Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 9.30 am.
Prayers
1Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport
2Business Question (Leader of the House)
3Statement: Road safety strategy (Lilian Greenwood)
4Select Committee Statement (Standing Order No. 22D): Publication of the First Special Report from the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, Subsea telecommunications cables: resilience and crisis preparedness: Government Response, HC 1574 (Matt Western)
5Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Presentation (Standing Orders No. 50 and No. 57)
Secretary Pat McFadden, supported by the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Darren Jones, Secretary Wes Streeting, Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Secretary Ed Miliband, Secretary Steve Reed, Secretary Peter Kyle, Secretary Liz Kendall, Secretary Hilary Benn, James Murray and Nick Thomas-Symonds, presented a Bill to make provision to remove the two child limit on the child element of universal credit.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Monday 12 January, and to be printed (Bill 359) with Explanatory Notes (Bill 359–EN).
(1) Effectiveness of Magnitsky-style sanctions for serious human rights abuses
Resolved, That this House is concerned that serious human rights abuses, including crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture, together with widespread grand corruption, continue to escalate in an increasingly unstable global environment; notes that global human rights and anti-corruption sanctions, commonly known as Magnitsky sanctions, remain an essential mechanism for accountability and redress, yet their implementation by the United Kingdom is inconsistent and insufficient, and lacks oversight; regrets that numerous individuals credibly implicated in serious abuses and corruption remain unsanctioned, that enforcement and transparency around decision-making remains inadequate, and that sanctioned individuals continue to exploit evasion methods while victims receive limited support; further notes the absence of a long-term strategy for the management of frozen assets and a lack of clear criteria for delisting, alongside growing concerns that sanctions are becoming politicised internationally; urges the Government to strengthen the credibility of the Magnitsky sanctions regime through consistent and impartial application, enhanced enforcement, and by ensuring greater Parliamentary oversight and expanded measures to support victims, including developing pathways for compensation; and holds that, relevant to this, those involved in the arbitrary detention of British nationals should face Magnitsky sanctions, including those involved in the detention of Ryan Cornelius, Jagtar Singh Johal and Jimmy Lai.—(Sir Iain Duncan Smith.)
(2) High street gambling reform
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House believes that the aim to permit principle in planning policy erodes the ability of local communities to shape their neighbourhoods; further believes that planning decisions should be made in the public interest, not skewed towards automatic approval; and therefore calls on the Government to remove the aim to permit provision so local councils can regulate the spread of gambling premises.—(Dawn Butler.)
The Deputy Speaker announced a time limit on backbench speeches (Standing Order No. 47(1)).
Question put and agreed to.
Subject: Contribution of post offices in Cheshire (Aphra Brandreth)
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Deirdre Costigan.)
Adjourned at 5.23 pm until Monday 12 January.
Other Proceedings
Changes to Notices Given
8Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Regulation) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 6 March.
9Health Insurance (Exemption from Insurance Premium Tax) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 27 February.
10Covid-19 Vaccine Damage Payments Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 27 February.
11Property (Registration and Valuation) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 16 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 6 February.
12Arms Trade (Inquiry and Suspension) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 27 February.
13Animal Shelters (Licensing) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 27 February.
14Vehicle Registration Documents (Sale of Vehicle) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 27 February.
15Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 9 January, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 27 February.
Select Committees: Reports
16Backbench Business Committee
Determination of business to be taken on Thursday 15 January, Tuesday 20 January, Thursday 22 January, Tuesday 27 January and Thursday 29 January in Westminster Hall (Martin Vickers).
17Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Correspondence with the Chancellor of the Exchequer: Written evidence, to be published (Dame Caroline Dinenage).
18Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
(1) Reforming the water sector: Written evidence, to be published (HC 588) (Mr Alistair Carmichael).
19International Development Committee
Correspondence with the Foreign Secretary relating to the Israeli restrictions on UNRWA and humanitarian organisations: Written evidence, to be published (Sarah Champion).
20Public Accounts (Committee of)
(1) Financial sustainability of children’s care homes:
(i) Sixty-first Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 1233);
(ii) Written evidence, to be published (HC 1233);
(2) BBC World Service 2024–25: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1299);
(3) Correspondence from the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to oversight of Arm’s Length Bodies: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence relating to the Committee’s previous Reports: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Decommissioning Sellafield: Written evidence, to be published (HC 363);
(6) Efficiency and resilience of the Probation Service: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1235);
(7) Home-to-school transport: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1238);
(8) Improving family court services for children: Written evidence, to be published (HC 883);
(9) Increasing police productivity: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1239);
(10) Local government financial sustainability: Written evidence, to be published (HC 647);
(11) Ministry of Justice follow-up: Summer 2025: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1240);
(12) Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024–25: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1231);
(13) Tackling violence against women and girls: Written evidence, to be published (HC 644);
(14) The remediation of dangerous cladding: Written evidence, to be published (HC 362)
(Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown).
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
Speaker
Westminster Hall
The sitting began at 1.30 pm
Liaison Committee business (Standing Order No. 10(7))
1Third Report of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Problem drug use in Scotland follow-up: Glasgow’s Safer Drug Consumption Facility, HC 630, and the Government Response, HC 1485
Resolved, That this House has considered the Third Report of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Problem drug use in Scotland follow-up: Glasgow’s Safer Drug Consumption Facility, HC 630, and the Government Response, HC 1485.—(Patricia Ferguson.)
The sitting was suspended between 2.26 pm and 3 pm.
Business determined by the Backbench Business Committee (Standing Orders No. 10(7) and No. 14(4))
2Religious minority persecution in Myanmar
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered religious minority persecution in Myanmar.—(Jim Shannon.)
At 4.30 pm, the Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 4.30 pm until Monday 12 January.
Ms Nusrat Ghani
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution
Draft Caribbean Development Bank (Eleventh Replenishment of the Special Development Fund (Unified)) Order 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Chris Elmore)
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Modification) Order 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 5), dated 6 January 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Sir Stephen Timms)
Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variation) Order 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 8), dated 6 January 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Ian Murray)
Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 6), dated 6 January 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Sir Stephen Timms)
Other papers
(1) Explanatory Memorandum to the Draft Statutory Guidance on the Meaning of "Significant Influence or Control" over Companies in the Context of the Register of People with Significant Control (by Command) (Blair McDougall)
(2) Explanatory Memorandum to the Draft Statutory Guidance on the Meaning of “Significant Influence or Control” over Limited Liability Partnerships in the Context of the Register of People with Significant Control (by Command) (Blair McDougall)
Explanatory Memorandum to the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Consequential and Other Amendments) Regulations 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1331) (Ian Murray)
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Minute, dated 8 January 2026, concerning the notification of a contingent liability relating to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Transmission's Orkney Transmission Link project (by Command) (Michael Shanks)
Withdrawn papers
Explanatory Memorandum to the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Consequential and Other Amendments) Regulations 2025 (laid 17 December 2025)