Adam Thompson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 16 Apr 2026 · British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme · Hansard source

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  Erewash has a proud manufacturing history, from the ironworks, whose grates cover almost every manhole in the country, to our high-end furniture manufacturing industry, whose sofas adorn palaces, to our advanced manufacturing firms and the concrete makers building the tunnels for High Speed 2. As a former manufacturing engineering researcher, I am very proud of this Government’s investment across the advanced manufacturing sector. Can the Secretary of State elaborate on how the action he has announced today will help Erewash’s manufacturers sell their goods to the world?

• 26 Mar 2026 · Transport Accessibility for Disabled People · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chair of the Transport Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ruth Cadbury), for her efforts in securing this debate, and indeed the Backbench Business Committee for granting it. At Long Eaton train station in my constituency, the two platforms are well above ground level. They are both accessed by narrow ramps and on both sides of the train line there is a steep upward incline. The ramps are guarded at each end by rails that prevent people from cycling up and down them, but the sharpness of that gradient means that if a traveller has any kind of mobility issues, their journey up to the platform might be rather difficult. The barriers make it effectively impossible for anybody who requires a wheelchair to make it up, and some old tarmac on the ramp often sees people with no mobility issues at all hit the deck every time there is a freeze. From personal experience on my parliamentary commute, I can confirm: not fun. Thankfully, two lifts were installed at Long Eaton train station in 2012, as part of Network Rail’s Access for All programme, which was launched by the last Labour Government in 2006 and continues to this day. The installation was great progress towards improving disabled access to the platforms, but the operation of the lifts leaves quite a lot to be desired. Travellers can use the lifts only when somebody is on duty at the ticket office, which is during normal hours of nine-to-five. Thankfully, despite the previous Conservative Government’s best efforts in 2023, the ticket office remains open, but travellers are still severely limited. The office is not staffed all the time, meaning that of an evening or weekend, the lifts cannot be used and disabled members of my community cannot access the platforms. I pay tribute to my local councillor, Dave Doyle—a very good friend of mine—and to Sawley parish council chair, Alan Chewings. Dave and Alan have done great work for many years in raising the alarm on accessibility failures at Long Eaton train station. Indeed, when Dave, Alan and I campaigned against the proposed ticket office closure a few years ago, disabled people’s access was very much what we focused on. Great thanks are therefore due to Dave and Alan for their efforts over the years. I have previously met Midlands Connect and Network Rail and spoken about persistent issues at Long Eaton station. Struggles with accessibility result from its relative lack of modernisation, but the problems do not stop there. The platform is also unusually short—there is a special announcement every time I get on my train back home. It means that long inter-city trains cannot open all their doors because they cannot be accessed from the whole platform. It leads to missed connections and confusion for travellers across the board. Additionally, the railway bridge right next to the station across Tamworth Road is 200 years old. It is so low and narrow that it chokes all traffic going under what is an important thoroughfare between Long Eaton and the M1. The road under the bridge also regularly floods, which means that people have to take a 15-minute diversion. The infrastructure we need is just not there. In summary, we need proper investment to ensure that the station is accessible every day at all times. Long Eaton is a commuter town, ultimately. It is at the heart of the east midlands, with regular trains running to Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, and it is less than two hours door to door to the House of Commons—which is convenient. But it needs to be modernised, and any project that does that needs to recognise disabled people’s rights to accessibility, so that everyone can use the station to get where they need to go.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Long Eaton Town Deal Board has been accelerating towards delivery of so many projects—a new events field, a new office space, a pair of beautiful bridges across the Erewash canal, and a stunning rebuild of our town centre. So many have contributed, but none more so than our board chair, local business leader and proud champion of Long Eaton Richard Ledger. Last week, Richard was awarded the freedom of the borough of Erewash for his immeasurable service to our patch. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating him on this award, and will he consider granting time to discuss the importance of such awards for our communities?

• 18 Mar 2026 · Student Loans · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member talks about the effect of interest over time. Given that the loans are eventually written off under the current system, can he tell me what threshold a salary would have to be at for the proposed changes in interest to make any realistic difference over the course of a graduate’s entire life?

• 18 Mar 2026 · Student Loans · Hansard source

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  I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, and in particular to my role as the chair of the all-party parliamentary university group and to my membership of the University and College Union. I must note my shock and awe at the Conservatives’ decision to hold an Opposition day debate on the current state of student loans. It is a system that they created in government, that they subsequently broke, and that has left a generation of students and graduates utterly and comprehensively beaten. I remember well when they—with the support of the Liberal Democrats—tripled student fees in 2012. At the time, I was a student and the president of a sports club at my university. We saw a huge downturn in involvement with extracurricular activities that year, because of the additional pressure put on new students by the fee increase. Indeed, I remember very well that a friend who worked in the events team at our student union referred to October 2012 as “the death of fun”. I accept that the sector needed intervention, and I believe that the architect of the policy, now the Lord Willetts, took difficult decisions that he felt were needed to make the university sector sustainable. I do not believe, however, that he had factored into his plan the Tories’ subsequent freeze in fee increases and repayment thresholds, or their later abolition of maintenance grants. Although the initial increase was a blow to students, the following decade of failed Tory policy has left our university sector in tatters. It has left our institutions facing years of staff dissatisfaction and industrial action, and it has created a whole generation saddled with unbelievable student debt. The Tories created, and then compounded, a system that looks like a graduate tax, smells like a graduate tax, and yet provides the uniquely deep personal pressure that sits astride hundreds of thousands of pounds of apparent debt, crushing millions of students who have been to university in the past 14 years. The Tories enacted almost irreparable damage on the university sector, and did immeasurable harm to a whole generation’s experience of university. The death of fun indeed! I am amazed, then, at the decision to table this Opposition day motion. In choosing to tinker around the edges of the policy cesspit that they created over many years, the Tories exhibit the most unbelievable brass neck. There is not a hint of an apology for the damage that they did, nor a modicum of understanding of the work that this Government are doing to dig us out of the mess they left us in. The Government are taking the tough but fair decisions necessary to protect taxpayers and students now and for the future. Under the system, lower-earning graduates will always be protected, with any outstanding loans and interest continuing to be written off after 30 years. I believe it is right that those who can repay their loans do so, and that graduates earning the highest salaries contribute more towards their student loan repayments, but the Government must also repair the damage that was left to us by the Tories. That is why I strongly support the Government’s plan to restore maintenance grants and increase maintenance loans in line with inflation, as I believe should always have been the case. These measures ultimately support low-income students to access, and participate and excel in, higher education. When I was teaching degree-level apprenticeships in electromechanical engineering, I saw what widening participation measures achieved in practice: it allowed access to education for people who did not otherwise have it. I saw the profound good that those measures achieved. Universities UK still supports the income-contingent loan repayment system, which has facilitated a huge advance in access to university over the past two decades. It notes that more students from disadvantaged backgrounds have been able to enter university, and that the number of pupils who received free school meals and went on to university doubled from 2005-06 to 2023-24. Successive reviews of the higher education finance system have concluded that it is the fairest way of funding higher education. It was Labour policy, made when we were last in government, that achieved those significant improvements. Although I acknowledge that the Government have a difficult time ahead in solving the Tory mess, I am deeply supportive of the Prime Minister’s huge new target for universities and apprenticeships: that by the age of 25, two thirds of young people should be studying for a degree or taking up a gold-standard apprenticeship. Labour is taking action to ensure that young people are either earning or learning, with 200,000 job and apprenticeship opportunities over the next three years. I also strongly support the £2.5 billion investment that forms the Government’s youth guarantee. We must use it to expand employment support, offer grants to employers who hire young people, and provide a jobs guarantee to create subsidised work placements for long-term unemployed 18-to-24 year olds.

• 18 Mar 2026 · UK Research and Innovation · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her answer. Despite the massive Government increases in funding generally, in a recent meeting of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, we heard how the Science and Technology Facilities Council is currently dealing with a significant reduction in funding, particularly in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics. Michele Dougherty, the executive chair of the STFC, placed the blame squarely on decisions made prior to her arrival and explained her efforts to sort out the mess, but it is the scientific community, research professionals and UK science that will feel the brunt of this funding crunch. What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that UK science is not damaged by STFC’s historical failings?

• 18 Mar 2026 · UK Research and Innovation · Hansard source

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  5. What steps she is taking to increase levels of funding for UK Research and Innovation.

• 17 Mar 2026 · Knife Crime: Support for Children · Hansard source

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  14. What steps he is taking to help support children involved in knife crime through the criminal justice system.

• 17 Mar 2026 · Knife Crime: Support for Children · Hansard source

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  In December 2024, 18-year-old Noah Smedley from Ilkeston in my constituency was killed when he was stabbed by a 17-year-old armed with a Rambo knife. For a young man to lose his life this way, murdered by another teenager, was absolutely devastating to our community. There was a very deep public outcry of grief in this tight-knit town with a strong local identity. Noah’s death hit the town profoundly. Could the Minister outline the work that the Government are doing to protect young people, especially teenage boys, from the horrors of knife crime?

• 17 Mar 2026 · Productivity and Economic Growth: East Midlands · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) for securing the debate, and colleagues across the House for their contributions. For too long, the east midlands was left behind: abandoned by a post-1980s, neoliberal, globalisation-driven economic consensus and forgotten by a conservative, austere Treasury logic that struggled to bring itself to invest in London, let alone in medium-sized towns in the east midlands. I am glad that that paradigm is finally changing. The first blast furnace at the former Stanton ironworks in my constituency was lit at the dawn of the industrial revolution, but in 2007 it went out for the final time. Hundreds of jobs were lost, and Ilkeston became a post-industrial town. However, New Stanton Park now grows every day, and Italian manufacturer Fassa Bortolo recently chose Ilkeston as the location for their first factory in Britain. Jobs are returning and investment is coming, which is welcome. However, it is important to note that new developments spark anxiety. Derbyshire was recently ranked as having the worst roads in England: the local road network was not designed to handle so much pressure, and failures at junction 25 of the M1 bring traffic to a standstill for miles. The old ironworks was linked to the railway by a rail spur, and although that infrastructure still exists, it will take a lot more time and money to bring it back into use. Getting the freight from New Stanton Park on to the railway would be an enormous win for local people in my constituency, for our roads and for the environment. Alongside work on that, I have been campaigning for a junction 25a on the M1, designed to service Stanton. I have met Ministers and Highways England, and even sat down and found complete common ground with my local council’s Conservative group leader, Councillor Wayne Major. Ultimately, it would take a minimum of several years and tens of millions of pounds for that project to happen, but it is really important to get it working for our local community. For that, we need the Government, and I am grateful for the changes to the Treasury Green Book to make infrastructure upgrades outside London more acceptable. I am also extremely excited about the £2 billion that the Chancellor committed to transport in the east midlands, and to see how Claire, our brilliant mayor, will spend that money. I want to stress that in Erewash, we have not just a strong industrial history but a growing industrial present. People want jobs; they want investment; they want economic growth—but that needs to come with proper, long-term, serious infrastructure commitments. Growth leads to work for local people, not just around them. They need to know that it benefits them, not just the mega-rich chief executive officers. Part of that is making sure that we have proper investment in infrastructure to make people’s lives better and more productive.

• 12 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In Erewash, we are very lucky to have a fantastic community radio station in Erewash Sound. Thanks to the incredible Jeff Martin, Paul Stacey, Emma Duthie and dozens of other volunteers, we have a proper local radio station that focuses on hyper-local matters, promotes our community and has created a media training pipeline through the Erewash Sound Academy, which creates real excellence. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on community radio, so that everyone can hear more about the magic that my community and many others around the country enjoy?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Immigration Policy · Hansard source

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  Like many towns, Long Eaton is home to an asylum seeker hotel. It was gifted to us by the last Tory Government, but I know the Minister is doing everything in his power to close it as soon as possible. A secondary effect of the Tories’ hotels, however, is illegal work associated with the exploitation of local asylum seekers. Can the Minister elaborate on how measures announced recently will help to end illegal work in Erewash?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Young People and Work Report · Hansard source

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  With almost 8% of 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training, Derbyshire is the worst county in the east midlands for NEET. In New Stanton Park in Ilkeston, on the former site of a once-famous ironworks, major investments are bringing good manufacturing jobs back to Erewash. Will the Secretary of State share the work he is doing to ensure that apprenticeships are available to disadvantaged young people so that they can thrive, instead of being left behind?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Young People and Work Report · Hansard source

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  9. What recent progress has been made on the young people and work report.

• 5 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T8. Over the past few months, I have been involved in the new Long Eaton Business Partnership, which is bringing together business owners, private investors, health investors and local politicians. The goal is to shape the future of our town and revive Long Eaton’s town centre. Will the Minister tell us more about her work, through the new Office for the Impact Economy, to collaborate with social investors and philanthropists to bring funding to local communities?

• 3 Mar 2026 · Hong Kong: Human Rights Situation · Hansard source

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  5. What recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the human rights situation in Hong Kong.

• 3 Mar 2026 · Hong Kong: Human Rights Situation · Hansard source

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  Many people who have come to us from Hong Kong have made their home in Long Eaton in my constituency. Their children are thriving in our local schools, new businesses are being established, and a vibrant community is taking shape. Will the Minister outline what further steps the Government are taking, in partnership with local councils and Members of this House, to support the continued integration of Hongkongers into our towns and communities, and to ensure that those who have chosen to settle in Long Eaton feel fully welcomed as part of our community?

• 26 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know from my own time in the air cadets, as well as from hearing recently from 348 Ilkeston squadron and TS Indomitable in Long Eaton, that the cadet movement is an incredible force for excellence in young people’s development. I am sure the Leader of the House will agree that the adult volunteers who drive the movement do amazing work, quietly building young people into pillars of their communities, but will he consider recognising those volunteers and the wider cadet movement by supporting the Government in organising a national cadets week?

• 25 Feb 2026 · Post Office Green Paper · Hansard source

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  High streets in towns like Long Eaton have come under growing strain in recent years, not least because of widespread bank closures, but around one in five people is still not using online banking—a group that disproportionately includes older and disabled residents. I am fighting hard for the establishment of a banking hub in Long Eaton. Given the clear need for accessible financial services, what role does the Minister envisage for post offices in supporting the regeneration of high streets in Erewash, and what support is he providing to strengthen the Post Office’s financial services?

• 10 Feb 2026 · Local Power Plan · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for explaining very clearly why the local power plan represents the biggest investment in community energy ever. It will help create jobs, develop skills and generate growth. Those are clearly the ambitions behind the redevelopment of New Stanton Park in my constituency. It is creating thousands of jobs and apprenticeships, and is returning industry to Ilkeston. Will the Secretary of State outline how the local power plan, alongside Mayor Claire Ward’s mayoral renewables fund, will support developments such as the New Stanton Park by lowering energy costs, attracting investment and expanding gold-standard apprenticeships?

• 22 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  On Monday, Ilkeston’s No.1 tourist attraction, the NatWest hole, was cruelly divided in two by a metal pole, which was installed with no explanation. The hole is a beloved part of the fabric of our town, and its defacement caused significant distress to my community. Thankfully, the pole mysteriously vanished a few hours later, but I have written to NatWest to try to understand what happened. Will the Leader of the House consider scheduling a debate on the protected status of local heritage sites and quirky landmarks, so that we can discuss whether Historic England might grant the Ilkeston hole listed status?

• 20 Jan 2026 · Mobile Phones and Social Media: Use by Children · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. When I trained as a physics teacher, I saw both the enrichment that tech can provide, with easy access to calculators and apps to enhance learning, and the disruption, with endless notifications, distractions and cyber-bullying incidents. How will the Secretary of State ensure that the consultation harnesses the opportunities that tech provides while protecting kids at risk?

• 8 Jan 2026 · Road Safety Strategy · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Minister’s statement and thank her very much for presenting the strategy. Road safety is a frequent and serious concern across Erewash. Following the tragic murder of Samuel Wilson by a driver under the influence of alcohol and drugs in Ilkeston marketplace in December 2023, I have been supporting a local campaign for safer road rules and stronger pedestrianisation in our marketplace to prevent such events from ever happening again. Will the Minister comment on how her road safety strategy will make our town centres safer for pedestrians?

• 17 Dec 2025 · Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  5. What steps she is taking to support sectors identified in the UK’s modern industrial strategy 2025.

• 17 Dec 2025 · Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her answers. I used to be one of those research scientists. I worked in metrology for advanced manufacturing, so I am glad that the Government have identified advanced manufacturing as one of the eight sectors with the greatest growth potential. From the Victorian gentlemen scientists who redefined the way we see our universe to the women driving the fourth industrial revolution, the British have always been able to make the best things. How is the Secretary of State supporting novel technologies through the technology readiness scale to maximise growth for small and medium-sized enterprises in Erewash, such as Atlas Composite Technologies, Status Metrology and R. A. Labone?