Contributions
1,103 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEuropean Entry and Exit SystemEvery holiday period, Kent and my constituency of Faversham and Mid Kent is brought to a standstill, and that has become much worse with the introduction of the EU entry-exit…08 Jul 2026HANSARD Nationally Significant Energy Infrastructure ProjectsI congratulate the hon. Lady on securing the debate. She is making an important point about the fact that we need not just the minimum but the maximum. We need really strong…30 Jun 2026HANSARD Nationally Significant Energy Infrastructure ProjectsOn the point about considering the community benefit, what counts as a community is really important. In some circumstances—this has come up in my local area—a large geographical…30 Jun 2026HANSARDBenefit CapWell, there we heard it a moment ago: a Labour Back Bencher calling for yet more money to be spent on benefits. What we should be doing is talking about all the households who are…29 Jun 2026HANSARDBenefit CapSome 100,000 households get over £50,000 in benefits, and 16,000 households get over £60,000 in benefits. That gives them the same income as the top 10% of earners in this…29 Jun 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI associate myself and those on the Opposition Benches with the Secretary of State’s comments about the outgoing permanent secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions. I am…29 Jun 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI heard no commitment from the Secretary of State that the benefits bill was going to come down any time soon. Labour can change its leader, but it is still the same old welfare…29 Jun 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReformMy hon. Friend is making a really important point about local identity and about how important it is that Ministers listen. We have a Minister here today listening. I want to talk…10 Jun 2026HANSARD South East Water: Disruption of SupplyWe have had a few days of hot weather, and yet again we have had water outages in my constituency and across Kent, on top of what we saw earlier this year and last year.…03 Jun 2026HANSARDMilburn Review: Interim Report(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make a statement on the publication of the Milburn report on young people and work.02 Jun 2026HANSARDMilburn Review: Interim ReportI am grateful to you, Mr Speaker, for granting the urgent question. It is a shame that the Minister had to be dragged here. Last week, the Secretary of State was only too eager to…02 Jun 2026HANSARDGetting Britain Working AgainOh dear; what a shame. There were no ideas for savings there at all. If the hon. Gentleman thinks that will get him a job under the next Labour leader, I am afraid that he will…14 May 2026HANSARDGetting Britain Working AgainThe hon. Gentleman wants me to give way. Does he have a welfare savings plan? If so, let us hear it.14 May 2026HANSARDGetting Britain Working AgainI respect the Secretary of State. He has talked at some length about what is wrong with the welfare system, but the fact is that there is no welfare Bill in the King’s Speech. I…14 May 2026HANSARDGetting Britain Working AgainI hate to tell the hon. Gentleman, but Labour is in charge now. It has had nearly two years and nothing is changing. You do not have to take my word for it, Madam Deputy Speaker;…14 May 2026HANSARD Pension Schemes BillLet me begin by welcoming the Minister back to his place—we missed him last night, and it is good to see him back in the Chamber. Throughout our many debates, we have broadly…28 Apr 2026HANSARDUnemploymentI was disappointed that the Secretary of State did not answer the question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Fylde (Mr Snowden), so let me help him. Unemployment among 18 to…27 Apr 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsMr Speaker, “We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget”. That is the view of the author of the Government’s strategic defence review, the Labour peer, former…27 Apr 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsLet us put some facts on the table, because it is time for the Government to confront the hard choices. We are spending less than 2.5% of GDP on defence, but 5.3% of GDP on…27 Apr 2026HANSARD Pension Schemes BillFirst, may I thank the hon. Gentleman for opening this evening’s debate, and for setting out the latest Government amendments, in place of the Pensions Minister? These ping-pong…27 Apr 2026