The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill represents a "terrifying future" for our children

On the 22nd of January 2024 Barry made a speech into the House against the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, describing it as a “sad attempt to sow division and polarise our politics.”

Barry argued that this Bill is a demonstration that the government has “given up governing” and is “out of step with the British people’s priorities”.

“The government is failing to understand that to transition away from fossil fuels, you have to stop producing them”.

Barry is proud to condemn this Bill to the same fate as this Conservative government, “a vote of no confidence”.

Food banks deserve our praise and thanks, it's the job of the government to make them redundant.

On the 14th of December 2023 Barry asked the Leader of the House, Penny Mordaunt, to join him in thanking food banks for all the work they do. In particular mentioning the amazing support that the London Community Kitchen and the Sufra Food Bank provides the Brent community.

Barry called on Penny Mordaunt to host a debate in the new year, not just to praise food banks but to make them “redundant”.

Barry schools former Tory Minister on leasehold history

Barry intervened on a speech by former Housing Minister Rachel Maclean to correct her on the history of leasehold legislation in the UK.

Maclean claimed that Labour had failed to introduce leasehold legislation as they “bowed to pressure from the freeholder”, claiming that “we will never know why”.

Barry corrected her, pointing out that it was in fact the House of Lords at the time in the early 2000s, the filled with a majority of Conservatives, that blocked Labour’s leasehold reform. Barry also points out that at this time, 66% of Lords listed on the register of interests that they earned the “majority of their income from the management of land”.

This Government offers "no hope" to battle pensioner poverty

Winter is coming, the government must get help to those who need it, to our most struggling fuel poor citizens.

On the 9th of November 2023 Barry made a spoke up for those suffering from fuel poverty in the King’s Speech debate on Energy Security.

If we levelled tax on oil and gas at the global average we would have “an extra £14 billion into the public purse” - how can the Government explain this to the 4706 families who lost families to excess deaths during winter? It’s simple, she can’t.

Create safe asylum routes for Afghan refugees now

On the 17th of October 2023, Barry introduced a Westminster Hall debate on the subject of Safe asylum routes for Afghan refugees.

“We had 540 government staff working on the Homes for Ukraine scheme… the number of full time staff handling the Arab scheme was just 36… I do not want the Ukrainians to get fewer resources, I want the Afghans to get as many”. The government must explain this disparity, Barry argued.

“The government know how to decrease small boat crossings… establish safe asylum routes for Afghan refugees”, Barry stated, as he made clear that in the first 8 months of 2023 1/5 people crossing the channel in small boats were Afghan.

You cant watch Barry’s full speech and Minister Robert Jenrick’s response below:

Climate change isn't just damaging the environment- it's damaging our security

On the 13th of July 2023, Barry asked Rishi Sunak a question in response to the Prime Minister’s statement on the NATO summit.

475 new military sites and 50 major new military bases have been built by Russia on its northern frontier, its northern flank, in the past six years. Barry explained how this demonstrates why the melting of the arctic, caused by climate change, is damaging the enviornment and our security.

Barry expanded on this issue in the Guardian back in June, which you can read here.

The Government's anti-BDS legislation would have prevented protest of Apartheid South Africa

On the 3rd of July 2023 Michael Gove introduced his anti-Israel boycott bill, designed to stop local councils introducing their own “BDS” — boycott, divestment and sanctions — measures against Israel.

In an intervention on Lisa Nandy’s speech, Barry asked the Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities whether she thought that this Bill would have restricted the boycotts of Apartheid South Africa, which had real impact at the time - so much so that Nelson Mandela included local authorities in his thanks to the UK.

Barry is proud to have been one of 10 Labour MPs to vote against this Bill.

The truth is we are not on a path for Net Zero

On the 6th of June 2023, Barry made a speech during the Westminster Hall debate on Government Policy on reaching Net Zero, where he argued that more needs to be done to achieve 2050 targets.

Barry specifically took aim at the Government’s “market led and technology driven” route to Net Zero, arguing that this is merely the Tory cover for a voluntarist, business-as-usual system, which lacks any of the incentive or enforcement that we need.

There is a fundamental incoherence to the Government’s approach to climate change, with huge differences in what they promote abroad and what they do at home.

Without a clear and structured plan to achieve Net Zero, our targets will never be met.

Barry grills Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, on rising food prices

“it is your responsibility to regulate the market”, Barry told Environment Secretary as he interrogated her on rising food prices.

In the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on 28 March 2023, Barry questioned Thérèse Coffey on food price inflation and what the government are doing to help families suffering food poverty.

Barry presented Coffey with the statement by John Allen, the CEO of Tesco, that supermarkets were partaking in “excess profiteering”.

When Coffey demanded that Allen provide “evidence for his assertions”, Barry made clear that is in fact the Minister’s responsibility to regulate the market.

Budget 2023

On 15 March, Barry spoke in the debate on the 2023 Spring Budget. He took this opportunity to challenge not only the Chancellor’s speech, but speeches from other members as well. Barry also expressed his disappointment at the lack of environmental policies in the Chancellor’s speech and called for a “Green filter” to be placed on the research and development tax credit. See Barry’s full speech here:

Speaking out against Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill

Barry intervened three times in opposition to the Third Reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. He raised the point that strikes have led to a variety of Health and Safety legislation being brought in that has made the workplace safer. Barry also raised issues surrounding existing legislation, that the Government is attempting to give employers the power to force employees back to work, something that not even the Courts can do, and forcing Trade Unions to expel members that vote to withdraw their labour.

Power in the Union: Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill

During the second reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, Barry pointed to the Bill’s constitutional significance and impact on devolved nations. Barry highlighted that legislating powers to Ministers to override devolved legislation passed by the Senedd and Scottish Parliament would only provoke and better equip those who seek the dissolution of the United Kingdom.

MPs speak on Iranian Human Rights Violations

“Whether or not I sign the confession papers, they will kill me”.

Today in the Commons, Barry read the emotional testimony of Mr Hassan Firouzi, who has been sentenced to death in Iran.

Barry and many other MPs have committed to speaking out on the Human Rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian government.

Listen to Barry’s question during the Urgent Question on the execution of Alireza Akbari, and the Foreign Secretary’s response: