Contributions
1,139 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEconomy, Welfare and Public ServicesI congratulate the hon. Member for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale (Georgia Gould) on a simply superb speech that follows the best traditions of the House. She has done her…22 Jul 2024HANSARDEconomy, Welfare and Public ServicesI detect a bit of surprise on the Government Benches. I have risen to speak on scrapping the cap. In the grand tapestry of British politics, where the warp and weft of policy and…22 Jul 2024HANSARDEconomy, Welfare and Public ServicesI just set out that the parlous economic situation forced us to make impossible choices, but thanks to the improved economics and the improvements brought about by universal…22 Jul 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsIn Fareham, we are rightly proud of our world-class aircraft carriers docked in nearby Portsmouth, providing thousands of jobs and being a huge credit to our Royal Navy. However,…20 May 2024HANSARDIllegal Migration Act: Northern IrelandI thank my hon. Friend for coming to the Chamber; I hope he is enjoying life back at the Home Office. In the decision, the judge found that section 7A of the European Union…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI want to put on the record my thanks to the Minister for his hard work and for taking the time last week to meet me and colleagues to discuss the terms of this treaty. He will…14 May 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI warmly welcome the Government’s reforms to welfare and put on record my thanks to the great team at the Fareham jobcentre, with whom I have worked to organise jobs,…13 May 2024HANSARDWar in GazaYesterday I met survivors of the Nova festival massacre—people who had fought singlehandedly for hours in Israel on 7 October against brutal Hamas terrorists. We all want peace,…07 May 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsSt Francis School and Heathfield School are two excellent special educational needs schools in Fareham, supporting a variety of children with conditions ranging from Down’s…29 Apr 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastI was in Israel earlier this year and met senior Israel Defence Forces personnel, who assured me that they are doing everything in their power, and are working with allies, to…29 Apr 2024HANSARDIran-Israel UpdateMr Speaker, please accept my condolences on the loss of your father. Two weeks ago, I was in Israel at the northern border with Lebanon. Of course, we have all seen what happened…15 Apr 2024HANSARDCyber-security and UK DemocracyWe have seen reports of espionage on UK campuses, aggression on UK soil, massive cyber-attacks and hostile corporate takeovers. It is abundantly clear that China is a hostile…25 Mar 2024HANSARD Budget ResolutionsI rise to welcome many elements of today’s Budget, notably the cut to the main rate of employees’ national insurance from 10% to 8%; the changes to the high-income child benefit…06 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI applaud the hon. Gentleman for his powerful and compelling speech. Parents have come to me in tears with their young adult child who had undergone transition some years earlier…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI am grateful to have a chance to speak in this very important debate and I thank the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Lloyd Russell-Moyle) for introducing this private…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI will not, because of time. There is very little evidence that conversion therapy is a current problem in this country. The various surveys that have been quoted, such as the…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillMy hon. Friend brings me to my next point, which he has just made very powerfully. The existing law already protects gay and trans people from verbal and physical abuse, much as…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillThe hon. Gentleman puts that incredibly well. It reminds me of Edmund Burke, who said: “Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny.” Bad laws make bad customs, and in this place we…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillDuring my time as Home Secretary, we issued new guidance on non-hate crime incidents, and it supports many aspects of what we are talking about—not all, but some. We clarified the…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI agree with the hon. Gentleman to the extent that we have victimless crimes and we have legislation that provides for those kinds of offences, but the Bill runs the risk of…01 Mar 2024