Contributions
1,066 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. A consistent theme that has emerged from his points, and from the evidence and debate in this Committee is that we can have all the…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)There is a crucial distinction that I am interested in with the hon. Member’s reflection on—16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)This is one of the most important parts of the debate we will have on this Bill. Most of us, as politicians, will have experienced a voter telling us on the doorstep that they…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)Does my hon. Friend note, as I do, that the international gold standard for the conduct of elections is set by the Venice Commission: a group of academics and people with…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)My hon. Friend has spoken eloquently about the Green party’s shocking behaviour in the Gorton and Denton by-election, but does he recall the evidence that we heard on our first…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)I am keen to avoid being accused of being repetitious in any circumstances. Does my hon. Friend agree that the key strength he is advocating for is the integrity of the ballot as…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)One of the issues that this proposal creates is that if we are seeking to assess the accessibility of politics for candidates from a range of backgrounds, we need to know not only…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)My apologies, Sir Desmond. I was seeking the hon. Member’s views on what happens at the point of casting a vote, which is where all of us exercise our equal democratic freedom. We…16 Apr 2026HANSARDEngagementsQ12. Last year my constituents suffered the closure of the urgent care centre at Mount Vernon hospital, and this year they are facing the loss of the cancer centre as well,…15 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)I think there is a high degree of political agreement that this is the right direction of travel. Could the Minister say a little bit more about the assessment that the Department…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)I have a lot of sympathy for what the Minister is saying. It seems to me that there is a risk of a “may contain nuts” kind of solution emerging: campaigners could simply put,…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)Does my hon. Friend agree that, when we look across the system, we see other regulators—Ofcom probably comes to mind—where fines have been issued through a civil process like the…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)I want to pick up on the implications of the points made by my hon. Friend the Member for Hamble Valley and the hon. Member for South Dorset. We are all aware that Reform was the…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCouncil Tax Debt CollectionMaximising rises in council tax underpins this Government’s entire approach to council finance. The Minister has admitted that no assessment has been done of the impact that this…13 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)I very much agree with what my hon. Friend is saying. Clause 47(3), which refers to the treatment of digital forms of bank cards, says that, in digital form, they are a specified…26 Mar 2026HANSARD Points of OrderOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. May I seek your guidance? We have just had a statement from the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government on…25 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Third sitting)This is, again, a bit of a technical question, but both my hon. Friend the Member for Hamble Valley and I served previously as lead members for children’s services, and one of the…24 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Third sitting)I am sure that everyone is aware that the arrangements with Ireland, for example, provide a degree of eligibility and commonality, not just in the electoral system but in all…24 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Third sitting)There is a high degree of cross-party agreement on this point, but I have a technical question. The Minister referred earlier to the status of secure accommodation for children.…24 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Third sitting)On the hon. Lady’s point about consistency, we often hear about the age at which one can purchase alcohol on licensed premises, but that is not a restriction that applies at home,…24 Mar 2026