Speeches by Atkinson.

“The hon. Member mentioned £100 million or £300 million as minuscule amounts, but that is quite a lot of money to my hard-pressed constituents. Could the Liberal Democrats outline how they would pay for the policy that they advocate for—either increasing taxes on working people in my constituency or cutting the services…”

“Thanks for coming in this afternoon. We know that the number of asylum claims in the UK increased by 15% in the year to June 2025, but that claims in the EU decreased by 22% in the same time. Could you share your assessment of what is driving the rise in UK claims, particularly in the context of falls in European claim…”

“That is really interesting. The Government have recently described that the generosity—in its words—of our asylum system acts as a pull factor to people who may otherwise claim asylum elsewhere. How far do you agree with that assessment?”

“Denmark has been widely cited by the Government as an example of a country that has reduced pull factors in recent years. Could you say a little about the evidence you have seen there and how that contrasts with the UK?”

“Just to check, are you suggesting that, with the UK obviously not being part of the EU agreement anymore, that has potentially contributed to the attractiveness of seeking asylum in the UK?”

“Zooming back out—Ms Benton, you touched on this before—could I finally ask where the evidence points in terms of the overall drivers of the number of irregular entries and the number of people seeking asylum in the UK? What do you think the evidence points to as the key factors that would influence those numbers?”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 722903 relating to the Online Safety Act. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Pritchard, and to open this important debate as a member of the Petitions Committee. I start by thanking the 550,138 people who signed the petition for their engagement …”

“I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman, and he will not be surprised that I will come on in my speech to deal with some wider issues about the Online Safety Act, in particular the protection of children. I think that today’s debate is likely to be more nuanced than simply whether we should maintain or repeal the On…”

“My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I think, as a society, we want forums such as the ones she reports to close down—they have been harmful. But I recognise that there were others that, maybe pre-emptively, decided to shut down. Perhaps the Minister has further information on how far the reported close-downs were…”

“I do, but I will come to some of the issues regarding social media platforms in what I am about to say. I certainly would not want to stifle the freedom of speech of Newcastle fans expressing their genuine heartfelt sorrow about yesterday’s events. I turn now to wider concerns that have been expressed about the Online …”

“I agree that there is significant work to be done to effectively implement the OSA. I will touch on that, and the Minister may wish to do so in his response. Crucially, the report by the Children’s Commissioner found that children were most likely to see pornography by accident—a key point that some of the criticism of…”

“My hon. Friend is right. The proactive duty that the Act places on providers in relation to the nature of their algorithms and their content is crucial because of the type of content to which she refers. It is right that the largest providers, and those most frequently used by kids, have to take active responsibility f…”

“I agree with the hon. Lady. In my understanding, when the legislation was drafted, it was not initially clear to those who drafted it that AI would develop at the astonishing pace that it has in recent years. I ask the Minister to reflect on that point in addressing the implementation of the Act and its potential futur…”

“My hon. Friend makes that point well, and the Minister will have heard it. As this discussion continues, I hope that we can find a way of reflecting these two areas of balance—these two features of the online world now. First, there is the absolute primacy of safeguarding children and tackling serious online harms, but…”

“It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair for the conclusion of this debate, Sir John. I thank all Members for their contributions. I think that we had a really constructive and thorough debate, and I certainly learned a lot in the course of it. I only wish that I had heard some of the contributions before I wrote my op…”

“The coming weeks are always the most dangerous time of year for the NHS, and it is important to note that the patient safety risks arising from the strike will be present not just during the strike period but in the weeks following it. Some of my most daunting, and indeed scary, times in the NHS involved working alongs…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I congratulate my fellow member of the Petitions Committee, the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore), on introducing the debate. I want to address the 5,092 people from Sunderland Central who signed the petition. I hear and respect their concerns…”

“On putting up taxes, a household living in a band A property in Sunderland that is worth £50,000 currently pays more council tax than one living in a £50 million property in Westminster. Do the hon. Gentleman and his Reform UK colleagues agree that reforming the system to increase council tax for those in higher bands …”

“What are the barriers to carrying out that research? You mentioned the research ethics of universities. Do you think a clear steer from the Government about intent or priority for that work would be helpful?”

“How does the Prevent threshold levels compare with those accessing safeguarding pathways: mental health support or other safeguarding pathways?”