Contributions
1,092 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentI am not going to agree with my hon. Friend on that point, if he will forgive me. However, I do agree with the substance of his point—he has hit the nail on the head—that…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentI had no idea that the hon. Gentleman presented himself as an expert in Erskine May, but I have to say, with respect, that I do not think many others would. The reality is that my…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentI will resist the temptation to say that that is rich coming from the hon. Gentleman. He would know precisely, and his party would precisely know, what a shambles is, and they…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentThe two things are completely unconnected. The hon. Gentleman is wrong to characterise the appointment in that way. It must be recognised by all and sundry that this appointment…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentWe have had those, and we will continue to have more.07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentI do not think the Downing Street flat has the smallest thing to do with this matter. It is and has always been the case that the 10 Downing Street operation is an integral part…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentMy hon. Friend is absolutely right, as usual. One could hardly have a more qualified person to be chief of staff than my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Cambridgeshire…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentThank you, Mr Speaker—I was just on my last sentence. I was saying that the Government set out that there would continue to be further appointments over the coming days, with a…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentI have no doubt that my right hon. Friend will make myriad decisions on a daily basis. The hon. Gentleman will have to wait and see what they are, but they will be decisions that…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentI entirely agree with my hon. Friend. He knows that quality is often better than quantity. That is what we have with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the role that he…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentMy hon. Friend is right to refer to the Gray report. One of the points raised was about the fragmentary nature of arrangements. This is addressing that problem directly. I am very…07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentYes, and the fact that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will accept no extra salary will, of course, reduce costs accordingly. My hon. Friend is quite right.07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentIt is very peculiar to ask me, from the Dispatch Box, to predict the future, but if I were to predict the future, it certainly would not have Labour in it.07 Feb 2022HANSARDPrime Minister’s Chief of Staff AppointmentIt is not good practice to discuss staffing and human resources matters on the Floor of the House. The hon. Gentleman knows that the Government are doing what they need to do in…07 Feb 2022HANSARDTackling Fraud and Preventing Government WasteIf the hon. Gentleman will allow me to make some progress, he may hear about what the Government have been doing, and will continue to do. The Government’s priority at the time…01 Feb 2022HANSARDTackling Fraud and Preventing Government WasteI will make a little progress, if I may. As the House will be aware, since March 2020, the Government have delivered a comprehensive multi-billion pound package to support…01 Feb 2022HANSARDTackling Fraud and Preventing Government WasteIt is not worth answering that point, Mr Speaker. As I said, we have given the Insolvency Service and Companies House new powers to prevent rogue company directors from escaping…01 Feb 2022HANSARDTackling Fraud and Preventing Government WasteI must make some progress. The measures that we implemented to minimise fraud and error were robust and comprehensive. Some £2.2 billion of what were deemed potentially fraudulent…01 Feb 2022HANSARDTackling Fraud and Preventing Government WasteI will just make some progress. I am sorry that Lord Agnew chose to resign from his position as a Minister in the Treasury and in the Cabinet Office, and I want to take this…01 Feb 2022HANSARDTackling Fraud and Preventing Government WasteI think the hon. Lady forgets that, at the time, the whole world was googling for PPE. There was a desperation for PPE. I do not know anything about the company that she mentions,…01 Feb 2022