Contributions
442 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q My second question is picking up on Ms Yule’s point about harassment. It is a very good thing to bring electoral staff into the consideration of that; I think everybody sensible…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (First sitting)I know some of the witnesses through non-parliamentary activity. When they sit down, I will explain to the Committee my connection to them.18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Second sitting)Q My question is about the calling out process in polling stations, which clause 46 will end. In practice, does calling out still happen in elections, bearing in mind that voter…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q There are different voting systems in different parts of the UK, but we all want participation to be as high as possible, and we all want trust in our politics and our electoral…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Second sitting)Q I should declare an interest as a director of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. JRRT is one of the biggest funders of the democracy sector, so a number of the witnesses this…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q So the position of the Electoral Reform Society would be that a change to a more proportionate system would better reflect the current situation and would improve trust in…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Second sitting)Q I thank the Minister, who has been battling valiantly throughout the day to participate in our proceedings. It is clear from all the evidence we have heard today that all the…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Second sitting)Q In the interests of full transparency, Transparency International and Spotlight on Corruption are both grantees of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, of which I am a director.…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Second sitting)Q Democracy Volunteers has been a grantee of JRRT—there are some witnesses who are not grantees, but not Democracy Volunteers. I am grateful to Councillor Golds for outlining that…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q For the record, Dr Garland and I used to be fellow trustees on a charity for a number of years. [ Interruption. ] No, I do not know every witness, but it is not far off. In page…18 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q I should declare that I am a member of the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission. You have already answered one of my questions, which was about profit being a better…18 Mar 2026HANSARD Ministerial Salaries (Amendment) BillThe Minister of course will know that the Prime Minister is responsible for the contents of the ministerial code. While the ethics adviser can launch an investigation, the Prime…17 Mar 2026HANSARD Ministerial Salaries (Amendment) BillThe Liberal Democrats believe that people should be paid fairly to do a job, and that it should not be only the wealthy who can afford to be a Minister. Ministers will face…17 Mar 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsT5. My constituent Simon came to see me about his concerns following his family’s journey through family court arrangement proceedings. He mentioned a Both Parents Matter…17 Mar 2026HANSARDMember Defections: Automatic By-electionsI am loath to say that I am delighted to have you in the Chair, Sir Roger, because I feel we are all missing out on a good hour’s worth of content with you there rather than here,…16 Mar 2026HANSARDMember Defections: Automatic By-electionsNo. The Liberal Democrat position is that elections should happen on a regular basis. We would re-implement the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, because we think it is healthy for…16 Mar 2026HANSARDMember Defections: Automatic By-electionsIf it is on the subject of PR, I will happily give way.16 Mar 2026HANSARDMember Defections: Automatic By-electionsI could not be more delighted to go into details about different voting systems. The hon. Gentleman will know that AV is a preferential system, not a proportional one. I am…16 Mar 2026HANSARDMember Defections: Automatic By-electionsMany people, when talking about tactical voting, mean voting to stop somebody: a person has a preferred party or candidate, but lends their vote to somebody else to stop a third…16 Mar 2026HANSARDMember Defections: Automatic By-electionsWe have not discussed PR sufficiently this afternoon. Does the hon. Member accept that there are different voting systems of a proportionate nature, some of which retain the…16 Mar 2026