Contributions
814 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Committee on StandardsI read the Committee’s report at speed, so I want to be clear in my own mind what crime, or misdemeanour, we are talking about. My understanding from my reading was that the MPs…09 Sept 2021HANSARD Committee on Standardsrose—09 Sept 2021HANSARD Committee on StandardsI have worries about this. I have worries about the Committee’s report, and certainly about the behaviour of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, as I think some of her…09 Sept 2021HANSARD Elections BillI am a known critic of this Bill, but I will say to the hon. Lady that when I served through over a decade of Labour Government, they did not once consult the Opposition when they…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Elections BillLet me start with a comment relating to the question the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith) raised about the duty on Governments to be more than fair when they…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Elections BillThe point I would make is that I am quoting from Government research. I did not do this research; it is Government research. By the way, since my hon. Friend draws me to…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Elections BillThis is where I differ from the hon. Gentleman. I think that the Government are trying to do their best. I do not think that this is a deliberate action, but I think that the…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Elections BillI will take another day to give lectures on points of order. The simple truth is that there is a greater responsibility on the Government than on anyone else to do the right thing…07 Sept 2021HANSARDAfghanistanThe whole House agreed with the Prime Minister when he celebrated the heroism of our troops, but that simply served to crystallise that this was not so much a defeat as a…06 Sept 2021HANSARD AfghanistanThe hon. Gentleman—a fellow litigant—is absolutely right in his description of the Afghan armed forces. Will he add that many of them are more heroic and better soldiers than they…18 Aug 2021HANSARDEngagementsForty years ago, this country led the world in social mobility. Since then, we have fallen so far behind we are now only 21st in the world rankings. If we are to succeed at…21 Jul 2021HANSARDInternational Aid: Treasury UpdateMy right hon. Friend is right. The prioritising of this cut makes it even more morally reprehensible. Indeed, at the same time, as I think the spokesman for the SNP, the hon.…13 Jul 2021HANSARDInternational Aid: Treasury UpdateI consider myself an economic Thatcherite, yet when I come to choose between money and lives, I always choose lives. This House should remember—this should be at the forefront of…13 Jul 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillIn response to the point made by the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones), had Darwin been suppressed, that would have affected 0.0001% of debates, but it would have…12 Jul 2021HANSARD Business of the HouseThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will resist quoting page 688 of “Erskine May” to the Lord President, but can he give us an answer to this question? He has told us about the…12 Jul 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillPrecisely. The hon. Lady prefaces the argument I am going to make, which is that we do need to use the online harms Bill as well, but this Bill is just a part of that. As I said,…12 Jul 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillBefore I turn to the substance of my speech, I want to take on a matter raised by the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green). She was calling, “Where’s the data in…12 Jul 2021HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMy right hon. Friend recommended reading “Erskine May”. I happen to have the 25th edition of “Erskine May” with me. Of course, what it makes clear is quite how difficult it is to…08 Jul 2021HANSARDEngagementsThis year thousands of children will die because of the Government’s dramatic cuts in international aid. Top lawyers in the country advise us that this policy is unlawful, and it…07 Jul 2021HANSARD Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court BillIt is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Croydon Central (Sarah Jones). I will return to one of her points in a moment, but I shall start by focusing on the amendments…05 Jul 2021