Contributions
1,712 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsOver a third of my constituents do not earn enough to sponsor a visa for a family member from outside the EEA. Will the Minister consider revising the minimum income requirement,…01 Apr 2019HANSARDLeaving the European UnionThe hon. Lady is generous in giving way. I come back to the suggestion that after each election somebody could launch a petition to reverse the result. The extraordinary thing…01 Apr 2019HANSARDUnited Kingdom’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI could not agree more. It is ultimately the arrogance of individual Members who claim that they know exactly the will of the people. I do not know the will of the people in 2019.…29 Mar 2019HANSARDUnited Kingdom’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI absolutely agree with the principle that 17.4 million people voted to leave the European Union, which is exactly why the most democratic way going forward is to ask the people…29 Mar 2019HANSARDUnited Kingdom’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI thank the right hon. Gentleman for that contribution and for the opportunity to say this again. If it was 100% clear that 17.4 million people voted to leave without a deal, or…29 Mar 2019HANSARDUnited Kingdom’s Withdrawal from the European UnionToday is a sad day—not because we should have left the EU but have not, but because today signifies the pinnacle of a process in which a Government have for months refused to…29 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationThis country has made great strides, and we are leaders, but we will fall behind badly if we do not keep up that lead. That is what worries me. Things have gone badly wrong in the…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI certainly agree that we do not really have comparative data. Fracking is hailed as this new thing that would reduce global warming, but it absolutely does not. Giving permitted…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI have been involved in the fracking debate for a long time—since 2014—and just to say that it is a bit less of a fossil fuel than the gas we are importing is the wrong argument.…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI really have to get on now. Since the Government proposals were announced, 300,000 people have signed petitions against them and 40 councils have passed motions to reject them.…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI thank all hon. Members from across the House for their powerful contributions to this important debate. There is real anger across the board about the Government riding…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI certainly agree that there is a lot of hypocrisy around this issue. A wind farm was built over the communities of Greater Manchester in my old authority, and I remember people…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI completely agree. Getting to carbon zero is a massive challenge and we must start today. We must think about how our new houses should be built, because the retrofitting of…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationMy home is heated through a community energy centre. That said, I am talking about how the gas is produced. I am saying that fracked gas is a fossil fuel but that there are…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationAbsolutely. To classify different regions of our country in that way is appalling.28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationAbsolutely. There are two big wrongs here: first, it is a fossil fuel industry that we should not support; and secondly, we are overriding local communities and not allowing their…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI beg to move, That this House has considered use of permitted development and the nationally significant infrastructure project regime for shale gas exploration and production.…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationI could not agree more. We have such a long way to go before we become carbon zero and it is so important. What are the Government doing promoting fracked fossil fuel over…28 Mar 2019HANSARD Permitted Development and Shale Gas ExplorationOn that point, does my right hon. Friend agree that it is interesting to compare the Government’s planning approach to fracking with their planning approach to renewable energy?28 Mar 2019HANSARD EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship (Motions)In 2016, 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU. Today, after almost three years, we still have at least six different Brexit versions in front of us. None of them was on the…27 Mar 2019