Engagements

In the House of Commons debate, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, began by expressing shock at the attack on a British soldier in Kent and wishing the soldier a swift recovery. He also wished the British Olympic team good luck in the upcoming games in Paris. The Prime Minister then outlined his plans to bring about the change the country had voted for, including meetings with ministerial colleagues. The Leader of the Opposition, Rishi Sunak, joined the Prime Minister in his remarks about the soldier and the Olympic team. He then focused his questions on the UK's support for Ukraine, praising the government's decisions to provide new military capabilities and urging continued responsiveness to Ukraine's requests. Sunak also welcomed the message from the recent NATO summit about Ukraine's path to NATO membership and sought the Prime Minister's commitment to continue the legal and diplomatic work to enable the seizure and use of Russian assets to fund Ukrainian reconstruction. The debate then covered a range of other topics, including the concerns of a constituent about sewage pollution in a local river, the restrictions on puberty blockers for young trans people, the plight of family carers facing repayment demands for carer's allowance, the crisis in social care, the treatment of nuclear test veterans, the implications of the government's proposal to levy VAT on independent school fees in Scotland, the importance of the new publicly owned Great British Energy company, the impact of police funding cuts in London, the government's approach to immigration, the potential of renewable energy projects like the Mersey tidal project, the need to revive struggling town centres, the government's commitment to nature recovery, and the tragic shooting of a teenager in Kensington. Throughout the debate, the Prime Minister and other Labour MPs defended the government's plans and approach, while the opposition parties, including the Conservatives, Lib Dems, and SNP, raised concerns and sought further commitments from the government.