debates/debates2025-10-15b conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-10-15b conversation_8

Baggy Shanker:Derby is a city on the up, but unfortunately this last year we have been devastated by knife crime. Nasty Tory austerity decimated frontline policing, and we are now paying the price for that. At my regular city centre safety summits, the message is clear: to turn the page, we need action, not words. Can the Prime Minister update my constituents on the action that this Government are taking to ensure that all our residents, visitors and workers can enjoy our city centre safely? \p Keir Starmer: My hon. Friend will have heard at our conference from Pooja Kanda, who I have met a number of times. Her son Ronan was fatally stabbed. Iusb am proud that we have delivered Ronan’s law to tackle the sale of ninja swords; we have also banned zombie knives and strengthened controls for online knife sales. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s work in setting up the city safety summits. \p Lindsay Hoyle: I call the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats. \p Daisy Cooper: May I associate myself and my party with the tributes to David Amess? On behalf of my party, may I also pay tribute to Ming  Campbell, who is being laid to rest today? That is the reason why my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey) cannot be here. I thank you, Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister and other Members of this House for the very kind tributes paid yesterday.

We welcome the new level of transparency from the Prime Minister, and we will scrutinise the witness statements closely, but it is clear that there are still many questions to be answered, including questions from Hongkongers. Hongkongers in St Albans and across the UK settled in our communities after they fled repression at the hands of the Chinese state, but they now see a British Government who want to make it harder for them to settle here permanently, refuse to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials who put bounties on Hongkongers’ heads, refuse to rule out a Chinese super-embassy and are failing to tackle Chinese espionage. Hongkongers are starting to ask whether the Prime Minister is trading away their security and safety in our communities for a cosier relationship with Beijing. What is the Prime Minister’s answer to them? \p Keir Starmer: The answer is no. We have given and will continue to give support to Hongkongers, who need and deserve that support. The hon. Lady will be assured that the Jimmy Lai case is raised regularly at every opportunity by my Ministers and by me. \p Daisy Cooper: I think Hongkongers will require a lot more reassurance and action from this Government. It is not just the Chinese Government who are a threat to our country. On Monday, the far-right, racist hate-preacher Tommy Robinson, who is on trial for allegedly refusing to comply with counter-terror police, claimed that his legal costs are being paid by Elon Musk. It is outrageous that a man who has so much control over what people read online every day could be funding someone who stokes far-right extremism on our streets. If it was Putin, the Government would surely act. Will the Prime Minister commission the security services to assess the threat that Elon Musk poses to our democracy, and to recommend measures that this House can take to stop that? \p Keir Starmer: We look across the board at threats to our democracy, and must continue to do so. I will not comment on the particular case, given the state of legal proceedings.