Contributions
808 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDElections Bill (Twelfth sitting)Unfortunately, my hon. Friend is not on the side I was looking for interventions from, but I will absolutely give way.26 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Eleventh sitting)Can the Minister explain how the House can legislate on the basis of a rumour of when a general election might be? How is that any way to run a country?26 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Twelfth sitting)Very briefly, we will support the amendments. There is no doubt that as a Parliament and a country we are behind the curve and are playing catch-up with those who are experts in…26 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Eleventh sitting)I have a question for the Minister, which I think is a perfectly reasonable and fair question to ask on behalf of charities. How do they know right now that they are not 12 months…26 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Eleventh sitting)Does the hon. Lady agree that charities by their nature have expertise and understanding—for example, of homelessness, third-world debt, climate change, or whatever—that we in…26 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Twelfth sitting)Yet again the Minister is outrageously dismissive. A part of her job is to answer questions in Committee. This is an important Committee. To say, “Go and ask an SNP researcher” is…26 Oct 2021HANSARDCOP26: Limiting Global Temperature RisesI thank the Backbench Business Committee and the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) for securing this debate, and everyone who has taken part in it this…21 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Eighth sitting)It is a pleasure to speak in this debate, though I am greatly disappointed both in the Minister for not having met with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and in my hon.…19 Oct 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)I will come to the right hon. Gentleman in a moment.22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Sixth sitting)Whether this is about socialism or whatever else—we can debate that—we have just come out of a personal protective equipment scandal. So much of this Bill has been predicated on…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)Does the hon. Gentleman not believe that Peterborough council has the right to implement a bespoke solution for what it may or may not perceive to be a particular problem, but…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)Looking back at the evidence given by Maurice Mcleod, it got to the point that the Government are aiming at the wrong target with this Bill. Does my hon. Friend not agree with…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)Scotland extended the franchise to the groups that my hon. Friend mentioned, but one that he did not mention was people in prison with 12 months or less to go on their sentence.…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)Does not the hon. Gentleman think that it would have been helpful in his lengthy evidence session if Peter Golds had actually said that to the Committee, rather than saying it as…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)A good point well made. What was striking about the evidence session was that Conservative Members were reduced to asking the witnesses leading questions. If it had been a court,…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)I rise slowly to my feet, because I have no idea what the right hon. Gentleman is talking about. I will sit down as slowly as I rose if he wants to make that point again.22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for making that point. I was unaware of that case, but it does seem to suggest that we are getting ahead of ourselves somewhat. Moving on, what is the point…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)There is an argument to be had about what the hon. Lady says about the introduction of ID cards. Perhaps the plan is to introduce ID cards via the back door. The right hon. Member…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)I could not agree more. We do not support ID cards, but that does not mean we are turning a blind eye to electoral fraud. There are proportionate ways of preventing it. This is…22 Sept 2021HANSARDElections Bill (Fifth sitting)At the risk of repeating myself, nobody is saying that we should not root out electoral fraud and that it should not be punished to the full extent of the law, but this Bill, and…22 Sept 2021