Contributions
965 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank my hon. Friend for his question. I have set out the process by which this House will be updated on the decisions, but if my hon. Friend has evidence of anything else that…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank my hon. Friend for her contribution. She will understand that until we have made the announcement, there is little I can say in response to her point, but I will just say…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank the hon. Gentleman for the many exchanges we have had. I know that he just wants the best for his constituents, as we all do. It might help the House if I explain the…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. Nearly 21 million people in our country are served by complex two-tier structures that divide responsibilities, slow down…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI am sorry to disappoint experienced and knowledgeable hon. and right hon. Members, but having referenda is not part of the local government reorganisation process. It is very…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank my hon. Friend for his representations. I cannot respond directly to them, but as ever, I keep the views of Members of this House under close watch.13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationAs the hon. Member has indicated, we have set out a process and are sticking to it.13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationThe approach we are taking is to put power in the hands of people and communities so that they can take decisions for themselves, because all the evidence is that if people with…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI suggest to my hon. Friend that once I have actually made the announcement, perhaps we can have a chat about those things. As somebody who has had mayoral devolution in my area…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI am not sure that all the hon. Gentleman’s questions were central to the subject of this statement, but he makes an important point, which is: what is the objective here? The…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationAs I mentioned earlier, there is evidence from the Milburn review of child poverty that fragmented services are very bad for vulnerable people living in poverty. There are other…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI could spend all my time at this Dispatch Box confirming or denying rumours, but I think I would be here until Thursday if I did that. I am sure that we will have further…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI am sorry to disappoint the hon. Gentleman, but I am not here to answer questions on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham). We have set out a…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationYes, I can confirm that. Let me add, as somebody whose area was reorganised in 1974, that there is yet to be a campaign to undo the creation of the Wirral.13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI do not, because councils have worked extremely hard to follow the timetable that we have set out, and I think it would be a mistake to interrupt that. Councils’ costs have…13 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationThe hon. Lady has made her points very clear and they are on the record. The one thing that I do not want to do is delay, because the longer this takes, the less our ability to…13 Jul 2026HANSARDPublic Office Disqualification: Terrorism OffencesI simply say again that there is absolutely no justification for terrorism. All of us who seek elected office are responsible for upholding the standards I just read out. We are…06 Jul 2026HANSARDPublic Office Disqualification: Terrorism OffencesIt is a great pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) for moving the motion, and all…06 Jul 2026HANSARDPublic Office Disqualification: Terrorism OffencesI will give way very briefly—I do not want to detain the House.06 Jul 2026HANSARDPublic Office Disqualification: Terrorism OffencesAs I set out to Members at the beginning of my contribution, the now Defence Secretary has said that the defending democracy taskforce is keeping this under review. I will now…06 Jul 2026