Contributions
152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Local Government Finance (England)I apologise unreservedly to you for that, Mr Deputy Speaker. That was a very stupid faux pas that I made, and I apologise to you and the House for that piece of stupidity. I would…10 Feb 2021HANSARD Towns FundI am absolutely delighted to be able to say a few words about the Bridgwater town fund. Good ideas are always the simplest and this idea is absolutely terrific. It is working and…04 Feb 2021HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMr Speaker, thank you. I was worried to hear that some of our colleagues do not realise that Somerset is God’s county. My right hon. Friend will remember that the Vikings were…28 Jan 2021HANSARDCouncil Tax: Government’s Proposed IncreaseGreetings from the land of King Alfred. We are doing well down here, and I am delighted to be able to join this debate. Very few people in Somerset will burst into song when their…25 Jan 2021HANSARD Business of the HouseA couple of weeks ago I told the Prime Minister that Somerset County Council is misusing covid funds and that it had a moral duty to ring-fence the money. He did not disagree. The…21 Jan 2021HANSARD Business of the HouseMy right hon. Friend and I agree about the risk of paying danegeld to anybody, but Somerset County Council was given £32 million to fight covid and the Vikings in charge of the…14 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19I greatly appreciate the chance to contribute my local experience. In my constituency, two more people died yesterday, thousands have caught the disease and it is getting worse,…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Economic UpdateMy right hon. Friend is aware how good Bridgwater and Taunton College is and how many apprentices it is training for Hinkley Point and many other organisations. One of the…11 Jan 2021HANSARD Public HealthI am glad to be able to take part in this debate. There is no doubt that this lockdown was needed and required, and quite rightly it has now been enacted. However, my constituency…06 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19We in the Bridgewater and West Somerset constituency accept that the lockdown was vital and we appreciate the extra help for businesses, but will my right hon. Friend consider…06 Jan 2021HANSARD European Union (Future Relationship) BillI am sure that the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) will be delighted to hear that I am going to start with nuclear. I am delighted that part of this deal…30 Dec 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseGood morning, Mr Speaker. I am sure that my right hon. Friend will agree that the misuse of public funds is tantamount to theft. Somerset County Council is squandering public…17 Dec 2020HANSARD Energy White PaperAs tail-end Charlie, I must say that the White Paper is a really good piece of work. It has taken a very long time and, as somebody who is rather keen on nuclear, for obvious…14 Dec 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseWith that in mind, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will just say to my right hon. Friend that, as he knows, there are two plans for local government reform in Somerset. One of them, from…10 Dec 2020HANSARD Business of the HouseAs my right hon. Friend already knows—we have heard it in these business questions—North Somerset has been unfairly lumped in with Bristol in the tiering system. Does my right…03 Dec 2020HANSARD Local Government Reorganisation: SomersetI beg to move, That this House has considered local government reorganisation in Somerset. This is a great opportunity. I am delighted to see the Minister in her place and to be…02 Dec 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMy right hon. Friend will recall the treaty of Wedmore in Somerset, by which, as he knows, the Vikings were finally kicked out of Wessex, and perhaps there are lessons there for…22 Oct 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseWill my right hon. Friend join me in celebrating the anniversary of the battle of Carhampton, which is in my constituency in Somersetshire? Carhampton was of course the scene of…08 Oct 2020HANSARD Business of the HouseI know that my right hon. Friend, because he is a sensible fellow, did not visit Minehead funfair a few days ago. The idea that Minehead Town Council could actually have a funfair…01 Oct 2020HANSARD Business of the HouseMy right hon. Friend, quite rightly, is a stickler for using clear and correct English. Last week in the House, he mourned—and rightly so—the loss of Somerset’s traditional…24 Sept 2020