That this House notes that the British Museum still holds about half of the Parthenon Sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, and that they remain on display in the British Museum to which they were transferred by an Act of Parliament in 1816; considers it unacceptable for these sculptures to be held and displayed in the UK, not least because the sculptures have been damaged whilst in the museum’s possession; further notes that those Parthenon Sculptures remaining in Athens have been well displayed since 2009 in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum close to the Parthenon; is encouraged by reports of stronger and developing partnerships between the British and Acropolis Museums, and reports that British Museum Chair, George Osborne, has indicated his support for this to include the return of the sculptures; also notes that opinion polls have shown a majority also support the return; and therefore calls on the Government to do all that is necessary to cooperate with the trustees of the British Museum, to agree a gracious act to reunite the Parthenon Sculptures with those in Athens and to finally put right this enduring wrong.

That this House notes that the British Museum still holds about half of the Parthenon Sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, and that they remain on display in the British Museum to which they were transferred by an...

That this House believes Royal Mail’s continuing poor postal delivery performance, is effectively enabled by OFCOM's regulatory failings; further believes that this is adversely affecting residents and businesses, with consequent missed medical appointments, missed court decisions, fines for non-payment of bills and numerous other significant impacts; also believes that Royal Mail has not met its quarterly service targets, reflecting a growing national crisis in postal reliability, in spite of OFCOM fining Royal Mail £21 million this year, following fines in previous years; is concerned Royal Mail continues to seek to lower the standards of the Universal Service Obligation; believes these problems do not reflect on the hard-working front-line postal delivery staff who have been let down by an over-centralised management structure and profit-before-service orientated owners; and therefore calls on the Government to intervene to insist that OFCOM pressures Royal Mail to meet it's operational targets, ensure that Royal Mail takes immediate remedial action to restore service reliability and to address staffing shortages and morale, and for OFCOM to fully utilise its enforcement powers, and to ensure the Universal Service Obligation is protected.

That this House believes Royal Mail’s continuing poor postal delivery performance, is effectively enabled by OFCOM's regulatory failings; further believes that this is adversely affecting residents and businesses, with consequent missed medical appointments, missed court decisions, fines for non-payment of bills and numerous other significant impacts; also believes that Royal...

That this House believes high street bank closures have a detrimental impact on small enterprises, local business resilience, charities, vulnerable customers and the digitally excluded and adds to the vulnerability of UK financial services, especially to cyber threat from rogue actors; remembers the Government injected £137 billion in loans and capital when banks needed bailing out during the financial crisis, and that this cost the public £23 billion overall; further believes that digital banking cannot be a full substitute for the comprehensive services provided through face-to-face services in bank branches, and that many complex and essential transactions are either very difficult or cannot be simply completed online; is concerned that these closures risk breaching the Financial Conduct Authority’s guidance on fair treatment of vulnerable customers and may breach Equality Act 2010 standards; notes LINK’s regulatory responsibilities in assessing access to cash, but believes these assessments are far too narrowly focussed and do not consider the full range of services required by customers and small businesses; is further concerned that high street banks often do not conduct sufficient social or equality impact assessments, nor engaged in any substantive consultation prior to closures; and calls the Government to review current regulations in this regard and to introduce a duty on banks to consult local communities before any further branch closure announcements.

That this House believes high street bank closures have a detrimental impact on small enterprises, local business resilience, charities, vulnerable customers and the digitally excluded and adds to the vulnerability of UK financial services, especially to cyber threat from rogue actors; remembers the Government injected £137 billion in loans and...

That this House recognises the rich biodiversity of ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom, and their vital role in meeting the nation’s climate and biodiversity obligations as set out in the Environment Act 2021; notes that ancient woodland, those that have existed since at least 1600, covers just 2.5% of the UK, and is concerned that around 40% of ancient woodland has been replanted with non-native species, which significantly compromises its ecological integrity and its contribution to climate resilience; further notes that Forestry England, as the largest manager of plantations on ancient woodland sites, currently receives no ongoing funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for restoration work and would need to more than double its present rate of restoration to meet its internal commitment to restore all such sites by 2044, thus contributing to UK nature restoration targets; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure that a sufficient proportion of the available resource is directed at the restoration of ancient woodland sites within the Public Forest Estate to accelerate progress towards the 2044 target.

That this House recognises the rich biodiversity of ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom, and their vital role in meeting the nation’s climate and biodiversity obligations as set out in the Environment Act 2021; notes that ancient woodland, those that have existed since at least 1600, covers just 2.5% of...

That this House notes the National Emergency Briefing held in Westminster on 27 November 2025, attended by over 1,200 leaders from politics, business, science, and civil society, which set out the escalating risks posed by climate change and nature loss; further notes the expert evidence presented that the UK faces intensifying weather extremes, with up to 1 in 4 properties at risk of flooding by 2050 and increasing heatwaves and wildfires; recognises that current global trajectories risk 3–4°C of warming, threatening systemic societal disruption and exceeding the UK’s fair share of the remaining carbon budget within years; expresses concern that the UK ranks among the lowest globally for biodiversity, with significant declines in wildlife and ecosystem health; acknowledges warnings that food security, public health, and national security are increasingly compromised by climate-related impacts, including supply shocks, economic instability, and heightened global tensions; also notes the substantial economic costs of inaction compared to the benefits of rapid transition to a low-carbon economy; and therefore calls on the Government to screen a prime-time televised emergency briefing across all the main channels, delivered by independent experts and supported by the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, setting out the nature and scale of the climate and nature threats facing the UK, why these threats matter to people’s lives and livelihoods, and to introduce emergency legislation, investment and public engagement commensurate with the scale and urgency of the crisis.

That this House notes the National Emergency Briefing held in Westminster on 27 November 2025, attended by over 1,200 leaders from politics, business, science, and civil society, which set out the escalating risks posed by climate change and nature loss; further notes the expert evidence presented that the UK faces...

That this House recognises the rich biodiversity of ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom, and their vital role in meeting the nation’s climate and biodiversity obligations as set out in the Environment Act 2021; notes that ancient woodland, those that have existed since at least 1600, covers just 2.5% of the UK, and is concerned that around 40% of ancient woodland has been replanted with non‑native species, which significantly compromises its ecological integrity and its contribution to climate resilience; further notes that Forestry England, as the largest manager of plantations on ancient woodland sites, currently receives no funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for restoration work and would need to more than double its present rate of restoration to meet its internal commitment to restore all such sites by 2044, thus contributing to UK nature restoration targets; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure that a sufficient proportion of the available resource is directed at the restoration of ancient woodland sites within the Public Forest Estate to accelerate progress towards the 2044 target.

That this House recognises the rich biodiversity of ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom, and their vital role in meeting the nation’s climate and biodiversity obligations as set out in the Environment Act 2021; notes that ancient woodland, those that have existed since at least 1600, covers just 2.5% of...

That this House is aware of worsening failures in Royal Mail’s delivery services, which is adversely affecting residents and businesses, with consequent missed medical appointments which arrive after the appointment date, fines for non-payment of bills and numerous other significant impacts; that Royal Mail recently warned that more than 100 UK postcodes across the UK are at risk of service disruption, reflecting a growing national crisis in postal reliability and recognises that First and Second‑Class delivery targets are regularly missed, contributing to Ofcom fining Royal Mail £21 million, this year, and for the third successive year; is concerned Royal Mail has persuaded Ofcom to consult on lowering the standards of the Universal Service Obligation; believes these problems do not reflect on the hard-working front-line postal delivery staff who have been let down by an over-centralised management structure and profit-before-service orientated owners; and therefore calls on the Government to intervene to review Royal Mail’s operational performance, ensure that Royal Mail takes immediate remedial action to restore service reliability and to address staffing shortages and morale, and for Ofcom to fully utilise its enforcement powers, and to ensure the Universal Service Obligation is protected.

That this House is aware of worsening failures in Royal Mail’s delivery services, which is adversely affecting residents and businesses, with consequent missed medical appointments which arrive after the appointment date, fines for non-payment of bills and numerous other significant impacts; that Royal Mail recently warned that more than 100...

That this House believes that the use of filibuster tactics in the House of Lords to frustrate the majority will of the democratically elected House of Commons is unacceptable, including where the elected Commons has given its majority support to a Private Members’ Bill; further believes that the case for the outright abolition of the House of Lords and its replacement would be strengthened if such tactics were used; acknowledges that, although the House of Lords often provides a helpful role through scrutinising and suggesting constructive revisions to bills, it should not have the power to block them, nor to use its procedures to the same effect; and calls on the Government to take legislative steps to ensure that Private Members' Bills backed by a majority in the elected House can never be defeated by undemocratic means in the House of Lords.

That this House believes that the use of filibuster tactics in the House of Lords to frustrate the majority will of the democratically elected House of Commons is unacceptable, including where the elected Commons has given its majority support to a Private Members’ Bill; further believes that the case for...

That this House congratulates local communities which came together to support each other during the January storms; recognises however that the storms exposed weaknesses in and that lessons should be learned by in respect of emergency and resilience plans, including the Met Office’s late declaration of the Red Alert prior to Storm Goretti, that the Emergency Alert wasn't received, or received late, by many; notes that though frontline workers and community volunteers' actions were heroic, the incident exposed an over‑reliance on digital‑only systems which failed, leaving isolated communities without safe and dependable means of communication, during prolonged electricity and water shortages and therefore severely hindered efforts to prioritise support and urgent assistance, elderly and vulnerable people were left without support for long periods; further notes that the priority registers of different services did not correspond and left many people without assistance, unfounded faith in modern digital technologies was exposed; considers that Government support seems not to be designed for very small or very large authorities like the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall, many communications systems, especially broadband, have still not been restored weeks after the first outage; and therefore urges the Government to address the resilience and public‑safety lessons, to introduce sufficient resilience requirements, including for landline and mobile network operators and contingency plans for power back-up to protect the most vulnerable and dependent.

That this House congratulates local communities which came together to support each other during the January storms; recognises however that the storms exposed weaknesses in and that lessons should be learned by in respect of emergency and resilience plans, including the Met Office’s late declaration of the Red Alert prior...

That this House believes high street bank closures have a detrimental impact on small enterprises, local business resilience, charities, vulnerable customers and the digitally excluded and adds to the vulnerability of UK financial services, especially to cyber threat from rogue actors; notes Lloyds Banking Group’s announcement to close 38 branches by the end of 2026; further notes that Lloyds Group was content to accept over £37 billion of public money when it needed bailing out during the financial crisis but has turned its back on customer needs without consultation; further believes that digital banking cannot be a full substitute for the comprehensive services provided through face-to-face services in bank branches, and that many complex and essential transactions are either very difficult or cannot be completed online; is concerned that these closures risk breaching the Financial Conduct Authority’s guidance on fair treatment of vulnerable customers and may breach Equality Act 2010 standards; also notes LINK’s regulatory responsibilities in assessing access to cash, but believes these assessments do not consider the full range of services required by customers and small businesses; is further concerned Lloyds has not conducted sufficient social or equality impact assessments, nor engaged in any substantive consultation prior to its announcement; and calls the Government to review current regulations in this regard and to introduce a duty on banks to consult local communities before any such branch closure announcements.

That this House believes high street bank closures have a detrimental impact on small enterprises, local business resilience, charities, vulnerable customers and the digitally excluded and adds to the vulnerability of UK financial services, especially to cyber threat from rogue actors; notes Lloyds Banking Group’s announcement to close 38 branches...

That this House notes that the combined annual profits of the four largest UK banks have doubled to £48 billion in the five years to 2025, much of this due to a tax glitch which gifted an unexpected windfall of £86 billion since 2022; further notes that a fair and pragmatic windfall tax on these profits would raise approximately £7 billion per annum; recognises that this windfall tax could fund both a £90 cut in a typical household’s annual fuel bill, if used to replace the artificial impact of the so-called renewable levy, and a 5% VAT cut for hospitality businesses; also notes that tech giants pay only 2% on their declared UK profits and that an increase to just 10% would raise a further £4 billion per annum; acknowledges the Institute for Public Policy Research study which indicates that doubling the Remote Gaming Duty on online gambling companies could generate an additional £1 billion annually; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to carefully consider these factors and those contained in EDMs 2162 and 2225 as part of a comprehensive and equitable approach to fiscal policy in the forthcoming Budget.

That this House notes that the combined annual profits of the four largest UK banks have doubled to £48 billion in the five years to 2025, much of this due to a tax glitch which gifted an unexpected windfall of £86 billion since 2022; further notes that a fair and...

That this House notes that the UK spends 7.27% of GDP, costing £207 billion per annum, on tax reliefs, equivalent to about 30% of Government tax revenue, and that the Treasury Select Committee identified in 2023 that 815 of 1,180 tax reliefs have never been publicly costed; further that notes the Institute for Government found that the Government introduced 14 major tax policies targeted at and for the benefit of high wealth or high income individuals in 2015-2023, that just three had been substantiated on a significant evidential basis, and that a 2024 National Audit Office report observed a concerning absence of evaluation of tax reliefs; also notes that many tax reliefs have substantially contradicted the declared purpose of Government policy, such as the small business rate relief available for holiday lets, and which has seen industrial-level flipping of second homes from Council Tax to the business rate systems to take advantage and to pay no tax at all; notes that along with other reliefs, and covid aid, this has resulted in granting over £500 million of taxpayers’ money to support holiday home owners in Cornwall alone in the last 10 years, while thousands of local families have been evicted to make way for more holiday and second home investors; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to carefully consider these factors as she prepares for the Budget and to undertake a Comprehensive Spending Review-style Zero Based Review of the entire tax code, costing and evaluating all tax reliefs.

That this House notes that the UK spends 7.27% of GDP, costing £207 billion per annum, on tax reliefs, equivalent to about 30% of Government tax revenue, and that the Treasury Select Committee identified in 2023 that 815 of 1,180 tax reliefs have never been publicly costed; further that notes...

That this House notes the extent of widening inequality in the UK and that the top 50 richest families now hold more wealth than the poorest half of the population and there has been nearly 1000% increase in the wealth of UK billionaires since 1990; further notes that a dynamic study conducted by Patriotic Millionaires UK on the Sunday Times Rich List reported that £160 billion could have been raised for the UK's public finances over the past three decades if those with assets over £10 million were annually taxed at 2%, whilst their wealth would still have increased at between 1.7% and 2.7%; believes that moderate taxes would not provoke capital flight as lobbyists assert and is repeated by some media and commentators; considers that just 0.01% of the richest households relocated after wealth tax reforms were introduced in Norway, Sweden and Denmark; highlights that the considerable evidence that low taxes on wealth can be counterproductive for growth and productivity and that research by tax policy experts at CenTax and the IFS shows that equalising capital gains and income tax rates alongside introducing an investment allowance supports productivity and growth, as does taxing share buybacks; also notes UK's tax-to- GDP ratio is around 35% according to OECD data (2024), lower than comparable G7 economies France (44%), Italy (43%), Nordic countries (41-43%); and calls on the Chancellor to reflect on these factors as she considers her options for the forthcoming Budget.

That this House notes the extent of widening inequality in the UK and that the top 50 richest families now hold more wealth than the poorest half of the population and there has been nearly 1000% increase in the wealth of UK billionaires since 1990; further notes that a dynamic...

That this House notes that the British Museum still holds about half of the Parthenon Sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, and that they remain on display in the British Museum to which they were transferred by an Act of Parliament in 1816; considers it unacceptable for these sculptures to be held and displayed in the UK, not least because the sculptures have been damaged whilst in the museum’s possession; further notes that those Parthenon Sculptures remaining in Athens have been well displayed since 2009 in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in the shadow of the Parthenon; is encouraged by reports of a stronger and developing partnership between the British and Acropolis Museums, and reports that British Museum Chair of Trustees, George Osborne, has indicated his support for this to include the return of the sculptures; also notes that opinion polls have shown a majority also support the return; and therefore calls on the Government to do all that is necessary to cooperate with the trustees of the British Museum, to agree a gracious act to reunite the Parthenon Sculptures with those in Athens and to finally put right this enduring wrong.

That this House notes that the British Museum still holds about half of the Parthenon Sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, and that they remain on display in the British Museum to which they were transferred by an...

That this House recognises that farmers and growers, in the UK and overseas, require fair dealing in the grocery supply chain in order to survive and thrive; welcomes the 2008 Competition Commission Inquiry which found that larger retailers and supermarkets often abused their power by transferring excessive risk and unexpected cost to suppliers and then created the Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) in 2009 and then the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA) in 2013, which established the beginnings of a framework on which to build fairer trading relationships in the grocery supply chain; welcomes some outward positive trends, including that GSCOP fair trade breaches reduced from 79% to 36% between 2014 and 2023; recognises that farmers and overseas exporters, who are not directly covered under the scope of the GSCOP, are subjected to unfair trading practices by large UK corporate buyers as risks and costs are passed along the supply chain where many unfair and abusive behaviours remain masked by a climate of fear or remain unchecked; notes that the petition entitled Reform the Grocery Supply Code of Practice to better protect farmers has over 113,000 signatories; believes the creation of two separate regulators, the GCA and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), risks fragmenting and weakening regulatory effort; and calls on the Government to bring both regulators together under the GCA, strengthen its powers and resource base, and ensure it is empowered to apply the Principle of Fair Dealing, particularly in respect of production, delivery and payment issues

That this House recognises that farmers and growers, in the UK and overseas, require fair dealing in the grocery supply chain in order to survive and thrive; welcomes the 2008 Competition Commission Inquiry which found that larger retailers and supermarkets often abused their power by transferring excessive risk and unexpected...

That this House welcomes Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis on his visit to the UK today; notes that the British Museum still holds about half of the Parthenon Sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, then purchased from him by the Government following a decision by this Parliament in 1816, and that they remain on display in the British Museum to which they were transferred by Act of Parliament in the same year; considers it is no longer appropriate for these sculptures to be held and displayed in the UK and notes that the sculptures have not always been well protected and have indeed been damaged whilst in the possession of the museum; further notes that the remaining Parthenon Sculptures have been well displayed since 2009 in the purpose built Acropolis Museum in the shadow of the Parthenon; notes that Prime Minister Mitsotakis has compared the UK’s possession of the Parthenon sculptures as like cutting the Mona Lisa in half; and calls on the Government to work with the trustees of the British Museum, to agree a gracious act to reunite the Parthenon Sculptures with those in Athens and to finally put right this enduring wrong.

That this House welcomes Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis on his visit to the UK today; notes that the British Museum still holds about half of the Parthenon Sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, then purchased from him by...

That this House is aware that half of the Parthenon sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin 210 years ago using a flimsy legal justification during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, remain on display in the British Museum; notes that, when presented with the facts, the British public favours the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles in Athens; further notes an opinion poll conducted by YouGov in October 2014 which shows only 23 per cent of the British public think they should stay in Britain; is further aware that the British Museum has abandoned most of its conventional arguments and now advances the novel concept of a universal museum; regrets the Government's apparent decision to reject the offer from UNESCO to mediate with the Greek government; and calls on the Government to reverse this decision and to demonstrate that Britain is prepared to express its standing in the world by engaging in a gracious act to reunite these British-held Parthenon sculptures with those now displayed in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in the shadow of the monument to which they belong, the Parthenon in Athens.

That this House is aware that half of the Parthenon sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin 210 years ago using a flimsy legal justification during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, remain on display in the British Museum; notes that, when presented with the facts, the British public favours...

That this House welcomes the Safe Staffing Alliance Manifesto which emphasises that patient safety is compromised significantly when the ratio of eight patients to each registered nurse, excluding the nurse in charge, is breached, and that even the ratio of seven patients to each registered nurse results in care being missed; notes its recommendation that safe nurse/patient ratios should be enforced and its finding that 45 per cent of hospital wards have unsafe staff levels; acknowledges that poor care does not only cost more, but causes more complications and deaths; and therefore calls on the Government to implement a transparent fundamental standard which should ensure that each hospital ward is staffed safely and never reaches the unsafe ratio of 1:8.

That this House welcomes the Safe Staffing Alliance Manifesto which emphasises that patient safety is compromised significantly when the ratio of eight patients to each registered nurse, excluding the nurse in charge, is breached, and that even the ratio of seven patients to each registered nurse results in care being...

That this House notes that the Affordable Homes Bill, which seeks to combat the worst effects of the Government's under-occupancy penalty, also known as the bedroom tax, was approved by the House on Second Reading by a remarkable 306 to 231 votes on 5 September 2014; regrets, however, that Conservative Ministers have chosen to abuse the privilege of executive power by resorting to deploying a rarely-used underhand device of not tabling a motion for a Money Resolution for the Bill, in their attempt to sabotage it and thereby defy the clearly-expressed will of the House; further notes that the Deputy Prime Minister has made it clear that a motion for a Money Resolution will be tabled for the Conservatives' EU Referendum Bill once a Money Resolution is agreed to for the Affordable Homes Bill which precedes it; and therefore calls on the Government to table a motion for a Money Resolution to allow the Affordable Homes Bill to proceed beyond the Committee stage.

That this House notes that the Affordable Homes Bill, which seeks to combat the worst effects of the Government's under-occupancy penalty, also known as the bedroom tax, was approved by the House on Second Reading by a remarkable 306 to 231 votes on 5 September 2014; regrets, however, that Conservative...

That this House notes with concern the huge human and financial cost of occupational cancers, with an estimated 8,000 lives lost and around 13,500 new cases registered each year in Britain and a national economic cost the Health and Safety Executive puts at double-figure billions annually; further notes the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health's No Time to Lose campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of this significant health issue, suggests solutions to tackle the problem and helps businesses to deliver effective prevention programmes; and calls on the Government to support proactive regulator activity in this area, more research and the creation of a national carcinogen exposure database.

That this House notes with concern the huge human and financial cost of occupational cancers, with an estimated 8,000 lives lost and around 13,500 new cases registered each year in Britain and a national economic cost the Health and Safety Executive puts at double-figure billions annually; further notes the Institution...