Contributions
450 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDOther CorrectionRural Communities The following extract is from the Opposition day debate on rural communities on 7 January 2026.08 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesI have very little time, and it is clear that my constituency neighbour—uncharacteristically—did not listen to what I said, which was that we should not put solar panels on the…07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that intervention. As a chartered surveyor who has studied rural properties and farms, I do not think we should be putting wind farms or…07 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural CommunitiesI start by declaring an interest as a farmer and as chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on shooting and conservation. Rural communities such as those in the Cotswolds…07 Jan 2026HANSARDAgricultural Property Relief and Business Property ReliefThank you, Mr Speaker, and a happy new year to you and your staff. Farmers in my constituency will welcome this change to the thresholds for APR and BPR. However, it took 14…05 Jan 2026HANSARD VenezuelaThe Foreign Secretary has repeated time after time today that she believes in the rules-based system. Therefore, will she argue for that vociferously at the United Nations so that…05 Jan 2026HANSARD Finance (No. 2) BillLike me, the hon. Gentleman represents a constituency in the south-west where hospitality businesses of all sorts will be very heavily hit by this Budget. They have seen rate…16 Dec 2025HANSARDBudget ResolutionsNo, I have already given way once on this subject. Our wealth creating sector is shrinking, whereas the public sector is ballooning, yet the Government’s policies are punishing…27 Nov 2025HANSARDBudget ResolutionsThe sad fact is that youth unemployment—that is, unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds—is at a staggering 15%. Given the national insurance hikes and the rise in the minimum wage,…27 Nov 2025HANSARDBudget ResolutionsIt is always possible to find cases that are very difficult to deal with. In government, we have to make decisions about the totality of the population. I think it is up to…27 Nov 2025HANSARDBudget ResolutionsMadam Deputy Speaker, thank you for allowing me to speak in this debate. I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi), and I agree with what she said about…27 Nov 2025HANSARDNew Nuclear SitesWould the Secretary of State not agree that connecting renewables to the grid requires considerable expense, and would not the former nuclear sites of Hunterston, Torness and…26 Nov 2025HANSARDNew Nuclear Sites14. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential for new nuclear power sites in Scotland.26 Nov 2025HANSARDStamp Duty Land TaxDoes my right hon. Friend agree that this Government are not only taxing young people’s jobs but taxing their chances of owning a home through the increase in stamp duty and the…28 Oct 2025HANSARD Korean War: 75th CommemorationMy right hon. Friend is entirely right: freedom is not free, and nor is it enduring. We cannot assume that we will always be free; we have to continuously fight for and believe in…22 Oct 2025HANSARD Korean War: 75th CommemorationIt is a privilege to speak in this debate under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan…22 Oct 2025HANSARD Korean War: 75th CommemorationI congratulate my right hon. Friend on securing this debate. It is worse than he says in North Korea. If someone is caught committing any of these minor crimes, such as listening…22 Oct 2025HANSARD Korean War: 75th CommemorationI am grateful for the Minister’s words, but what I was really trying to ask in my speech was whether the British Government would work with the Americans. It is only through the…22 Oct 2025HANSARD Social Housing: South CotswoldsIn a recent hearing of the Public Accounts Committee on planning improvements, we heard from the Home Builders Federation that 34,000 social houses in England and Wales remain…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Social Housing: South CotswoldsI am grateful to my friend and constituency neighbour for giving way. She is speaking with a huge amount of common sense. Of course, her problems in the South Cotswolds are…21 Oct 2025