Contributions
1,459 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Welsh LanguagePutting my Union hat on briefly and speaking as Minister with responsibility for the constitution, it would be wonderful to see more of the culture of our Union being spread…02 Oct 2019HANSARD Welsh LanguageDiolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. [ Interruption. ] I thought it was worth an attempt. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire (Glyn Davies) on securing a debate on…02 Oct 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentAs I said earlier, there is no one in this House who is a traitor; there is no one in this House who should be threatened in that way. Those who shouted that in the marketplace…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI think it is safe to say, as you yourself reflected, Mr Speaker, that the Brexit process has provoked passions and arguments and debate, but I think where the Prime Minister is…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentIt was interesting to hear the right hon. Gentleman’s brief mention of his parents. I remember the attacks he faced in terms of his own father and his reaction to them. I thought…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI always reflect on comments by the right hon. Lady. I say again that we as a Government are committed to ensuring that what we do about public discourse, particularly online via…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI reflect on the productive conversation that I had with the women’s caucus, when the Mother of the House was present. Again, people should be able to speak out. An example was…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentAs a junior Minister, it is always good to benefit from the advice of the Father of the House. I reassure him that the Government’s strategy is to do what the vast majority of the…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI see her indicating that that is the case. What would inflame the debate further is the idea that we should just have more delay and people feeling that when they do vote and…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI think we all want to see an environment where everyone feels they can take part. That is why I have outlined some of what the Government are looking to do, such as legislating…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentIt is always useful to benefit from my hon. Friend’s experience in this House over many years. He is right to say that we can have robust, emotive debates. The issues settled in…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentWhen we look at creating a safe environment for debate, many colleagues will reflect on exactly how that was shown at times online during the 2014 Scottish independence…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI apologise. Thank you for correcting me, Mr Speaker. In terms of how the Government are tackling this issue, we do need to bring a resolution to debates. As the Leader of the…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI have outlined what the Government are doing, but the Leader of the Opposition mentioned the murder of Jo Cox—a dreadful crime committed by an extremist. Many of us who were in…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentThe question clearly relates to creating a safe environment in both the country and Parliament; certainly, as the Minister responsible, I do not want this debate to be just about…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentMy right hon. Friend makes a valid point: it is for all of us to look at how we contribute to respectful debate in this Chamber. Of course when it comes to what happens in this…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentI will show calm and dignity in my responses today as well. I am very clear that the Government are looking at how we can create a safe environment not just for Members of…26 Sept 2019HANSARD Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe EnvironmentBritish democracy has always been robust and vibrant, and healthy respectful debate is vital to it. Freedom of speech is a fundamental British liberty, but it is not an excuse to…26 Sept 2019HANSARDPrinciples of Democracy and the Rights of the ElectorateI will not take interventions, given that I have given up time to allow more Members to contribute to the debate. We are also looking at reforming the annual canvass and are…26 Sept 2019HANSARDPrinciples of Democracy and the Rights of the ElectorateIt is always a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker. This has been a fascinating debate and we have heard a range of contributions. In the spirit of civility, I…26 Sept 2019