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731 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Elections: May 2021Yes. There have been some trials of all-postal voting in the past, under a previous Government. My officials and I have looked at that evidence, and we will continue to look at…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021[Inaudible.] —based on an inaccuracy. Up until November last year, the Government had provided a total of £4.3 billion to local authorities to help with pandemic costs, and on 17…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I welcome my right hon. Friend’s vigilance on electoral fraud, which is extremely important. We all want all forms of voting to be secure, and it is helpful of him to point out…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021Yes, I can give that commitment. As the House will, I hope, have heard me say clearly today, I am not saying that the polls are to be postponed or that they should be postponed;…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I do not think I recognise the picture that the hon. Gentleman paints. I can assure him of my very good relationships with Julie James and other colleagues in the Welsh…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021It is really important to emphasise that point in the midst of this debate. We are having this debate because we are in a public health crisis and in a pandemic, and we therefore…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I really welcome the hon. Lady’s question, because she clearly displays an important knowledge of what is ahead of us. I am looking at this particular area for the polls that are…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021Yes, there is a lengthy lead time, and it would require a lot to be done. I do not think it is the right thing to do, so I can confirm to the House that any such preparation has…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021Labour Members here today are so keen to paint a picture of delay that they are not seeing the wood for the trees. The point is that preparations have already been made. If the…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his kind comments and for again underlining the consequences of there already having been a delay to these elections. He makes a good point…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I will do my best to help you to get this moving as quickly as we would all like, Madam Deputy Speaker. First, on a personal note, may I thank the hon. Member for Lancaster and…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I thank my hon. Friend for that point, as it is important. It goes to the heart of the fact that voters expect to be able to participate safely in elections, and at a time such as…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021Safe and secure elections are the cornerstone of any democracy, and Parliament’s decision, as set out in primary legislation, is that these polls should go ahead in May. Due to…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I am grateful for that point and for the hon. Lady’s personal wishes. She rightly says that at any election there is a need to make sure that the public are well informed of what…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I will not anger you, Madam Deputy Speaker, by going too deeply into another Department’s brief, but I will undertake to raise that point with my colleagues in the Ministry of…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I am grateful for the tone that the hon. Gentleman strikes, because this is critically important. I would like the message to go out loud and clear across our parties that postal…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021It is the case that a new election date would require a change in legislation. For that reason, we can all understand that the bar for change would have to be quite high. I pray…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021I thank the hon. Gentleman for his words; it is good to see him, and I look forward to being back. I also thank him for making sure that our House is kept informed of what is…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021That is a very important point. We have these examples going on, and elections have successfully been held both inside our country and around the world. It is important therefore…13 Jan 2021HANSARD Elections: May 2021Yes, I certainly am giving that undertaking to the House today, and I am keen to do that because it is extremely important. My hon. Friend makes the right point about the lead-in…13 Jan 2021