Contributions
597 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK-Taiwan Friendship and Co-operationMy very good and hon. Friend is absolutely right. I have said in the Chamber before that if China was to develop a model much like Taiwan, it would be to the benefit of China.…10 Feb 2022HANSARDUK-Taiwan Friendship and Co-operationI assure the hon. Member, who is a very good friend, that I also have Black Bush—a Northern Irish whiskey—in my office and have always had a sample of it for 35 years.10 Feb 2022HANSARDUK-Taiwan Friendship and Co-operationAs the chair of the British-Taiwanese all-party parliamentary group, of course I have become concerned at the growing intimidation that the country is experiencing, which my hon.…10 Feb 2022HANSARDUK-Taiwan Friendship and Co-operationThe answer to both of my hon. Friend’s questions is yes and yes. I totally agree. I note that President Tsai Ing-wen has committed Taiwan to having Mandarin and English as dual…10 Feb 2022HANSARDDementia Research in the UKIt is nice to see you in the Chair, Mr Deputy Speaker. A friend of mine tells me that his wife suffers from dementia. She sometimes turns round to him and says, “Why are you…10 Feb 2022HANSARDDementia Research in the UKIt was the story from my friend, the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (John Nicolson), about his mother that twigged something in my memory. The real problem seems to be…10 Feb 2022HANSARDDementia Research in the UKI thank the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) for a first-class introduction to the debate. Dementia is an awfully debilitating condition. We all have…10 Feb 2022HANSARDHolocaust Memorial DayInstances of genocide continue, and, very sadly, I have been witness to them—in particular, in Bosnia during 1992-93, when I commanded the battle group of the 1st Battalion, The…27 Jan 2022HANSARDHolocaust Memorial DayI thank my very good friend for allowing me to intervene. May I just mention the extremely good work done by Remembering Srebenica, which we have not mentioned today? It takes…27 Jan 2022HANSARDHolocaust Memorial DayI thank my right hon. and very good Friend for making that point. I have given evidence in four war crimes trials in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.…27 Jan 2022HANSARDPlanning Permissions and Unauthorised DevelopmentsIn support of my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington (Gareth Bacon), a close constituency neighbour, he and I both have a problem, because people gamble with the weekend. We must…26 Jan 2022HANSARDPlanning Permissions and Unauthorised DevelopmentsI did not intend to intervene but thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for allowing me to do so. Not just developers but private individuals take liberties in this…26 Jan 2022HANSARDUkraineI remind the House that we do actually guarantee the sovereignty of Ukraine, having signed the Budapest memorandum in 1994, along with the United States and Russia, and I think…25 Jan 2022HANSARD Building Safety Billrose —19 Jan 2022HANSARD Building Safety BillI thank my very good friend for being so nice to me—decent of him. In sum, all these special measures are devices to ensure that, once people are identified as culpable to fix the…19 Jan 2022HANSARDMigrant Crossings: Role of the MilitaryDoes the Minister consider that use of the Royal Navy will reduce the number of migrants who land in the United Kingdom?18 Jan 2022HANSARD UK Government Recognition of SomalilandI thank my right hon. Friend for allowing me to intervene. I do not have any Somalis in my constituency, but I have a great love for the country because my ayah came from…18 Jan 2022HANSARD UK Government Recognition of SomalilandI well remember Somali soldiers coming across from the horn of Africa to the Aden protectorate and my father having the honour to command really good soldiers and decent men.18 Jan 2022HANSARD UK Government Recognition of SomalilandA nation state, according to me, is a grouping of people who all speak roughly the same language and have similar heritage. They become a nation state when people recognise them.…18 Jan 2022HANSARDForeign Interference: Intelligence and SecurityThe granting of a parliamentary pass is a real privilege, and I think that all of us should take responsibility by helping the House authorities and the Security Service when we…17 Jan 2022