Barry closes for Labour during the Queen’s Speech debate on the NHS

Barry gave an impassioned speech during the wind up of the Queen’s Speech debate on the NHS yesterday evening and detailed how a future trade agreements with the USA could leave the NHS open to privatisation. Speaking from the despatch box he said;

“At the opening of the London Olympics, Danny Boyle wanted to show the world what it meant to be British, and he chose the NHS because it illustrates all that is best in our country. Watching on TV, millions marvelled at our nurses, our doctors and our carers, and in the stadium, thousands cheered. That is how proud we are of our NHS. All the people who work in it—cleaners, consultants, nurses, night porters, radiographers and receptionists—play a vital role in caring for our society. They are our national symbol of community and our model of selfless service.”

He added;

“Free trade agreements also typically include market access clauses and national treatment provisions. These would set out the extent to which overseas businesses can operate in our markets, and they would insist that we afford at least the same treatment to foreign businesses as we do to our own businesses. In the past that was done by listing all those services that had been agreed. If an NHS service was not on the list, it could not be the subject of foreign competition. Agreements used to set out only those services that we were prepared to open up to competition, but modern trade agreements do not work that way.”

Barry summed up by reaffirming that Labour is the party of the National Health Service and finished with;

“The Labour party created the NHS. We will not allow this Government’s trade agreements to damage it. Under Labour, the NHS will remain a universal service, free at the point of use, and based on medical need, not ability to pay.”

Barry challenges the government’s response to the UN Climate Action Summit

On Thursday, the government gave a statement to the House of Commons on the UN Climate Action Summit. Barry responded to the government on behalf of the Labour Party, in his role as Shadow Minister for International Climate Change.

Barry challenges Secretary of State during Trade Orals

Barry challenges the Secretary of State for International Trade on the worst foreign direct investment statistics in five years. Canada has said that it will not now conclude a roll-over agreement conceding preferences to the UK because the Secretary of State is offering market access for free. In June, he boasted to the Select Committee that the roll-over was 99% there. Now, it is 100% not there. Was he right, or is Canada?

Barry launches London Climate Action Week in Parliament

To launch the first ever London Climate Action Week in Parliament, Barry hosted an event entitled Responding to the Climate Emergency, looking at the role that London and Parliament can play in tackling the climate crisis. The event was opened with a spoken word recital by Roundhouse Youth Poetry Slam winner, Rakaya Esime Fetuga. The panel discussion contributors included:

  • Sandrine Dixon-Decleve, President, Club of Rome

  • Nick Mabey, CEO, E3G and founder of London Climate Action Week

  • Ed Matthew, Coordinator of the UK Net Zero Campaign

  • Malini Mehra, CEO, GLOBE International

  • Baroness Jenny Jones, former Deputy Mayor of London

  • Representatives from the UK Youth Strike for Climate movement

London Climate Action Week brought together London’s climate expertise and talent from across sectors to run events across the city focused on taking local, national and international action. These events highlighted the scaling up of practical solutions and identifying new solutions to help cut our carbon emissions to keep global temperature increases within 1.5C and support the Paris Agreement.

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Barry Responds to Statement on High Court Ruling regarding Saudi Arms Sales

Barry responded to the Secretary of State for International Trade’s statement on the High Court Ruling regarding the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia. Ministers will now temporarily suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the court concluded that “The Government made no concluded assessments of whether the Saudi led coalition had committed violations of international humanitarian law in the past, during the Yemen conflict and made no attempt to do so”.

The Court of Appeals ruling today is a damning indictment of this Government’s handling of exports licenses to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Barry presses government on their decision to weaken UK climate change targets

Barry pressed the government on their recent decision to weaken the UK’s climate change targets.

In the House of Commons, Barry asked:

Assuming the Government will do the right thing and legislate for net zero by 2050, in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change, why has the Minister decided to weaken the third carbon budget by carrying over surplus emissions from the second carbon budget, against the committee’s specific advice?

While the Minister is at the Dispatch Box, perhaps he will confirm that net zero can be achieved within the current cost envelope for an 80% reduction of 1% to 2% of GDP. The Chancellor’s claim of £1 trillion spuriously adds together all the costs over the next 21 years and fails to subtract any of the benefits or savings.

In response, the acting climate change minister Chris Skidmore MP said:

It is important to put on record the content of the Government’s letter to the Committee on Climate Change. After careful consideration of the committee’s advice, the Government decided to hold in reserve a small proportion of over performance from carbon budget 2—88 megatonnes of a total over performance of 384 megatonnes. The reserve will act solely as a contingency. [Interruption.] I have 384 megatonnes, but I will happily correct the record when I look at the statistics. Eighty-eight megatonnes are being held in reserve and act solely as a contingency against changes in the baseline. This will be released once it is clear that it will not be needed to address any technical changes to the baseline. We have also asked the Committee on Climate Change to look at those technical changes. We would not have asked the committee to take forward work on net zero if we did not believe we will be able to implement this.

When it comes to the cost reduction, I entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman that costs have come down on technology and will continue to come down. The Committee on Climate Change has made it clear that it can be done within the envelope of 1% to 2% of GDP, as set out for the 80% reduction.