Contributions
562 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnergy SecurityI gently say to the hon. Lady that the reason her Government are in such a mess and polling at under 20% is that she and her colleagues think that the universal excuse for her…19 May 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)It is, as ever, a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I too support the new clauses, and I concur with a lot of what has already been said about the reasons for…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)I seek clarity on whether the new clause would apply to all judges or just to those in the criminal courts. In the family court the idea is to bring in expertise around the sort…28 Apr 2026HANSARDReferral of Prime Minister to Committee of PrivilegesI have a suggestion for this disagreement that is going on in the House: why do we not refer it to the Privileges Committee?28 Apr 2026HANSARDReferral of Prime Minister to Committee of PrivilegesI realise that the hon. Member is struggling to read his own handwriting, but does he have anything at all to say about the Prime Minister’s conduct in appointing Peter Mandelson?28 Apr 2026HANSARD Northern Ireland Troubles Bill (Carry-over)My hon. Friend is articulating it perfectly. Does he agree that the principle of innocent until proven guilty is no comfort at all for these people who are subjected to years of…27 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)How long is a piece of string? The unanswerable question. I could ask another question: is a 2-metre piece of string a long piece of string? If I asked you that question, Ms…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)That is entirely right but, of course, we do not know, because the assessments in respect of the Bill are so light—there is not one on that point. It may or may not at all mean…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)The central issue here, as with so much of this, is the impact that a single provision, or a single intention—in this case clause 6—has on other areas of the criminal justice…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There are a number of personal and professional circumstances that can enable people to make that argument and get exempted from jury trial or,…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I am not shocked by anything a Labour Government do.21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)The way my hon. Friend articulates the point suggests that the rules are effectively stripping people of the right to legal aid by pushing them down from a court where they…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I agree with my hon. Friend. Indeed, the Bill will basically lead to a complete lottery in decision making, depending on the judge a person gets on the day. I suspect that judges…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I accept that judges can do all this, and indeed sometimes do all this. Surely, however, the Minister will accept that, given human nature, there is a limit to the extent to which…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I intended to intervene on the Minister to ask a question, but I am happy to pose it by way of a speech. She has indicated—in fact, she stated very clearly—that she wants to…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Seventh sitting)Will the hon. Member give way?21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)My hon. Friend the shadow Minister makes a good point, and we will get on to talking about the provisions relating to the family courts. In relation to this particular provision,…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Seventh sitting)I wish to address a number of issues in relation to this grouping. First, I will say something about the figures that have been quoted at length today and in previous sittings.…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I support the position of my hon. Friend the shadow Minister. There is a degree of cross-party support on the Opposition Benches; we heard some very good submissions from the hon.…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)Indeed. Might a judge, halfway through a trial, decide that it has suddenly become inappropriate, having heard whatever formal or informal representations are made on that point?…21 Apr 2026