Contributions
1,077 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) BillWe are moving slightly into the ridiculous; may I bring us back to the main point? The purpose of the Bill that the hon. and learned Gentleman has drafted is simply to provide a…06 Dec 2024HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) BillThe right hon. Gentleman is addressing an important part of the Bill’s purpose—from all the rhetorical issues right down to hard tacks. The previous Government went into the…06 Dec 2024HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) BillI thought the hon. and learned Member might tempt me down that road. Whether we have a trade deal with the United States of America is way beyond my paygrade. No Government I…06 Dec 2024HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) BillThe real point is getting rid of the Irish sea checks; it is anathema that one part of the United Kingdom is now treated separately from the rest of the UK. That is surely a…06 Dec 2024HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) BillI will try to be as brief as possible, to allow others to speak. I wish to come to what the Bill is actually about, rather than what people say it is about, but first I want to…06 Dec 2024HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) BillDoes the Minister not agree that mutual enforcement is, in principle, about using what already exists in terms of trade? In the course of building on the Windsor agreement, might…06 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI agree with my right hon. Friend. The point I am really getting at is that the days of the shifting jobs of generalists are long gone, I am afraid. I have often made the case,…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI beg to move, That this House is concerned by the number of arbitrarily detained British nationals at risk of human rights abuses abroad and the apparent lack of active support…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI completely agree. I have no problem agreeing on this matter. It has been a long-standing issue for families and Members of Parliament that, somehow, the FCDO puts a cloud of…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI absolutely agree. That case will be raised today. All of us who want to speak in the debate have agreed that we will make sure that individual cases are raised in detail. I will…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI was going to say it, but as the hon. Member has raised it, I will do so now: we must not forget those hostages. What has happened to them is appalling, and he is right to raise…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI could not agree more with the right hon. Lady, and I welcome her to the debate as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. She is absolutely right, but the problem in this case…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadI and a number of others wrote to the Prime Minister before he departed for Baku, urging him to raise that case. I understand from the Foreign Office that he did not raise it with…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadFreedom of religion and belief is important. The case of Jimmy Lai is illustrative because they do not have to, but the Chinese authorities have locked him away from any…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadBefore the Minister concludes, there is something that many Members have called for that he has not touched on. We passed an Act on Magnitsky sanctions some time ago. Should those…05 Dec 2024HANSARDDetained British Nationals AbroadThis debate was long overdue, and we have used the time well. We should have regular debates on this issue; the Government should set aside time for Back Benchers to debate what…05 Dec 2024HANSARD Northern Ireland: Legacy of the TroublesI, like a number of others, served in Northern Ireland. We did not ask to go, and I lost a very good friend there—and others, at the same time. That man’s parents died without…04 Dec 2024HANSARD UK Supply Chains: Uyghur Forced LabourI welcome the right hon. Gentleman to his place, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion)—she is my hon. Friend in this case—on raising a really important…03 Dec 2024HANSARDTaiwan: International StatusWe will see if we can ascertain one in passing. I congratulate the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Blair McDougall) on securing the debate. That is not easy, as he knows, and…28 Nov 2024HANSARDTaiwan: International StatusMadam Deputy Speaker, I will see what I can do to speak on your behalf—even though you have no opinion on this matter.28 Nov 2024