Contributions
1,014 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq, and to see Committee members again. Having started the sitting with contributions from four Scottish MPs, we have gone…15 Oct 2024HANSARDStrengthening Electricity Security and Supporting DecarbonisationI am tabling this statement to inform Members of the publication of a policy update, a consultation response, a consultation and a call for evidence on 15 October 2024. This is in…15 Oct 2024HANSARD Renewable Energy Projects: Community BenefitsThat is a very important question and I was going to come to the hon. Gentleman’s specific point in a moment. He is absolutely right. Since I came into post, I have been working…15 Oct 2024HANSARD Renewable Energy Projects: Community BenefitsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again today, Dr Huq. It is good to look out and see so many of my colleagues from the Great British Energy Bill Committee here to…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for his attempt to add an additional clause to the Bill. I will speak briefly about why we do not support new clause 2, but I agree with him on the…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I am hoping that at some point someone will want to take part in a debate, to save the Committee from hearing only from me. Clause 8 sets out the extent of the Bill, which is…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)Clause 7 has fairly standard wording for a Bill of this kind and for a company of this kind. Under section 441 of the Companies Act 2006, the directors of any company—Great…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I will not detain the Committee long, as we have already discussed aspects of the clause in our debates on the various helpful amendments tabled by the shadow Minister. Clause 6…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)The question of balance, which I was just about to come to, is important. The right to a public inquiry can be triggered by a much smaller number of people in Scotland than in the…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)My hon. Friend never misses an opportunity to mention Cornwall, but let us not relitigate our earlier argument. There are huge opportunities. The hon. Member for Gordon and Buchan…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I think that doubling down on the language is not helpful either, but I will come back to both those points. I recognise the importance of the point about communities and a more…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I have to say that of all the amendments before the Committee, I find this one utterly extraordinary. The shadow Minister’s amendment says that Great British Energy “must take all…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I was going to end on an argument about why the Conservative party is in such a rut, but the hon. Gentleman has changed the tone completely. I feel lost with my political attacks,…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)Inspirational!15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)I know that the Conservative party is in shifting political sands at the moment, but I was not expecting this morning to lead with such a full-throated defence of Thatcher—I do…15 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fifth sitting)Some things are outwith even the hon. Gentleman’s powers. There are a number of reasons why we will resist amendment 20. First—I have made this point a number of times—the Bill is…15 Oct 2024HANSARD Nuclear Industry: CumbriaI congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Whitehaven and Workington (Josh MacAlister) not only on securing this important debate and managing to get a considerable turnout for…14 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I would have stopped short of the hon. Gentleman’s final point, which I will not repeat; I think that was more to salve his own conscience than to add any value to the debate. He…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I take that point. I will come back to the role of the UK Government in Great British Energy in a moment, as it is important. Of course I want to engage with Scottish, Welsh and…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for that important point. Early on in the development of the Bill, we had a genuine conversation with the Northern Irish Executive about whether…10 Oct 2024