Contributions
380 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)The hon. Member will appreciate that implementation of the Bill will require substantial secondary legislation. As tempting as it is to set out a timetable, we have to focus on…14 Apr 2026HANSARDFamily VotingAny form of coercion at the polling booth is unacceptable and undermines confidence in our democratic process, as the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 makes clear. The Government will…13 Apr 2026HANSARDFamily VotingGreater Manchester police has completed its investigation and found no evidence of family voting. I thank the police for their careful and diligent work investigating this matter,…13 Apr 2026HANSARDFamily VotingWe will continue to work through the Representation of the People Bill in Committee, through line-by-line scrutiny. I look forward to continuing that work with the hon. Gentleman,…13 Apr 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThrough the Representation of the People Bill, we are significantly lowering the threshold for when unincorporated associations register with the Electoral Commission, and we will…13 Apr 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am so sorry to hear about that terrible incident. I will, of course, meet my hon. Friend. The local resilience forum in Derbyshire has worked really hard to respond to the…13 Apr 2026HANSARDDraft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve…13 Apr 2026HANSARDDraft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026My hon. Friend tempts me to get into a debate about the efficacy of the original—13 Apr 2026HANSARDDraft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026I will simply say that although no prohibition has been effected, that is not to say that the Government would not do so in the future—I give my hon. Friend that assurance.13 Apr 2026HANSARDDraft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026The right hon. Gentleman raises a specific issue; I do not know the details of that particular development in that particular constituency, but I will write to him with the…13 Apr 2026HANSARDDraft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026There are no firms on the prohibitions list. However, as I stated, the Government are prepared to use the sanctions available, should they be required in the future. I will fulfil…13 Apr 2026HANSARDDraft Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026I thank my hon. Friends, particularly my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, for their constructive and important points today. I can reassure Members that…13 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)Clauses 41 and 42 strengthen the candidate nomination process by introducing new safeguards. That will protect the integrity of our elections and prevent impersonation or false…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)To respond to the question’s from the hon. Member for Hamble Valley, we are currently finalising the details of the proposals, to make sure we strike the right balance between…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)The purpose of the clause is to enable political parties to withdraw support for candidates prior to the close of nominations, which is not currently possible. Parties will be…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)Clause 46 removes the unnecessary and outdated requirement for polling station staff to call out the name and elector number of a voter when delivering a ballot paper. This change…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)The hon. Gentleman tempts me, but I will not go into that particular arena. I will say that we are taking a balanced approach and that we have discussed the issue with electoral…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)As we have just discussed, clause 43 enables a political party to withdraw authorisation for a candidate to stand on its behalf prior to the close of nominations. Clause 44 makes…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)Clause 45 seeks to enhance the security of candidates by ensuring that candidates at UK parliamentary elections are able to receive appropriate and tailored security briefings…26 Mar 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)I deeply appreciate the warmth that Members have shown for these measures. As someone who also served for a short time on the Speaker’s Conference and having experienced…26 Mar 2026