Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 11.30 am.
Prayers
1Questions to (1) the Minister for Women and Equalities
(2) the Prime Minister
2Urgent Question: Conflict in Sudan (Mr Hamish Falconer)
3Deputy Speaker's Statement: Ministerial Code and announcement of Government policy
4Statement: Curriculum and Assessment Review (Secretary Bridget Phillipson)
5Railways Bill: Presentation (Standing Order No. 57)
Secretary Heidi Alexander, supported by the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary Steve Reed, Secretary Ed Miliband, Secretary Peter Kyle, Secretary Douglas Alexander, Secretary Jo Stevens and James Murray, presented a Bill to make provision about railways and railway services; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Tuesday 11 November, and to be printed (Bill 325) with Explanatory Notes (Bill 325–EN).
6Ferry services (integration and regulation): Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23)
Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about the integration of ferry services with other transport services; to make provision about the regulation of ferry services; and for connected purposes;
That Joe Robertson, Mr Richard Quigley, Dame Caroline Dinenage, John Cooper, Rebecca Smith, Darren Paffey, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Jess Brown-Fuller, Andrew George, Siân Berry and Jim Shannon present the Bill.
Joe Robertson accordingly presented the Bill.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 28 November, and to be printed (Bill 334).
7Employment Rights Bill: Consideration of Lords Message
Lords Amendment 1B
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment 1B.—(Kate Dearden.)
The Deputy Speaker announced a time limit on backbench speeches (Standing Order No. 47(1)).
Question put.
The House divided.
Division No. 339
Ayes: 310 (Tellers: Jade Botterill, Mark Ferguson)
Noes: 155 (Tellers: Katie Lam, Mr Andrew Snowden)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendment 1B accordingly disagreed to.
As it was more than two hours after the commencement of proceedings on consideration of the Lords Message, the Deputy Speaker put the Questions necessary to bring proceedings on the Lords Message to a conclusion (Programme Order, 15 September).
The following Questions were put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83G).
(1) That this House insists on its disagreement with the Lords in their Amendments 23 and 106 to 120 but does not insist on its Amendment 106A and proposes Amendments (a) to (c) to the Bill in lieu of Lords Amendments 23 and 106 to 120 (Question on a Motion moved by a Minister of the Crown on or relevant to other items in the Lords Message).—(Kate Dearden.)
The House divided.
Division No. 340
Ayes: 308 (Tellers: Jade Botterill, Mark Ferguson)
Noes: 153 (Tellers: Katie Lam, Mr Andrew Snowden)
Question agreed to.
Commons disagreement to Lords Amendments 23 and 106 to 120 accordingly insisted upon, Commons Amendment 106A not insisted upon and Amendments (a) to (c) made to the Bill in lieu of Lords Amendments 23 and 106 to 120.
(2) That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment 48B (Question on a Motion moved by a Minister of the Crown on or relevant to other items in the Lords Message).—(Kate Dearden.)
The House divided.
Division No. 341
Ayes: 310 (Tellers: Jade Botterill, Mark Ferguson)
Noes: 150 (Tellers: Katie Lam, Mr Andrew Snowden)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendment 48B accordingly disagreed to.
(3) That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendments 60B and 60C but proposes Amendments (a) and (b) to the Bill in lieu of those Amendments (Question on a Motion moved by a Minister of the Crown on or relevant to other items in the Lords Message).—(Kate Dearden.)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendments 60B and 60C accordingly disagreed to and Amendments (a) and (b) made to the Bill in lieu.
(4) That this House insists on its disagreement with the Lords in their Amendments 61 and 72, but proposes Amendment (a) to the Bill in lieu (Question on a Motion moved by a Minister of the Crown on or relevant to other items in the Lords Message).—(Kate Dearden.)
The House divided.
Division No. 342
Ayes: 312 (Tellers: Jade Botterill, Mark Ferguson)
Noes: 151 (Tellers: Katie Lam, Mr Andrew Snowden)
Question agreed to.
Commons disagreement to Lords Amendments 61 and 72 insisted upon and Amendment (a) made to the Bill in lieu.
(5) That this House insists on its disagreement with the Lords in their Amendment 62, but proposes Amendment (a) in lieu (Question on a Motion moved by a Minister of the Crown on or relevant to other items in the Lords Message).—(Kate Dearden.)
The House divided.
Division No. 343
Ayes: 311 (Tellers: Jade Botterill, Mark Ferguson)
Noes: 152 (Tellers: Katie Lam, Mr Andrew Snowden)
Question agreed to.
Commons disagreement with Lords Amendment 62 accordingly insisted upon and Amendment (a) made to the Bill in lieu.
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83H(2)), That a Committee be appointed to draw up Reasons to be assigned to the Lords for disagreeing to their Amendments 1B and 48B.
That Antonia Bance, Nesil Caliskan, Charlotte Cane, Kate Dearden, Andrew Griffith, Dr Jeevun Sandher and Laurence Turner be members of the Committee;
That Kate Dearden be the Chair of the Committee;
That three be the quorum of the Committee;
That the Committee do withdraw immediately.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
8Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Programme (No. 2)
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill for the purpose of supplementing the Order of 3 February 2025 (Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Programme):
Consideration of Lords Amendments
Proceedings on consideration of Lords Amendments shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion two hours after their commencement. The Lords Amendments shall be considered in the following order: 1, 75, 30 and 31, 43, 84, 97, 2 to 29, 32 to 42, 44 to 74, 76 to 83, 85 to 96 and 98 to 121.
Subsequent stages
Any further Message from the Lords may be considered forthwith without any Question being put. Proceedings on any further Message from the Lords shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement.—(Christian Wakeford.)
Question agreed to.
9Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Consideration of Lords Amendments
Lords Amendment 1 disagreed to.
Amendments (a) and (b) made to the Bill in lieu of Lords Amendment 1.
Lords Amendment 75
Amendment (a) made.
Lords Amendment 75, as amended, agreed to.
Lords Amendment 30 disagreed to.
Lords Amendment 31 disagreed to.
Amendments (a) to (c) made to the Bill in lieu of Lords Amendments 30 and 31.
Lords Amendment 43
Motion made and Question put, That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment 43.—(Andrew Western.)
The House divided.
Division No. 344
Ayes: 268 (Tellers: Jade Botterill, Mark Ferguson)
Noes: 80 (Tellers: Tessa Munt, Claire Young)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendment 43 accordingly disagreed to.
Lords Amendment 84 disagreed to.
Amendments (a) and (b) made to the Bill in lieu of Lords Amendment 84.
Lords Amendment 97 disagreed to.
Amendments (a) to (f) made to the Bill in lieu of Lords Amendment 97.
Lords Amendments 2 to 29, 32 to 42, 44 to 74, 76 to 83, 85 to 96, and 98 to 121 agreed to.
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83H(2)), That a Committee be appointed to draw up a Reason to be assigned to the Lords for disagreeing to their Amendment 43.
That Steve Darling, Taiwo Owatemi, David Pinto-Duschinsky, Josh Simons, Rebecca Smith, Chris Vince and Andrew Western be members of the Committee;
That Andrew Western be the Chair of the Committee;
That three be the quorum of the Committee;
That the Committee do withdraw immediately.—(Deirdre Costigan.)
Question agreed to.
10Statutory Instruments: Motions for Approval
(1) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Trade Act 2021 (Power to Implement International Trade Agreements) (Extension to Expiry) Regulations 2025, which were laid before this House on 16 September, be approved.—(Deirdre Costigan.)
Question agreed to.
(2) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, which were laid before this House on 13 October, be approved.—(Deirdre Costigan.)
Question agreed to.
(3) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025, which were laid before this House on 13 October, be approved.—(Deirdre Costigan.)
Question agreed to.
A public petition from residents of Truro and Falmouth constituency relating to swimming pool facilities in Falmouth was presented and read by Jayne Kirkham.
Subject: Drug-related deaths (Charlotte Nichols)
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Deirdre Costigan.)
Adjourned at 7.34 pm until Tuesday 11 November (Order, 28 October).
Other Proceedings
Changes to Notices Given
13Child Poverty Strategy (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 7 November, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 20 February 2026.
14Short-term Let Accommodation Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 7 November, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 9 January 2026.
15Bullying and Respect at Work Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 7 November, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 9 January 2026.
Reasons Committees: Reports
16Employment Rights Bill: Reasons Committee
Kate Dearden reported that the Committee had agreed the following Reasons:
Lords Amendment 1B
Because it would weaken workers’ rights to guaranteed hours.
Lords Amendment 48B
Because the amendment is unnecessary.
17Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Reasons Committee
Andrew Western reported that the Committee had agreed the following Reason:
Lords Amendment 43
Because it is not appropriate to make further provision about reviews relating to eligibility verification measures.
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).
18First Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Radio Equipment (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025)
Members: David Baines, Nesil Caliskan, Mr Luke Charters, Daisy Cooper, Pam Cox, Neil Coyle, Gareth Davies, Kate Dearden, George Freeman, Alison Griffiths, Paul Holmes, Lillian Jones, Warinder Juss, Kerry McCarthy, Sarah Olney, Joani Reid and Gareth Snell
19Second Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2025)
Members: Steff Aquarone, Julia Buckley, Ben Coleman, Liam Conlon, Lauren Edwards, Tracy Gilbert, Olly Glover, Lilian Greenwood, Patrick Hurley, Sir Bernard Jenkin, Kim Johnson, Keir Mather, Jerome Mayhew, James Naish, Greg Smith, Sarah Smith and Bradley Thomas
20Third Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Infrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) Regulations 2025)
Members: Mr Bayo Alaba, Mr Gideon Amos, Gareth Bacon, Lewis Cocking, Deirdre Costigan, Chris Evans, Tim Farron, Peter Fortune, Gill German, Lloyd Hatton, Jayne Kirkham, Catherine McKinnell, Samantha Niblett, Matthew Pennycook, David Simmonds, Harpreet Uppal and Nadia Whittome
21Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Immigration Skills Charge (Amendment) Regulations 2025)
Members: Lizzi Collinge, John Cooper, Mr Will Forster, Alan Gemmell, Paulette Hamilton, Damian Hinds, Katie Lam, Anneliese Midgley, Stephen Morgan, Lee Pitcher, Martin Rhodes, Dave Robertson, Mike Tapp, Nick Timothy, John Whitby, Max Wilkinson and Daniel Zeichner
22Fifth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Permitted Disclosures) Regulations 2025)
Members: Edward Argar, Jess Brown-Fuller, Irene Campbell, Alex Davies-Jones, Dr Allison Gardner, Jodie Gosling, Sonia Kumar, Ian Lavery, Kim Leadbeater, Douglas McAllister, Ben Maguire, Dr Kieran Mullan, Ben Obese-Jecty, Joe Powell, Jake Richards, Mr Andrew Snowden and Laurence Turner
Select Committees: Reports
23Health and Social Care Committee
(1) Food and weight management: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1181);
(2) Sexual health services in England: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1394)
(Layla Moran)
24Human Rights (Joint Committee on)
(1) Legislative Scrutiny: Crime and Policing Bill: Government Response: Seventh Special Report, to be printed (HC 1439);
(2) Correspondence from the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls relating to Article 59 of the Istanbul Convention: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence with the Education Secretary relating to the situation of Ukrainian children in the UK: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland relating to the Northern Ireland Legacy Remedial Order: Written evidence, to be published
(Sir Desmond Swayne).
25Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
(1) The Government's new approach to addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 586);
(2) Correspondence with the Home Office relating to UK citizenship fees: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Policing and security in Northern Ireland: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1341)
(Tonia Antoniazzi).
Call lists: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 536) (Cat Smith).
The work of the Department: Oral evidence, to be published (HC410) (Patricia Ferguson).
Speaker’s Conference on the security of candidates, MPs and elections: Written evidence, to be published (HC 570) (The Speaker).
29Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee on)
Thirty-eighth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 291-xxxviii) (Sir Bernard Jenkin).
Skills for transport manufacturing: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1223) (Ruth Cadbury).
* This item has been corrected since publication. See the Votes and Proceedings relating to Tuesday 9 December 2025.
Budget 2025: Former Cabinet Ministers: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1349) (Dame Meg Hillier).
(1) Child Maintenance Service: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1268);
(2) Discretionary payments and member representation in defined benefit schemes: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1403);
(3) Employment support for disabled people: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1227)
(Debbie Abrahams).
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))
1Impact of financial secrecy in the Overseas Territories on UK communities
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered the impact of financial secrecy in the Overseas Territories on UK communities.—(Phil Brickell.)
The Chair announced a time limit on backbench speeches (under the authority of the Chairman of Ways and Means and Standing Order No. 47(1)).
Resolved, That this House has considered the impact of financial secrecy in the Overseas Territories on UK communities.
2Government support for Bronze Age heritage in Cambridgeshire
Resolved, That this House has considered Government support for Bronze Age heritage in Cambridgeshire.—(Andrew Pakes.)
The sitting was suspended between 11.25 am and 2.30 pm (Standing Order No. 10(1)(b)).
3Government support for housebuilding in London
Resolved, That this House has considered Government support for housebuilding in London.—(Mr Louie French.)
4Inequality of access to fresh and nutritious food
Resolved, That this House has considered inequality of access to fresh and nutritious food.—(Gordon McKee.)
5UK participation in the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights
The sitting was suspended between 4.35 pm and 5.35 pm for divisions in the House (Standing Order No. 10(3)).
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered UK participation in the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights.—(Cat Eccles.)
At 6.30 pm, the Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 6.30 pm until Tuesday 11 November (Order, 28 October).
Ms Nusrat Ghani
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
Official Controls (Import of High-Risk Food and Feed of Non-Animal Origin) (Amendment of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1162), dated 3 November 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Ashley Dalton)
Customs Tariff (Preferential Trade Arrangements) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1158), dated 4 November 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Dan Tomlinson)
3Republic of Korea No. 1 (2025)
Exchange of Notes, done at Seoul on 24 October 2025, amending the Free Trade Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Korea (by Command) (CP 1433), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)
Oxford Street Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1151), dated 3 November 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Miatta Fahnbulleh)
Other papers
(1) Report by the Financial Reporting Council on its supervision of the professional bodies during 2024–25 (by Act) (Blair McDougall)
(2) Report of the Independent Supervisor on Auditors General under section 1229 of the Companies Act 2006 (by Act), to be printed (HC 1363) (Blair McDougall)
(3) Report of the Independent Supervisor on Auditors General under section 1231 of the Companies Act 2006 (by Act), to be printed (HC 1364) (Blair McDougall)
Explanatory Memorandum to the Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage (Licensed Operators) Administration (England and Wales) Rules 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 1135) (by Command) (Secretary Ed Miliband)
(1) Report by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement on lessons learned from Operation Tacit: Labour non-compliance in the garment manufacturing industry in Leicester (by Act) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
(2) Report on United Kingdom Labour Market Enforcement for 2023 to 2025 (by Act) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
Report of the Post Office Network for 2025 (by Act) (Blair McDougall)
A Railway Fit for Britain's Future: Government Response (by Command) (CP 1419) (Secretary Heidi Alexander)
Financial Inclusion Strategy (by Command) (CP 1424) (Lucy Rigby)
Withdrawn papers
Explanatory Memorandum to the Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage (Licensed Operators) Administration (England and Wales) Rules 2025 (laid 29 October)