Contributions
867 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Procurement Bill [Lords]I thank the Minister for that contribution, but he should put it in the Bill. He should work with us to ensure that we build in Britain and support British industry and the steel…09 Jan 2023HANSARD Procurement Bill [Lords]Absolutely. I listened to the Minister’s response to the hon. Member’s question earlier, and it showed a lack of ambition. Those of us concerned about environmental factors, as we…09 Jan 2023HANSARD Procurement Bill [Lords]I will come to chapter 3, which addresses transparency—although, again, I think it is unambitious. Look at what Ukraine does in terms of transparency; it is streets ahead. These…09 Jan 2023HANSARD Procurement Bill [Lords]I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. As he says, using public money to make, buy and sell more in Britain can also be achieved through our defence spending and by spending on…09 Jan 2023HANSARD Procurement Bill [Lords]It is a pleasure to open this debate today on behalf of the Opposition. I pay tribute to the work that has already gone into the Bill in the other place. I know that constructive…09 Jan 2023HANSARD Council TaxI would like to say that it is a pleasure to speak in this debate, but frankly, I am sad that we have reached this point. It is a stain on Britain’s democratic history that, if…12 Dec 2022HANSARD Council TaxI say to the hon. Member: show us the evidence. Where is the evidence of that? We have not seen the evidence, but we do know that people are choosing between heating and eating…12 Dec 2022HANSARD Council TaxI have just explained why this is such a tiny, not even significant, minuscule issue that the Government are trying to make hay over, when, in fact, we have fraud that results in…12 Dec 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster mentions the Prime Minister’s response yesterday. The Prime Minister said he was “shocked” to hear the allegations, but the Government…08 Dec 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am here to spread the message that gingers are for life, not just for Christmas—with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as well, of course. Christmas came early for those…08 Dec 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsIt seems I am the only one who got the memo about Save the Children’s Christmas jumper today.08 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsIt is absolute negligence and neglect of due diligence in the whole process. We now know that the issue of the VIP access lane and what it did and did not do has been tested in…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I would go further. I know from the correspondence I have been receiving that the public feel that way, and that many Conservative voters…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsThe Minister is being disingenuous to say that. I have never suggested for one moment that civil servants do not do an excellent job and work diligently. But why will he not…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsI thank the hon. Member for his comments, but I ask him: how many Members from across the House who were not Conservative Members got access to the VIP lanes? I can give him the…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsI think it absolutely stinks, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right, in that the public can see through it, as can those businesses, who are pretty angry. They knew that Britain…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. He made two points, which I will come to in greater detail in my speech, but one was the lack of PPE for those on the frontline, as well as the…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsI beg to move, That this House – (a) notes that the Department for Health and Social Care purchased more than £12 billion of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in 2020-21; (b)…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsMy hon. Friend captures the mood of the public. They want answers—they want to know what happened to their money and what happened with these contracts at the time they most…06 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsI absolutely agree. This was a global pandemic, yet it is the UK Government who are constantly criticised about these contracts and the way in which they were doled out and given.…06 Dec 2022