Contributions
1,014 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)I am always willing to give the hon. Gentleman comfort, in this and many other things. On both those points, the Bill quite rightly says that it is subject to any particular…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)I am very happy to. The right hon. Member talks about promises in an election campaign. He may distance himself from some of the promises that his Holyrood colleagues make—at…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)We will not support the amendments tabled by the shadow Minister or that of the right hon. Member for Aberdeen South, but it is important to say why. As several of my hon. Friends…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)For the reasons I have already outlined, that is implicit in the policy; it is why we are doing it. I think the shadow Minister agreed in response to one of my hon. Friends that…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)The shadow Minister nods in support. I look forward to his support for the Bill as a vehicle for delivering it.10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)He stops short of that. The shadow Minister spoke earlier about the rising bills caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, as if somehow the UK had no vulnerabilities that…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)On the financial point, the Bill is an enabling mechanism, like a number of other pieces of legislation, including the UK Infrastructure Bank Act 2023, which the hon. Lady’s party…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)It is an important point, and I take it in the spirit in which the right hon. Gentleman says he intends it, but nobody is in a position to say what will happen to bills on a…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)We are moving slightly off the Bill, but that is an important point; we have spoken about it before, and I am very happy to keep speaking about it. The difference is that, whether…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Third sitting)I fully suspect that in my time as Energy Minister, I will come back to the hon. Lady’s question. It is an important one, and I am very happy to discuss it. Turning back to the…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)It is a pleasure, Sir Roger, to serve in this Committee under your—10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I will take the amendments in turn, starting with amendment 13, tabled by the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. The creation of Great British Energy allows us to…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I will start where the brilliant speech of my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Hallam left off. It is a bit rich for the Opposition to talk about fixing the issue with jobs in…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)That is not what I said at all. What I said a moment ago is exactly the same, which is that in the short term—in the start-up phase of the company—there will be a few hundred…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)For reasons I will come to in a moment, we will not agree to the amendment because we will not put timeframes and numbers in the Bill—we do not see those in any piece of…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I am enjoying this debate more and more. I feel that by the end of today, or Tuesday at a push, we may get the hon. Gentleman’s support for Great British Energy. I look forward to…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)The right hon. Gentleman tempts me into discussing both independence and the future of the Conservative party, but for your sake, Sir Roger, I will not go into either, although I…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)The devolved Administrations in terms of the Governments—I thank the right hon. Gentleman. The first thing to say is that the statement of strategic priorities cannot overrule the…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I think my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough has a lot to answer for, with the metaphors that have now started, but the hon. Lady makes a serious point. I would just gently…10 Oct 2024HANSARDGreat British Energy Bill (Fourth sitting)I will answer the previous intervention first. The point of having an independent company—this is why it is used as a mechanism by Governments of all types—is that it can have the…10 Oct 2024