Commons Leader rolls out Oasis puns to describe year since Labour's election
Her comments came in the last Business Questions before the parliamentary recess, which will begin next Tuesday.
The Manchester Central MP said: 'I couldn't let this opportunity pass without telling the House that Manchester is buzzing right now with its bucket hats, its music, and even parkas in this hot weather. As we've all come together to celebrate the Oasis reunion.
'When Oasis were last performing at Heaton Park it was under a Labour government, and the shadow leader (Jesse Norman) invited me to give the House a few more groaning puns, so if he'll forgive me.
'Some Might Say this Government has a Masterplan for change, of course, I know it's not been a great year for the party opposite since their biggest election defeat in history, but perhaps they need to Stop Crying Their Heart Out, Don't Look Back In Anger, and hope that Reform Fade Away.
'Talking of which, last year we have seen Reform come on the scene in the House of Commons, some of their MPs have had better attendances than others.
'The honourable member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), as usual, is probably on a beach Half A World Away.
'There's more, there's one last one. Let's hope this Labour Government Live Forever.'
Commons deputy speaker Nusrat Ghani responded and called the comments 'interesting'.
Ms Powell had been asked by Conservative shadow leader Mr Norman what the Government planned to do to protect veterans who had served in Northern Ireland from prosecution.
He said: 'Hundreds and thousands of men and women went to Northern Ireland, not of their own accord but under orders and in the chain of command, on the Queen's business, to combat the most serious terrorist organisation in the world at the time, and to protect human lives and human society.'
He said the decisions by Labour to abandon the Legacy Act had left veterans in their 70s and 80s 'exposed to legal harassment, anxiety and trauma'.
Ms Powell replied: 'This is a complex situation, and we need to resolve it. He might disagree with this, but the previous government's Legacy Act was found to be unlawful and unworkable and is now subject to further court action.
'That means currently that nobody is protected by it, and nor does it give people the justice that they want, because there would be so much legal uncertainty about the status of doing so.
'That is why our priority is finding a way forward that gives veterans, survivors and communities confidence in the process. We will take our time to do this.'
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Liam Gallagher's new favourite drink on Oasis tour revealed - and it's not what you think
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
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EXCLUSIVE 'I'm embarrassed to be from here!' Fed up locals in once-bustling town blast endless boarded up shops and drug addicts as they claim 'Labour does not care about us'
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Earlier this month Labour admitted Reform is a 'serious threat' in Wales after a poll found the party on track to win elections next year and nowhere is the swing more obvious than Llanelli. More In Common research for Sky News put support for Farage on 28 per cent, ahead of Plaid Cymru on 26 per cent. Labour was in third on 23 per cent, while the Tories and Lib Dems were trailing on 10 per cent and 7 per cent respectively. In the 2024 general election Reform lost out by just 1,500 votes and have now come back with a vengeance to win over the local council. Residents told MailOnline they hoped that Reform could offer the change and rejuvenation Llanelli needs and hoped that Nigel Farage's policies could rid the town of its drug problem and improve the rundown centre. Locals explained that with the crumbling shop parades, the community spirit has all but gone and drug addicts have made it such an unwelcome place they're too scared to venture in to the shopping centre. One retired nurse and grandmother, who wished to remain anonymous, said her granddaughter is so scared to come in to town she has to be accompanied. The 73-year-old added that the drug problem in the centre is so bad that she and her family worry about getting high off the smoke. She said: 'My granddaughter won't walk through on her own anymore, she says you can get high of the drugs being smoked. I have to bring her in if she wants to get her nails done or anything. 'The druggies hang around in the centre and it's horrible. It's really bad.' The worried former nurse added that she knows the council are trying with new business spaces but unfortunately it's not enough to turn the tide. She added: 'Compared to what it was - they're trying and building new flats with business spaces underneath but there's no footfall. It's a sad state of affairs.' And her thoughts were echoed by retiree Arwyn Owens, 75, who explained that the increase in drug use and the run down centre had led him to turn his back on Labour. He said: 'I've lived here all my life and it used to be thriving but now all we've got are charity shops. We've got no big shops anymore just banks and empty shops and betting shops. 'Right next to the Boots it's just drug addicts wandering around and people are afraid to go in to town now. 'I don't know what needs to be done but something. I've voted Labour all my life but never again. The council used to be run by Labour, we had Labour for 20 years but they've done nothing. Aled Williams, 34, (pictured) said the only places still busy are the banks or the Specsavers where he works and he understands why no one wants to come to the town 'I think we need someone new who's for the community rather than voting for the council, we need to be prioritised.' Gary James, 42, was in agreement and said the entire town had 'gone downhill'. He told MailOnline that he remembered when Llanelli very busy but now there were no new businesses which had left the town drained of community spirit. Stepney Street, Llanelli's main shopping artery named after the once rich and powerful local Stepney family was full of boarded up shops punctuated by for sale signs. On the corner, right next to the street sign lauding a family which had once brought such prosperity to the area was the local job centre which had streams of addicts walking in and out in a daze. The local post office was boarded up and even the charity shops were closing their doors. Rows of empty retail units looked long abandoned and walking in to the market felt like walking back into a ghost town. Big brands like Tesco, Marks & Spencers, Argos and Iceland have all moved out and residents say they understand why no one wants to visit. Aled Williams, 34, said the only places still busy are the banks or the Specsavers where he works. He said: 'It's not what it was. There used to be a Woolworths, and M&S, a big tesco and there was a slow decline but then it became quite drastic and I understand why people don't want to come here.' And while the lack of businesses was dispiriting, some had not lost hope in rejuvenation and Mr James said that he believed Reform could make a real difference. 'I think Reform will change things,' he said, 'The Labour council just don't care about you. 'I want things to go back to the way they were before.' Former chocolate shop owner Mr Davies, put the town's changing political opinion down to failing business and drug addicts and said Llanelli had been getting more dilapidated for years. He said: 'I think it got worse when I was growing up but it's been 20 years of nothingness. 'There's no footfall here, there's just empty units which looks so much worse.' Daniel Philitonga, 16, and his mother Gina agreed with Mr Davies. The college student, who moved to the town with his family in 2014 said there was simply nothing to do which lead people to just 'hang around'. Daniel said: 'There's nothing for us to do - I never come in to town and my friends don't either.' Ms Philitonga added that she wouldn't let her 12-year-old daughter out in town on her own and would be worried about her safety. Shadows of Llanelli's thriving past can be found all over but remain sad reminders about how far it has fallen in to disrepair. An art deco-style theatre which opened in 1938 as Wales's first multiplex and is one of just 14 of the original Odeon cinemas left in existence in Britain. But crumbling, with weeds sprouting from the gutters and boarded up windows, the historic building seems unlikely to open up again despite having been bought in 2014 by William Ratti, a former international records boss for £130,000. Even the local shopping centre was so empty the upstairs floor had been shut off and signs read 'Exciting new shop coming soon' but the dusty shut up interior told a different story. Mr Davies added that drug addiction was also a serious problem in the town. He said: 'The addicts make a mess too and there loads of them and drugs and stuff. It's horrible. There's a real problem with cannabis being grown in empty shops. 'Why would you come here to visit - I'm embarrassed to say I'm from Llanelli.' In fact Llanelli has such as problem with drugs that earlier this year the town was part of a wider sting operation in west Wales. In May Pllumb Krosi, 34, was arrested after police found a 'large-scale cannabis farm' across three floors of a disused retail space in Llanelli town centre, according to Carmarthenshire News. While in February 1 50 cannabis plants totalling £113,000 were found in a property in the town. Local Fabian Cela was charged with production of cannabis but pleaded not guilty. The concern around drug use was a fear many of the locals had with Shauna Towend, 27, describing seeing broken needles in the local parks. There's broken glass, needles, swearing,' she said, 'all while the kids are around, it's all the addicts. 'We can't even go to the park or walk though because of all the shouting and swearing, it's just a horrible atmosphere.' A local Llanelli resident, who gave her name as Andrea, 61, said that the Labour council weren't tackling the problem of drug users in the right way and said instead of dealing with the issues, they'd just removed benches which had previously acted as a meeting point. She told MailOnline: 'They've taken away the benches because of the druggies so now there's nowhere to sit down. You can't avoid them now, they're everywhere.' The mother-of-one added that it's turning people away and now instead of people coming in to enjoy an afternoon of shopping, locals keep their visits short. A former bank in an impressive Victorian building to let but with some serious work needed it doesn't appear to be an attractive investment property Another boarded up uni with weeds growing where the sign sued to hang and a vandalised entryway 'People just come come in for 5-10 minutes instead of shopping for hours because there's nowhere to shop and nowhere to sit, it's all so run down and the shops are burnt out from fires. One such example was a former Bright House shop which had been burnt through and was boarded up and fenced off. Police have not provided an official explanation as to the cause but locals said it was part of a wider pattern of cannabis farms being burnt to the ground and it wasn't the first to have happened. Andrea added the only things in the town centre are 'banks, charity shops and vape shops or betting places', but added that even 'they're all closing down because the rents are too expensive'. One former bank, previously housed in an impressive Victorian building was up for rent but with weeds growing out of the historic stonework it didn't appear to be an attractive prospect. Grandmother Erma, 81, added that she remembers being able to leave her children outside to play while she shopped in the indoor market but couldn't imagine doing that now. She explained: 'It used to be bustling and the traffic was two way. There was a butchers and big shops and you could leave the children outside but now it's only busy three times a year for events and there's no shopping. 'I'm ashamed to say where we live - it's full of drug addicts, they've taken over.' The pair said they weren't convinced anything would change soon but agreed that Labour had let them down. But not everyone was convinced by Reform and Toby Jeffries, a 16-year-old college student said he didn't think Farage's new party was the answer although he conceded Llanelli was far from an ideal place to grow up. He said: 'It used to be more thriving with the Sunday markets but now it's like something out of Soviet Russia. People don't shop here anymore they just go to Trostre (Retail Park). 'The town is full of rubbish, there's nothing to do and it's really anti-social.' Despite all the frustrations there are reportedly plans to develop the almost-empty shopping centre in a luxury cinema, restaurant, music venue and function room worth £2million but residents are sceptical and will 'believe it when we see it'.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Lord Prescott statue refusal is 'terribly disappointing', says Hull MP
A Labour MP has said it is "terribly disappointing" that plans for a memorial statue in Hull to honour the late Lord John Prescott has been refused by the city Turner, Lord Prescott's successor in the Hull East seat, said he will sign a petition by Hull's Labour councillors that demands the Lib Dem-controlled council reverse their former deputy prime minister, deputy Labour leader, and member of the House of Lords died on 20 November last for a memorial statue in the city were rejected at a meeting on Thursday, following concerns about funding. Councillor Julia Conner raised the motion for the statue, but the plans were rejected after a 26-26 tied vote. Lord Mayor Cheryl Payne cast the deciding said: "The money was going to be a tiny amount of money from the leader's fund, probably £1,000 would have done it. The rest of the money would have come in from donations and good will gestures and charitable giving from members of the public."He added: "I've got businesses who are prepared to put fairly substantial amounts of money in because they think to have a tribute to John Prescott is worth having in this city."John was a legend, always banging the drum for Hull."Council leader Mike Ross had voted against the motion and said such a statue would cost "upward of £150,000". He had questioned whether the public would feel it was "right to spend taxpayers' money on this proposal".Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
