Contributions
788 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am incredibly grateful to the Chair of the Business and Trade Committee for that question. He is right to say that the challenge here is not just the direct trade we have with…13 Mar 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe frustration that comes across in the hon. Lady’s question relates to exactly the sort of problem the Government are fixing. I would be more than happy to work with her and any…13 Mar 2025HANSARDBoard of Trade: AppointmentsI am delighted to announce that I have appointed a new Board of Trade. The newly formed Board will be an advocate for UK businesses at home and abroad, championing the country’s…13 Mar 2025HANSARDMinimum and Living WagesMore than 3 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to increases to the national minimum wage in April, protecting the lowest paid in society. After our changes to…13 Mar 2025HANSARDMinimum and Living WagesThe plan to make work pay is a core part of our mission to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all, and there will be significant benefits for…13 Mar 2025HANSARDMinimum and Living WagesI thank my hon. Friend for his support. Around 140,000 workers in north-east England will feel the benefits of this direct pay rise. I know his North Durham constituency well—I am…13 Mar 2025HANSARDMinimum and Living WagesThe thing I would cite most of all to the hon. Member’s constituents is the doubling of the employment allowance in the Budget and the threshold being removed, which means that…13 Mar 2025HANSARDMinimum and Living WagesAs I have said to Conservative Members before, of course we are very sensitive to the aggregate impact of Government policy, because, frankly, having observed the Conservative…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSmall Business SupportSmall businesses need a better deal—certainly better than the one they got from the last Government—and our small business strategy, which is due this year, is designed to do…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSmall Business SupportI agree 100% with my hon. Friend and thank her very much for her question. She will know that my Department, alongside the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence, convened a…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSmall Business SupportMy Department has a very strong relationship with the ceramics sector through the Energy Intensive Users Group. We have regular meetings with that group, and I would also like to…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSmall Business SupportI, too, have heard the kinds of stories that the hon. Gentleman has articulated—there are definitely concerns in that regard. Broadly, the Government’s regulation agenda is not…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSmall Business SupportI thank the hon. Member for her question, and I thank Alison and Kevin for their important work. We already talked about the difficult choices that the Government faced and the…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSmall Business SupportIf we were listing the difficult things that small businesses had to deal with in the previous 14 years, we would be here for most of the day and the weekend, if we are being…13 Mar 2025HANSARD Employment Rights BillOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. It has come to my attention that in a speech that I gave on 28 April 2014, recorded in column 614 of Hansard, on the subject of…12 Mar 2025HANSARDMaking Work Pay: Consultation ResponsesThe Government’s plan to make work pay is a core part of our mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all. It will…04 Mar 2025HANSARDUK Trade Envoy ProgrammeThe Secretary of State has today appointed 32 Parliamentarians covering 79 markets to the United Kingdom’s trade envoy programme. The United Kingdom’s trade envoys will play an…28 Jan 2025HANSARDAssimilated Law ReportToday I have laid a report regarding the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (REUL Act) before Parliament and published it on gov.uk. This report updates the House in…23 Jan 2025HANSARDCompetition and Markets Authority: Appointment of ChairThis Government have a clear mission to drive economic growth and aim for the highest sustained growth in the G7. The Prime Minister has been clear that he expects regulators to…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Harland & WolffI am grateful to my hon. Friend for her expertise and insight on this matter. I understand the point that she makes, but it is perhaps one for my colleagues in the Ministry of…19 Dec 2024