Sarah Owen MP: speeches

Speeches

• 17 Nov 2025 · Asylum Policy · Hansard source

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  I hope we can all agree that a strong immigration system does not have to be cruel. When the Tories painted over murals for refugee children, the number of small boat crossings still went up. When they threatened deportations to Rwanda, guess what? The number of crossings still went up. What evidence does the Secretary of State have that taking personal belongings, such as jewellery, from refugees and selling it off actually works as a deterrent? Would it not be a much better use of all our time to focus on the new plans for safe and legal routes that she has outlined?

• 11 Nov 2025 · BBC Leadership · Hansard source

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  Whatever the position regarding Donald Trump, who has said far worse than what was shown in the wrongly edited clip, the only ones rubbing their hands with glee during this debacle are those who do not want a free press—those politicians who have deep pockets lined by goodness knows who, and who cosplay as journalists on RT and GB News to spread division and hatred. I hope that all of us in this House agree with the principle of keeping our public broadcaster free from political interference. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is time to review the influence of former Conservative spin doctor Robbie Gibb on the BBC’s board?

• 11 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Court backlogs cause painful waits for survivors of rape and sexual assault. The system fell apart under the previous Government, meaning that only around 3% of rape reports result in a charge. What is the Minister doing to reduce the waiting times for cases of rape and sexual assault?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Sudan: Protection of Civilians · Hansard source

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  The massacre of civilians at El Fasher maternity hospital is just the latest in a series of atrocities in Sudan, and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women face famine and malnutrition. Sexual violence is widespread, and the Rapid Support Forces are using rape as a weapon of war, in blatant violation of international law. What assurances can the Minister give that the UK is acting to alleviate this humanitarian disaster, and can he assure the House that there is no risk of UK-manufactured arms being used by the RSF?

• 20 Oct 2025 · British Sign Language GCSE · Hansard source

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  [In British Sign Language: I thank the Secretary of State for her commitment to introducing a GCSE in BSL.] Beyond qualifications, what work is being done to ensure that deaf children and their whole families can access BSL teaching without cost, especially in the early years, when their deaf babies’ brains are developing language skills?

• 20 Oct 2025 · British Sign Language GCSE · Hansard source

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  9. When the British Sign Language GCSE will be available in schools.

• 16 Oct 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  It has now been over a year since the tragic murders in my constituency of Juliana Falcon and her children Kyle and Giselle, by their brother. Our town is understandably still shaken by this horrific incident. It came to light that the murderer was able to obtain a gun with a forged shotgun licence. The previous Home Secretary promised the tightening of private arms sales following this tragedy. Can we please have a debate or a statement on this issue, and on the need for a national database of gun licences?

• 15 Sept 2025 · Employment Rights Bill · Hansard source

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  I start by saying a massive thank you to the new ministerial team and the new Secretary of State, who I welcome to his role, for keeping in clauses 14 to 18 of the Bill, as well as for their warm words at the Dispatch Box. It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds), but we heard all those arguments before from Conservative Members when they opposed the minimum wage, which did none of the things they warned about. I turn to my declaration of interests. It is a shame that the shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Andrew Griffith), is not in his place, because he asked all Labour Members to declare our trade union affiliations. I will proudly do so—they are in my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests—but my interest in this Bill does not stop there. I have worked a zero-hours contract, and I would have benefited from this Bill. I have been a care worker who would have benefited from the collective bargaining that this Bill will introduce, and the Bill would also have meant that I was paid for time spent travelling between the jobs I had to travel to. I am proud to stand by my declaration of interests. It is a real shame that the shadow Secretary of State did not mention that he used to be a non-executive director for Just Eat, a company that has faced a number of claims for giving employees bogus self-employed status. Perhaps that would have been of interest to everybody in the Chamber. The Employment Rights Bill has been called lots of things by lots of critics, but to me, it is about ensuring that all people can work safely, with respect and dignity, and have security in their work. For the past 15 years, we have seen people at the sharp end. We have heard stories of businesses struggling, and nobody wants that, but we have not heard the stories of what the previous Government subjected working people to. They called it a living wage, when actually it was a minimum wage, which ensured that people were stuck in in-work poverty. A woman is 34% more likely to be stuck in a zero-hours contract than a man. If we are talking about black and Asian minority people, that figure reaches 103%. Disabled workers are 49% more likely to be stuck on such a contract. This Bill is about protecting all workers, not just some. On the right to sick pay, no one chooses to be sick. There are 1.3 million people without the right to any sick pay whatever. That is the difference that this Bill will make, and the difference that a Labour Government will make to working people’s rights. As has been mentioned, where are the grifters who sit on the Opposition Benches? They pretend that they care about the ordinary working man—not often mentioning women; often they talk only about the working man—but where are they? They probably have their hand out for some more of Elon Musk’s bitcoin, shall we say. I will talk about clauses that touch on our work on the Women and Equalities Committee. The parental leave review, although not specifically in this Bill, will impact on so many workers. It is a pleasure to hear that being talked about under a Labour Government. We know that parental leave is also a problem for self-employed people. We have heard a lot about the impact of bogus self-employment and rogue bosses, but we have not heard enough about the protections for self-employed people. In the course of our Committee’s parental leave review, we heard that 31% of self-employed people do not take a single day off after their child is born. That is a shocking statistic. It is damaging not just for our economy, but for individuals and families. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh) and all the campaigners for their work on misogyny in music and on banning non-disclosure agreements following sexual harassment and bullying. We heard loud and clear how many people in the music industry are self-employed, and many have been subjected to NDAs. That goes unreported and is unknown. The measure before us will make such a difference for so many people in many sectors, and it is so important that we get it through. The Conservatives and the Lib Dems talk about bits of the Bill that they do not like, and they list things that will be problems, but I ask them to think of the people we are trying to protect, because there will be a real impact. Lords amendments 14 to 18 concern an issue that has a special place in my heart, and the hearts of many people, both in this Chamber and outside it. I am pleased that in spring the Government accepted the principle of two weeks of bereavement leave for parents who lose a pregnancy before 24 weeks. There is no sliding scale on pain for bereavement and loss, particularly for expecting parents. As a result of this change, grieving parents will no longer need to push through their pain to carry on working. Women who experience baby loss will not need to use sick leave, which implies that their body had something wrong with it. Arguments against the measure were founded on, “Well, you can always just take sick leave,” but a person who has lost a child blames themselves. It is natural instinct. Your first reaction is, “Did I do something wrong? Could I have done something differently? Should I have not eaten that? Should I have not done this? Should I have not jumped? Should I not have gone to an exercise class?” You think of all the things that you could have done to prevent it. For someone to go to their employer and say, “I need to take sick leave”, as if there is something wrong with them, is fundamentally different from how society sees pregnancy loss and miscarriage now, and I am grateful for that.

• 3 Sept 2025 · Maternity Care · Hansard source

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  Trauma during childbirth can have lifelong and debilitating impacts. Failing maternity services are felt by all, but especially by families from low-income and ethnic minority backgrounds. In my constituency, where too many already experience health inequalities, Luton and Dunstable hospital’s maternity unit has recently been downgraded to “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission. Does the Minister agree with me that mothers and babies deserve better? What cross-departmental work is taking place to ensure that NHS trusts across the country improve maternity care?

• 2 Sept 2025 · Gaza: Humanitarian Aid · Hansard source

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  19. What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

• 2 Sept 2025 · Gaza: Humanitarian Aid · Hansard source

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  In famine conditions, new mothers often eat last and eat the least. This time next year, around 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza could be at risk of death by starvation that is man-made. Following Belgium’s announcement today of new sanctions and a review of contracts with Israeli companies, can the Minister say what consequences Israel will face if it continues to starve the population of Gaza?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

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  I join colleagues from across the House in paying tribute to Sir David Amess. Luton is my home and I love it. I want to put on record the work that people in my constituency do to make it such a thriving community. Whether it is people motivated through their faith, such as the amazing Luton Council of Faiths—the churches, the mosques, the mandirs and the gurudwaras, which support people across Luton North—or people’s individual values, our community is motivated by a shared purpose to see a thriving town full of healthy people and a successful future shared by all. We are fortunate to have people who go above and beyond for our town, including Robbie and Lisa Herrick and all those who signed my petition to secure a safer Putteridge Road outside the school, and those of us who are continuing to fight for a speed limit of 20 mph in both directions and improved traffic-calming measures. We have seen far too many examples of dangerous driving in Luton, but especially outside schools. Then we have the work of the brilliant Chidi and Enitan, who run the over-50s black men forum, giving older black men spaces to meet and socialise across the region, and all the public health benefits that come with that. I really wish them the best of luck when Luton take on Essex at their next table tennis match. Groups such as Greenhouse Mentoring and Luton Someries Rotary club put the success of future generations at the heart of all that they do—from raising funds for polio vaccinations abroad to working in our town, mentoring children through tough teenage years. The Luton Rotary club had a brilliant result in supporting children through their SATs—seeing an improvement from 58% to 83%.Spending time with these groups is seriously good for the soul. Our bodies—our very, very tired bodies—such as Luton Jets, Luton Town Ladies and litter picks with Kevin Poulton’s ABCD-in-Luton, all contribute quietly but powerfully to our community fabric. They make our town happy and healthy. I have loved joining the litter picks throughout the year and seeing so many young people join in, taking pride in our local environment. On growth, we have had £5 billion-worth of investment in our local economy in and around Luton—from our airport and Universal Studios to Goodman’s taking over the Vauxhall site. They are the biggies, but I give a shout-out to small and local businesses across Luton North every single Saturday. Many innovative small businesses are part of our amazing community and I have loved meeting every single one of them, including Stylise Autos, and Grand Bazar supermarket which I opened on Leagrave Road. If ever anybody is at my office, they should pop down Marsh Road and speak to Mashud and Maroof at Tamarind Restaurant, and they will make sure you do not go hungry. I have just completed my 200th Small Business Saturday, and I hope that businesses in Luton North know that I am here for them and that I will continue shouting about how good they are. So far, my team has managed nearly 4,000 cases on behalf of people in Luton North, but still the single biggest issue is the increasingly desperate situation in Gaza, where tens of thousands people have been killed. Israeli forces have destroyed every hospital in Gaza, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency struggle to provide schooling to starving children among the rubble and continued attacks. Until the international community takes further action, Netanyahu’s pursuit of an ethnically cleansed Palestine will not end, and the horrors of genocide will become a waking nightmare for those still alive to witness it. At the earliest opportunity, our Government must recognise a Palestinian state, extend arms embargoes and ensure that aid safely reaches those who need it. More than this, we need a vision that goes beyond recognition—a vision of building a Palestine and middle east of safety and freedom, free from terror and violence. Closer to home, pensioners in the UK have had an anxious time, but something that has not yet hit the headlines was brought to me in my last surgery at Warden Hill community centre. Thomas Lee has done the right thing all his life: he saved and paid into a pension to secure his future in later years. However, his contracted-out additional pension scheme was the state earnings-related pension scheme, or SERPS. The scheme ended in 2002, meaning that Thomas and some 2 million like him have lost out. It would be really welcome if any review of the pension system ensured that those like Mr Lee did not continue to lose out. Like many in this place, my thoughts will soon turn to going home, and as they do, I really wish that Leagrave station had the lifts that it was promised by the last Government. Nearly 2 million journeys are made from that station, and it is high time we had lifts, not scaffolding holding up our broken bridge. There is so much I would have liked to talk about today, in one of the nicest debates in Parliament, but I will not take up more time. I will only say that I feel lucky to live and work in Luton North. I could not ask for better people to work alongside, so let us keep walking down that road together.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My constituents Marie Brewis and Denise Coates are bravely using their own experience of breast cancer treatment to campaign for a dedicated cancer support centre in Luton. Does the Minister agree that Luton could benefit from the wraparound care of a cancer support centre locally, and will she meet me to discuss this?

• 15 Jul 2025 · Points of Order · Hansard source

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  On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Over the weekend a member of staff in the Commons, Muhbeen Hussain MBE, was publicly defamed online by several Conservative MPs, including Members of the shadow Front Bench. Following threats of legal action, the defamatory posts were deleted by some, but the damage was already done. This behaviour not only does reputational damage, but given the current discourse, brings serious harm and, potentially, risk to life. What advice does the Speaker’s Office have for Members in this House and in the other place who abuse the power dynamic of their elected office to defame openly a young staffer who also works in this House, while quietly deleting their tweets without an apology? Does that fall short of the standard expected of those who serve in this House and would it be proper for them to apologise?

• 14 Jul 2025 · State of Climate and Nature · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State not just for his statement today, but for his continued commitment to tackling the climate and nature crisis facing us. He said that this is something we must all tackle together, and there are huge parts of our communities, the faith communities, that want to do exactly that. While we welcome Great British Energy’s roll-out of solar panels on hospitals and on schools, can he outline any support that is available for religious buildings that want to do the same?

• 14 Jul 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T7. Many people, from the Women and Equalities Committee to the Miscarriage Association and Myleene Klass, have fought for miscarriage bereavement leave. Similarly, Can’t Buy My Silence and my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh) called for a ban on non-disclosure agreements. Thanks to the Deputy Prime Minister’s cross-departmental role, these protections will be delivered by Labour. How and when will they come into force?

• 1 Jul 2025 · Parental Leave Review · Hansard source

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  It is great to see so many hon. Members, with almost every party represented but one: there are four empty seats where the Reform UK MPs sit. They like to bang on about family values, but when it comes to actually standing up for dads and for parents, they are nowhere to be seen. I thank the Minister for acting on the importance of shared parental leave. On paternity leave, as someone who had a caesarean section, I was so grateful to my husband’s employers for granting him more than two weeks’ leave; as everyone knows, mothers are not meant to lift even a kettle for six weeks after a c-section, which makes things impossible. However, we also know that not everybody is that fortunate, and that is especially true for self-employed people. The Women and Equalities Committee took evidence on parental leave and heard that nearly a third of self-employed dads and other parents did not take a single day’s leave following the birth of their child, so how will this review ensure that self-employed parents’ needs will be taken into account?

• 30 Jun 2025 · Welfare Reform · Hansard source

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  We all agree that the welfare system needs reform but many of us in this place believe that changes to disability support should not take place without listening to disabled people’s voices and experiences. Over the last few days, I have been hopeful that the Government have shown strength in listening and moving on what they have heard. However, I have a question on sequencing. What is the logic of making changes for future claimants before finishing the Timms review, which is now to be co-produced with disabled people? Could this lead to not just two tiers but three: existing claimants; new claimants, who will lose out; and post Timms review claimants?

• 18 Jun 2025 · Endometriosis · Hansard source

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  Women are waiting up to 10 years for a diagnosis of endometriosis or adenomyosis. Our Women and Equalities Committee report recommended a maximum wait of two years, which is still a long time to live with intense pain and fertility decline, but it would be an improvement. Given that reproductive health issues cost the UK economy £11 billion a year, the sooner conditions are treated, the sooner women can get on with their lives. Does the Minister agree that investing in women’s health is essential, and how is she raising the importance of the women’s health strategy with her colleagues, including the Health Secretary?

• 10 Jun 2025 · Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories · Hansard source

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  A British surgeon in Gaza described it as a “slaughterhouse”, babies are starving, and roads to aid are being described as “combat zones” by the IDF, so I welcome the sanctions on Israeli Ministers, who stated that they are “destroying everything that remains in Gaza”. Their actions bear all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and plausible genocide. It is clear that the majority of us in this place want to recognise the state of Palestine, as do many of the public. Will the Minister feed back to the Prime Minister our strength of feeling on recognising Palestine now?

• 9 Jun 2025 · Non-stun Slaughter of Animals · Hansard source

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  I draw the House’s attention to the fact that eating meat does mean that an animal has to be killed—that is the gross reality of what we do and what we are talking about. Unfortunately, as has already been mentioned, the context has been taken out of this debate. The Food Standards Agency states that 98% of cattle are stunned before slaughter and just 2% are not. Many constituents in Luton North have contacted me to say that any ban will contravene religious freedoms for both Muslim and Jewish communities. Does my hon. Friend agree that both groups care deeply about animal welfare, but are now concerned about their right to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs?

• 22 May 2025 · Independent Sentencing Review · Hansard source

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  Before I put my question to my right hon. Friend, may I give the shadow Justice Secretary a reality check? Under the previous Government, 98% of reported rape cases went completely unpunished. Under the Conservative Government, rape was effectively legalised, so a little bit of humility would not go amiss. One in five adults in this country will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. Could my right hon. Friend please explain how domestic abuse victims will be protected under these new measures?

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q2. While the economy is showing signs of improving, many pensioners are still impacted by the cost of living crisis. People in Luton who have worked hard all their lives are seeing their precious savings slip away. Will the Prime Minister tell us what measures he will take to help struggling pensioners in towns like mine?

• 13 May 2025 · Consular Assistance: Statutory Right · Hansard source

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  It is at times of crisis that British nationals abroad need consular services the most. I share many of my constituents’ concerns about the violence in India, Pakistan and Kashmir, including those of a 12-year-old boy who contacted me yesterday about his aunt and uncle who are stranded in Pakistan, as is one of my lovely neighbours. Although airspace has now been opened, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that all British residents have access to consular services and are able to return to the UK as soon as possible?

• 7 May 2025 · Government Mission on Opportunity: Equality · Hansard source

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  We all want to break down barriers to opportunity. However, it seems that one sizable part of our workforce is being ignored, and that is women. Women missing work due to endometriosis, ovarian cysts and other complications cost the economy £11 billion a year. Fixing this would save more than double the amount that is to be spent on the unpalatable proposed welfare cuts for disabled people. Does the Minister agree that improving women’s health will break down a huge barrier to work, and if so, how is she working with other Departments to fix this?