Speeches by Pakes.

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the impact of public baths and lidos on local communities. It is a pleasure to speak in a debate that I think should be called in Hansard, “For the Love of Lidos”. It is a delight to open this debate on the value of our public baths and lidos. It could not be timelier, as P…”

“I agree on both points. I will talk later about how I am blown away by the dedication of so many of the volunteers who have supported and built our lidos over a long period, and particularly during some very dark years in funding for some of them. Nowhere is the happiness and pride that I have talked about greater than…”

“Thank you for chairing this debate, Mr Efford, and I thank everyone for sharing their experiences. We in government talk a lot about connection, the importance of communities coming together and pride in place. Nothing brings us together more than the pride in our lidos and public baths, as we have heard today. The one…”

“The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that lidos are critical to public health, but they need to be accessible and affordable for people from all parts of our communities. We need to build that as we go forward. That links to my next point about the generations that built many of our lidos and the echoes of that today…”

“I wholeheartedly endorse my hon. Friend’s comments. It is not just the fact of having a lido: it is about the community and volunteer spirit that builds around it, which adds something greater than just a pool. Peterborough is a working city. The lido was built in an era of recession and global uncertainty and it repre…”

“Tomorrow!”

“I thank my right hon. Friend for the serious approach she has taken to the conflict, unlike the hokey-cokey approach we have seen from the Conservative party. Peterborough is willing to play its part in developing our energy infrastructure, and we have already had £1 billion-worth of private investment to upgrade the g…”

“I am sorry, Mr Speaker, and I apologise to the House. The hon. Member for Harrow East has stated things that are not factual in relation to this. One of the great blessings I have as a Member of Parliament is joining communities to celebrate festivals such Diwali, Hanukkah and Vaisakhi. In the coming hours, I will be j…”

“Thank you, Mr Speaker. As the Member of Parliament representing the constituency where the temple is based, may I put it on record that I am deeply disappointed not to have had a conversation with the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), who has used parliamentary privilege to state some untruths about something…”

“I welcome this week’s announcement of the new deal for young people beyond university. One of the challenges in a seat like Peterborough is that not enough young people get to either apprenticeships or university. Does the Minister agree that one of the challenges we face is that we spend so much time in this place and…”

“I thank my right hon. Friend for the care and consideration he has shown in putting this package together. I am delighted today to be joined in the House by some inspiring apprentices from Caterpillar in my constituency, who have been talking about their experiences of moving into work. This matters in Peterborough, be…”

“Like many people in my constituency, I said prayers over the weekend while watching the events unfold. It is clear that the region is in a perilous state, and we need to de-escalate, follow the rule of law and get peace back on the table. I have a related question on the region for the Prime Minister. As he will know, …”

“I entirely endorse my hon. Friend’s comments. It sounds as if we may have had similar childhoods, only in different parts of the country. The statistics cited in this debate do not sit in isolation. It is no coincidence that, alongside high levels of child poverty, Peterborough also has some of the highest levels of lo…”

“Certainly. Many of my food banks would support the single policy that we are voting on today, so I hope the right hon. Gentleman will join me in the Lobby tonight to vote to eradicate food banks. This Bill will put money into the pockets of families. It will not just lift their children out of poverty but—as my hon. Fr…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend. I put on the record my tribute to all food bank volunteers, not just for holding me to account and making sure that I am here today to support policies like this, but for making the case that he so powerfully makes: they want food banks to no longer exist. Whenever I speak to Christians Aga…”

“I wholeheartedly agree. There is something wrong with society when Members of Opposition parties, including my Liberal Democrat colleagues, do not mention the long-lasting impacts of austerity on our public services, our welfare provision and the support given to families.”

“It is a very unusual way to defend food bank use to say that it is because poverty is now being counted in a better way. The Trussell Trust is very clear that when Labour was last in government, food banks existed as an emergency provision for when people fell through the cracks of the welfare system. The industrialisa…”

“I will try to make some progress. We have inherited an economic and moral failure by the previous Government, and this Bill will start to put that right by injecting money into the pockets of families and supporting children. It is also why I welcome the youth guarantee and the focus on earning and learning for this Go…”

“I would adore it.”

“I apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am wearing a deep heat patch for my bad back, so there would be no fight from me today. I apologise to the House for the passion I have for British values and the hard work of people in my community, who I will stand up for every day against the plastic patriots and others who seek …”