Contributions
1,096 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal 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 2026HANSARD Pension Schemes BillThe hon. Gentleman is quoting selectively from a letter that I have written to the industry. We had this exact debate with the Pensions Minister last week. There is an…27 Apr 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillWhat a difference a week makes. When the hon. Gentleman rose to conclude our debate last Wednesday, he delivered from the Dispatch Box what I can only describe as a tirade.…22 Apr 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillAs I think the right hon. Gentleman will have heard in my speech, there is widespread agreement that we want to see more investment by pension funds in the UK; the debate is about…22 Apr 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillOn the ABI report that he referred to—he has referred to it before—yes, the ABI has agreed with the diagnosis of the problem, as I set out, as a collective action problem.…22 Apr 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. The last Division we voted on was on a motion proposed by the Government that grouped a series of amendments with which we agreed,…22 Apr 2026HANSARD Pension Schemes BillWho knew that the Pension Schemes Bill would become so controversial? It is a Bill on which there was so much consensus; a Bill begun by one party in government and now being…15 Apr 2026HANSARD Pension Schemes BillMy hon. Friend is exactly right. Sometimes the Pensions Minister talks about this all as being technicalities, but the fact is that the Government are coming after people’s…15 Apr 2026