Week beginning 12th October 2026
Parliament is back and so is Last Week! Welcome to issue 4, in which I attempt to use a semicolon.
Over the recess, Freddie van Mierlo met with the Fire Brigade Union boss to discuss the need for PPE for firefighters in Henley and better equipment for fighting wildfires.
Monday 12th October 2026
A new banking hub opened in Henley library. It will allow customers of all banks to do basic banking tasks and bankers from a few major banks will be available on specific days - check the hub website to see the timetable. Talking to the Henley Standard, van Mierlo said that "I know just how important face-to-face banking is for many people in the community and I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to deliver on it."
Tuesday 13th October 2026
On Tuesday there was a debate on the plan to change the state pension triple lock to a double lock in 2030, uncoupling the state pension from average wage increase so that it would rise by price inflation or 2.5%, whichever is higher.
The government say that they will use savings from this to fund a new National Care Service, a free at point of need care service.
Brian Leishman, a Labour MP with a history of defying Labour leadership spoke against the changes to the state pension, arguing that the NCS should instead be funded by wealth taxes on "multimillionaires and billionaires".
There was a debate on the Court and Tribunals Bill which would, in some cases, remove the right to choose a jury trial if accused of a either way offence - crimes that are usually tried without a jury in a Magistrates court but that accused can currently choose to be tried in a Crown court with a jury. The bill would also allow the government to increase the maximum sentence in a Magistrates court from one year to two years.
The government say that this is necessary in order to deal with the backlog of court cases that leave some victims and suspects waiting for years for cases to be concluded. They have backed down from plans to remove jury trials from some Crown court cases, after criticism.
Freddie van Mierlo voted Aye to an amendment that would make the restriction on the right to a jury expire after the backlog has been reduced to pre-pandemic levels. However with most Labour MPs opposed to the amendment, it failed.
He also voted Aye to an amendment to give as much legal aid funding to suspects facing over a year in prison and tried without a jury as the amount given to suspects tried with a jury. This failed with most Labour MPs voting against it.
Van Mierlo then voted No on the bill overall, which was opposed by every major opposition party and passed on Labour votes.
Wednesday 14th October 2026
A private members bill was read that would stop wet wipes being marketed as flushable unless the manufacturer has proven that they break down in water, in an attempt to stop clogging of sewage pipes which can cause sewage spills.
Then it was opposition day, when the Conservative party got to set the agenda. They used this to argue for withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights in order to deport immigrants in circumstances that that the convention does not allow, such as when there is a risk of torture in the country that they are sent to. They also argued against housing of immigrants and asylum seekers in Bicester.
The Tories also argued for scrapping inheritance tax. Labour said that this would benefit only the 5% most wealthy people, as most people don't pay any inheritance tax. A Conservative MP pointed out that this wouldn't be a tax cut for the richest 5% because the most wealthy people avoid paying tax through mechanisms like trusts.
Unsurprisingly, none of the Conservative bills passed.
There were a few deferred divisions, votes that take place throughout the day without debate, including one on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS), brought in under Boris Johnson, UK businesses in some sectors have to buy carbon emission permits for the CO2 they emit. These are issued by the government and then traded on an open market.
The CBAM would create a new tax on importing carbon-intensive materials into the UK to put UK businesses on a level playing field with international competitors and prevent emissions being shifted to other countries.
Freddie van Mierlo did not vote on the CBAM but it passed easily due to Labour votes. Green MPs also voted for it - Tory and Reform MPs voted against it.
Thursday 15th October 2026
There was a debate on the Sustainable Farming Incentive, a scheme introduced by the Conservative government that pays farmers for changes that protect the environment and soil.
The scheme operates on a first-come-first-serve basis with a fixed total amount that the government will pay out. The last application window was massively oversubscribed and the £253 million on offer was allocated within a matter of hours. The Tories say that it was chaotic and mishandled with many farmers that wanted to participate in the scheme missing out. Next year it will be reworked to use a different allocation method.
Parliament then debated the Highways (Financing) Bill, which would allow the government to license a private company to build, maintain and charge a toll for a new or existing road. These private road companies (called Strategic Highway Companies) would be overseen by a new independent regulator. As the Lib Dems point out, this is the same idea that was applied to the water companies, leading to regulatory capture, unaccountability to the public and mismanagement.
Freddie van Mierlo asked the government about a £146 million cut over the next four years to the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) that is leading to a £162 million shortfall in funding. The cut will impact the Diamond Light Source facility and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source facility which are both research facilities located near Didcot. Research at the facilities has lead to scientific achievements ranging from reading ancient texts without opening them (so that they are not damaged) to developing modern anti-histamine drugs. Diamond is one of the most advanced synchrotrons in the world and the only operational synchotron in the UK.
Van Mierlo asked if the facilities will remain open through 2028; in response, the government said that the budget for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was cut to fund the new defence package and that they are still "committed to science".
Friday 16th October 2026
On Friday there was an update about the drought in England. 80% of England is now in drought conditions with reservoirs running exceptionally low. Some areas in the south west England (Wimbleball, Ardingly, Roadford and Colliford) and west Cornwall are now classified as severe drought with the Environment Agency instructed break the environmental rules if necessary in these areas in order to keep water in reservoirs.
Endnote
That's all folks! See you next week. -- Tom Brandis
Link to share this page: https://last-week.tombrandis.uk/week/2026-10-12/
If you spot a mistake or want to tell me anything email me at tom@tombrandis.uk.
For further infomation see Hansard (the official parliament report).
To contact Freddie van Mierlo email freddie.vanmierlo.mp@parliament.uk. You can follow him on Bluesky.
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