Oral Answers to Questions

The session began with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, responding to tabled questions on Birmingham City Council's public services and the potential impact of the government's statutory intervention. Rayner acknowledged the difficult situation inherited from the previous Conservative administration, which had led to significant cuts in Birmingham's public services. She expressed a desire to work constructively with the council and commissioners to support the city's recovery and ensure that local public services are fit for purpose. Rayner then answered questions on steps the government is taking to help regenerate high streets, including funding new partnership models, implementing high street rental auctions, and introducing a right to buy for community assets. MPs from across the Labour Party raised concerns about the challenges facing high streets in their constituencies and sought meetings with the minister to discuss potential solutions. The session then moved to questions on the government's approach to tackling Islamophobia. Rayner condemned Islamophobia as a "scourge on our society" and said the government is actively considering its approach, including definitions, and will provide further updates. She also discussed the government's plans to promote community cohesion, emphasizing the need to support the recovery of towns and cities affected by recent violence and invest in bringing communities together. In the topical questions section, the Shadow Secretary of State, Kemi Badenoch, questioned Rayner's assessment of the Khan review into social cohesion, highlighting concerns about incidents of Islamist sectarianism. Rayner defended the government's approach, stating the need to celebrate differences and bring communities together, in contrast to the previous administration's "constant division and stoking of division." Other topics raised in topical questions included council funding, the government's plans for the national planning policy framework, and support for the Grenfell community ahead of the publication of the public inquiry's final report.