Contributions
953 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillI hate to interrupt the Minister, but the Chancellor in effect told the House and the country when this policy was first introduced that people need not really worry a huge…12 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillCorrect me if I am wrong, but the Leader of the Opposition responded to the Budget and opposed it. The Liberal Democrat spokesman would have spoken later down the list, so I beg…12 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesI will not, if the hon. Member will forgive me. My second point is for the Government to please restore the listed places of worship scheme, which is vital for our rural churches.…07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesI agree, but I think those on our Front Bench go one step further, which is to get rid of the whole damn thing in the first instance, as that solves the problem at a stroke. I…07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesGo on then.07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesGiven the time available, I want to read into the record, if I may, some key suggestions for the Government on this important issue. I welcome the fact that we have secured a…07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesI am grateful to my neighbour for giving way. I share her support for a reduction in VAT for our rural hospitality sector, but does she get the irony that such a reduction would…07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesWill the hon. Lady give way?07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsDoes my hon. Friend share my concern that if the argument that runs is, “It is about expert lawyers arguing their case to an expert judge”, the next way of trying to speed up the…07 Jan 2026HANSARD VenezuelaThe essay question is not whether Mr Maduro was a good man, which is a clear no-brainer, but whether, as others have asked, the actions of the US President were legal. America…05 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank the Minister and her officials for their work—it is the most painful task to have to pull all this together and they are all to be commended. I agree with her that…17 Dec 2025HANSARD UK-EU Common Understanding NegotiationsIn his white shirt and red tie, the Minister is doing a very good impression of Santa making an early visit. The announcements that he has made this afternoon are—I think—to be…17 Dec 2025HANSARD Electoral ResilienceAs a former elections Minister, I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. I wonder if he would reflect on two points, together with his hon. Friend the Security Minister, with…16 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal WorkI will, but let me finish this point. Roofing prices are up 7%, bricks 8%, blocks 9%, landscaping 8%, drainage 8%, and plaster, plasterboard and cladding 7%. Costs can be…10 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal WorkI am afraid that I do not know anything about Mr Williams, so I cannot add to the lovefest. I wonder whether my hon. Friend has reflected, as I have, that in households that have…10 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal WorkOn my hon. Friend’s point, how can businesses be expected to plan, having been told in the 2024 Budget that the tax rate was a one-off, and in 2025 that there was an unforeseen…10 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal WorkFrom one state school boy to another state school boy—we were also the first in our families to go to university—does my hon. Friend agree that we all have gaps in our knowledge,…10 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal WorkIt is a lovely pub. The hon. Lady has been and has not been barred yet. Anybody who knows their trade union history, as I know she does, will know about the Tolpuddle martyrs in…10 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal Workrose—10 Dec 2025HANSARDSeasonal WorkI am not suggesting that the hon. Lady should have been hanging on my every word yesterday, but she was in the Chamber during that debate. I would not call 100 votes in favour and…10 Dec 2025