Speeches by Ali.

“The Government remain committed to abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions for both new and existing tenancies as soon as possible. We will ensure that the sector has adequate notice of the system taking effect, and we will work closely with stakeholders to enable a smooth transition.”

“The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Our priority is to make sure that we tackle the root causes of the housing shortage and homelessness. That is why we are building 1.5 million homes and investing record amounts in housing and tackling homelessness, including £1 billion for the next year.”

“You are spot on, Mr Speaker, that where there are gaps, we need to look into them and make sure that they are addressed. As I say, we are aware of certain issues that came up in the last general election. We would be very keen to look at what more can be done.”

“Your point is well made, and we will certainly look at the Conference’s recommendations.”

“Absolutely. We will absolutely look at this. You make a very important point about the checks and changes that have been made, in terms of voter ID. We have to get the balance right. Obviously, parties have a responsibility, in terms of the ID checks—”

“I just want to add something about the other social media outlets. WhatsApp gets used; it is very personal, with trusted circles. Videos can be made of threatening, intimidating behaviour. We saw a lot of that in the general election. Some of that behaviour clearly passes the criminal threshold. It can be very difficul…”

“The Deputy Prime Minister has made a commitment to remove the requirement for councillors’ home addresses to be published in the register of interests, which is an issue. As you point out, candidates can leave their address out. However, there is an issue with independent candidates acting as their own election agents …”

“As you were speaking, Mr Speaker, I remembered somebody who changed their name to Rowshan Ali so that they could be No. 1 on the ballot paper, above me, so I feel your pain.”

“I can attest to that. I know there are a lot of colleagues—particularly, but not just, female colleagues—where video recordings are made. In a number of cases, including in my own experience, that video then gets shared. Hundreds of thousands of people then watch it and that generates more abuse and online harms then c…”

“We do have legislation in place—an undue influence offence that bans any type of intimidatory behaviour aimed at voters. That can be in or outside of polling stations. But the points you raise are well made, because it has happened in a number of constituencies and it grew at this election. It certainly happened in my …”

“You are absolutely right. There is a lot that can be done around making sure that everyone—especially new candidates; we have a lot of brilliant young candidates coming into local council elections as well as in the recent election—is on a level playing field in terms of knowing their responsibilities, rights and expec…”

“I would very much like to see that. What further support we can provide is one of the things we will be looking at. You have got young officers—during an election period it is a really delicate balance, isn’t it? We have all seen that if there is not proper advice and guidance and clarity on enforcement for those who a…”

“Mr Speaker, could I just say that, as parliamentarians before the election, those of us who were at the forefront of some of the things that you have described were grateful for the work that was done in Parliament? But I am determined, working with Minister Jarvis and other colleagues, to make sure that there are not …”

“Thank you. I will bring in Becca to respond to the pre-election question, and then I will come back to the election period.”

“Shall I start off? You are absolutely right that there are existing powers, including more recent powers that were introduced by the previous Government in November 2023, but it will take time to see the impact of the more recent legislation. Whether it is intimidation, harassment or defamation of candidates, for which…”

“Just to reiterate the points that were made in relation to the number of people, 55% of respondents to the Electoral Commission’s survey reported harassment or intimidation and 13% said they had had serious problems of abuse. That was greater among ethnic minority groups and women. Many of us experienced direct intimid…”

“You make a very important point. We are aware of issues experienced by some returning officers relating to nominations at the last general election. Most political parties play a very active role in candidate vetting, and so on, but there are issues with new entrants who do not have that party structure. We will consid…”

“Good afternoon. I am Rushanara Ali, the Minister for Homelessness and Democracy in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.”

“I cover policy relating to intimidation and harassment of candidates, voters and electoral staff, as well as how intimidation disrupts the free and fair conduct of elections. I also work closely with the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit—JESP—which sits between MHCLG and the Cabinet Office. JESP co-ordinate…”

“We have already set out our plans in Parliament, and before the summer recess we will set out a strategy in relation to what we intend to do, including the legislation.”