Contributions
3,693 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsI completely understand why the right hon. Member may be confused. We on the Conservative Benches represent business, and I know that the Labour party was stopping people from…09 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI believe that my hon. Friend is the trade envoy to Pakistan, and I look forward to collaborating with him. Pakistan already has a preferential trading relationship with the UK…09 Feb 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsNorthern Ireland plays a full part in all our trading agreements, and I believe that a Northern Irish machinery exporter is involved in the Australia deal. My hon. Friend and I…09 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsMy hon. Friend has always been a great advocate for all the jobs in his constituency, including those linked to the steel supply chain. That is why the sector is so important: the…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsMy hon. Friend was my neighbour when I was on the BEIS Committee: we sat next to each other every Tuesday morning for two years, so I saw more of him than I did of my husband. I…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsWe have had many meetings, and normally they are very respectful, but I must object to “little pots of money”. There has been £800 million of energy cost relief since 2013, with…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: Negotiations“Ransom” is not my word, but it is an interesting way to explain what is going on. Of course, my hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe is the leading champion of steel across the…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsI fear that the hon. Member would rather have coal imported and not worry about the cost or the emissions impact of that. The Secretary of State’s decision on the Cumbrian…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsNot only are my hon. Friends the Members for Cleethorpes and for Scunthorpe huge champions for steel, but they have good relationships with Ministers, unions and workers locally.…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsThe hon. Member has hit on two of my favourite topics: freeports and the Maritime 2050 strategy, which I launched when I was the maritime Minister. He has all my support, and I am…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsAbsolutely. I think the argument is sometimes lost when people say that we can bring steel in. Why would we want to do that when we have a sector right here? People do not often…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsAbsolutely; once again, the hon. Member asks a very sensible question. That is exactly what we are here to do. We need a cleaner, greener steel sector, so we need to do everything…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsAbsolutely. That is why we are working so closely with the companies and the unions. I have met with the unions, most recently last week. Hopefully I am not divulging too much…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsI appreciate that this is a very tricky moment for the sector, as it is worldwide. We have spoken about this previously, and it is incredibly important for us to get it right. We…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsI had hoped that the Opposition Front Bench spokesperson would support our ongoing desire for negotiations, and that she would ask why the redundancy conversations are taking…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsBecause we have invested so much in renewables, we know that there will be better energy costs coming down the line, but we have had £800 million for the steel sector since 2013.…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsThat is why it was so peculiar to be made aware of the conversations that took place yesterday. Opportunities are coming down the line and we know that there will be huge demand…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsFirst, let me begin by saying I understand that this must be a very concerning time for British Steel employees, following the discussions that took place between the company and…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsMy hon. Friend, once again, nails the position that we are in. I know that the steel sector has such fantastic champions across the House. Since I have been in post, which is not…02 Feb 2023HANSARD British Steel: NegotiationsOur lady of steel basically sums up the whole argument in her two minutes, and I do not disagree with much of what she has said. The decision to hold this meeting is a commercial…02 Feb 2023