Paula Barker MP: speeches

Speeches

• 1 Jul 2026 · Flood Insurance: Reform of Flood Re · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Minister for her statement. The vital importance of protecting and insuring people against flooding is highlighted by the case of my constituents who live next to Thingwall allotments, where extensive surface water flooding has blighted their lives for four years. Residents of Abbeystead Road have been forced to continually use flood sacks, sandbags and pumps to protect their homes, and gardens have become unusable. I am particularly concerned about the welfare of elderly constituents in poor health and families with children. Despite my representations over the past four years, Liverpool city council and United Utilities have not resolved the issue; instead, the council is sending tankers to pump out the water, at what must be considerable cost. I have written to the Minister, and although I know she is extremely busy, will she meet me, residents, Liverpool city council and United Utilities to find a resolution once and for all?

• 29 Jun 2026 · Benefit Cap · Hansard source

  More

  4. What steps he is taking to ensure that people affected by the benefit cap are not in poverty.

• 29 Jun 2026 · Benefit Cap · Hansard source

  More

  The abolition of the two-child limit by this Government was a key step in cutting child poverty, but some of the poorest families still see their benefit capped, and there are shockingly high levels of child poverty in parts of my constituency, with 70% of children in Arundel ward and 61% of those in Princes Park ward growing up in poverty. The cap hits families with high needs: two thirds are single-parent families, more than half of whom had a child under five and over a quarter had a child under two. They are often forced to turn to food banks to survive as a result. The Trussell Trust provided 1,300 food parcels to children in Liverpool Wavertree last year. Will the Government build on the abolition of the two-child limit and review the benefit cap to ensure that families with very young children are protected from poverty?

• 29 Jun 2026 · Benefit Cap · Hansard source

  More

  Shame on you!

• 24 Jun 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

  More

  Q7. My constituent Jake McGregor-How, a 16-year-old with everything to live for, has been diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia—a rare neurodegenerative condition that is cruel and swift-acting. The average life expectancy of people diagnosed with it is just 37. Despite the NHS’s founding principle that care should be based on clinical need, not ability to pay, Jake’s father is crowdfunding to pay for treatment in Germany with a new drug, omaveloxolone, which has received clinical approval here but is not available through the NHS. Assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has stalled. The condition is not classed as an ultra-rare disease, yet it is rare enough that any drug to treat it will struggle to meet NICE’s cost-effectiveness criteria.The family constantly have to raise enough money to pay for each round of treatment. Shockingly, Jake has recently undertaken a personal independence payment assessment and been turned down for much-needed support. Families should never have to crowdfund for treatment abroad for a life-threatening disease. Will the Prime Minister arrange for me and other colleagues who have constituents with this cruel condition to meet the Health Secretary to discuss a way forward?

• 15 Jun 2026 · Brain Cancer · Hansard source

  More

  Order. I am sorry to all hon. and right hon. Members, because I will have to impose a two-minute time limit straightaway, and it is clear that we will not get everyone in.

• 15 Jun 2026 · Brain Cancer · Hansard source

  More

  Order.

• 15 Jun 2026 · Brain Cancer · Hansard source

  More

  I call Ann Davies.

• 15 Jun 2026 · Brain Cancer · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Member for setting a fine example of keeping to the time limit.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  Just one, I am afraid.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  I remind Members to bob if they wish to be called to ask a question.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  I call Patricia Ferguon.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  We begin with the Select Committee statement. Mr Angus MacDonald will speak on the publication of the first report of the Scottish Affairs Committee, “Clean Power by 2023: A fair deal for Scotland?” for up to 10 minutes, during which no interventions may be taken. At the conclusion of his statement, I will call Members to put questions on the subject of the statement—questions should be brief, and Members may ask only one each—and call Mr MacDonald to respond to them in turn.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

  More

  May I ask the Minister to write to Mr Shannon?

• 9 Jun 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement confirming that she has strengthened our business risk guidance to make it clearer and unambiguous. To labour the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed), however, we know that settlements are illegal, so why are the Government only publishing guidance to businesses? We do not simply issue guidance to stop businesses trading in ivory, illegal firearms or narcotics—we ban them, as we have banned businesses from trading with illegally occupied Crimea. The Foreign Secretary stated that it was complex, but why is guidance enough when it comes to illegally occupied Palestinian land, but not illegally occupied Ukrainian land? Will she please be clear and unambiguous in her response?

• 8 Jun 2026 · Water Companies · Hansard source

  More

  Several barriers to taking water back into public ownership have been floated—pardon the pun—but the myth around the cost has been debunked and the impact on pensions has been dealt with by leading academics. What will it take for the Government to take water back into public ownership?

• 8 Jun 2026 · Cuba: Humanitarian Situation · Hansard source

  More

  The UK-Cuba political dialogue and co-operation agreement—PDCA—was signed in Havana in 2023 and ratified by the Cuban National Assembly in 2024. In the UK, it remains under cross-Whitehall consultation, with no current timetable for parliamentary scrutiny. Will the Minister consider agreeing to a provisional implementation of the PDCA, as the EU did with its own agreement in 2017, to signal constructive engagement and deepen bilateral co-operation?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Preparedness for National Emergencies · Hansard source

  More

  Order. After the next speaker, I will have to impose a two-minute speaking limit. I call Dr Ben Spencer.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Preparedness for National Emergencies · Hansard source

  More

  I call Perran Moon.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Preparedness for National Emergencies · Hansard source

  More

  After the next speaker, I will have to reduce the time limit to one minute. I am really sorry; this is obviously a very popular debate. I will call the Lib Dem spokesperson at around 5.10 pm.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Preparedness for National Emergencies · Hansard source

  More

  After the next speaker, I will call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

• 21 May 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

  More

  Yet again, we have seen a flotilla taking essential aid to Gaza intercepted by Israel. Subsequently, the people who were trying to ensure that aid was delivered were subjected to violence, humiliation and abuse by Ben-Gvir. We should not be surprised, because last month the Israeli military approved the return of reservists involved in the rape of a Palestinian man in July 2024; the detention centre where he was held has become notorious for torture. That follows the dismissal of all charges against the Israeli reservists in March this year when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the soldiers as “heroic warriors”. What conversations has the Minister had with Israeli officials about this pattern of glorifying rapists and allowing them to serve in the Israeli military? In his statement, he said that he has been clear that he is “prepared to take further action”. What is that action, and when will it come?

• 18 May 2026 · Backing Business to Create Economic Growth · Hansard source

  More

  I want to begin by focusing on young people and employment, which is a key aspect of economic growth. For growth with a purpose—to create a society that we can all feel part of and can all contribute to—it is vital that young people get the training to develop skills in the field they want to work in. It is often extremely hard for them just to get initial experience. Firing off job applications one after the other without success, it is easy to lose hope. They do not need the language of work incentives; they just need a chance. The transition from school or college to work and adulthood can be difficult for anyone, and many people also start with disadvantages. Nobody should have to start their working life without support to find their first job. That is why I was very pleased to see the Government announcement earlier this spring of new investment in training and skills for young people, including the chance of a job for those who have been looking for work longest. Given the closure of the UK shared prosperity fund, I would like to see the Government ensure continued funding for smaller community organisations that provide employment support for people facing the greatest challenges in finding work, such as disabled people or care leavers. I also urge the Government to take action to radically reform the student loan system, as when young people start work, they are often demoralised to find that their debt increases faster than they are able to pay it off. I am very conscious of the role that small local businesses play in the economy and in the everyday lives of people in my constituency, but also of the challenges they face because of cost pressures and wider developments such as the growth of online shopping. Hair salons remain an important part of our high streets, largely run and staffed by women. They are a key source of apprenticeships and employment for young people under 35, and they generated an estimated £5.8 billion for the UK economy in 2023-24. Victoria and Janet have owned Aura salon on Aigburth Road in my constituency for 24 years, and they have trained numerous young hairstylists over that time. Nevertheless, after weathering the financial crisis and the pandemic, they have—at least temporarily—stopped taking on new apprentices, like many other salons. I urge the Government to look again at how they can support small businesses like Aura salon. In December, I visited another local small business in my constituency, the Motor Museum recording studio, which has always offered training and career opportunities for young people in record producing, mixing and engineering through its strong links with the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Liverpool University and Liverpool John Moores University. The success of Olivia Dean and Lola Young at the Grammys was a major stimulus for the UK music industry, and a reminder that the creative industries are a key part of the UK economy. The Motor Museum has played a significant role in the industry’s success story over the 37 years of its existence, playing host to recording sessions by major UK bands like Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys, as well as artists from all over the world. However, recording studios are facing an uncertain future. They are assessed for business rates in the same way as other business premises, like offices, on the basis of square footage, but it is the sound that studios create, not the space, that makes them distinctive. I urge the Government to consider assessing recording studios separately from other businesses, just as film studios are. In her Mais lecture, the Chancellor highlighted once again how important it is that growth is not confined to London and the south-east—and recording studios are certainly not. They are part of the essential infrastructure of the music industry, and they are where so many young musicians take the first steps in their career. Without them, there would be no albums and no tours. We must not lose them. Labour was the first party to refer specifically in a manifesto to the concerns of small businesses when, in 1906, it highlighted: “Shopkeepers and traders are overburdened with rates and taxation, whilst the increasing land values, which should relieve the ratepayers, go to people who have not earned them.” In closing, I urge the Government to do all they can to support small businesses in our UK economy.

• 18 May 2026 · Backing Business to Create Economic Growth · Hansard source

  More

  Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

• 18 May 2026 · Backing Business to Create Economic Growth · Hansard source

  More

  On a point of order, Mr Speaker. My understanding is that if an hon. Member wishes to mention another hon. Member in the Chamber, they are supposed to give advance notice of that. I have received no such notice.