Josh Fenton-Glynn MP: speeches

Speeches

• 16 Oct 2025 · Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill · Hansard source

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  Two thirds of our planet is ocean. Our oceans, which sustain life on Earth, cannot be left unguarded any longer. After years of international negotiation, the world finally agreed to the high seas treaty. With the Bill, we will turn that treaty into action and show that Britain is serious about delivering on its promises. There is no response to the climate crisis that does not also respond to the nature crisis. That is why it is important to protect biodiversity in this country, beyond our border and beyond the seas. Two thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national borders, and until now they have had almost no real protection. The Bill gives us the power to protect international waters by establishing marine protected areas, by demanding proper environmental assessments before deep-sea mining or destructive fishing can go ahead, and by making sure that the benefits of marine science are shared fairly. The Bill underpins the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030—a goal that Labour put in its manifesto and one that we should be proud to be delivering on. The high seas absorb carbon, regulate weather and produce half the oxygen that we breathe. If we do not get biodiversity right, we will not get climate change right either. We have all heard the tedious lines often repeated by Members on the Conservative Benches—where no one is currently sat—that we cannot act because other countries are not acting, but to lead in addressing climate change we have to do precisely that: take action, do something meaningful and lead other countries in making a difference. Hon. Members may wonder why I, from the most landlocked constituency of Calder Valley, am speaking on the Bill, but in Calder Valley we know the cost of climate change as floods devastate our towns. We also know that protecting nature is our first line of defence, and whether that is restoring our moorland at home, insisting on biodiversity net gain in developments or safeguarding oceans abroad, the principle is the same. I commend the Government for introducing the Bill, which is a vital step in turning the international commitments into real action. The next challenge is to ensure that the Bill not only passes but is properly enforced and resourced, as many colleagues have said. I look forward to hearing more detail on that from the Minister. Let us see this as the first day of Britain’s leadership on our seas.

• 14 Oct 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  It is a huge relief to all of us that the hostages are sleeping at home with their families, where they belong, after two years of unimaginable horror. However, this plan and the recognition of Palestine must only be the start of peace and accountability. Children are dying from a man-made famine, so can the Prime Minister please assure us that we will flood Gaza with aid and continue to respect the judgments and decisions of international courts and tribunals?

• 14 Oct 2025 · Reducing Energy Bills · Hansard source

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  Half the battle to reach net zero is using less energy, which is why work to insulate homes is so important. Calder Valley is famous for “Happy Valley” and now “Riot Women”, and has occasionally been called wet and windy. With 75,000 of our homes falling below energy performance certificate band C, that means many families live in homes that leak heat. Today’s National Audit Office report found that in 98% of homes that had insulation installed under the last Government, the work was faulty, risking damp and mould. What action will this Government take to ensure that future insulation efforts help families, rather than hinder them?

• 13 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I know that Ministers do not comment on ongoing planning applications, but may I draw the Minister’s attention to an inconsistency? Currently, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is changing its guidance on heather burning on deep peat because of climate change concerns, but there has not been a concurrent change to planning guidance on building on peat. Will the Minister agree to look at that, so that my constituents can be sure that any developments are safe and take account of climate implications?

• 16 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Victims of sexual crimes are understandably often traumatised. What steps are the Government taking to ensure the long-term sustainability of specialist support for those victims—such as the Calderdale WomenCentre, which provides supports for victims in Calder Valley—in particular given the long waits for justice and the high demand for trauma-informed support?

• 15 Sept 2025 · Children with SEND: Assessments and Support · Hansard source

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  The current SEND system is simply not working, and nowhere is that more obvious than in my constituency, where 450 people signed the petition. Of students in Calder Valley, 12.2% receive SEND support, but behind that figure is a world of parents who are not having the family time they need with their children because they are focused on the fight for support. Getting an education, health and care plan should be straightforward and the end of the process, but far too often, an EHCP is just the start of the fight. As a statemented dyslexic in the ’90s, I would simply not be here were it not for my mother’s indefatigability. In Calder Valley, we have seen children with EHCPs who still do not get access to schools. Some are out of education altogether because there is not the right support. A constituent I have been supporting has two children currently out of school because their needs cannot be met, with no placement or interim support from the local authority. Several others are in mainstream school but their needs are not being met, and no alternative provision has been found. That is not just a failure of provision; it is a failure of duty. Other children are waiting months and years for assessments. We have three special schools in Calder Valley, including two primaries and one secondary, but they are all at capacity. This is a system that embeds inequality. The families who understand it best—who know how to push, appeal and fight, and who have the time and resources to do so—are the ones who get the help. It is like a second job for them, but it is just not right. We need more investment, professionalism and ambition. We need a system that works with parents, not against them. I urge the Minister to look seriously at how we can restructure SEND provision in the upcoming reforms. We need schools, parents, the NHS and local authorities to work together, not against each other. Too frequently, children are falling through the gaps created by disputes over who is responsible for paying.

• 11 Sept 2025 · Non-surgical Aesthetic and Cosmetic Treatments · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I thank the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Bradley Thomas) for securing an important debate. Cosmetic surgery can be affirming and often makes people’s lives better. Although I have some concerns about some of the beauty standards that it reinforces, as has already been mentioned, I recognise that it can transform the lives of many people, but we need to do more to make sure that it is properly regulated. In my previous life at the General Medical Council, I remember there being concerns about how this issue was looked at. Increasingly, however, lower-level procedures are being carried out by entirely unqualified practitioners, as has been mentioned, and that is simply not safe. We clearly need to regulate clinics in the UK, but we have also seen the rise of cosmetic surgery abroad. While that may seem cheaper, there is a real cost to “Turkey teeth”; too often, people are coming home with serious complications that the NHS then has to put right. In the four years to 2022, 324 people needed corrective operations after work carried out abroad, most often after trips to Turkey, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons— I will not use the acronym—reports that UK hospital admissions for those cases have almost doubled since 2020, with Turkey linked to eight in 10 of them. In one year, complications from cosmetic surgery carried out abroad cost the NHS about £1.7 million. That is equivalent to about £15,000 for each of those procedures; we heard earlier that it costs about £9,500 for UK-based surgery. Behind those numbers are real tragedies. In 2019 alone, 25 British citizens lost their life after cosmetic surgery abroad. The Department of Health and Social Care is working with TikTok and clinicians to warn people of the dangers by urging them to speak to a UK doctor first, avoid package deals and check credentials. It is also licensing high-risk non-surgical treatments so that only qualified people can perform them. Those are crucial steps towards raising awareness, but consumers need to make wise decisions. We also need to have an honest conversation about fairness. If someone chooses to have an elective procedure abroad and it goes wrong, is it right for the taxpayer to automatically pick up the bill? What responsibility do patients have? More importantly, what responsibility do the unscrupulous companies that offer such package deals have? It is a real risk. What matters is that no one is sold a dream that ends up with painful complications in a hospital bed abroad. We must do more to ensure that people understand the risks that come with the procedures, and to ensure that people are fully informed to safely make the right decisions.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in support of the Bill and new clauses 46 and 66 tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard (Alex Mayer). The Bill represents a step towards giving communities greater control over their local transport networks. Colleagues across the House recognise how vital bus services are for connecting people to opportunities, to each other and to the services they rely on. Sadly, buses are too frequently undervalued because they do not have the visible impact of a train. It is perhaps fitting that the Bill comes at a time when we are experiencing a tube strike in London, and our colleagues based in London can understand what those of us outside London feel having an entirely dysfunctional public transport network. I want to raise two points that I hope the Minister and colleagues will take on board as we move towards implementation. In my Calder Valley constituency, which the Minister knows well, we have seen a number of services withdrawn or reduced in frequency, particularly in the upper Calder Valley. Those changes have left many residents feeling cut off, especially in areas where alternative transport is simply not available. I welcome the extension of franchising powers to all local authorities. That is long overdue, and it is a step that gives communities such as mine the chance to shape bus networks to make those networks work for them. I urge the Government to consider how these powers can be supported with the necessary funding and guidance, so that councils can act decisively to protect routes that are essential to community life. The second point I want to raise is about franchising. I support West Yorkshire combined authority’s plans to bring services under public control and to build a network that puts passengers at its heart. Cross-boundary routes—those that run into Lancashire or Greater Manchester—will not automatically be part of the franchise. While the Bill allows for some alternative arrangements, there is a real risk that those routes could be overlooked. We are a border county and a border country, and I am keen to ensure that the needs of my residents in Todmorden who go to work or school in Burnley are not overlooked. I know WYCA is committed to working with neighbouring authorities, and I hope the Government will support that collaboration. Passengers in Calder Valley and across the country do not plan their journeys around administrative boundaries or transport operations, and we need to be mindful of that. I am confident that the Bill will provide a better, fairer bus network, and I am proud that it is another example of this Government making people’s day-to-day lives better. But we must ensure that isolated communities across boundary routes such as those in Calder Valley are not left behind. I look forward to working with Front-Bench colleagues to ensure that those voices are heard.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Qatar: Israeli Strike · Hansard source

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  We all want to see peace, the hostages returned and an end to the man-made famine in Gaza, but this attack on a sovereign nation so closely tied to the peace talks undermines all that. It is as awful as it is counterproductive, so what can we do to ensure that the pursuit of peace is more than just lip service for the Netanyahu Government?

• 4 Sept 2025 · Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund · Hansard source

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  I was just about to come to that point. Stability and long-term decisions are key. Families need certainty, not just this year, but for the years ahead. Right now, there is no confirmation of funding for 2026-27. I note that there was a written ministerial statement today, although I do not think we know the exact numbers. As a recovering member of local government, I know far too well the long-term costs when money is saved in the wrong place. I urge the Minister to hear that point and to make sure that we are making the right decisions on this issue, that we are not saving money in the wrong place and that we are giving that long-term stability and support. I know none of these decisions are easy and they are being taken against a backdrop that is worse than any Government have inherited. Let us make sure that we get this right and that we support the people who need it most.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund · Hansard source

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  It is, as always, a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett) on securing this debate. I want to speak today of families who make a life-changing decision to care for children through adoption and special guardianship. It is a noble thing to do, but it is not always easy. The children have often faced trauma, instability and loss. I have met a lot of those families in my Calder Valley constituency. They are loving parents, fighting to do the best for their children. They do not ask for praise or reward, but they do ask for support and stability. The adoption and special guardianship support fund was created to provide that support. It has helped thousands of children to access therapy, assessments and the kind of specialist care that can be transformative. More than half of the children looked after through the special guardianship fund have special educational needs. That figure rises to 80% in some cases. They need things such as trauma support, speech therapy, counselling and sensory support.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

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  I am immensely proud of the hospitality sector in my constituency of Calder Valley. Our community has always been amazing, but it was recently made famous by the TV show “Happy Valley”. I always say to the public, “Come to our towns. They have the same amazing scenery, but far fewer murders.” Hospitality is where neighbours meet, where milestones are celebrated and where people get to find out what is great about towns and communities. My constituency is a string of communities, from Brighouse to Todmorden, with a string of high streets. Between 2010 and 2018, our authority of Calderdale lost 50—nearly a quarter—of its pubs. They were among the more than 10,000 closures nationwide under the coalition and Tory Governments—and that was before the pandemic. Although I welcome the sudden interest in the hospitality sector from the Conservatives, theirs is a new concern. Hospitality is vital to the future of our high street. As we see high streets moving away from retail because of the internet, we see people selling experiences and connection. An American friend recently asked about the difference between a pub and a bar. Drawing on my experience of both, I said that a bar was just somewhere someone goes to drink, but a pub is a community living room. Change has to include challenging some of the tied pub rules that meant that a pub in my constituency saw the amount it has to pay more than doubled by the pub company Stonegate, from £800 to £1,700 a week. That was because just one week after the six-month probationary period ended, the company invoked a clause to break the tie. That is the kind of irresponsible, rapacious practice that was allowed to thrive under the last Government, and I urge Ministers to look at that. Conservative Members want to focus on one specific tax, not on the whole strategy for the high street, and it is that lack of holistic thinking that has landed us in this mess: too many tactics, not enough strategy. That is why I welcome this Labour Government’s plan, which has been welcomed by the hospitality sector, to reduce business rates, tackle late payments, cut red tape and deliver a £1.6 billion package that will save the average pub £3,300 next year. That support will give the venues some space to breathe. It will help to keep Calder Valley’s towns buzzing and help our hospitality to thrive, and when our hospitality thrives, our community thrives.

• 1 Sept 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  Almost 1,500 healthcare workers have been killed, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, and more than 50,000 children have been killed or injured, according to UNICEF. If the Israeli Government declare that they are not targeting medical workers, journalists and civilians, they are clearly cavalier with human life, and tolerating that is no longer acceptable. Will the Foreign Secretary tell me what steps we will take to hold the Israeli Government to account properly under international law, and to make it clear that that is no longer acceptable and that we will not tolerate it?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Neighbourhood Health Centre: Long Crendon · Hansard source

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  Before I start, I pay tribute to the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Melton and Syston (Edward Argar), who faces his last set of Health questions. He is an incredibly kind man—we spoke after the loss of my brother—and a fantastic shadow Secretary of State. I am not sure how they will replace him. One of the key shifts we need to see in the 10-year plan is from hospital to the community. Key to keeping people out of hospital is tackling the dental deserts, with dental problems being the biggest cause of children aged five to nine going to A&E. Will the Minister assure me that the new neighbourhood health centres will include dentistry—

• 22 Jul 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Key to the shift to prevention is making sure that people can stay in their own homes or get home from hospital. The Health and Social Care Committee found that such provision costs the NHS £1.9 billion every year. Can the Secretary of State update me on what we are doing to get the social care system working?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Music Streaming: Label-led Principles · Hansard source

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  The Minister does very well to shake off the abuse about his tie from the Swiftie on the Opposition Benches—it is mainly empty spaces there—the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis). His reputation remains unscathed. Calder Valley has a thriving creative sector with lots of small and independent artists who have lost out to streaming. Today’s announcement is welcome, of course, but small artists face the twin threat of both AI and streaming. Will the Minister assure me and the House that he will do more to ensure that those small artists can get the money in their pockets, where it belongs?

• 21 Jul 2025 · Independent Water Commission · Hansard source

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  Calder Valley has seen near-floods and a hosepipe ban. Meanwhile, in 2024, Yorkshire has seen 68,186 sewage spills lasting over 430,000 hours. Does this mean an end to a useless regulator that is presiding over a failing industry?

• 16 Jul 2025 · Financial Services Reform · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Leeds reforms today. Like many of the best things, they started in West Yorkshire— [ Interruption. ] I see Conservative Members are still chuntering from a sedentary position. The reforms underline the important point that financial services are not just the preserve of the City of London, but of communities around the country, including many of my Calder Valley constituents who work for Lloyds Bank. Does the Minister agree that one of the most important things we can do to grow the economy is to focus on things that this country does well, including our financial services?

• 15 Jul 2025 · Afghanistan · Hansard source

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  I pay tribute to all the diplomats and armed forces involved in what was clearly an extraordinary operation. It is a stark reminder that our asylum system—despite the demagoguery we sometimes hear in this place—often represents a sacred duty to those who put their lives at risk for us and our allies. Will the Secretary of State confirm that while the ARR is now closed, we will continue to process cases of those in the ARAP scheme since 1 July, including the one that I have raised with officials?

• 10 Jul 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This week, Yorkshire Water announced a hosepipe ban. This follows a 29% hike in bills and continued pollution of our rivers. Can my right hon. Friend tell me how I can use Parliament to hold this company to account on behalf of my constituents?

• 8 Jul 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The Minister will be aware that the recent pathfinder family court pilots have been seen as largely successful. This is an opportunity to put children at the centre of these cases and to end the presumption of contact which puts partners and children of abusers at risk. Will she please advise me as to the next steps in this process?

• 8 Jul 2025 · Road and Rail Projects · Hansard source

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  The previous Government dodged vital infrastructure decisions for 14 years, so I am glad that this Government are stepping up with projects such as the east coast main line upgrade, which has been announced today, strengthening connections to Leeds and West Yorkshire. However, although connections to London are important, anyone crossing the Pennines from Leeds to Manchester via towns in my constituency will know that this route is in vital need of investment. Will the Secretary of State assure my constituents that this will not be the last of the projects that she announces, and that the Calder Valley line upgrade is still very much on the table?

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

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  The last Government’s decimation of Sure Start was nothing short of social vandalism; the paroxysms of outrage from the Conservative Benches felt like an arsonist complaining that the fire service had not put the fire out quickly enough. I welcome this policy because the family hubs will make a real difference. Can my right hon. Friend tell me how constituencies that are, like Calder Valley, defined by towns and somewhat ropey local transport will get the full benefit of the family hubs, as urban areas will?

• 3 Jul 2025 · NHS 10-Year Plan · Hansard source

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  The shifts announced today, from analogue to digital, and from hospital to community, are exactly the shifts that will make the NHS stable for the future. Will the Secretary of State elaborate on the “analogue to digital” point? A practice manager in Calder Valley recently said to me, “It’s all very well looking at artificial intelligence, but it takes us half an hour to turn on a computer.” What more will he do to ensure that we improve the NHS digital offer for everyone working in the health service?

• 2 Jul 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill · Hansard source

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  Constituencies in Yorkshire, such as the one I represent, do particularly poorly with research funding—I think 5% of research funding for cancer trials goes to the area. With this Bill and a renewed focus on cancer, I hope we will look to expand the number of research-active hospitals to give people throughout the country a better chance.