Contributions
1,454 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLevelling UpI do not agree with that at all. We are entirely focused on tackling the causes of the gender pay gap by making it easier for people to afford childcare, normalising flexible…08 Jun 2022HANSARDLevelling UpWe have appointed Katharine Birbalsingh as chair of the Social Mobility Commission. She has taken on the soft bigotry of low expectations at her fantastic school, the Michaela…08 Jun 2022HANSARDLevelling UpWhat we are doing is helping more women to get into higher-paid jobs and set up enterprises. We have just set up the taskforce on women-led high-growth enterprises, led by Anne…08 Jun 2022HANSARDLevelling UpOur levelling up White Paper calls time on the postcode lottery and sets out far-reaching action to break the link between geography and destiny. To support that, we are…08 Jun 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI can assure my hon. Friend that we are committed to upholding the rule of law. We are clear that this Bill is legal in international law, and we will set out the legal position…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI am not going to speculate as to why the EU has not changed its negotiating mandate, but it is very clear that there is a solution—my right hon. Friend worked very hard on…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolWith permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to update the House on the Northern Ireland protocol and to lay out the next steps. Our first priority is to uphold the Belfast/Good…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolOur priority, as the United Kingdom Government, has to be peace and stability in Northern Ireland and protection of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. It is vitally important that…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolAs I have made clear, our proposals are legal in international law and we will set out the legal position in due course.17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolVarious issues in the protocol are preventing the free flow of trade between GB and Northern Ireland, including customs codes. I want a comprehensive solution that creates a green…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI am very clear that we will be bringing the Bill out in the coming weeks. That is an important priority for this Government and we understand that we cannot see any more delay.…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolAs I have said, our priority is to secure a negotiated solution. It will require the EU changing its mandate, and I hope that, following today’s statement and the comments by…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolLet me be clear that we are not talking about withdrawing from or scrapping the protocol. What we are talking about is legislating to fix the specific issues in the protocol that…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI have put these proposals to Vice-President Šefčovič and we have had extensive discussions about how we make sure that both the UK single market and the EU single market have…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolAs we have heard from Members on both sides of the House, there are very real issues about the way the Northern Ireland protocol is working. We need to fix the Northern Ireland…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI agree with my hon. Friend. It is urgent that we act and I assure him that the Bill is coming in the following weeks.17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolWe are committed to bringing forward legislation to deal with this very real issue that is upsetting the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. That is why I am making this…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI have been clear that our No. 1 priority is to restore the balance in the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, which has been undermined by the operation of the protocol. What we are…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have established the trusted trader scheme and the sharing of commercial data with the EU. What we are proposing, as part of this Bill, is…17 May 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolWhat I think we have heard today is that Members on both sides of the House agree that there is a real problem with the way the Northern Ireland protocol is operating, and that…17 May 2022