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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Fan says watching Oasis at Wembley was better than his wedding
Oasis performed in London for the first time in 16 years last night. The band played to 81,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, marking the first of a seven-night run. Fans were ecstatic about the reunion, with one describing it as the best night of his life. During the concert, Oasis dedicated the songs 'Rock 'N' Roll Star' and 'Live Forever' to Ozzy Osbourne. A large portrait of Ozzy Osbourne was projected on stage during the dedication. Watch video above.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Labour must speed up plans to shut all asylum hotels, says party's red wall chief
Labour must shut down all asylum hotels 'a lot quicker' than its current plan to put a stop to them by the end of the current parliament in 2029, the chairman of the party's red wall group of MPs has said. Jo White, the MP for Bassetlaw, who leads a caucus of around 40 MPs in the party's traditional heartlands, said Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' plan to axe the use of asylum hotels by 2029 needed to be sped up. There are currently around 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels around the UK. Anti-migrant demonstrations last week outside one of those hotels, in Epping, led to more than a dozen arrests. The hotel was thrust into the spotlight after a man living there was charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. The man, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and remains on remand in custody. Ms White told The Telegraph: 'There's a commitment to close down the hotels by the end of the parliamentary term. I think we all want it to be a lot, lot quicker than that.' 'There is a huge sense of unfairness because people work hard here in this country and commit to supporting the country and then there's the sense that what asylum hotels cost is a huge drag on what should be invested into our NHS, our schools and our infrastructure. 'So they have to close, we have to get those asylum hotels cleared out.' She added that she believes Labour ministers share her frustrations and went on to urge Sir Keir Starmer to 'stop the incentives' for those seeking to reach the UK illegally. A record 24,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, the highest tally for the first half of the year since records began in 2018. It represents a 48 per cent rise compared to the first six months of last year. Ms White welcomed home secretary Yvette Cooper 's plan to share asylum‑hotel locations with food‑delivery firms, calling it a sensible measure to crack down on illegal working. She also urged Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Cooper to revisit the idea of national identity cards, a proposal repeatedly ruled out by Downing Street. Reflecting on last week's demonstrations in Epping, however, she described the scenes as 'really frightening and quite scary', adding that while anger is understandable, violence against asylum seekers could not be condoned. It was revealed last week that plans to reduce the number of asylum hotels could see migrants rehoused in vacant residential properties and council‑owned homes. Public concern over the scheme has intensified as Sir Keir has vowed to significantly reduce both legal and illegal migration. At the same time, more than 40,000 failed asylum seekers remain in limbo, having appealed against their decisions and still requiring housing. A government spokesman said that since taking office, ministers had acted immediately to fix the asylum system, closing hotels and removing over 35,000 people with no right to be here.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Labour accused of hypocrisy after giving 16 years-olds the vote – while banning them from becoming local party bosses
LABOUR has been accused of 'staggering hypocrisy' by banning 16-year-olds from being local party bosses - despite letting them vote in general elections. Sir Keir Starmer's party is introducing a new rule raising the minimum age for constituency association chairs, treasurers and secretaries to 18 years-old. It was signed off by the party's ruling national executive on Wednesday with several Cabinet Ministers in attendance. It came just days after the PM announced controversial plans to let 1.5million 16 and 17-year-olds participate in general elections. He claimed they were responsible enough to pay tax and join the army so should be able to cast ballots. A Labour Party insider said: 'We just look totally ridiculous now because it has made the entire logic behind the policy incoherent. 'We can't say 16-year-olds are mature enough to decide who is the next prime minister, but in the same breath that they can't take the minutes at a local party meeting. It's just staggering hypocrisy.' Sir Keir's plan to lower the voting age has widely been seen as a cynical ploy to boost his chances of re-election. Polling shows they would mop up about a third of all 16 and 17-year-olds if an election were held today. However social media-savvy Reform is also polling well in that age bracket as are left-wing parties like the Greens. A Labour spokesman said: 'Electoral law doesn't currently protect under-18s from legal liability. This change to the Party's rules will protect young people. 'That has nothing to do with votes at 16 and is a total false equivalence. It's right that those who pay tax and fight for our country can have a say in its future.'
