Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 11.30 am.
Prayers
1Questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
2Urgent Question: Operation Kenova: Government response (Secretary Hilary Benn)
3Statement: Safeguarding (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
4Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Education (Profit Cap) Bill: Presentation (Standing Order No. 57)
Munira Wilson, supported by Ed Davey and Caroline Voaden, presented a Bill to provide for a cap of eight per cent on any profit made by providers of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities education from providing that education; to make provision about the role and powers of the Competition and Markets Authority in the operation of that cap; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 16 January 2026, and to be printed (Bill 346).
5UK-EU customs union (duty to negotiate): Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23)
Motion made and Question proposed, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to place a duty on the Secretary of State to enter into negotiations with the European Union to agree a customs union between the United Kingdom and the European Union; and for connected purposes;
Motion opposed (Standing Order No. 23(1)).
Question put.
The House divided.
Division No. 386
Ayes: 100 (Tellers: Claire Young, Susan Murray)
Noes: 100 (Tellers: David Simmonds, Mr Andrew Snowden)
The numbers being equal, the Deputy Speaker stated that, in accordance with precedent, a decision should be affirmed in order to allow for further discussion on the matter, and she accordingly declared herself with the Ayes.
Question affirmed.
Ordered, That Dr Al Pinkerton, Ed Davey, Daisy Cooper, Wendy Chamberlain and Calum Miller present the Bill.
Dr Al Pinkerton accordingly presented the Bill.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 16 January 2026, and to be printed (Bill 345).
6Railways Bill: Second Reading
Motion made and Question proposed, That the Railways Bill be now read a second time.
Amendment proposed, to leave out from ‘That’ to the end of the Question and add ‘this House declines to give a Second Reading to the Railways Bill because it prioritises putting the rail system under state control, rather than prioritising passengers and taxpayers, and the effective and efficient running of the railway; because it significantly reduces the role of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, whose duties it transfers in large part to Great British Railways, with limited rights of appeal against Great British Railways’ decisions, so there will be no proper accountability for the state controlled operator, and this, along with the duty for Great British Railways to prioritise its own services for access to track, will squeeze out popular and well-regarded open access operators, who run services without taxpayer subsidy; because it allows ministers to interfere at will in the running of the railways, for example by setting fares, which will not create a stable environment for private sector investment, with the result that reliance on taxpayer subsidy will increase; and because it will do nothing to grow passenger numbers, or modernise or improve the rail network, and does not include provisions to grow rail freight, which means that the chance to create a thriving railway which delivers economic growth and relies less on taxpayer support will be lost.’.—(Mr Richard Holden.)
The Deputy Speaker announced a time limit on backbench speeches (Standing Order No. 47(1)).
Question put, That the Amendment be made.
The House divided.
Division No. 387
Ayes: 170 (Tellers: Mr Andrew Snowden, Gregory Stafford)
Noes: 332 (Tellers: Lilian Greenwood, Stephen Morgan)
Question negatived.
Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 62(2)), That the Bill be now read a second time.
The House divided.
Division No. 388
Ayes: 329 (Tellers: Lilian Greenwood, Stephen Morgan)
Noes: 173 (Tellers: Mr Andrew Snowden, Gregory Stafford)
Question agreed to and Bill read a second time.
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Railways Bill:
Committal
(1) The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.
Proceedings in Public Bill Committee
(2) Proceedings in the Public Bill Committee shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion on Thursday 12 February 2026.
(3) The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on which it meets.
Consideration and Third Reading
(4) Proceedings on Consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the day on which those proceedings are commenced.
(5) Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.
(6) Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to proceedings on Consideration and Third Reading.
Other proceedings
(7) Any other proceedings on the Bill may be programmed.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
King’s Recommendation signified.
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 52(1)(a)), That, for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Railways Bill, it is expedient to authorise the payment out of money provided by Parliament of:
(a) financial assistance provided by the Secretary of State to Great British Railways,
(b) any other expenditure incurred under or by virtue of the Act by the Secretary of State or by a government department, and
(c) any increase attributable to the Act in the sums payable under or by virtue of any other Act out of money so provided.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
Ordered, That, at this day’s sitting, Standing Order No. 41A (Deferred divisions) shall not apply to the motion in the name of Secretary Heidi Alexander relating to Railways Bill: Carry-over.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 80A(1)(a)), That if, at the conclusion of this Session of Parliament, proceedings on the Railways Bill have not been completed, they shall be resumed in the next Session.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
11Statutory Instruments: Motions for Approval
(1) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft International Development Association (Twenty-First Replenishment) Order 2025, which was laid before this House on 11 September, be approved.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
(2) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the Customs Tariff (Establishment) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1199), dated 17 November 2025, a copy of which was laid before this House on 17 November, be approved.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
(1) A public petition from residents of the Rushcliffe area relating to proposed local government reorganisation in Rushcliffe was presented and read by Robert Jenrick.
(2) A public petition from residents of the constituency of Reigate relating to pornography and violence against women was presented and read by Rebecca Paul.
(3) A public petition from residents of the United Kingdom relating to pornography and violence against women was presented and read by Joani Reid.
(4) A public petition from residents of the constituency of Bicester and Woodstock relating to illegal waste dumping was presented and read by Calum Miller.
Subject: Levels of illegal migrants whose whereabouts are unknown (Rupert Lowe)
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Adjourned at 7.59 pm until tomorrow.
Other Proceedings
General Committees: Reports
14Third Delegated Legislation Committee
Christine Jardine (Chair) reported the draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Mergers Involving Newspaper Enterprises and Foreign Powers) (No. 2) Regulations 2025.
15Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee
Wera Hobhouse (Chair) reported the draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
General Committees: Appointments
The Speaker appoints the Chair of General Committees and members of Programming Sub-Committees, and allocates Statutory Instruments to Delegated Legislation Committees.
The Committee of Selection nominates Members to serve on General Committees (and certain Members to serve on Grand Committees).
16Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2025)
Members: Sonia Kumar discharged and Jenny Riddell-Carpenter nominated in substitution.
Select Committees: Reports
Record of the Committee’s discussions at its meeting on Tuesday 9 December, to be published (Nick Smith).
18Backbench Business Committee
(1) 15th Anniversary of the Backbench Business Committee: First Special Report, with Appendices, to be printed (HC 1548);
(2) Transcript of representations made on Tuesday 9 December, to be published
(Bob Blackman).
19Business and Trade Committee
(1) Financing the real economy: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1220);
(2) Correspondence from Amazon UK relating to working conditions at Amazon’s UK warehouses: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence from the Minister of State for Trade relating to Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation: Written evidence received by the Sub-Committee, to be published;
(4) Correspondence relating to postal reform and the Universal Service Obligation: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) UK trade with the US, India and EU: Written evidence, to be published (HC 996)
(Liam Byrne).
20Culture, Media and Sport Committee
(1) Major events: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1339);
(2) Children’s TV and video content: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1338);
(3) Protecting built heritage: Written evidence, to be published (HC 594);
(4) The work of the BBC: Written evidence, to be published (HC 331);
(5) The work of the Department: Written evidence, to be published (HC 330)
(Dame Caroline Dinenage).
(1) Afghan data breach and resettlement schemes: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1304);
(2) AUKUS: Written evidence, to be published (HC 841)
(Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi).
(1) Solving the SEND Crisis:
(i) Government Response: Seventh Special Report, to be printed (HC 1565);
(ii) Written evidence, to be published (HC 492);
(2) Early years: Improving support for children and families: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1264);
(3) Correspondence from the Minister for Skills relating to the publication of the Institute for Apprenticeships (Transfer of Functions) Report on the exercise of the Secretary of State’s functions: Written evidence to be published;
(4) Correspondence from the Secretary of State related to the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy: Written evidence to be published;
(5) Higher education and funding: Threat of insolvency and international students: Written evidence, to be published (HC 807)
(Helen Hayes).
23Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
(1) Animal and plant health: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 611);
(2) Climate and weather resilience: Written evidence, to be published (1317);
(3) Future of farming: Written evidence, to be published (HC 527);
(4) Reforming the water sector: Written evidence, to be published (HC 588);
(5) Work of the Department and its arm's-length bodies: Written evidence, to be published (HC 415)
(Mr Alistair Carmichael).
(1) Combatting new forms of extremism: Written evidence, to be published (HC 903);
(2) Correspondence from the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls relating to the Angiolini Inquiry: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence from the Permanent Secretary relating to the work of the Home Office: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence relating to the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv Europa League fixture: Written evidence, to be published
(Dame Karen Bradley).
25Home Affairs Committee, Justice Committee, and Women and Equalities Committee
Correspondence with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls relating to the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy: Written evidence, to be published
(Dame Karen Bradley).
26Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Correspondence with the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness: Written evidence, to be published (Florence Eshalomi).
(1) Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 385);
(2) Correspondence from the Minister of State for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories relating to the constitution of the British Virgin Islands: Written evidence, to be published
(Emily Thornberry).
28International Development Committee
(1) FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2024–25: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1563);
(2) Correspondence with the Minister for Border Security and Asylum relating to the FCDO’s approach to Value for Money: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Future of UK aid and development assistance: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1330)
(Sarah Champion).
(1) Rehabilitation and resettlement: Ending the cycle of reoffending: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 469);
(2) Correspondence from the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending relating to HMP Fosse Way: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence with the Minister of State (Sarah Sackman KC MP): Written evidence, to be published
(Andy Slaughter).
(1) Record of the Committee’s decisions relating to e-petitions, to be published;
(2) List of closed e-petitions presented to the House, to be published
(Jamie Stone).
31Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
(1) The work of the House of Lords Appointments Commission: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1488);
(2) The work of the UK Statistics Authority: Written evidence, to be published (HC 847)
(Simon Hoare).
32Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
(1) Digital inclusion and telecoms: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1562);
(2) Innovation showcase: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 523);
(3) Asteroids and planetary defence: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1071);
(4) Correspondence from the UK Space Agency on ESA Council of Ministers: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Correspondence with the Department: Written evidence, to be published;
(6) Life sciences investment: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1369)
(Dame Chi Onwurah).
(1) Bank of England Monetary Policy Reports: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 419);
(2) Budget 2025: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1349);
(3) Taxation of gambling: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1451)
(Dame Meg Hillier).
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
Speaker
Westminster Hall
The sitting began at 9.30 am.
Business appointed by the Chairman of Ways and Means (Standing Order No. 10(6))
1Consumer-led flexibility for a just transition
Resolved, That this House has considered consumer-led flexibility for a just transition.—(Claire Young.)
The sitting was suspended between 10.24 am and 11 am.
2Potential merits of a medal for service personnel wounded in combat
Resolved, That this House has considered the potential merits of a medal for service personnel wounded in combat.—(David Baines.)
The sitting was suspended between 11.16 am and 2.30 pm (Standing Order No. 10(1)(b)).
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered water scarcity.—(John Milne.)
The sitting was suspended between 2.53 pm and 3.04 pm for a division in the House (Standing Order No. 10(3)).
Resolved, That this House has considered water scarcity.
4Creative education in schools
Resolved, That this House has considered creative education in schools.—(Dr Simon Opher.)
5Impact of Network Rail timetable changes on rural communities
Resolved, That this House has considered the impact of Network Rail timetable changes on rural communities.—(John Lamont.)
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 5.22 pm until tomorrow.
Ms Nusrat Ghani
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
(1) Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) (Amendment) (No. 4) Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1279), dated 4 December 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
(2) Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (by Act), to be printed (HC 1491), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
Other papers
Report and Consolidated Financial Statements of the Royal Hospital Chelsea for 2024–25 (by Act), to be printed (HC 1572) (Clerk of the House)
Secretary of State determination of fishing opportunities for British fishing boats (by Act) (Secretary Emma Reynolds)
4Government Resources and Accounts
(1) Consolidated Report and Accounts of the Food Standards Agency for 2024–25, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 1499) (James Murray)
(2) Report and Accounts of the Food Standards Agency Westminster for 2024–25, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 1497) (James Murray)
Report and Accounts of Gov Facility Services Limited (by Command) (CP 1427) (Secretary David Lammy)
Accounts relating to issues from the National Loans Fund for 2024–25 (by Act), to be printed (HC 1468) (Clerk of the House)
Report and Accounts of Creative Scotland National Lottery Distribution Fund for 2024–25 (by Act) (Secretary Douglas Alexander)
8Northern Ireland (Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan)
Eighth Report of the Independent Reporting Commission (by Statutory Instrument), to be printed (HC 1519) (Secretary Hilary Benn)
Report of the Forensic Information Databases Strategy Board for 2024-25 (by Act) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
Final Report of the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner: Pursuing Recoveries and Preventing Reoccurrence (by Command) (CP 1462) (The Chancellor of the Exchequer)
CORRECTION
Wednesday 5 November 2025
The following item should have appeared after item 31 (Select Committees: Reports):
() Welsh Affairs Committee
Farming in Wales in 2025: Challenges and Opportunities: Second Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 785) (Ruth Jones).