right hon.

Friend the Health Secretary takes such reports extremely seriously, because it is a fundamental principle that the NHS provides care and treatment for everyone, regardless of race, faith or background.

Andrew Griffith
Arundel and South Downs
Con

But it’s okay in the justice system?

The Prime Minister
12:23

This is a really serious issue. The hon. Gentleman has let himself down, and he knows it. I expect all trusts and healthcare providers to take necessary action against any staff who have expressed views that do not reflect the views and values of the NHS.

All content derived from official parliamentary records