Speeches by Leadbeater.

“I am really interested in, but also concerned about, the real-world impact of the code and what it will mean for people. When the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Michael O’Flaherty, wrote to the Committee about this situation and compliance with the ECHR, he said that it was “Crucial for all sta…”

“Thank you for joining us this afternoon; I thank our other guests as well. What is your response to those who want Parliament to reject the EHRC’s draft code of practice?”

“Presumably that is an ongoing piece of work.”

“The chair of the EHRC told us that the Government’s equality impact assessment included no evidence for some identified impacts, such as safeguarding risks for trans women. What is your response to that?”

“That would be appreciated, thank you.”

“Who will be responsible for monitoring the real-world impacts of the code on people with different protected characteristics? How will that be done, and what will it look like?”

“I really welcome your comments about the conversion practices legislation, and I probably speak for many colleagues in saying that we would love to see that law come through as soon as possible. Thank you also for your comments about the work around strengthening hate crimes; I just want to put on record the brilliant …”

“Can you describe the differences between the EHRC’s April 2026 equality impact assessment of the draft code and the additional assessments published on 21 May by the Government alongside the draft code?”

“I welcome your honesty about the reality that the code is not going to eliminate legal challenges. Are you worried about the impact of those legal challenges and the concept of lawfare on organisations such as Girlguiding, the Women’s Institute, parkrun and others? We are talking about charities and voluntary groups th…”

“So that duty would sit with the EHRC rather than the Government?”

“If that is how the monitoring is to be done, will the Government and/or the EHRC publish evaluations of the impacts on different groups and the costs to duty-bearers? If so, who will conduct those evaluations, and when? What will that look like?”

“They still are!”

“May I put on record how hugely impressive my hon. Friend’s bravery has been in her political journey? I hope she will agree with me and other colleagues that we need voices such as hers in public life, and we should encourage women, whatever tragedies they have been through in their own lives as victims of domestic abu…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. It is lovely that she, a fellow Yorkshire MP, is with us today. I absolutely agree with her. We can reflect on that time in 2016—to me, a lot of it is a blur—but to say that Brexit was responsible for Jo’s murder would be simplistic and untrue. There is one individual who c…”

“I thank the Minister and shadow Minister for their beautiful and thoughtful opening remarks, and I thank colleagues and friends from across the House for attending this debate, during what I know is a busy time in politics—it was ever thus. I also thank the many colleagues who have contacted me to let me know that, sad…”

“I thank my hon. Friend and could not agree with her more. No one is pretending that we do not have challenges or that there are not difficult issues to tackle, but that is not the story of our country. The story of our country is all the amazing people we are elected here to serve and who are doing brilliant things in …”

“I wholeheartedly agree and thank the hon. Lady for her intervention—and also for calling me a young lady. [Laughter.] Having just turned 50, I will take that! She is absolutely right: we need to do so much to support our young people who are growing up in a world with so many challenges that most of us in this place ju…”

“It was an absolute joy to be pulling a pint with my hon. Friend this morning in the Strangers Bar—just to be clear, we did not drink it. I am grateful to everybody involved in the Great Get Together beer. Through it, we have shown the power of the pubs, clubs and venues that we all have in our constituencies, where peo…”

“She would have loved you. It is so important that we keep empathy and compassion at the heart of our politics, and Jo understood that better than most. She believed deeply in human dignity. She believed that people from different backgrounds could live together peacefully. She believed that Britain is strongest when it…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for mentioning Bernard. She is right: he was an absolute hero on that day. The other bizarre coincidence was that his son, Phil Kenny, was Jo’s and my geography teacher. I have got to know Phil and his family over recent years; I put on record my thanks to them for their support.”