Josh Babarinde MP: speeches

Speeches

• 4 Dec 2025 · Local Elections · Hansard source

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  A democracy in which a Government can unilaterally chop and change the date of an election on a whim ceases to be a democracy altogether. This decision is taking the people of Eastbourne and Sussex for fools and must be resisted. Will the Minister give a cast-iron guarantee that the East Sussex county council elections will take place in 2026, and will she confirm that the mayoral election, which is now delayed until 2028, will take place under single transferable vote and not first past the post?

• 4 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Many people on repeat prescriptions rely on NHS 111’s emergency prescription service to get the meds they need if they have unexpectedly run out. However, I have learned through my own experience that if somebody is in a moving vehicle, NHS 111 will not proceed to have a conversation with them until they are stationary. Many residents on long public transport journeys, for example, are therefore delayed in getting the medication they need. To address this issue, will the Leader of the House help me to arrange a meeting with the relevant Health Minister?

• 26 Nov 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q3. Lewis—not his real name—is an Eastbourne boy with special educational needs who was left traumatised after his passenger assistant relentlessly and brutally restrained him on his home-to-school transport. What happened on that day only became clear to Lewis’s mum, who is in the Gallery today, when he returned home visibly distressed and bruised, and that is because, shockingly, there is no statutory requirement to report incidents of physical restraint on school transport, nor national training standards. Will the Prime Minister address this loophole in his upcoming special educational needs and disabilities reforms to ensure that SEND children in Eastbourne and beyond can travel to school with the safety and dignity that they deserve?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, yet it is also the day when leaked Equalities and Human Rights Commission guidance on single-sex services has indicated, shockingly, that people could be challenged on their sex because of “their appearance, behaviour or concerns by others” and turned away if “there is any doubt that they are telling the truth”. That would unacceptably result in trans and non-binary people—and potentially anyone—being questioned because of how they look, and it would be unworkable for businesses and service providers. Will the Government commit to putting a workable and inclusive proposal before the House so that the Liberal Democrats can protect hard-won rights and dignity?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Migration: Settlement Pathway · Hansard source

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  Many migrant survivors of domestic abuse apply to settle in the UK permanently if their relationship has broken down because of domestic violence or abuse, and the right hon. Lady knows just how close this issue is to my heart. Will she reassure this House and survivors of domestic abuse that they will be protected under her reforms, and that her changes to ILR will not have the adverse and perhaps unintended impact of locking those survivors into abusive relationships?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Passenger Rail: Performance Improvements · Hansard source

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  After leading a town-wide campaign to reinstate the direct Eastbourne to London Bridge service, I am delighted to say that it will return on 15 December. However, many passengers and staff on those trains, including Louise and Rhiannon, on-board supervisors whom I have met, are concerned about the amount of antisocial behaviour, and Southern rail’s lack of support for on-board supervisors in tackling it. What steps will be taken to keep passengers and staff safe from crime and antisocial behaviour on our train services?

• 19 Nov 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q6. Eastbourne resident Pam was given a cheque for £125,000 by her terminally ill partner, which she went on to cash in. However, an error by the bank, Barclays, meant that only £125 was deposited. Barclays admitted the error, and then said it would compensate her with £250 for the inconvenience caused. Will the Prime Minister work with me to ensure that Barclays bank pays Pam the compensation she needs and deserves? While we are here, will he commit to imposing a windfall tax on the excess profits of banks like Barclays to bring bills down for struggling residents?

• 17 Nov 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  The Government are right to abolish the role of police and crime commissioner—the Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for that for some time—but many victims’ organisations rely on the PCC core grant to fund initiatives that address violence against women. Will the Minister confirm that that cash will not be lost by those organisations, including mine in Eastbourne, and that they will retain it after the reform?

• 17 Nov 2025 · Asylum Policy · Hansard source

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  The Home Secretary has spoken a great deal about contribution, but one of the most powerful forms of contribution to our country is getting a job and paying taxes, which the Home Secretary will not allow people seeking asylum to do, despite the fact that it can be done in Denmark. She has said that pull factors cause an aversion to that, but a study conducted by the University of Warwick, which looked at 30 other studies, found that there was no long-term correlation between labour market access and destination choice. Will she therefore review her decision not to offer people seeking asylum the right to work, so that they can pay their own way in our country?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. Catastrophic failures at Southern Water’s water treatment works in Eastbourne have led to extensive sewage discharges, a stench stinking out our town, and, a matter of days ago, the accidental discharge of millions of plastic bio-beads into our sea. Will the Minister urgently meet me to discuss how we can force Southern Water to finally get a grip of its appalling failures at our water treatment works?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Many small businesses rely on Facebook advertising to reach customers, but too many find that if they get hacked, it takes too long for Meta to let them back into their account. That has been the case for Andy Campbell, who runs ATR Carpet Cleaning. Will the Minister advise on how we can get the likes of Meta to reconnect these people with their accounts, because Meta is not doing that for us?

• 27 Oct 2025 · Benefit Sanctions: Neurodiverse Claimants · Hansard source

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  15. What steps his Department is taking to ensure that benefit sanctions are proportionate when considering neurodiverse claimants.

• 27 Oct 2025 · Benefit Sanctions: Neurodiverse Claimants · Hansard source

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  My constituent Ross has neurodiversities and is in employment, working at a garden centre, but his income is supplemented by universal credit. After inadvertently missing a telephone appointment with a job coach, he was sanctioned, losing out on two months-worth of rent, and he risked being made homeless and losing his job if his parents had not been there to step in. Can the Minister assure folks such as Ross that they will be powered up by our benefits system, not punished when they make innocent mistakes?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Eastbourne is benefiting from some coastal defence scheme funding, the flood defence grant-in-aid, but it leaves heritage assets behind. Only residents and businesses currently qualify, which is leaving Eastbourne’s historic bandstand at risk of severe flooding. Will the Minister meet me and colleagues across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to review the loophole that leaves our bandstand behind?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Delivery of Government Priorities · Hansard source

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  The Cabinet Office co-chairs the flood resilience taskforce in order to deliver on its priority to bolster flood defences, but residents in Eastbourne at this very point in time on Wartling Road, Seaside and Whitley Road—and, earlier this week, on Macmillan Drive—have to wade through canals created by flooding brought about by adverse weather. The work being done to protect against flooding is not enough. Will the Minister meet with me and other stakeholders to figure out how we can best protect residents, businesses and schools such as Motcombe school from the flood risk?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I did not, but maybe the right hon. Gentleman can agree on the point that I want to make. He spoke about the challenges that Governments have had when modelling prisoner numbers and the prison population. Does he therefore agree with David Gauke, who recommended in his report that there should be an independent body that does that modelling, and is he disappointed that there is not a feature of that in the Bill?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for giving way. New clause 18 makes the point that the cost of administering the electronic monitoring requirements during the year should be released. Does he agree that that should include the size of the fine that is imposed on the provider? When I have asked the Ministry of Justice for that information, it has not been able to release it. I think it is a matter of public interest to know what the fine for the provider’s failures is.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  It has been great to work with Ministers at the Ministry of Justice and to help drive that identifier forward. Will the Minister join me in celebrating the incredible bravery of ITV’s “Loose Women”, many of whom, through their “Facing It Together” campaign, have spoken out about their experiences of domestic abuse, and will he, or a fellow Minister from the MOJ, come and meet them next Wednesday from 12.30 pm onwards, in the Attlee Suite, where I shall be hosting them and we will be bringing the “Facing It Together” campaign to Parliament?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Lady give way?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his sartorial appreciation some time ago of my green suit, when he went on to ask whether I won it at a village fête.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Ending Homelessness · Hansard source

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  I thank the co-sponsors, the hon. Members for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) and for Liverpool Wavertree (Paula Barker), for securing the debate. Although Eastbourne might be the sunniest town in the country, its light and sun also cast deep shadows on our town, including through the temporary accommodation crisis and the out-of-area placements that make up 46% of placements in Eastbourne. In many circumstances, there are good reasons why out-of-area placements are appropriate—for example, for survivors of domestic abuse who need to relocate—but all too often, local authorities wrongly take “out of area” to mean “out of responsibility”. In such cases, local authorities leave vulnerable people stranded without the networks or support services that they need, and expect the receiving local authorities and charities to voluntarily meet those needs instead. In Eastbourne, that trend is increasing. For example, two years ago, in October 2023, Brighton and Hove city council had 42 placements in Eastbourne; today it has 195. That is concerning because in January 2023, for example, a 25-year-old man, who was placed into the Eastbourne area from Brighton and Hove city council, was found dead, but in the month before he died, the council had undertaken no welfare checks. Earlier this year, two more people died in Wilmington Square. In Newhaven, part of the neighbouring constituency, that of my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (James MacCleary), 10 people have died.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Ending Homelessness · Hansard source

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  I agree that the Government must provide support, but local authorities must do so too. I will come to that point shortly. This summer, I wrote to the Minister’s predecessor to ask what intervention the Government could make in relation to out-of-area placement policy. In response, the Government said that they will review their out of area placement policy, including considering ways “to further define where out of area placements are acceptable and expectations on placing and receiving local authorities.” I welcome that, but could the current Minister confirm the timeline for it? Will she meet with Eastbourne borough council’s leader, Stephen Holt, and me to discuss it? In the meantime, will she also urge Brighton and Hove city council to take responsibility and ensure that it does not let down folks who are vulnerable and need its support?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Ending Homelessness · Hansard source

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  Will the Minister give way?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Ending Homelessness · Hansard source

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  I will be quick. I want to repeat my questions from earlier on the subject of regulation. I asked earlier what the timeline was for out-of-area placement review, whether the Minister would meet me and Eastbourne borough council to discuss it, and whether she will urge Brighton and Hove city council to step up with their responsibilities. Can the Minister address those questions?

• 16 Oct 2025 · Children’s Hospices: South-east England · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. An amazing children’s hospice that serves constituents in my patch is Demelza, which has an amazing array of staff, volunteers and the rest, including Queen’s nurses such as Donna Mole. Will my hon. Friend congratulate Donna on being a recipient of that award? Will she also congratulate the fabulous Fia, one of the children served by the hospice, on a book that she has written, and will she encourage the Minister to order a copy?