Jonathan Davies MP: speeches

Speeches

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

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. The east midlands has been a driver of Britain’s economic growth since at least the earliest days of the industrial revolution. Belper in my constituency was the world’s first factory town; it spun cotton for textiles at a previously unimaginable rate, and that model was exported around the world. Now, our region hosts advanced manufacturing, cutting-edge technology and world-class research. Colleagues have touched on that and, as time is short, I will not go into it any further. However, our region faces significant challenges. Housing costs and low wages mean that many young people are stuck renting or living with their parents well beyond the time when they would have liked to move out. That is why I am very pleased to lend my support to the regeneration of the Belper mills, a significant series of historical buildings integral to the Derwent valley UNESCO world heritage site. Bringing heritage buildings like that back online—with 130 homes, in this case—and making them work for the community is essential. When such assets are also used to grow the visitor economy, as we are seeking to do in Belper, the economic returns are multiplied. To deliver that, we must ensure that we have the craftspeople to bring the buildings back into use. The technical excellence colleges for construction that are being established, including in Derby, must ensure that there is training in heritage building techniques and planning so that we have the skills to revive these valuable assets. Doing so not only benefits the economy and the people that it serves, but helps people understand our shared national story. It brings people together in engaging with the past and celebrating beautiful architecture that truly builds pride in place at a time when society feels increasingly fractured. A second challenge for the region is the under-investment it has suffered in its public transport. The east midlands has consistently been the least funded region, but helping people to get around, whether for work or leisure or to access public services or education, is key to economic growth. The Labour Government have made a good start on that through initiatives such as the £2 billion for public transport that they have allocated to Mayor Claire Ward. I want to see a good chunk of that money spent in rural and semi-rural communities, of which there are many in Derbyshire, where bus services are insufficient. The issue of public transport in rural and semi-rural areas is highlighted in the Labour rural research group’s latest report, “Rural Poverty in Britain”, and I strongly recommend that Ministers take the time to look at that publication. I am also keen to see the Government bring forward plans to electrify the remaining section of the midland main line, which was first mooted in the 1970s but has been kicked into the long grass numerous times. That would reduce carbon emissions and costs over the long term while delivering improved reliability and shorter travel times. It might also enable more services to stop in Belper, Duffield and Spondon. Given that Derby is the home of the railways, it is not acceptable that no electric trains run through the city. The east midlands is not just about Britain’s past; it is integral to its future, and when it succeeds, Britain succeeds. I hope the Minister has gathered plenty of insights to take forward with colleagues so that our region can truly achieve all that it has the potential to do.

• 10 Mar 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is generous in giving way. He is making important points about potential overreach of the state. Might I suggest that this is not the end for the Bill and that if there are concerns—people are rightly raising issues—we can progress them in Committee and at subsequent stages to ensure that the Bill is where it needs to be to retain public trust.

• 10 Mar 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is making a very good speech and putting victims at the heart of what she is saying. I share some of her concerns about the legislation as it stands, but does she agree that we should vote for it today, so that we have the opportunity to influence it and improve it in the interests of public trust as it passes through the House?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Middle East: Economic Update · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chancellor for her statement, because this is a worrying time for not just our national security, but our economy. I am pleased to hear about the work going on with the Competition and Markets Authority in respect of consumers of heating oil, but may I suggest that she has a conversation with her colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to expedite the £1 billion-worth of community energy investment coming through the local power fund and focus it as quickly as possible into rural areas such as mine in Derbyshire? If this is going to be a protracted conflict, that could make a difference.

• 4 Mar 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q6. Like the Prime Minister, I had the transformative benefit of a music education as a young person, although he had his some while before I had mine. [Hon. Members: “Ooh!”] After more than a decade of decline in music in schools, the Government’s new national centre for arts and music education and measures coming through the curriculum review will ensure that more young people benefit from the opportunities that my right hon. and learned Friend and I both had. Can he tell us how the new national centre will make a difference for our young people, and what are the Government doing to address the funding shortfalls currently facing England’s music education hubs, including mine in Derbyshire?

• 25 Feb 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q10. The regeneration of Belper mills—a large site with buildings, including grade I listed ones dating from the start of the industrial revolution, at the heart of the east midlands’ only UNESCO world heritage site—took a significant step forward last week, when planning permission for its redevelopment and conservation was finally granted. The Government want to provide more housing—rightly so—and sites like this, though very challenging, provide a very important opportunity to support that aspiration and share our national story. Can the Prime Minister tell me what support the Government are giving to regenerate at-risk listed buildings, and whether we are delivering support to train construction workers in heritage building techniques? May I ask him to take a personal interest in Belper mills, because it is an internationally significant site?

• 23 Feb 2026 · Local Government Reorganisation · Hansard source

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  Local government reorganisation in Derbyshire might see Amber Valley borough council split in half, along with the cost and difficulty of working out how to disaggregate the authority and the services and private finance initiative contracts it still manages, but an outcome is needed that will work for the next 100 years and that is based on the time it takes people to travel to work and the services they access. May I ask the Secretary of State to take a special interest in the circumstances of Amber Valley borough council and ensure that it gets the support that it needs so that it can be part of a new authority that can serve people’s needs effectively in the county?

• 10 Feb 2026 · Local Power Plan · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, the publication of the local power plan and the £1 billion investment that will support community groups to provide green, sustainable energy and help their financial sustainability. We have considerable expertise in Derbyshire when it comes to using water to create power. In fact, the mills that were built on the Derwent valley over 200 years ago were among the first to harness that opportunity, and now we have a number of hydro projects on that stretch of water. Can I encourage the Secretary of State to come to Derbyshire to see some of those projects and look at where we could add more? If he wants help from local people who have expertise in this space, I am more than happy to put him in touch with them.

• 2 Feb 2026 · China and Japan · Hansard source

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  With respect to the statement following the Prime Minister’s visit to China and Japan, I thank him for being in the room and challenging China on its appalling human rights record and for fighting for British jobs. With respect to his visit to Japan, did the issue of Toyota come up? Toyota is a significant employer in Derbyshire and worth more than £5.5 billion to the local economy. Can we do more with Toyota, because it is really good for jobs here?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Business Rates · Hansard source

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  When we had an urgent question on business rates last week, I raised the issue of grassroots music venues, so I am pleased that the Minister confirmed today that there will be 15% off business rates for pubs and grassroots music venues. As he seeks to build on the permanently lower multipliers and the excess of £4 billion of support in the Budget with his high street strategy, can I encourage him to keep music and cultural venues front and centre of his thinking? The UK music industry generates more than £8 billion for the UK economy, and these venues are a platform for future talent.

• 21 Jan 2026 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  I very much welcome the publication of this £15 billion warm homes plan, which will get people’s bills down and reduce our impact on the environment. I was particularly interested to hear of the £90 million that has been set aside for the development of heat pumps, because Vaillant—one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heat pumps—is based in Belper in my constituency. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that the £90 million will be spent well? Will he engage with Vaillant to make sure that we can draw on its experience, and can we use that money to create more good jobs in this very important sector in Derbyshire?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure · Hansard source

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  I welcome the assurance that half of businesses will see their business rates flat or falling, and that is even after the end of the covid-era support and the post-pandemic review initiated by the previous Government. Research by the Music Venue Trust estimates that 600 grassroots music venues may see quite significant rises, probably because of the revaluation. Significant areas backstage are dedicated to production and performance and cannot be used for revenue raising. Will the Minister meet me and sector representatives so that we can understand the issue better together?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Iran: Protests · Hansard source

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  The scenes from Iran are barbaric, and those executions that we are aware of are an affront to human dignity. Wherever we look around the world, we can see the malign influence of Iran, including here. Our national security strategy, published in June last year, highlighted that. Can the Minister assure me that our law enforcement is taking every step possible to manage the risk? Following on from the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (John Slinger), will the Minister make a contribution to the BBC charter review consultation in respect of the positive work that the BBC is doing in that troubled part of the world?

• 14 Jan 2026 · Northern Powerhouse Rail · Hansard source

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  I very much welcome this generational investment, which will benefit not just rail in the north of England but the whole country through economic growth and regeneration. I particularly welcome the investment going to Sheffield, which is a city used by my constituents not just as a destination but as a connection to elsewhere. Bearing Sheffield in mind, I invite the Minister not to lose sight of the benefits of electrifying the midland main line south of Sheffield—it remains unelectrified down to South Wigston—which would drive significant growth for people in Mid Derbyshire and benefit the country as a whole.

• 7 Jan 2026 · Ukraine and Wider Operational Update · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement and the generosity of his answers at this late hour. I express my sincere gratitude to the British forces men and women who have helped seize this tanker—part of the Russian shadow fleet being used to fuel Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. I also thank this Labour Government for their record investment in our defence. Concerning the Russian shadow fleet specifically, can my right hon. Friend assure me that no stone will be left unturned in protecting our critical undersea infrastructure, which is at regular threat from the Russian shadow fleet? If it were terminally interrupted, that would cause absolute chaos here in the UK.

• 6 Jan 2026 · BBC Charter Renewal · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. The BBC is one of Britain’s finest institutions. Although it has undoubtedly had its problems, as many institutions have—including this place—it makes a significant contribution to our national life. However, the BBC must change to ensure that it is fit for the future in a rapidly changing world; that is why I welcome the opportunity that the Green Paper consultation provides. It is an opportunity to ensure that issues relating to the BBC’s funding, governance and editorial standards are strengthened, and that its political impartiality is reinforced. It is also an opportunity to consider what the public value about the BBC and what they do not. Some key themes and values should help shape this process. The BBC must retain its strong regional dimension. Its local radio and TV are important levers for holding decision makers to account. Weakening those functions would lead to poorer decisions in our democratic processes, and individuals and organisations that do not act in a public-spirited way would be given an easier ride. That said, we must be mindful of how coverage of local news on the BBC News website has contributed to the decline of local newspapers. We cannot have a situation where the local media landscape is monolithic because the size and scale of the BBC has drowned out all its competitors. The BBC-funded local democracy reporting service, which employs some reporters at local papers, has gone some way to mitigate that issue, and consideration should be given to whether that service should be expanded. Given the rise of AI, fake news and disinformation online and via social media, the BBC must grow its trustworthiness and retain its accuracy and impartiality. It is a linchpin of the UK’s creative economy, and it commissions and creates world-leading content. To retain and grow that, it needs to be able to invest in programme making at a level that allows it to compete with streaming services and major US production companies. The BBC must also be able to maintain its globally recognised choirs and orchestras. The professionals delivering that music making must enjoy good terms and conditions, which they ought to have a right to expect. It must build on its educational offer—not just for children and young people, but for adults seeking to retrain and gain new skills in a rapidly changing world of work. However, to do all that, the BBC must be properly resourced. Its funding has been cut in real terms by almost a third since 2010, following freezes or below-inflation rises of the licence fee and top-slicing to fund the World Service and licences for older people. That has led to losses of highly skilled staff, and it is undermining the Reithian principles of the BBC: to inform, entertain and educate. It is important that we consider different funding models that may be available to us as part of this process. Finally, I encourage colleagues, the public and the organisations that care about what the BBC does to engage with the consultation about the BBC’s future, which is open now. The BBC belongs to us all. Together, we can ensure that it continues to play an important part in our national life for generations to come.

• 5 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention · Hansard source

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  This Government have a very strong story to tell when it comes to recruitment and retention in defence, whether that is about investing in homes for our forces people, providing free travel over Christmas, or delivering a 6% pay rise last year and a 4.5% pay rise this year. I know that those efforts are working, because one of my staff, Archie Butler-Gallie, will be leaving shortly to go to Sandhurst—I am sure that colleagues from across the House will want to congratulate him on that. What further steps can the Minister take to ensure that our armed forces are an attractive career for young people, as well as those changing jobs? I also welcome what the Minister has said about the Northern Ireland element of this issue. I urge him—as I know he is doing—to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that inequitable or vexatious prosecutions are not brought against our forces personnel.

• 5 Jan 2026 · Rural Crime · Hansard source

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  In my constituency, we have both rural and urban areas. I have had numerous people from rural areas contact me about theft from commercial vehicles, including in Quarndon. As we move forward with our police recruitment plans to get 13,000 more police officers by the end of this Parliament, may I ask that we ensure there are enough officers in rural areas to address this issue? It is particularly pertinent in those places.

• 5 Jan 2026 · Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief · Hansard source

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  It was very welcome news that the Government had revisited the issues of business property relief, which will help family businesses in my constituency, and agricultural property relief, which means that up to £5 million can be passed on by a qualifying couple. It was also right that the Government considered this area as a whole, because too many people, including famous folk off the telly, had bought such properties with a view to insulating themselves against tax. Can the Minister assure me that we will take steps to support our farming community by not selling them down the river with dodgy trade deals, as we saw with Australia and New Zealand under the previous Government, and that we will work closely with our European export partners? Will he also ensure that the SFI and other subsidies get to where they need and are spent in a timely way, because they went unspent under the previous Government?

• 10 Dec 2025 · Conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer · Hansard source

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  After the global financial crisis, which hit every country in the world, the Conservatives inherited a growing economy in 2010. I remember that it said it would wipe the deficit by the end of the 2015 Parliament, but that simply did not happen. We acknowledge the huge pressure that covid put on the economy, but we are taking steps to get the deficit and borrowing down, because it is a huge burden on the economy.

• 8 Dec 2025 · Child Poverty Strategy · Hansard source

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  When I was growing up in the ’90s and ’00s, I had never heard of a food bank; they simply did not exist. There are now more than 3,000 in the country, including Hope for Belper in my constituency. Does my right hon. Friend agree that when the Conservatives talk about cutting £47 billion from public expenditure, that would hit the poorest worst? May I also urge her to work at pace on the curriculum review? One of the best levers we have to get people out of poverty is ensuring that they have the skills and resilience to succeed in the world of work.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Unpaid Carers: Inequalities · Hansard source

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  The shadow Minister is making a very powerful speech. He raises the issue of national insurance, and I know that change was very difficult in the last Budget, but it was to get over £20 billion into the NHS, which I hope will improve respite care. We saw huge cuts to local authorities under the last Government, and we are paying for that in different ways, including in Derbyshire. I hope we will be able to move beyond the national insurance thing and get better public services. Hopefully, we will even be able to reduce national insurance in the future, but it is right to contextualise that in the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Unpaid Carers: Inequalities · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for securing this important debate and colleagues for sharing their powerful personal insights. I fully acknowledge the work carried out by unpaid carers across my constituency and throughout the country more generally. Their dedication keeps families safe, our social security system afloat and our society humane. Their work—including that of children who are, unfortunately, carers too—deserves not only recognition but support from the Government. Earlier this year, I met local unpaid carers, as well as the Derbyshire All-Age Carers Support Service and Healthwatch Derbyshire, to listen and learn about the issues that matter to unpaid carers in my Mid Derbyshire constituency. I met a woman who is caring for her mother. She told me there is a gulf between policy and reality when it comes to working carers. Carer’s leave exists, but it is not adequate for people who are already struggling financially, and too many carers do not even know that it is available. Those who do often forgo it because it does not cover their pay or because they are worried about their job security. Instead, they use annual leave or their limited number of sick days. That just is not right. This lady was the primary carer for her mother in a virtual ward during the pandemic, when she repeatedly faced security checks that treated her as an outsider rather than as a partner in care. We need systems that support this vital work rather than obstruct it. Another woman I spoke to is an NHS worker who has been providing unpaid care for over 20 years. She told me that the NHS, an organisation with care as its very purpose, is itself inconsistent in the support it provides to staff with caring responsibilities outside their main work. I understand that as many as one in three NHS staff may be unpaid carers, yet career progression and role flexibility are not guaranteed for them. Too often they depend on the service in which they happen to work to get the allowances they need to undertake their caring responsibilities. That can be disruptive for managers but is essential for the person they care for. Finally, I heard from another long-term carer. He has overcome many challenges, including faulty equipment, particularly catheters; an unresponsive district nurse team who did not always recognise his important role; and ambiguity about responsibilities when the dependant and the carer fall into different authority areas. He has not been able to take a holiday in 10 years, although that is a sacrifice about which he felt no regret—I found that particularly inspiring. I came away from that meeting earlier this year in awe of the contributions that these people make day after day, often with no complaint. But they are in dire need of greater support and recognition. I welcome the progress the Government made in increasing the carer’s allowance last April but, despite the very difficult circumstances the country finds itself in, I believe we should go further. I am also looking for the Government to lead us in clearer integration with local authorities and the wider care system. Carers would like employers to understand their work more consistently, and we can work on that across Departments. I would also like the Government to ensure more public visibility and recognition of unpaid carers, and a renewed focus on identifying unpaid carers. We need more information about the help available to them. I again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley for being a champion in this place for unpaid carers and her constituents, and for her excellent work in Parliament on this issue. I look forward to reconvening the constituents I met earlier this year, along with Healthwatch Derbyshire and the Derbyshire All-Age Carers Support Service, to report back what the Minister says today about their important work.

• 18 Nov 2025 · UNESCO: 80th Anniversary · Hansard source

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  That is a challenge. A few sites, including the one in my constituency, have a buffer zone in which development must be tightly controlled. We need to get more energy from renewables, but there is a balance to be struck at valuable sites such as the Giant’s Causeway, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of people each year and shows how funding heritage can protect natural wonders while opening them up for all to enjoy. Across every nation and region, in so many different ways, UNESCO sites are a locus for communities to celebrate their culture, understand their history and prepare for the future. Aside from the numerous benefits they provide, our UNESCO sites have the potential to help us tackle two key challenges. First, too many people feel disconnected and alienated. That is expressed through frustration, but also a turn to extremes. UNESCO sites do not provide quick fixes and nor are they the sole solution, but by investing in what is unique, sustainable and culturally valuable in our towns, cities and landscapes we restore a sense of connection, allow a palpable sense of local identity to return, and give communities a real stake in their future. That must be recognised as part of the national renewal that the Government rightly seek. It goes beyond our pride in place programme and engages with what our places mean to us, as well as how they look. The second challenge is our role on the world stage. I am delighted that we have a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister responding to the debate. Although trade deals have boosted UK business and our defence investment is helping build a more secure world, cuts to international aid have raised concerns about our global standing. UNESCO offers a powerful vehicle for leading on the international stage, fostering progress and promoting peace. Its work can prevent conflict from erupting, help adversaries to see one another’s humanity, and encourage reconciliation after war. That is not to mention the work needed to tackle climate change, which is an ever growing cause of conflict across the world. We are leading on climate change through robust action in the UK, but our collective efforts can succeed only if they are fully international. Domestic alienation and international conflict are two sides of the same coin; UNESCO’s mission helps us to address both. The UK is home to some of the world’s most respected minds in science, culture and education. Their expertise enriches UNESCO through research, conservation, diplomacy and teaching. The UK is home to 29 UNESCO chairs—world-leading experts advancing research on climate change, cultural heritage, artificial intelligence ethics, ocean science and education. Their work directly shapes global policy and drives innovation. Greater engagement with UNESCO, nationally and internationally, is a low-cost, high-impact way to tackle two defining challenges of our age. Done well, it can restore pride in place at home and pride in the UK’s role abroad. I very much look forward to hearing from colleagues about the fantastic contributions that UNESCO sites make across the country. We have the resources to contribute through UNESCO to peace, equality and a better future for humankind. I look forward to hearing from my hon. Friend the Minister not only a celebration of this important organisation, but a recommitment to our place within it.

• 18 Nov 2025 · UNESCO: 80th Anniversary · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Lady makes a good point. There are challenges associated with cultural landscapes and living sites, but there are many examples of where we can make that work. Having a national strategy would provide a shared view across Government Departments to best support the sites. I will say something later about the specific site she mentioned. I was pleased to re-establish the APPG, which we can use to help build the components for a national strategy, share good practice for sites across the UK, and track and influence Government legislation, so that we can harness all the benefits those sites offer. Having a national strategy would also foster a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the range of sites across the UK, allowing a joined-up approach to dealing with them. I would be grateful to hear the Minister’s thoughts on the merits of a national strategy for the UNESCO world heritage sites in the UK, and whether the Government might consider following the Republic of Ireland, which has adopted one with a degree of success. I was pleased to see in the recently published curriculum review an aspiration for all young people to engage with local history as part of their education. UNESCO’s world heritage sites in the UK are a great asset to help deliver that. UNESCO is so much more than world heritage sites; it deals with the foundations of our knowledge of the world and each other. UNESCO’s designations, which include biosphere reserves, global geoparks, creative cities, learning cities and intangible cultural heritage, reflect that breadth. Every UNESCO designation is part of a global network spanning more than 190 countries. That network connects communities, scientists, cultural organisations and educators with their counterparts across the world. Despite that extraordinary breadth, UNESCO remains united by a single purpose: an ambitious, internationalist commitment to freedom, peace and equality, with education at its heart. When war tore across Ukraine, UNESCO trained 50,000 Ukrainian teachers in online methods, ensuring that a generation of children did not lose their education, despite Russia’s brutal invasion. UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition has championed girls’ education, literacy for women and the principle that talent, not geography or sex, should determine a child’s future. UNESCO’s scientific achievements are truly inspiring. In 1951, it brought together Governments in Paris to develop the first resolution that led directly to the creation of CERN, helping to transform the same scientific disciplines once used for destruction into one of the world’s greatest symbols of international collaboration. More recently, through its Nippon Foundation partnership, nearly 30% of the ocean floor has now been mapped, revealing insights into our climate and marine life. In the realm of culture, UNESCO’s mission has surpassed preservation and now involves conservation and even reconstruction. The Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative secured more than $117 million to restore mosques and heritage lost to war, rebuilding not just structures but the collective memory and sense of belonging that they embody. This is UNESCO at its strongest—not lofty ideals, but tangible actions that promote peace. It represents the very best of our collective endeavours as one human race. Britain’s UNESCO sites also bring money into our communities at a time when it is hard to come by, through tourism and footfall, new business opportunities and local economic growth, and direct funding, both public and private. One of the most significant sources of funding is the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has been supporting British heritage since 1994. Today I am delighted to report that, for the first time, National Lottery heritage funding into British UNESCO sites has surpassed £1 billion. I know the Minister will want to join me in celebrating that amazing milestone. I want to cite just a few examples of where that money has contributed in every nation of the United Kingdom. Over £22 million has come into the Derwent valley, including £9.5 million for Derby’s Museum of Making, which was opened in 2020 and co-designed with local people. It reconnects communities across Derbyshire and further afield with our industrial heritage—something we have only come to appreciate more in recent years. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has provided £12 million to the National Slate Museum in Llanberis. The slate landscape of north Wales, where quarries, mines and communities evolved together, remains a stronghold of the Welsh language and identity. That funding has created a learning centre, play area, shop, café and improved accessibility, ensuring everyone can share in that wonderful heritage. In the Wester Ross Biosphere in the north-west highlands, £750,000 of funding supported the Inverbroom estate’s transformation from a traditional highland estate into a beacon of nature and recovery. That created jobs and opened a path to a sustainable future where Scotland’s natural heritage thrives alongside its communities. And in Northern Ireland, £3 million helped the Giant’s Causeway community build a world-class visitor centre.