Contributions
2,802 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCommittee on StandardsYes, he is a Member of the House. My name is not on it, incidentally, as the hon. Gentleman might have noticed, though whether my name is on it is probably not the most important…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsIt would be perfectly legitimate for the House to decide that henceforward all lay members must be people who have never held a party political membership, and that would be one…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsAm I not allowed to give way then? Okay, I give way.10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsIt is actually more than that. The criteria that were sent out to all the candidates said that having been a party member need not be a bar and that, indeed, it might be an asset…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsThe process in Standing Order No. 149A says very clearly that the person who tables the motion does so “on behalf of the…Commission”— not on behalf of themselves or the…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsI can honestly say that I do not think a single member of the Standards Committee, whether they are a lay member or an MP, thinks of themselves as a politician when they are…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsThe thing is that thus far it always has been a rubber stamp. Nobody has ever voted on this, nor, for that matter, has there ever been a moment at which a Leader of the House has…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsI understand that the Leader of the House is saying that he is not questioning the bona fides of Melanie Carter, but that he is questioning her impartiality. I hope he is not. She…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsI confess—I will try not to overdo my argument, if the Leader of the House will bear with me—that I am saddened by this debate. All members of the Standards Committee try…10 Nov 2020HANSARDCommittee on StandardsYes.10 Nov 2020HANSARD Jonathan Taylor: SBM OffshoreI am sorry; I like the Minister, but her answers are about as much use as a bath full of blancmange. They are not going to do Mr Taylor any favours, and the real problem is that…09 Nov 2020HANSARDFuture of Financial ServicesThe great success of the financial services industry in this country sometimes means that it is also vulnerable to threats from other people around the world who want to launder…09 Nov 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseCan I urge the Leader of the House to provide a specific debate on dementia, for two reasons? First, we saw in the last couple of days the revelation that Sir Bobby Charlton is,…02 Nov 2020HANSARDForeign Affairs CommitteeI confess that when I listened to the witnesses, I kept remembering those words of the Victorian poet: “We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven”.…22 Oct 2020HANSARD Covid-19I just wonder whether one problem we have at the moment is that we do not have enough capacity in the whole of the NHS to take on covid in a long-term way, as the Secretary of…22 Oct 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseOn a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am seriously worried about the Leader of the House’s answer about the Standards Committee, because we do need to be fully functioning. It is in…22 Oct 2020HANSARD Covid-19I want to talk about a dangerous bit of fake science that is doing the rounds—the so-called Great Barrington declaration which calls for focused protection for the vulnerable and…22 Oct 2020HANSARD Covid-19I will have to resign now!22 Oct 2020HANSARD Covid-19In this case, the point is that we will not achieve herd immunity just by trying to let everyone get the disease. That is an immoral proposition. We have all heard the line that…22 Oct 2020HANSARD Covid-19Is not the problem that whether I choose to have salt on my chips is a matter for my health, but when I take risks with covid, I take them not just for myself but for everybody…22 Oct 2020