Heidi Alexander MP: speeches

Speeches

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  I can reassure my hon. Friend of that, and she is right to highlight the very human impact of what happened. The trains were busy trains coming into London on a Friday evening. It concerns me to hear that her constituents had to organise private transport. Would she write to me in more detail about those circumstances, because I would like to look into that? I know that wraparound support was provided at the scene, and if anyone did not experience that, I would like to know so that we can be in contact with them and learn any lessons.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is completely right to highlight the vital role that train drivers play. I would like to put on record my thanks to Dave Calfe, the ASLEF general secretary, for his statement over the weekend. The Rail Minister has spoken with the general secretary, and we will continue to work to ensure that drivers are safe. This has been a horrific incident, but such incidents are thankfully very rare on our railways. I will make sure that we continue that close collaboration to ensure that everyone—staff and passengers—is safe when they are on our trains.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  I will, of course, join my hon. Friend in thanking the firefighters from Milton Keynes, who were very fast on to the scene. I would also like to thank all those from Network Rail who are involved in recovering the trains. Some Members may have seen the images of a road being built through a field, as we speak, to erect a crane to be able to lift the carriages off the tracks. This was a very serious incident, and I thank all those involved in responding to it and seeing the recovery through.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  I will ask the Rail Minister to respond in writing to the hon. Gentleman’s suggestion about diverting stopping services from the east coast main line. We are working closely with all train operators to ensure that adequate service is provided. While no services are operating between Luton and Bedford, there are currently rail replacement buses. GTR is still operating between London and Luton and also north of Bedford, and EMR is still operating a limited service into Bedford. However, I will respond in writing on the hon. Gentleman’s specific point.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  As someone who also represents a railway town—Swindon—I understand my hon. Friend’s experiences in Long Eaton of being stopped in the street by members of the railway family. This will be a particularly challenging time for them, and I do understand that. I assure him that the RAIB, which was on the scene quickly, will be doing its work independently; as I say, an update will be forthcoming in the coming days. The BTP will continue its investigations as well. I will ensure that all MPs along the line of route are kept informed as we get more information about the incident and any recommendations that flow from the investigations.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend’s remarks. Anyone who, like him, has been in a cab with a driver will understand the skills, attention to detail and alertness that drivers require. He is right to say that they often go unthanked, hidden away in the driver’s cab, but billions of journeys each year on our railway network depend on the service they provide, so he is completely right to highlight that.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  I do agree with my hon. Friend. My thoughts are also with the driver of the other train and their family, as well as the on board train crew, some of whom were injured. It is absolutely vital that we in the Government do everything we can to make sure our railways are as safe as they possibly can be. We will be looking closely at the RAIB report when it comes, and I can assure him and his constituents that we will learn any necessary lessons and make any necessary changes.

• 22 Jun 2026 · East Midlands Railway Collision · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his responsible remarks, and I thank him for raising the response of the emergency services, as well as the response of the railway staff who ensured that swift action could be taken once the collision had happened. It is worth saying once again how quickly, bravely and professionally our emergency services responded in these most challenging of circumstances.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Road Safety · Hansard source

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  In January, we published the road safety strategy, which envisages a safer future for everyone on the road through targets to cut deaths and serious injuries by 65% for everyone and by 70% for children by 2035. It also promotes partnership working between Government, local authorities, industry and others to save thousands of lives and ease pressure on the NHS.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I recall the visit to my hon. Friend’s constituency, where I met her and the west midlands police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster. I remember being struck by how dangerous and pervasive that form of reckless behaviour is on her local roads. The Government are considering whether to mandate alcolocks in cars in cases of repeat and high-risk drink-driving offenders. My hon. Friend raises an interesting question about whether technological solutions could also be applied in cases of dangerous street racers. I will ask officials in my Department to do more work on what the possibilities are.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I commend the hon. Gentleman for his campaigning on this issue. We do need to make the environment around schools safer for children. Some of the most successful and enduring interventions to improve road safety have been things like school streets initiatives. If traffic-calming measures can reduce the number of people being killed or seriously injured, it is right that local authorities look at the local situation and do not hesitate to make the interventions that could make all the difference.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire: Transport Links · Hansard source

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  I would caution the hon. Gentleman against his indignant tone, given the inheritance that we received from his Government on East West Rail. When we came into office, no operator had been appointed to run East West Rail; we got on with it and did it. We had to finish the work at Winslow station; we got on with it and did it. We need to ensure that services on East West Rail are fit for the sort of usage that is now likely to happen, given that planning permission has been granted for Universal, and that includes the nature of staffing on the rail line. As the Minister for Aviation said in response to a previous question, Chiltern Railways is leading the discussions, and we are keen to see services enter into operation as soon as possible.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire: Transport Links · Hansard source

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  I am really pleased that we are accelerating the delivery of a new station at Tempsford, which will be the connection between East West Rail and the east coast main line. The Chancellor brought that forward in her Budget in 2024, and I want to make sure that public transport services are properly integrated with new stations, whether that is at Tempsford or Cambourne. As for a potential new station east of St Neots, the hon. Gentleman will be aware that the current proposals include new stations at Tempsford and Cambourne. We are pursuing further opportunities across the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, but any future station would need to demonstrate value for money, affordability and local support.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire: Transport Links · Hansard source

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  The Government are delivering a £1.3 billion package of transport and infrastructure improvements across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, including £474 million of investment in strategic road and rail upgrades around Bedford, a new four-platform station at Wixams and improvements to the A421 serving the Universal United Kingdom resort. The Government have also committed £2.5 billion for East West Rail over the spending review period, with a new station at Stewartby to serve Universal. Just last week, we announced £117 million for a new eastern entrance at Bletchley. Together, these investments will improve connectivity, support economic growth and create opportunities across the region.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Mass Transit Systems · Hansard source

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  I am proud of the fact that we are renationalising the railways, bringing the train operating companies back into public ownership. We have launched the brand-new livery and train designs, but more importantly than that, I can tell the right hon. Gentleman that train services that are now under public control are more reliable and have fewer cancellations than those still in the private sector.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Mass Transit Systems · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for all his work on public transport in Exeter and the wider Devon area. He and I have met colleagues in this place, and I am willing to continue that conversation about how we can ensure that people in Devon have a reliable, frequent rail service and the connectivity that they need as much as people do in other parts of the country.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Mass Transit Systems · Hansard source

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  The delivery of mass transit systems has too often been slowed down by fragmented funding arrangements, difficulties in acquiring land and complex planning processes. Our new mass transit taskforce, made up of an independent panel of experts, will make practical recommendations on how we can speed up delivery and remove some of the blockers. We are also committed to devolving new powers, including Transport and Works Act 1992 orders, to ensure that local leaders have all the tools they need to deliver mass transit schemes quickly and efficiently.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Mass Transit Systems · Hansard source

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  It is important that we invest in our roads and structures on the wider road network. We have asked local authorities to come forward with proposals by 2 August for schemes that they think might be suitable for funding. We will look at all those applications carefully because I know the impact that disruption on the roads has on local communities.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Mass Transit Systems · Hansard source

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  The Mayor of Greater Manchester has led the way when it comes to keeping fares affordable and bringing public transport back under public control, including throughout the years of the right hon. Member’s Tory Government. Funding provided by this Government led by this Prime Minister to the Mayor of Greater Manchester has been used to enable a more generous bus fare cap in the Greater Manchester city region, and it is right that we equip local leaders to take the sorts of decisions that are right for their local residents.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I speak regularly with the new integrated managing director of South Western, Lawrence Bowman, to ensure that he is doing absolutely everything that he can, from both a train operations and an infrastructure management perspective, to bear down on the disruption that the hon. Gentleman’s constituents have had to experience. I accept that over the last year, performance at South Western Railway has not been up to scratch, but I assure him that we will leave no stone unturned in making sure that his constituents have a better travel experience in future.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I know that there is a long and painful history of failed attempts to build mass transit in West Yorkshire, and I understand why my hon. Friend’s constituents feel let down by what has happened in the past. I assure him that this Government fully support Mayor Tracy Brabin’s plans for mass transit, and we are working hand in glove with her. Indeed, I believe that at this very moment, the Minister for Rail is meeting her to discuss what more the Government can do to ensure that we finally deliver the mass transit system that my hon. Friend’s constituents and West Yorkshire deserve.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important issue. She will be aware that we have already legislated to establish national standards and to reform the way that enforcement action can be taken against private hire drivers and vehicles, no matter where they are licensed. Those standards will provide a robust framework to make sure that people are safe wherever they live, work or travel. I believe that drivers and operators should be licensed where they intend to provide services. We are bringing forward a draft taxi and private hire vehicle Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in this Session, and I would be grateful for the expertise of my hon. Friend’s Committee in looking at that. We want to look at the issue of out-of-area working holistically to make sure that we do not reduce the availability of private hire services for everyone, while also making sure that we have very high standards in place.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  It is sometimes essential to do maintenance work over the weekends, and I appreciate that that can cause disruption to the travelling public. We try to keep that at a minimum and properly communicate with passengers in advance so they can plan their journeys accordingly. We would not be financially able to provide direct compensation at the current time, but I want to minimise the disruption that the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and the travelling public across the country experience on those occasions.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The King’s Speech promised to change the country for the better, and this Government are getting on with the job. Yesterday we completed the passage of the Railways Bill through this place, paving the way for Great British Railways and an industry that finally works for passengers instead of profit. We have already seen new trains on South Western Railway and more capacity on LNER, and the first GBR-branded trains are now in service. More than half of train operating companies are now in public ownership and are performing better, on average, than those still in private hands. [ Interruption. ] That is just one part of how we are transforming journeys. Tomorrow I am launching the third cycling and walking investment strategy, building on the investment already announced, to enable more people to make safe and healthy choices to get around. We are progressing legislation— [ Interruption. ]

• 11 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Decisions about speed limits on local roads are matters for the local highway authority. I think that that is right, because local leaders will know their areas best. I am also acutely aware that if someone is hit by a car travelling at 20 mph, they are five times less likely to die than if they are hit by one travelling at 30 mph. Appropriate decisions need to be taken by the appropriate authority for local circumstances.