Gareth Thomas

Debate on the Address

The one thing I would agree with the hon. Gentleman on is that we need a closer relationship. It is this Government who have sought to rebuild relations with Europe, and they are doing so increasingly effectively. On the need to open up opportunities for more co-operation with Europe, I recognise that we will have to pay to access the single market more easily, but given the damage to our economy, the higher costs and the extra bureaucracy that the poorly negotiated Brexit deal brought in its wa

Debate on the Address

I should say at the outset how much I welcome the opening remarks of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister about antisemitism. Kenton United Synagogue and Golders Green sit very close to my constituency. The attacks were shocking and appalling; I welcome the Government’s determination to crack down on online hatred and antisemitism, and I take this opportunity to commend the courage and skill of the police officers who responded. One of the many important points that my hon. Friend the Member

Business of the House

In Harrow, getting a free car parking space is often critical to whether someone can access vital public services, and it is crucial for local businesses, too. My right hon. Friend will therefore understand my constituents’ frustration that Conservative-run Harrow council has axed free weekend and evening parking in North Harrow, Harrow town centre and Wealdstone. With Harrow Labour determined to reverse that, may we have a debate on the guidance that Ministers might offer councils on the import

Business of the House

Does my right hon. Friend share my profound disappointment that the Conservative party selected a candidate for the local elections in Harrow who thinks that British-born Asian MPs such as the former Prime Minister and the current Home Secretary are not British, should go back to Pakistan, supports discrimination against Romanians, and thinks there should be mass deportations? May we have a statement on what more can be done to tackle online hatred and curb racism more generally in our politics?

Engagements

As the covid inquiry graphically laid bare last week, the NHS was starved of the investment it needed under the Conservatives, and nowhere more so than at Northwick Park hospital; its brave and extraordinary staff worked around the clock during covid, looking after many of my constituents. Given the very welcome, substantial investment in improving the NHS that the Government have committed to, will my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister encourage the Health Secretary to support pla

NHS Capital Spending

The White House in Harrow, thanks to NHS capital money, will shortly become even better than its American namesake. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean) for the way in which he introduced the debate. I agree very much that levels of capital investment into the NHS do not get the attention that they deserve in this place. He is certainly right about the impact on NHS capital spending of the austerity over the previous 14 years of Conservative health administ