Adam Thompson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 21 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  As a migraine sufferer, I am afflicted about once a week by debilitating symptoms, which always include partial blindness, and sometimes include numbness in my fingers, nausea, brain fog, sensitivity to light and sound, a pounding headache and even an inability to speak—heartbreaking for a politician. I am very lucky, though, that my migraines generally only last half an hour; other people’s can be much worse and last days. What steps is the Minister taking to improve support for migraine sufferers like me?

• 13 Oct 2025 · Ilkeston Market Place · Hansard source

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  This evening, I am presenting a petition in the name of Samuel Wilson, who, on 16 December 2023, was murdered in Ilkeston by a man driving a van under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. This murder was possible because of a lack of appropriate anti-vehicle measures on Ilkeston marketplace. This petition has been led by Samuel’s family and has been signed by 6,870 of Samuel’s friends, family and members of the wider Erewash community. The petitioners “request that the House of Commons urge the Government to call on relevant authorities and key partners to strengthen pedestrianisation measures on Ilkeston market place, and that the petitioners remain informed as to actions taken to achieve this goal.” Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of Loraine Wilson, the family and friends of Samuel Wilson and residents of Ilkeston . Declares that Ilkeston Market Place is insufficiently pedestrianised and that new anti-vehicle measures should be put in place to enhance public safety. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to call on relevant authorities and key partners to strengthen pedestrianisation measures on Ilkeston market place, and that the petitioners remain informed as to actions taken to achieve this goal. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P003116]

• 13 Oct 2025 · Baby Loss · Hansard source

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  I thank all hon. Members in this evening’s debate, particularly those who secured the debate but also the many who shared their incredibly powerful stories. We have heard from several Members about the failures at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust to keep mothers and their babies safe. In 2019, my constituents Carl Everson and Carly Wesson were expecting their daughter Ladybird. During the pregnancy, Carl and Carly were told that Ladybird had a fatal chromosomal abnormality—trisomy 13, also known as Patau’s syndrome. They were told that she was incompatible with life and that if she survived the pregnancy she would live only briefly and in severe pain. Faced with that devastating prognosis, Carl and Carly made the agonising decision to end their pregnancy. Two weeks after Ladybird’s funeral, they were told during an appointment that the long-term culture test showed a normal female carrier type. There was no evidence of Patau’s; Ladybird had been a healthy baby. Carl and Carly later learned that Ladybird’s death was not inevitable. It was the result of a misdiagnosis and a failure to follow national guidelines around abortion. The Abortion Act 1967 requires two doctors to form an opinion in good faith, but Carl and Carly learned through their investigations that the second medical practitioner was, at best, used as a rubber-stamping exercise. That failure led to the loss of a very much loved and wanted child. Carl and Carly have spent six years fighting for answers—six years navigating a system that should have protected them. Today they continue their fight for answers and are working every day to ensure that guidelines around abortion are properly followed by doctors and that laws are updated if required. The second family that I have worked closely with on this issue over the past year have been the Sissons. Sarah and Tony Sissons did not lose their son Ryan—indeed, Ryan joins us in the Gallery today—but every day they mourn for the man Ryan could have become. Ryan was born healthy, but just three days after his birth, a sequence of errors and neglect at Nottingham city hospital caused him to suffer a catastrophic brain injury. Consequently, Sarah and Tony were told that Ryan would never be able to walk or talk. Sarah was just 19 years old, and was given no help to navigate her drastically changed life; instead, the Sissons were handed a leaflet about adoption. I understand that that leaflet is still framed on a wall in their house. Ryan told me today about how he learned to march in the sea cadets—he showed me in Westminster Hall and he was damn good at it; he did a pretty good job of walking and talking as far as I was concerned. Last month Ryan turned 18, but he did not go out with his friends to the pub to celebrate. He is not applying to universities or doing an apprenticeship. Sarah and Tony are preparing their home so that Ryan can live with them for the rest of their lives. Sarah gave up her career to care for Ryan. She spent his childhood fighting to get that care, battling with the NHS and local authorities, attending endless appointments and mourning the big life milestones that Ryan never really got to reach. Ryan is the oldest child being considered in the Nottingham Ockenden review. Among the nearly 2,500 families affected, Ryan is the first child. Ryan should not have been the first of thousands. The failures of Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust should have been learned long ago, but they were not. Those responsible have not yet been held accountable. Ryan should have had the chance to enjoy a happy, healthy childhood. Ladybird should be with her parents, far away from a House of Commons debate on baby loss. Despite the efforts made today by myself and colleagues, it is not possible to put into words how the failings of the NUH trust have profoundly impacted so many lives in our community. I hope, deeply, that this Government are going to provide the justice that they deserve.

• 11 Sept 2025 · Regional Transport Inequality · Hansard source

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  I agree completely with my hon. Friend. Indeed, for years the east midlands has languished, as my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North said in her opening remarks, on the bottom few rungs of the table for regional transport funding. I am glad that times are changing, however. The Treasury’s £2 billion commitment to transport in the east midlands earlier this year was bigger than I and colleagues in the region could ever have dreamed. I am so excited to see what transformation that investment will bring, and I will fight every day to ensure that Erewash sees the benefits of it. If we are to have long-term change, the east midlands cannot rely on one-off awards, however. We need consistent investment, comprehensive planning reform, overhauled and empowered local government, and, in particular, changes to the Treasury rules to end the flat refusal to spend outside London and the greater south-east. Those are all positive prospects brought forward by this Government, and I look forward to seeing them become law.

• 11 Sept 2025 · Regional Transport Inequality · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) for securing this debate. She knows my constituency well, and will be familiar with many of the issues that I will raise. Erewash is at the geographic and, dare I say, emotional heart of the east midlands— the halfway point between Derby and Nottingham. Long Eaton, which I represent, was scarcely on the map before the railways, and Ilkeston, like the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes), used to have its own tram. Those places are defined by industry and are inherently linked to public transportation, but by the middle of the 20th century, that legacy had been whittled away as all focus moved towards the car. For 50 years, Ilkeston did not have a train station at all, but after years of cross-party campaigning, its new station opened in 2017. However, lots of people in Ilkeston tell me that the station has been a missed opportunity. Services are once per hour, meaning that it is not as attractive to commuters as it could be. Ilkeston is in Derbyshire, but passengers cannot even get a train to Derby from the station. I am pleased, though, to hear discussion about the Maid Marian line again. That line would restore the link from Nottinghamshire to the Erewash valley line, perhaps enabling those new services connecting Mansfield and Derby to call at Ilkeston. At present, although the Erewash valley line bears my constituency’s name, it does not carry any local passenger services. If it were brought into more frequent use, maybe we could one day reopen the Stapleford and Sandiacre station. If we are dreaming, perhaps one day we could even bring back Draycott and Breaston station, too. In many ways, Long Eaton was fortunate to keep its train station after the 1960s. The station has frequent services to many destinations, but there are still things that it notably lacks. The ramps up to the platform are very steep, and the lifts work only when the station is staffed, which presents real difficulties for my disabled constituents. The platform is too short, which can cause havoc for longer trains as only some doors can open. Finally, let me address buses. The 21 bus used to link Ilkeston, Cotmanhay and Kirk Hallam directly with the Queen’s medical centre in Nottingham, one of our local major hospitals. Before the covid pandemic, the service was slashed to just once per hour, and afterwards it was slashed altogether. Now there are no direct buses from Ilkeston to the QMC, and for anyone trying to reach the hospital from Kirk Hallam by bus, it is a two-hour trip with at least two changes. It means getting a bus all the way into Derby before taking another bus, in the opposite direction, to Nottingham. It is madness.

• 8 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T5. Like several colleagues across the House, I grew up in the air cadets. I left as a cadet warrant officer, having gained so much by flying aeroplanes, shooting rifles, marching in a band and, crucially, learning the self-discipline and leadership that ultimately brought me to this House. Cadets and adult volunteers I have spoken to recently are over the moon about our plan to increase the size of the cadet forces by 30% by 2030. However, as we increase the size of the cadet forces, how can we ensure that every cadet will have the same access to opportunities as they currently do, when resources for activities are limited?

• 8 Sept 2025 · Indefinite Leave to Remain · Hansard source

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  It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Pritchard. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for introducing the debate and thank my great friend the Minister for taking his position today. When the Hong Kong UK welcome programme was established in 2021, Long Eaton in my constituency was chosen as one of the preferred resettlement locations for Hongkongers. Local people in Long Eaton have very much welcomed our new neighbours to our community. I have spoken to teachers at local schools about how new students from Hong Kong are getting on and doing well, and I have been very pleased to see Hongkongers establishing new businesses in our town centre. Since being elected as the Member of Parliament for Erewash a little over a year ago, I have sought to engage with Long Eaton’s already very active Hongkonger community. I was very pleased recently to host an event in Long Eaton town hall with the Nottingham branch of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. We must all have watched on with admiration in 2019 and 2020 as the people of Hong Kong took to the streets of their city in their millions to defend their civil rights and liberties, their democracy and their fundamental freedoms. Over the past decade, the situation across China has only worsened. Modest gains for the rule of law have been quashed, there has been renewed aggression towards Taiwan and its people, and the appalling persecution of the Uyghur minority has continued. Sadly, terribly, those scenes of heroic bravery on the streets of Hong Kong ended in heartbreak. The national security law was imposed, granting Beijing unprecedented powers to police the speech and actions of Hongkongers. Elections were delayed, democracy functionally ended and harsh laws against protesters enacted. The crackdown saw horrendous scenes of police brutality and human rights abuses. As a result, over 500,000 people fled Hong Kong. Hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers came here to the United Kingdom to seek sanctuary. I happily say, and I know that many hon. Members from across the House will agree, that Hong Kong and China’s loss has been very much our gain. I am very glad to have welcomed these Hongkongers, who are fleeing oppression, violence and injustice, to my constituency. Sadly, the Government in Beijing are not content with forcing these people from their homes; they still wish to terrorise them here in the United Kingdom. We cannot allow that to happen to people to whom we have promised safety and security in our country and who want to feel comfortable here. It is important that we remember those points as we consider any alterations to visa regulations in the coming months. Clearly, arrest warrants issued in Hong Kong against Hongkongers living in Britain are unacceptable. The operation of illegal and unsanctioned police stations in British cities, which are used to intimidate and even kidnap people, are both a deep moral wrong and a grievous violation of our national sovereignty. I was shocked and deeply saddened that when I welcomed local Hongkongers to Long Eaton town hall recently, many of them said that they were afraid to be photographed or videoed on the CCTV. They also raised serious concerns about the proposed new Chinese embassy in London, because they felt it could become a hub for spying and mass surveillance, and perhaps even house a far larger illegal prison than those that have so far operated. I greatly commend the bravery of the people of Hong Kong. I will always speak up for and defend the rights of Hongkongers who have moved to Long Eaton and the rest of my constituency, to Greater Nottingham and indeed to anywhere in the United Kingdom. We must protect those who have sought sanctuary in our community from the Chinese Government, both now and well into the future. I look forward to many more years of being a Member of Parliament and speaking up further for our new Hongkonger neighbours and their families.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T4. Erewash’s industrial base was built on the Erewash canal, which is now a lovely leisure spot for my constituents. But abandoned boats, like the two near Sandiacre lock that sat rotting for over two years, pose serious risks to public safety and local wildlife. I was very glad to work recently with the Canal & River Trust to get those two boats removed. Can the Minister advise how we can support the Canal & River Trust in the future with the tools that it needs to get similar boats removed in a more timely manner?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

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  I spent my youth in the grassroots music scene playing in bands and putting on shows with my friends. The music was rough, the gear rarely worked, and if we got one lonely punter who was not a family member turn up we considered that a win. The DIY music scene was where my journey into politics began, in a hardcore punk band writing songs about our disenfranchisement from the world around us; we were kids expressing ourselves with electric guitars and microphones. Indeed, I often think how many colleagues in the House cut their political teeth in the debating chamber of the Oxford Union and others cut theirs on the floor of the Trades Union Congress. I cut mine in a mosh pit, with a microphone in my hand and music in my heart, covered in other people’s sweat and blowing out my vocal cords, screaming nonsense like, “The nurse will rise.” When I grew up, a band could release an album and go on tour in medium-sized venues. While they would not necessarily become rich, at least they were able to get by. Today, though, with the proliferation of streaming services and the erosion of the value of ticket and merchandise sales, live acts can barely break even on music streams, and venues are closing. Many acts operate in pay-to-play environments, losing money every time they play. While pay-to-play is indicative of a failing industry, its existence has long been true in small venues for small bands. But I understand that this year Glastonbury was pay-to-play even for some of the biggest acts. Indeed, The Independent recently reported that one act had spent £80,000 of their own money on a Glastonbury set while smaller acts were offered just £250 to play one of the smaller stages, and not even given enough tickets to cover the whole band. This is a deeply unsustainable system that freezes out all but those with the private means to pay their own way. It is killing our creativity. Madam Deputy Speaker, have you noticed how in recent years there has been a rise in the number of solo artists and a decline in the number of bands? In my view, the effect is born out of not only a change in music tastes, but simple economics. If a promoter is paying £100 to an act to play, a solo act takes home £100 while a five-piece act scrapes by with a measly £20 each. I had that experience personally—exactly, in fact, the one time that my band were paid anything for a gig—and it did not even cover our train tickets to the city we played in. As colleagues look forward to the summer recess, I would like to make a request of everyone. Please go and see a band this summer, preferably in a small venue, and preferably a band you have never heard of. Please buy some of their merchandise and tell them they were good, even if they were not—especially if they were not. Without Ellie Dixon, there is no Chappell Roan. Without Not Right there is no Bikini Kill, and without Nurse Joy there is no Red Hot Chili Peppers. Please support the grassroots—it is everything.

• 21 Jul 2025 · Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary · Hansard source

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  In February 1942, Singapore fell to the forces of the Japanese empire. Nearly 85,000 British, Indian, Australian and Malay soldiers were captured. One of those many thousands was Major Paul Robinson, a Sherwood Forester from Ilkeston. He was taken to join the hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and civilians forced to build the Burma-Thailand railway. All the while, Major Robinson’s wife Hope waited at home without a single word about her husband. In September 1944, 49 British prisoners of war were rescued by the Americans. Paul was sadly not among them, but two Foresters who knew him were and, on their return to England, his wife Hope interviewed them. The men believed that one day the war would be over, that they would be free and that fascism would be defeated. She reported what she had learned to the Ilkeston Miners’ Welfare and wrote a letter to the Daily Express . What followed was extraordinary: in response, Hope received more than 5,000 letters from the families of soldiers far away, fellow distraught wives of prisoners of war, and those who just wished to express their sympathy and admiration. More than 2,000 of these letters are now preserved at Erewash Museum, in a permanent exhibition entitled “Letters of Hope”. Paul returned to Ilkeston in September 1945 and died there in 1997, aged 87. His wife passed away in 2008, but thanks to her daughter Penny, who donated the letters in 2015, they and their incredible stories are remembered. I want to remember another Ilkeston man, Donald Rose, who died on 11 July this year. At 110, he was not only my most senior constituent; for just over six months, he was our nation’s most senior citizen. Donald was a veteran of the second world war. He fought fascists in the deserts of north Africa and in the invasion of Sicily. He landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-day and helped to liberate France from Nazi tyranny. He saw with his own eyes the gravest evil of all, when he entered the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and was met by 60,000 sick and starving prisoners and the bodies of 13,000, murdered and unburied. Donald Rose was a hero, and I know I speak for every one of my constituents when I say that we will all miss him and we will remember him. Eighty years on, we must remember all those stories: the grandest deeds of courage and brilliance, the darkest acts of destruction and depravity, and the smallest expressions of love and hope. It has been an honour on this anniversary to share those stories with the House, and I hope that we will all continue to do so for many years to come.

• 15 Jul 2025 · New Nuclear · Hansard source

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  24. What assessment he has made of the role of new nuclear in supporting a clean energy transition.

• 15 Jul 2025 · New Nuclear · Hansard source

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  Rolls-Royce in Derby has recently been announced as the preferred bidder for the delivery of small modular reactors, which means that many of my Erewash constituents will become the beating heart of the workforce that delivers the reactors. Can the Minister explain how Derbyshire’s finest SMRs will help to end our reliance on foreign oil and gas?

• 7 Jul 2025 · Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her fantastic statement. Could she elaborate on how the Best Start family hubs will support the families that I represent in Erewash, and those across Derbyshire, who are fighting for a better deal for children with special educational needs and disabilities?

• 24 Jun 2025 · National Security Strategy · Hansard source

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  Rolls-Royce Submarines in Derby, just outside my constituency, is a major employer of my constituents. Will the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster confirm that the Government remain committed to the nuclear triple lock and comment on how today’s announcement will support our nuclear manufacturing industry in the east midlands?

• 18 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  As a trained physics teacher and a former engineering lecturer, may I ask the Deputy Prime Minister what this Government are doing to help people improve their maths skills after they have left school? I came across an awful case the other day: a 61-year-old man who believed he had counted up £7 billion of Government spending, when there was really only £27 million. What can we do for people like the leader of Reform UK, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), who evidently cannot add up? [Hon. Members: “More!”]

• 17 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q We have heard a number of times today how this Bill can work in tandem with the Crime and Policing Bill in several areas. Could you comment on how the two Bills will work together to tackle antisocial behaviour? Alex Davies-Jones: I am grateful for that question. It is important to note that the criminal justice system is a system: it only works with every element of it slotting together. Therefore, the Bill does work in tandem with the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently before the House. There are a number of measures in that Bill around respect orders, giving police the power to seize off-road bikes without a warrant, and new powers in this Bill, working in conjunction with the Victims’ Commissioner, on a duty to collaborate involving different agencies, for example. All these fit together, and it is important that we look at this holistically. There were a number of measures that were raised today, and a number of witnesses raised measures that are not in this Bill. I stress to Committee members that a lot of work is happening behind the scenes. I am happy to discuss the work that is being done on measures raised as not necessarily being in this Bill, because we have got a number of reviews taking place in the MOJ at the moment. You will all be aware of the recently published sentencing review, and there is a courts review being conducted by Sir Brian Leveson. All this needs to fit together holistically; it cannot be done in isolation. There will future legislation coming forward as well, so it is important not to pin everything down in every Bill just because we have the opportunity to do so. It needs to fit and be rightly considered and reviewed before we do so.

• 17 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q Good morning both and thank you for coming to give evidence. We have rightly discussed antisocial behaviour in depth. I know from my own email inbox that it is a huge scourge on my constituents’ lives in Erewash. Broadly, what is your general assessment of how the Bill’s measures on antisocial behaviour will help us to tackle it as a whole? Rebecca Bryant: It is very difficult to see this Bill in isolation, considering we have the Crime and Policing Bill going through Parliament at the same time. We want to be in lockstep and to recognise that we need not only to support victims and communities, but to consider the drivers for antisocial behaviour—where it is happening and how we can better respond, whether that is through a legal toolkit or by putting checks and balances in place. For example, I gave evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights last week around checks and balances on ensuring that we recognise the human rights of individuals versus the community, and how we do that. Having a spotlight on antisocial behaviour can only be a good thing if it is what the majority of people in the country say is a high priority. Having spoken to lots of Ministers, Governments and civil servants over the last 25 years that I have been working on antisocial behaviour, that priority has not gone away. When you look at our survey results on the impact of antisocial behaviour, one in seven people say that their mental health is impacted, and one in 10 actually move home because they are a victim of antisocial behaviour. Over 50% of people do not report it to us. Why not? Is it because they do not trust us to respond? Is it because we do not advertise how to report it to us? There is something there that we need to be think about, and we need to do more research into that. With the Crime and Policing Bill, there will be mandating of data collection. For the first time since the crime and policing Act that is there at the moment, we will be gathering information on use of early intervention and prevention tools, and we will be able to evaluate what works, what we want to invest in and how we train our staff. We will look at legal action and whether the new respect order—as it will be once it has been piloted—works. What is the impact of positive requirements and what is the impact of sentencing? What is the impact of increasing fines as a deterrent? At the centre of that, we will have the Victims’ Commissioner, advocating for individual victims of antisocial behaviour—in a different way, perhaps, from the way the ombudsman will be looking at complaints, the ASB case review looks at a response or the social housing regulator looks at things. The Victims’ Commissioner is actually advocating for the individual victim or the communities that are being impacted, and that can only be a good thing.

• 17 Jun 2025 · Victims and Courts Bill (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  Q Good morning to you all. Baroness Newlove, you published a report last year on the experiences of victims of antisocial behaviour. To what extent do you think the Bill’s antisocial behaviour measures meet the recommendations of your report? Baroness Newlove: Antisocial behaviour is my drum. I absolutely welcome that the commissioner is now able to explore the treatment of victims of antisocial behaviour—I have been going on about that for many years—but there are still challenges that victims face. I really like that it will allow an investigation of how the housing agencies and associations treat victims, because it is like ping pong with these housing associations—I welcome that. I challenged the Victims and Prisoners Act because victims should expect to be entitled to the right support under the victims code. Victims of persistent antisocial behaviour should fall under the victims code. Trying to get people to understand the impact of antisocial behaviour as a crime—and it is a crime—is all down to how much the victim reports. That is where we need better understanding. I also want a statutory threshold for ASB case reviews, and I want an independent chair for ASB case reviews, because I am tired of agencies marking their own homework. More importantly, I want the victim to be able to go to this, because you are talking about them and the impact on them, yet they are not invited. For me, that is really important. I welcome anything for antisocial behaviour, and I would like the Government to look at the report’s recommendations and see what else we can add.

• 11 Jun 2025 · Spending Review 2025 · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor for her statement today. I welcome all the choices she has made, but especially the investments in Derby and the wider east midlands, which will be an enormous boon to my constituents in Erewash. I also warmly welcome her commitment to ending the use of asylum hotels in this Parliament. The Tory party let the asylum system get completely out of control. Does the Chancellor agree that investment now will result in savings of billions as the system is fixed?

• 10 Jun 2025 · Nuclear Power: Investment · Hansard source

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  A very happy birthday to you, Mr Speaker. May I thank the Secretary of State for today’s announcement, which represents a massive boost for my constituents in Erewash and a huge vote of confidence for Rolls-Royce just down the road in Derby? How does he foresee the announcement affecting the availability of apprenticeships for kids leaving my local schools in Ilkeston and Long Eaton?

• 4 Jun 2025 · Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  Does the Minister agree that the Bill is instrumental in keeping the UK at the forefront of science internationally?

• 4 Jun 2025 · Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way. It is lovely to hear of her experiences. I was aware that she was previously at the National Physical Laboratory. Indeed, I recall how excited my field was when she was first elected. I would just like to place strongly on the record how much I agree with her colleagues’ excellent contributions to science.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention—it was perfect. He is absolutely right, and I will leave the perfection to the mathematicians. To illustrate my point, I hear people in engineering asking for products to be made perfectly—for the angle of the corner of the table to be exactly 90° or the surface of the microscope to be infinitely smooth. To study metrology is to understand the concepts of imperfection and uncertainty and apply those to everything. If one zooms in close enough, the angle is never exactly right, and the surface is never perfectly smooth. On Second Reading, I made reference to the optical mirrors used in the James Webb space telescope. They are incredibly smooth, yes, but to examine them at the atomic scale, one would find deviations from the nominal plane that mirror those in the Grand Canyon. Being an engineer involves accepting these deviations within the context of the work we undertake towards our goal of constant improvement—be that in the creation of, say, aerospace engines or, indeed, national legislation. My expertise within surface metrology was in the development of X-ray computed tomography for measuring surfaces. Alongside my good friend Dr Andy Townsend at the University of Huddersfield, who made similar discoveries at the same point in history—a phenomenon that is common across science—I was among the first to be able to use X-rays to measure the interior surface of parts that were otherwise hidden to both the eye and the machine. X-ray computed tomography had never previously been good enough to measure surfaces, with the imaging resolutions achievable lagging significantly behind those required to separate measurements from noise. Previously, such measurements were not really needed, as to manufacture a surface, one generally had to access that surface with a machine tool, so one could similarly access it with a measurement tool. However, with the birth of industrial additive manufacturing—often called 3D printing—we could suddenly make things with hidden internal geometries that did not need tool access and could not be measured. Without measurement, though, we cannot verify that the parts we make will function as we require them to. As such, new technology was required to allow us to create additively manufactured parts, be they novel, much lighter aeroplane parts or new joint replacements finely customised to suit the individual. Alongside our colleagues, Andy and I solved this problem by demonstrating that X-ray computed tomography had become good enough to measure those surfaces. This Bill mirrors that “good enough” paradigm. Current legislation places us at risk of falling out of alignment with the rest of the world, which in turn risks our ability as the British to maintain our position at the forefront of international science. In its current, unamended form, the Bill grants the Secretary of State the necessary authority to keep pace with the guidance of relevant experts. The amendments proposed by the Opposition would only hinder our ability to stay aligned with the continuous advancement of progress.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  Once again, it is a great honour to speak about the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. Today, we are focused on the amendments proposed following the Public Bill Committee, on which, in common with the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden), I was honoured to serve; I was the resident metrologist. In Committee, we heard extensively from Members of the Opposition. They described in great depth their concerns about the Bill’s implications for international alignment of regulations; we have just heard some of those concerns from the hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister). Today, those concerns have once again been presented to the House through various amendments to the Bill. I will explain, with reference to state-of-the-art metrology, why those issues should not be a significant cause for concern for right hon. and hon. Members.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. and learned Member for his intervention, but I disagree with his assessment. This Bill is about providing the Secretary of State with the powers necessary to ensure that we remain at the forefront of science. Opposition Members have incorrectly claimed that the Bill hands over authority to foreign powers, or overly centralises it in the hands of the Secretary of State. This is not a matter of ceding control to external entities; rather, it is about maintaining the United Kingdom’s position at the forefront of scientific and regulatory innovation. It is about ensuring that the British scientists who follow in the footsteps of Newton, Franklin and Hawking can continue to lead the world in their fields. These Opposition amendments appear to stem from a fundamental misunderstanding—or perhaps a complete lack of understanding—of what metrology and standards frameworks entail and why they are vital. I urge all Members to vote against them and support this Bill through its Third Reading.