Contributions
663 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]Sometimes it helps to read the clause. If a £1 per night levy will be a significant deterrent for the hotel industry, why is such a tax in place in Austria, Germany, France,…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]Is my hon. Friend aware that the Birmingham Hippodrome made significant job cuts this week, that the Birmingham Rep is running a significant deficit this year, and that the…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]I, too, wish to speak in support of new clause 2; we would be content this afternoon with a commitment from the Minister that he will explore this proposal with the Chancellor in…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]I can scarcely believe what I have heard this afternoon. This council has had its budged halved by this Government over the past 10 years, yet its area is home to some of the…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]My right hon. Friend is absolutely right, and that is the second big point I want to make. This is a partnership. I am grateful for the investment that the Government have made,…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]What a marvellous opportunity to follow a marvellous speech, which I felt hit almost all the right notes. The Commonwealth games that we will host in Birmingham in the West…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]That was a fantastic defence of the Mayor, and it only lacks the very best wishes conveyed to the Mayor of the West Midlands on the occasion of his birthday today. None the less,…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It could be that the Minister has a better plan, in which case now is the time to set it down. The letters from the cultural sector are coming…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]I respect the economic argument that the Minister tries to make, but the proposal is for a pilot scheme, which can be governed jointly, that delivers a £1 a night tax. A pound a…11 Jun 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [Lords]I will speak in favour of new clause 1 in slightly blunter terms than my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral South (Alison McGovern). The message to the Minister is pretty simple:…11 Jun 2020HANSARD Coronavirus BillI will be brief. In all emergencies, there is profiteering, and in countries such as the United States, where it has been prevalent for a long time, two thirds of states have…23 Mar 2020HANSARDCoronavirus BillI would like to begin where many hon. and right hon. Members have begun: by putting on record our profound thanks to the volunteers and public service workers who have done so…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI very much associate myself with the calls from across the House for urgent action to help the self-employed. May I ask the Leader of the House to bring forward an urgent debate…23 Mar 2020HANSARD Coronavirus BillThe right hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech. There will, of course, be many things that we learn, not just things we need to take out of the Bill but critical measures…23 Mar 2020HANSARD Budget ResolutionsI will in a moment. We cannot build the new homes we need unless we start investing in remedial work on brownfield land, but the £400 million, at best, has to be spread between…11 Mar 2020HANSARD Budget ResolutionsThe growth figures the right hon. Gentleman quite rightly draws the House’s attention to are after the Government have chucked in a £174 billion fiscal stimulus and the Bank of…11 Mar 2020HANSARD Budget ResolutionsThe broad criticism that has been levelled at this Budget is that we surely needed a plan to decarbonise the transport system and it is not yet clear from today’s presentation…11 Mar 2020HANSARD Budget ResolutionsIt is not a financial interest.11 Mar 2020HANSARD Budget ResolutionsIt is a pleasure to speak in this Budget debate. I am only sorry that the former Chancellor and the former Prime Minister are not in their places, because I wanted to tell them…11 Mar 2020HANSARD Budget ResolutionsI just want to say that the Conservative party backed our spending plans up until November 2009.11 Mar 2020