Contributions
1,082 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)I am not quite convinced by the Minister’s argument. I understand what he is saying, but if Corporal Tommy Atkins, his wife and their special needs child in Wiltshire are posted…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)My hon. Friend is making an extremely good speech. As he and the Committee know, there is a major reform of NHS England going on. At the ground level, it means that there will be…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Second sitting)To reinforce what the Minister is saying, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory, who for many years was the controller of SSAFA, always used to make the point that while clearly…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)Let me say briefly that I hope that, if nothing else—24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)I apologise, Mr Efford. As you say, get it right! This was not a contentious Bill on Second Reading. As we said during that debate, we think our role is primarily to act as a…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)I am sorry, Mr Efford. I was thinking of a previous Member.24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)Although my hon. Friend the Member for Exmouth and Exeter East is leading for the Opposition on clause 2, I nevertheless want to make a particular point in relation to special…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)On this point.24 Mar 2026HANSARD DefenceI cannot; I do apologise. The international skies are rapidly darkening, and the response of the Labour Government is, first, to cut operational spending in our armed forces by…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)I appreciate the hon. Lady’s point. Having looked at the White Paper in a fair bit of detail, I have tried to incorporate how the system will change into what I am going to say.…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)Let me just reply to the first intervention, and then I will be happy to take another. It is definitely true that there is a backlog in granting EHCPs in Essex, for a number of…24 Mar 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (First sitting)I was hoping to approach this in a relatively non-partisan manner, but if the hon. Lady wants to mix it, I am happy to do so.24 Mar 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThere are growing rumours that the Government plan to bring back their ill-fated Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to the Commons next week. If that is true, it will give us the…16 Mar 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI was asking about the current Prime Minister, not the next one. After previously denying that the Prime Minister was instructed to act in a case against veterans by Phil Shiner,…16 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle East: DefenceIran!09 Mar 2026HANSARD Consular AssistanceWhere is Yvette?05 Mar 2026HANSARDCommonwealth Troops: First World WarAs the son of a man who fought in the second world war, I am privileged to be able to sum up on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition in this debate about those who fell in the…05 Mar 2026HANSARDCommonwealth Troops: First World WarI see that the Minister is nodding in assent. The Australians also made a major contribution to the first world war. Over 400,000 served in what was known as the Australian…05 Mar 2026HANSARDCommonwealth Troops: First World WarMy hon. Friend is clearly a subject matter expert. I entirely agree with her sentiment about both the contribution of those South African labourers and the vital work of the…05 Mar 2026HANSARD Ministry of DefenceI hope that the Chairman of the Select Committee, who is making an excellent speech, will forgive me for interrupting him. He has referred to readiness and timings. Is he, like…04 Mar 2026