Amanda Martin MP: speeches

Speeches

• 11 Jun 2025 · Theft of Tools of Trade · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. One of the reasons for pushing my Bill is deterrence. I will come on to the policing element and how we can better record this crime. I have been working on the issue since December. I thank all hon. Members who attended my brilliant breakfast reception: I have been energised by the levels of cross-party support for the campaign, and I was pleased that hon. Members from many different parties joined me in helping to raise awareness of it. I reassure the trades community that whatever the outcome of my private Member’s Bill, I will continue to campaign on the issue and will bring all those who want to join me, in or outside this House, along on that journey.

• 11 Jun 2025 · Theft of Tools of Trade · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his work. He is absolutely right: the impact on reputation and on mental health goes way beyond just the tools that are stolen. It is important to explain the reform that I am asking for. The current sentencing guidelines for tool theft do not reflect the gravity of the crime. Because most tool theft involves tools valued under £10,000, it is placed in harm category 3. Unless the courts actively use their discretion to raise the harm rating, the impact on the victim is downplayed. However, that category does not reflect the true damage, the lost income, the van repairs and the mental strain, which we have heard about from several Members today. I am therefore asking for two simple but significant changes to the sentencing guidelines. First, I am asking the Sentencing Council to explicitly list theft of tools of trade as an example of “significant additional harm”. That would prompt magistrates to consider placing offences in harm category 2 even if the monetary value falls below £10,000, because that would reflect the emotional, reputational and business damage that these crimes cause.

• 11 Jun 2025 · Theft of Tools of Trade · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered sentencing for the theft of tools of trade. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. Over recent years, we have seen a surge in thefts from tradespeople, particularly thefts of essential tools from vans and workplaces. According to industry, one in 10 tradespeople will fall victim to tool theft this year alone. For many, it will not be the first time or, sadly, the last. The same proportion have already experienced this devastating crime three or more times in their career. Tool theft is not a victimless crime, and it is not petty. The average cost of stolen tools stands at almost £3,000 in each instance. When we add that to £1,500 for vehicle repairs and £2,000 in lost earnings and business disruption, we are suddenly looking at £6,000 to £7,000 in immediate losses.

• 11 Jun 2025 · Spending Review 2025 · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor for listening to me on behalf of Portsmouth residents with her commitments in today’s review to investing in building British in our defence sector, backing our SMEs, investing in our country’s security, our Royal Navy base and our NHS, and investing in the education of young people and our public services. A really important issue for my constituents is housing. With the £39 billion affordable housing pot and local growth funding targeted to reach hundreds of communities, under Labour there is now a real chance of addressing the housing need in Portsmouth. How can I work with the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister to ensure that this ambitious investment is wholeheartedly embraced by my Lib Dem council, so that it is as ambitious for Portsmouth as we are, and so that we finally see action and much-needed homes for the people of Pompey?

• 10 Jun 2025 · Grenfell Tower Fire: Eighth Anniversary · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. Eight years on, we remember the deep sorrow, and stand with the survivors and families. Grenfell really did expose failures in building safety and massive social inequality. At the time, I was a teacher, and the deaths of those children were tragic. Now I am an MP, I think it is upon us to do all we can in this place not only to bring those people social justice and the justice they deserve, but to make sure it does not happen again.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting) · Hansard source

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  Just for the record on those donations, in 2016 the club contributed £12,500 to the Conservative party, and in 2022, it contributed £9,000.

• 10 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting) · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Member believe that this would include involving fans in political-financial decisions like that made by West Ham United, who donated to the Conservative party? Should fans be involved in that type of decision, or is it a decision that the board should just be able to make?

• 5 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [Lords] (Fourth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I believe that the Conservative Whip, the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire (Mike Wood), who previously represented Dudley South, while highlighting the Bill’s alignment with Conservatives prior to the last election, said he believed that this is a Bill that every single Conservative Member stood on at the last election in their manifesto, which was a ringing endorsement of the Bill.

• 5 Jun 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Many of my constituents have been deeply distressed by the story of Beth Martin, a mum of two from my constituency who tragically died in unclear circumstances on holiday in Turkey last month. My thoughts and sympathies go out to her husband Luke and her two children, and indeed to all who love her. I thank the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty) for his sensitive and swift work. Will the Leader of the House please make time for him to update me on his work internationally regarding this devastating death?

• 5 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting) · Hansard source

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  Thank you for your chairmanship today, Mr Turner. The hon. Gentleman is talking about political statements, and my understanding is that FIFA’s rulings are on political statements made on players’ kits. It did not make a ruling on players taking the knee and did not impose sanctions on them for doing so. That was seen as a political stance by some, but FIFA ruled that it was not a political stance because it was not on their kit.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Member cast his mind back to when the Education Committee rejected the person proposed to be put in charge of Ofsted, and the Government went against the Committee’s opinion. Sometimes Select Committees are not given all the information, and sometimes a Committee’s decision or recommendation is not followed by the Government. We can surmise why that might have been when we look at that person and her links with the Conservative party at the time.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. As a Pompey fan and season ticket holder, and as an elected member of Portsmouth supporters trust board, ownership is a very painful subject in my city, because bad ownership has almost cost us our club on more than one occasion. I welcome the definitions in schedule 1, because there has been a series of owners—some have been the subject of international arrest warrants, some have had their assets frozen by the Government, some have been imprisoned, and no one could prove that one of them even existed, as I have said before in the House. That string of horrendous owners had a devastating impact not just on the football club, but on the community. Assets were sold off to areas of the owners’ other companies, and local businesses and employees lost thousands of pounds. The Bill and the regulator, and clause 1 and schedule 1, can protect clubs from poor ownership and will therefore mean that football clubs up and down England will never have to experience what Pompey fans had to experience.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  Portsmouth.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting) · Hansard source

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  I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. Taking politics out of this, I agree with the hon. Member for Spelthorne, who said this morning that we should have the best person for the job. I believe we do, and it is not just me. The cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee, chaired by a Conservative MP, approved the appointment, because it recognised the strength of the candidate. It could have rejected him, or it could have taken more time and asked for more information—

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  I apologise, Sir Jeremy; my point was about the principles. On amendment 116 and the other amendments that relate to political party membership, has this type of concern has been raised before regarding appointments to other public bodies? More than one hon. Gentleman has spoken about how this is football and it is really important—almost as if it is more important than anything else. Was party membership taken into account by the Conservative party, who were in government at the time, when other appointments were made, or were concerns raised through a parliamentary question, a Westminster Hall debate or on social media or any other platform? I think particularly about appointments to the Care Quality Commission, Natural England, Monitor/NHS Improvement, the Consumer Council for Water, the Low Pay Commission and Ofsted—it would be remiss of me not to mention Ofsted. I think we can all agree that those appointments are very important.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  I will, Sir Jeremy. It is about precedent. Does the shadow Minister think that this is an issue only for football governance and only for this appointment? As my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak noted, current practice for appointments to regulatory bodies and public bodies has been in place a long time. Paragraph 6 of schedule 2 strengthens that process and gives clear details of what it looks like. I guess this is a case of “do as I say and not as I did”.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  It does not say “dual”.

• 3 Jun 2025 · Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting) · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member’s amendment reads: “No member may be appointed to the Board if they currently have any broadcast or media interests or any role in a television or media broadcast that relates to football.” It does not state that, if appointed, they could leave that role and take on their role as a regulator, as most people do when they enter a role as a regulator. It says “currently”, so it would essentially prevent anyone who might have that knowledge and understanding from being appointed. His amendment does not say anything about their leaving or resigning; it just says “currently”.

• 22 May 2025 · Diego Garcia Military Base · Hansard source

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  I rise to welcome this agreement, which safeguards a vital national security asset and cements the United Kingdom’s role at the heart of global defence co-operation. Let us be clear: this treaty is about protecting Britain’s ability to defend itself and its allies. Diego Garcia is not just a piece of land in the Indian ocean, but the backbone of our joint operations with the United States and a linchpin of the UK’s ability to project power, to deter threats and to ensure security in an increasingly unstable world. All our closest allies—the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India—support this deal. NATO supports this deal. They understand what Diego Garcia represents: unmatched strategic certainty. Will the Secretary of State please give us more information about how we will be protecting the area around the islands?

• 14 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q6. Since my election, I have championed and backed our country’s plumbers, builders, electricians and all our tradespeople, who are not just building Britain, but holding our communities together. That is why I have been campaigning for tougher sentencing and action on tool theft, and for the real cost of this crime to be recognised. I thank everyone in the sector who has backed the campaign, because together we have shown that the message is clear: after 14 years of Government neglect, it is time for action and change. Will the Prime Minister work with me and the Secretary of State for Justice to include my private Member’s Bill as we review sentencing and justice, so that the punishment finally fits the crime?

• 13 May 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Sixth sitting) · Hansard source

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  indicated dissent.

• 13 May 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Sixth sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I would like to speak on amendments 50 and 51. Portsmouth is a part of a minerals partnership and collaborates with Hampshire county council, Southampton city council, New Forest national park authority and the South Downs national park authority. Together, they have developed and adapted Hampshire’s minerals and waste plan. Does the Minister agree that amendments 50 and 51 will support administrative efficiency, particularly for those fully urbanised authorities such as mine in Portsmouth, where we have no or very few mineral resources to extract? Releasing such authorities from having full mineral plans and duties could reduce future duplication and free up much-needed planning resources, allowing us to work on plans that are relevant and specific to our area.

• 13 May 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Sixth sitting) · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Member accept that two thirds of local planning authorities in England—around 206 councils—do not have an up-to-date local plan?

• 28 Apr 2025 · Football Governance Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  What an honour that is, Madam Deputy Speaker. I start with an apology for my over-zealous intervention earlier and refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, and by taking the opportunity to congratulate both Portsmouth’s men’s and women’s teams on securing championship status this season. As a football fan, and as a Pompey fan in particular, life is a rollercoaster. The men’s team’s history is one of highs and lows. We are one of seven teams in the country to have won all football leagues, but we have also faced relegation—not just because of performance on the pitch, but because of financial instability and docked points. Pompey’s troubles were a combination of ownership that was poor at best and corrupt at worst. With a sell-off of assets and debt, our story is incredibly complex, with a series of owners including some who had international arrest warrants issued for them, others who had their assets frozen by Government, and one who no one could prove actually existed and was never met by the EPL prior to taking over. Club assets were sold off to other companies, but it was not clear if the club ever received those moneys, and items of important historical heritage were just chucked in the skip. The club ran up debts in excess of £100 million, including debts to local businesses and charities, and was basically written off after multiple administrations. This all took people’s love of our club for granted and cost people their livelihoods. At one point, Pompey was such a toxic club that the only people willing to save and own it were its fans, and we began the rebuild. Fans and communities are the people hit the hardest, and often the people who pick up the pieces and rebuild, which is why they should be central to football regulation. A new regulator can protect against poor ownership; force clubs to control their finances better, working to prevent the build-up of unsustainable debt; ensure that we have a competitive pyramid and a fairer distribution; prevent the sale of key assets; and ensure that fans are at the centre of the national game. A new regulator can protect clubs like mine, who are the beating heart of my community. Pride is everywhere in football. I am proud of my football club, and I am proud to have been a season ticket holder for more than 30 years at Portsmouth football club. I am proud to be an elected member of Pompey Supporters Trust. I am proud that our football club is now owned by people who genuinely love and are invested in Fratton Park, and I am proud to be in a Government who once again deliver on a manifest commitment. I am also proud to have written a joint letter with Andy Cullen, Portsmouth’s chief executive, to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister, in favour of the Bill and to invite them both to see how our club has risen from the ashes and is truly at the heart of our community. I am proud to back the Bill, and I am proud to be a football fan. For all fans, I am proud of the Bill.