House of Commons — sitting of 13 July 2026: transcript & video

00:19 - 01:51

Speaker 6

Please, before we begin today, I'd like to pay tribute to Ann Widdecombe, who died in tragic, deeply troubling circumstances last week. Ann was a formidable politician, a prominent figure in public life. She was a Member of Parliament for Maidstone for 27 years, holding a number of ministerial posts in the 90s. Ann was fierce and enjoyed robust political debate. Whether you agreed with her or not, she was principled, spoke her mind, and was true to her beliefs, which were informed by her Christian faith.

Ann was a close friend to David Amess, who was murdered in 2021, and both were fellow animal lovers. In light of the ongoing police investigation, I would urge members to take care not to say anything in this House that might prejudice a future trial. I will set out more on that advice after the Home Secretary's statement later. For now, we are thinking of Ann. But to say on a personal level, Casa Pizza in Lambeth, in Kennington, is where I spent a lot of time in the evening sharing a pizza with the one and only Ann Widdecombe.

She was a friend in many ways. Politically we may not agree, but she was without doubt a courageous, principled politician, and all of our thoughts are with her family and her friends. Order, order. We now come to questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Lorraine Beavers.

01:51 - 01:59

Speaker 3

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Kianna D'Oles was pushed into taking her own life... oh, sorry, question one.

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