Luke Charters MP: speeches

Speeches

• 26 Jun 2025 · G7 and NATO Summits · Hansard source

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  I praise the Prime Minister for his work on the new 5% target and on ensuring that we reach it for our national security and core defence. Does he agree that just as the Labour Government in the 1940s helped to found NATO, this Labour Government could help found a multilateral defence development bank that would ensure that we reach 5% by the mid-2030s?

• 25 Jun 2025 · Department for Transport · Hansard source

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  Up north, we are chuffed about the record investment in the trans-Pennine route, and chuffed about Northern Powerhouse Rail. Will my hon. Friend back my calls for better train wi-fi, so that our constituents can check their emails speedily, and my little boy Robin can stream “Paw Patrol”?

• 23 Jun 2025 · UK Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Alex Baker) and I have published a report highlighting the persistent scale-up gap for defence SMEs. I welcome the increase in funds for NSSIF—the national security strategic investment fund—but red tape is holding back investment in British single-use military technology, so will my right hon. Friend look at clearing up some of that red tape in order to supercharge investment in British defence SMEs?

• 23 Jun 2025 · Pride Month · Hansard source

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  May I celebrate my wonderful hon. Friend for his role in founding Basildon Pride? Will he join me in commending York Pride and its 17,000 visitors for celebrating the wonderful LGBTQ+ community that we have in York? Will he also join me in condemning any abuse, harassment or intimidation—at any Pride event—that is driven by who someone is, who they love or what they believe?

• 23 Jun 2025 · Welfare Fraud: Organised Crime · Hansard source

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  1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle fraud in the welfare system by organised criminal groups.

• 23 Jun 2025 · Welfare Fraud: Organised Crime · Hansard source

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  Having spent my career before entering this place tackling fraud, I recognise the scale of the challenge, so I commend the Secretary of State for her leadership, with the biggest ever crackdown on benefit fraud. Given the success of whistleblower reward schemes in tax and financial crime, does my hon. Friend agree with me that there is merit in exploring similar schemes to uncover organised fraud in the benefits system, so that more funds can be recovered to support those who genuinely need support: our constituents?

• 19 Jun 2025 · UK Infrastructure: 10-year Strategy · Hansard source

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  Through my work on the Public Accounts Committee, I have seen just how severe the public estate maintenance backlog has become. In fact, the Conservatives had their heads so deep in the sand on building maintenance that I am surprised they did not apply for planning permission. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that York’s public buildings will benefit from the £9 billion maintenance fund that he has announced?

• 18 Jun 2025 · HS2 Reset · Hansard source

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  On the Public Accounts Committee, I asked HS2 bosses what I thought was a relatively simple question: how much are they spending on newt mitigation? However, they could not give an answer. Similarly, I can confirm to the House that I have information suggesting that the cost of the so-called bat tunnel is well north of the purported £100 million. I commend the Secretary of State for the leadership that she has shown today. Will she hold HS2 accountable for some of these bat-shed crazy costs?

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

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  My hon. Friend is a champion for the grafters of this country, who are fed up with having the tools of their trade nicked. Does she agree that the action and sentencing changes that she is asking for must apply to the tools of any trade, be they the GPS on tractors, which we have heard about, or the tools that were nicked from my barber’s? Does she agree that we must look at sentencing for theft of the tools of any trade?

• 21 May 2025 · Regulation of Bailiffs (Assessment and Report) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish an assessment of the effectiveness of current regulation of the debt collection and civil enforcement sectors and to report to Parliament on the potential merits of statutory regulation of those sectors; and for connected purposes. Today, I introduce the Regulation of Bailiffs (Assessment and Report) Bill. We are in this place to speak up when others cannot and to put right what is clearly wrong. This Bill to get a grip on rogue bailiffs does exactly that. I want to share some truly heartbreaking stories: stories of vulnerable people left petrified in their own homes and disabled people terrified that vital equipment could be wrongfully taken from them. It is time that despicable practices in the enforcement sector came to an end for the thousands across the country who have suffered serious injustices at the hands of cold-hearted rogue bailiffs—those who have brought shame to their own industry. I came into politics to fight for social justice and that is why I am proud to be a Labour MP, but nothing has fuelled that fight more than hearing from those crushed by the worst elements of the enforcement sector; their pain and their stories have imprinted themselves on me with lasting force, and it is for them that I am absolutely determined to change the law. Let me first thank StepChange and particularly Sophie Morris, who is in the Gallery today. I also want to give credit to the Enforcement Conduct Board, known as the ECB, which voluntarily regulates 95% of the sector. In my view, it should oversee this regulation. At present it issues guidelines for the enforcement sector, but that, of course, is the issue: these guidelines lack legal heft. The Statute of Marlborough, which passed in 1267 during the reign of Henry III, is one of England’s oldest pieces of legislation still partly in force today. It shows that even 750 years ago people were thinking about the need for fair debt collection, yet here we are today faced with the same challenges. As a former regulator at the Financial Conduct Authority, I understand the importance of setting clear standards. The last changes to enforcement law were made about a decade ago and introduced a three-stage process and stronger protections for vulnerable people. Despite those changes, aggressive practices and inconsistent standards still exist. That is why the independent ECB was created in 2022 to voluntarily oversee the sector. According to Citizens Advice, one in three people who have had contact with a bailiff have experienced behaviour that breaks Ministry of Justice expectations, and even among the bailiffs that are regulated under its current scope, 1% of visits were deemed too aggressive by the ECB. That equates to hundreds if not thousands of visits a year. That is why we need a fair and proportionate debt collection system. I want to tell Members Michael’s story. He is an inspirational chap who I welcomed to Parliament last week. Michael’s story began with an horrific motorbike accident that completely upended his life. He sustained injuries that made him unable to walk or stand, and after a lengthy spell in hospital, getting by on sick pay alone, he lost his job. During this time he received a letter demanding a full year’s council tax to be paid at once—by the way, we must end that punitive rule that is triggered when someone misses just one council tax payment. I am grateful to Martin Lewis for campaigning on that, and I welcome the Government’s consultation too. Returning to Michael’s story, bailiffs were sent to collect the council tax. He was at home, bedridden and unable to move. The bailiffs visited repeatedly but he could not hear their knocks or get out of bed. Despite that, they unfairly added extra charges to his debt for their visits. He was left without carpet and with a broken bed and a broken boiler. On top of all this, he was preparing to become a dad. What should have been a proud and exciting moment in his life became one of immense stress and fear—fear that the bailiffs, given that they had nothing else left to take, might seize his baby daughter’s toys, her changing table or even her cot. As a father, I could sense the deeply personal pain behind that fear—the heartbreak of possibly failing her in the one way he still felt he could provide. Michael went from being a homeowner with a near perfect credit score to nearly losing everything. I am pleased to say that he is back on his feet, and although he is still paying the debt off he is hoping to clear it soon. He is doing well. I took him out on to the Terrace last week in the sunshine, and we reflected on how unfair bailiff practices had added to his hardship. I also recently met Adam, who got into debt through falling behind on council tax and card repayments after losing an agency job and struggling to find new work. His experience, like many others, began with letters and ended with visits to his home. As is often the case with rogue bailiffs, the visits were aggressive and intimidating. One forced his foot in the door, threatening to come in, which breaks virtually every rule in the book. Adam told me it was like “someone was trying to boot down the door”. He immediately told the bailiff that he had a disability and was classed as vulnerable. The bailiff said that he did not care and would take away Adam’s belongings regardless. A bailiff saying that he did not care? What cruelty! The enforcement system is broken and punishes those who are already struggling. When rules allow such passive, cruel indifference to people in crisis, it is not about one bailiff in one moment: it is about the sort of society we want to be. Adam had Government-funded equipment for his disability—a specially adapted device—but again the bailiff said that he did not care and would take it anyway. Adam contacted StepChange. Its advisers helped him to come up with a payment plan, which the bailiffs wrongfully refused. He became genuinely terrified of being at home on his own. Adam has made progress with his debts, and I welcomed him to Parliament last week alongside Michael. Both cases are littered with dozens of examples of unregulated rogue bailiff activity. The ECB does a good job, but many bailiffs are not in its perimeter. Statutory regulation would enable it to be even firmer and to drive up standards, so it is time for the Government to fix the regulation in the enforcement sector. I do not want anyone in this country to have to worry about losing their disability equipment or their children’s toys. No one should ever have to face the same hardship. Fourteen years of Conservative Government saw only a few, although welcome, tweaks to the law. That has to change. The Labour party is built on principles of social justice, equality and fairness. That is why we need to bring bailiff regulation on to a statutory footing, changing the lives of millions of people in the process. For Michael and Adam, and in honour of all that they and countless others have endured, let us bring in statutory regulation of the debt and civil enforcement sectors once and for all. Question put and agreed to. Ordered, That Mr Luke Charters, Adam Jogee, David Williams, Alex Baker, David Burton-Sampson, Amanda Martin, Callum Anderson, Lee Pitcher, Mike Reader, Alison Hume, Euan Stainbank and Dr Allison Gardner present the Bill. Mr Luke Charters accordingly presented the Bill. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 13 June, and to be printed (Bill 249).

• 20 May 2025 · UK-EU Summit · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the Prime Minister and the Paymaster General on this deal, which makes the people of York Outer better off, and, in particular, on the agreement on e-gates, which the Conservative party could never achieve. Will the Government prioritise e-gates talks with member states in popular holiday destinations such as Spain, Portugal and France to ease summer travel chaos for sun-seeking Brits?

• 19 May 2025 · Defence Procurement: SMEs · Hansard source

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  6. What steps his Department is taking to increase support for SMEs in the defence sector.

• 19 May 2025 · Defence Procurement: SMEs · Hansard source

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  I have met outstanding UK SMEs, such as Supacat, 4GD and many others, which contribute to the sovereign industrial base that our security depends on. However, under the last Government, the percentage of Ministry of Defence direct expenditure going to SMEs fell, from 5% to 4%. Will my right hon. Friend confirm when this Government expect to surpass that record and therefore back the innovation we need to equip our forces and support our allies?

• 15 May 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My constituents in Bishopthorpe and Copmanthorpe are sick of putting up with unsafe HGV movements. Children walking to school have been involved in near misses, yet the traffic commissioner cannot take that into account, so will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss this case?

• 15 May 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This Government are getting on with building new railway lines across the country: High Speed 2, East West Rail and, of course, the TransPennine route upgrade, which will benefit my constituents. Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of those lines should be named the Turing line to honour Alan Turing’s personal tenacity, British brilliance and English ingenuity?

• 13 May 2025 · UK-EU Summit · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is spot on. That is why the Conservative party is completely irresponsible. Conservative Members are so out of step with reality that I may as well be asking them to take advice from the stone age. They said that they wanted to take back control once upon a time, but the reality is that over the last eight years they completely lost control of our economy, of our borders and of our future. They do not want the pragmatic, sensible summit next week that will be focused on the future, not the past—a far cry from the chaos and Conservative circus they presided over. Let me move on to something we should all be welcoming: a youth mobility scheme. It is important that we strike the right balance with that, just like we have with other countries we already share deals with. But unlike Conservative Members, who focus on themselves rather than the public, let us talk about how such a scheme would matter to ordinary people. Nobody would want an 18-year-old at the start of their adult life, eager to explore the world, to be limited to just 90 days in Europe. It is natural for young people to swap Bishopthorpe in my constituency for Barcelona for a year or so, or Copmanthorpe for Copenhagen. As a parent in York, I would love for my children to have the privilege to enjoy an experience like the youth mobility scheme: an opportunity that can open minds and broaden horizons. Research from the University of Oxford has shown that mobility schemes lead to returnees who launch their own enterprises, start social ventures, reform hospital practices and launch tech start-ups—that sounds good to me. A really important topic that we must address in the forthcoming summit is defence.

• 13 May 2025 · UK-EU Summit · Hansard source

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  I will not, because we are on a three-minute limit for speeches. Perhaps the hon. Member does not want to give back to the grafters of this country, but I think we should be helping hard-working Brits get through to the gates and straight to their sunbeds. Could we have some co-operation with the EU on airport congestion? There is lots that I could talk about, but I will leave it there. This is about moving on pragmatically and securing our future, just as we have recently with India and the US.

• 13 May 2025 · UK-EU Summit · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. A youth mobility scheme could be sensible and pragmatic and lead to opportunities across the continent. Let me briefly touch on defence. Last week, I held a Westminster Hall debate about the benefits of a multilateral defence bank. I was pleased to have with me the founder of the Defence, Security and Resilience bank, Rob Murray, who is an inspirational ex-Army officer. I really believe that the UK could anchor a multilateral defence bank at the heart of any future defence pact with Europe. That is the single most transformative lever that the Government could pull to fortify our collective security, acting as an industrial deterrent to Russia. I would welcome my hon. Friend the Minister thinking about that running into next week. Finally, I will touch on holidays. Over the next few months, hard-working families across the country will travel to airports up and down the UK to go away for some hard-earned summer sun. Since leaving the EU, many of us have landed at a foreign airport to see a huge queue and waited with envy as others pass straight through. I would really welcome it if, as a small gesture to give back to the grafters of this country, we could look at a new arrangement with the EU to ease airport congestion.

• 13 May 2025 · UK-EU Summit · Hansard source

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  Next Monday is a really important day, as the UK rebuilds our relationship with Europe. This is a big issue for my constituents, because they were failed for far too long. Let me be clear: I cannot believe that the Conservatives think that they have the credibility to run an Opposition day debate on this topic. The absolute cheek of them is off the scale. They come in here to talk down the merits of the youth mobility scheme—an arrangement that we already have with many non-EU countries. What they are really doing is demonstrating yet again a prehistoric approach to young people across this country. It is no wonder that support for them among that age group is virtually extinct. They want to deny a reset that will benefit our national security, food security and economic security with our biggest and most proximate trading bloc.

• 7 May 2025 · Defence Sector Financing · Hansard source

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  Growth in the defence sector, and allied sectors such as space, will deliver prosperity across the UK. If we can get commercial lending working for defence, it will support growth in those allied sectors too. My hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury is one of the most erudite Members, and understands the City of London better than anyone else, so I am sure she agrees with me that there is no better home for the bank than the Square Mile, not least because of our relationships across the Atlantic and our proximity to Europe. My simple ask today is that the Government invite officials from finance Departments around the world to meet in London to discuss and explore the concept of a multilateral defence bank.

• 7 May 2025 · Defence Sector Financing · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a really powerful advocate for the businesses in his constituency, and as I will come on to, a multilateral commercial bank could help commercial lenders lend to the SMEs in his area. When we were at the Guildhall, we were gathering evidence from UK banks, investors, defence primes, SMEs and start-ups. We drafted a light-hearted report, of more than 6,000 words, which is due in the coming weeks. It diagnoses domestic financing barriers for defence companies, which can be summarised as the six Cs: credit, cash flow, capital, contracts, compliance and consensus. I will focus on two of those, credit and cash flow, before returning to the concept of a multilateral defence bank. If the UK is serious about strengthening its sovereign defence capability, we must build a proper defence financing stack, from early-stage equity to multilateral development finance. The stakes could not be higher, as one outstanding British SME founded by a veteran, told me they are likely to move to the US because some of the issues I am about to touch on. We know funding challenges affect all SMEs, but those issues are more acute in defence. The sector’s unique risks, long procurement cycles, unpredictable cash flow and stringent compliance requirements all make commercial lending much harder. Let me start with some reflections on cash flow. We know cash flow constraints significantly increase defence SMEs’ working capital requirements. If a prime contractor delays payments, it creates a knock-on effect that constrains smaller suppliers. Commercial lenders see those risks and apply higher risk premiums to working capital loans—or, in some cases, deny lending altogether. To its credit, the Ministry of Defence under this Government is leading by example, paying 95% of invoices within five days. That is world class. However, some primes are not at that standard, and their slow payment practices squeeze liquidity from the very companies we need to support. I have been told first hand by commercial lenders that they find it difficult to raise lending limits for existing borrowers in the defence sector, or even worse, are not always able to lend to those with promising growth potential. One UK bank, which is doing quite a significant amount in this space, has written to me calling for the creation of a Government-backed defence guarantee scheme. That scheme would allow defence SMEs to access loans that might otherwise be unavailable commercially. It could also increase lending to those with a restricted borrowing capacity, and it could be modelled on existing schemes run by the British Business Bank. We also need to address, head-on, poor payment practices of some of the major contractors. I thought about naming some of the firms under parliamentary privilege, but I shall not. One commercial lender wrote to me with the idea of a prime contractor scheme, where major contractors are required to reduce payment terms or even pay some British defence companies in advance. That could be transformative for SMEs operating in this high-risk sector. Let us back British defence SMEs, not just with warm words but with the finance stack, fair terms and funding guarantees they need to succeed. The two ideas I have set out—a prime contractor scheme and a Government-backed defence guarantee scheme—would both tackle the classic market failure, which is more prevalent in defence. This is where information asymmetries and high-risk premia leave a segment of the market undercapitalised. By underwriting a proportion of commercial lending via Government guarantees, we would be able to reduce some of those borrowing spreads, lower the cost of capital for those firms and better align commercial lending with our national security aims. I warmly invite the Minister to work with colleagues in the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Defence to see whether those ideas have merit. I am delighted to be joined today by Rob Murray, an outstanding ex-Army officer. He has been working on the concept of a multilateral defence bank, known as the Defence, Security and Resilience bank. It would be not-for-profit and is one of the strongest proposals out there because of his expertise and that of his team. A multilateral bank, backed by allies across the world, be it the EU, our North Atlantic friends or Indo-Pacific allies, is the right fit for Britain at this time. Let me set out why. Take the ongoing war in Ukraine. We are already feeling the effects of that in the UK, industrially and financially. While Russia is fighting with artillery, we are fighting with accounting rules. That is why now is the time to be involved as a founding member of a multilateral defence bank. On my earlier concept of the defence financing stack, a multilateral bank would supply a much larger funding source to support large-scale industrial capacity. It would sit alongside the other two ideas I mentioned. It would be a World Bank-style financial vehicle, focused on defence, and it is ready to launch. Owned by nation states, it would mobilise capital into allied defence production and supply chain resilience. It would raise capital at triple A rates and guarantee working capital loans to commercial banks, who would then in turn lend to individual companies. That would mean that commercial lenders would be able to get credit at sensible prices backstopped by a multilateral bank. Not only that but, through its triple-A rating, it could save 50 to 100 basis points for some countries. It would hold factories, tooling and inventory on its own balance sheet, meaning that Governments would not need to borrow and book public debt, creating vital fiscal headroom in the process for nation states. It would crowd in private sector capital and kick-start reindustrialisation in Britain and Europe without breaching fiscal rules, such as my favourite acronym in fiscal politics: PSNFL or public sector net financial liabilities. The reason this idea ultimately wins for me is on value for money. I know through my work on the Public Accounts Committee that it is not just about how much money is spent but how smartly it is spent. This is a great opportunity to continue the Prime Minister’s work to make Britain a leader on the world stage once again. A multilateral bank could unite our allies, and the UK could anchor a multilateral defence bank at the heart of any future defence pact with Europe. The UK and EU summit on 19 May could be an excellent place to start this conversation. It could also include like-minded partners from around the world, be it Canada, Australia, Japan or Ukraine on the frontline.

• 7 May 2025 · Defence Sector Financing · Hansard source

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  There could be nothing more ethical than investing in the companies that support our Ukrainian friends. I believe Britain’s membership of a multilateral defence development bank could cement Britain as a leader not only in financial services, but in defence. Today, I will also talk about how we can bolster our sovereign defence industries by fixing the capital stack here at home and by sorting out the credit and cash-flow issues for British companies. I will just take a couple of steps back. When I was at the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, I was working on cross-border payments, sanctions and so many related things, but more importantly, I had a front-row seat to the regulatory and financial barriers that defence start-ups faced when I was acting head of compliance at a fintech. I saw how everything from export controls and dual-use rules to complex international regimes made it really difficult for those defence customers. A few months ago, the Prime Minister pledged the largest defence spending rise since the cold war. That sent a clear signal that now is the time to invest in peace. Yet British defence innovators have told me they still face hurdles accessing finance, bank accounts and insurance. That is why my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Alex Baker) and I brought together over 100 Labour parliamentarians to write to the sector, highlighting some of those challenges. Following that, we wrote to the FCA, which helpfully published a statement that, as we have heard from firms, has eased environmental, social and governance perception concerns.

• 7 May 2025 · Defence Sector Financing · Hansard source

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  As always, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. To secure lasting peace, we need greater co-operation in defence procurement and financing with the EU and allies across the world. Last month, my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot and I warned that Russia plans to produce 4,500 tanks and armoured vehicles this year, plus 250,000 shells per month. That would lead to stockpiles three times larger than those of the US and Europe combined. Let that sink in. This is not a temporary surge; it is a long-term shift. We must match military strategy with financial and industrial muscle through a multilateral defence bank.

• 7 May 2025 · Defence Sector Financing · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered barriers to defence sector financing. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for responding today. Every era has ideas that capture imaginations, but only some give birth to institutions that genuinely have the chance to reshape history. The World Bank kick-started post-war reconstruction, and in 1949 NATO was founded, representing a giant, global step forward towards peace and security—frankly, it is hard to imagine a world without it. The lesson here is clear: when institutions are bold and are built for the long term, they secure the peace that prosperity depends on. Today I want to present another bold idea about an institution that would strengthen and deepen our alliances for generations. What makes this opportunity even more unique is that one of the architects of the concept will hopefully be joining us later. I speak, of course, of the urgent need for a multilateral defence development bank. In my view, that is the single most transformative lever the Government could pull to fortify our collective security.

• 7 May 2025 · Defence Sector Financing · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his sterling work on the Defence Committee. Through our collective industrial strength, what greater deterrent could there be to our adversaries?