Vector search: register of interests declarations
Last run date: 2026-02-05
2026-02-04
Steve Race (26345)
match score: 0.86
My hon Friend reminds me that I should also declare my interest as a member of the GMB trade union
Rupert Lowe (26361)
match score: 0.85
I have declared these payments in the register, and I apologise if I should have declared them to the House
Caroline Nokes (24809)
match score: 0.85
The hon Gentleman will have heard my earlier comment that it is a matter not for the Chair but for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards if he has failed to declare interests during the debate
Caroline Nokes (24809)
match score: 0.85
I thank the hon. Member for that point of order. He will know that declarations of interest are not a matter for the Chair. However, he might be advised to refer that to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for investigation.
Stella Creasy (24949)
match score: 0.84
Does my hon Friend, as a relatively new Member, share my interest in learning from other jurisdictions around the world? For example, there could be pre-appointment hearings before Select Committees, which could object to shortlists
Caroline Nokes (24809)
match score: 0.84
It is of course a matter for the hon Member for Great Yarmouth to declare that, which he could now do by putting any interest on the record
Simon Hoare (25427)
match score: 0.83
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. My point relates to the point of order from the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas), which he did not quite finish. The hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Rupert Lowe) has in the published register of interests significant monthly payments from X Corp, headquartered in California. That surely should have been a declared interest when making the intervention.
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.83
Again, I am grateful to my hon Friend for drawing this important matter to the attention of the House, and for his interest in it, and that of other Members
John Lamont (14026)
match score: 0.83
“Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest…Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work…Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner.”
Karen Bradley (24725)
match score: 0.83
I rise with incredulity, having learned that there was not a requirement to dispose of the interest. I recall going through ethics and propriety when being made a Minister, and I was told that it would be entirely inappropriate to hold things. I know of colleagues who had to dispose of their interests. Does my right hon. Friend agree that if the noble Baroness Gray had still been running propriety and ethics, something like this would not have happened?
Richard Foord (26086)
match score: 0.83
It is my understanding that, in addition to employer networks, the CITB is also seeking to redirect funding to the new entrant support team. I declare an interest: my father worked as a new entrant training officer. Does the hon. Gentleman accept that the new entrant support team is good value, and is perhaps a good place for this investment to be directed towards?
Christopher Chope (10103)
match score: 0.82
Would that not be interesting?
John Whittingdale (10632)
match score: 0.82
The first stage was the conflicts of interest form
John Whittingdale (10632)
match score: 0.82
I completely share the view of my right hon. Friend. Like her, I went through a process in which I was required to get rid of shareholding interests, which were rather smaller than those held by Lord Mandelson. This is just one of a huge range of questions to which we need to know the answers.
Jeremy Corbyn (10133)
match score: 0.82
Does the hon. Member agree that the House should be slightly cautious here? We should not just roll over and accept the Government’s manuscript amendment without clear assurances about how far the inquiries will go where they relate to commercial interests, rather than just security interests, as well as a very clear process of reporting and a timetable, so that this is not just a carpet-brushing exercise to get rid of an embarrassing day for the Government.
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.81
The Government have tabled amendment (a), so that documents are published unless they prejudice national security or international relations—I know I was asked a specific question about international relations—because of course such documents might contain information about our relationship with our international allies and how we have approached them. It is obviously important for Governments to keep that information confidential, because it is in the national interest. I am also very conscious of another issue: I am definitely not seeking to hide behind the cloak of the Met police investigation, but of course we will also have to bear in mind the fact that documents might prejudice that investigation. That is something that we will continue to speak to the Met about.
Alex Burghart (25659)
match score: 0.81
The Prime Minister met that company while in Washington and it did not appear on his register of interests
Alicia Kearns (25906)
match score: 0.81
There are significant concerns about his business interests
Wendy Morton (25342)
match score: 0.81
I should declare that I once was a member of the diplomatic service, and I know that the people who serve our country as diplomats are of the highest integrity, and they have my trust
Zarah Sultana (25909)
match score: 0.81
If those in power cannot remember vast sums of money flowing into their accounts, why should the public believe that they are acting in the public interest?
Andrew Murrison (11132)
match score: 0.81
I understand where the Minister is coming from in relation to Government amendment (a). Perhaps I can describe an example of something that he may wish to see passed through the ISC that cannot be made publicly available—that is, which of our foreign allies had something to say about the appointment of Peter Mandelson to Washington. I appreciate that the Minister is never going to say precisely who that ally might be, but the nature of that correspondence is surely a matter of public interest, and therefore is of interest to this House, but it is not something that can be bruited abroad. The ISC provides the very obvious solution to discovering what representations were made, and what material was passed between our allies and the Cabinet Office, before this appointment was made. Can the Minister make that commitment?
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.8
CITB is a registered charity and a non-departmental public body established in statute in 1964—apparently in July
Julian Smith (24961)
match score: 0.8
Could the Minister confirm on the Floor of the House that the Government will also include details of how they managed conflicts of interest between Peter Mandelson’s shareholding in Global Counsel and his activities as ambassador? Specifically, could he look at the background and come back to the House about two contracts, one to Anduril technologies and one to Palantir? Those were direct-award contracts, and at least one of those companies was a client of Global Counsel.
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.8
Networks are open to all levy-registered employers at no additional cost
Cameron Thomas (26532)
match score: 0.8
I am grateful to you for allowing me to continue, Madam Speaker. The hon. Member for Great Yarmouth declined in his intervention to declare his interest: he is, in fact, bought and paid for by Elon Musk.
Richard Burgon (25391)
match score: 0.8
That puts the national interest at risk and it can put national security at risk
Saqib Bhatti (25847)
match score: 0.8
As for the idea that we need to know the depth of the relationship, let me ask Labour Members this: how deep does a relationship with a paedophile need to be before it becomes eligible for declaration?
Alex Burghart (25659)
match score: 0.8
“potential conflicts of interest surrounding Global Counsel”,
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.8
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter. As negotiations are ongoing, we remain committed to the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and supporting new innovative technologies, as he will be pleased to know. The EU accepts that there will need to be areas where we retain our own rules, and we will always prioritise British interests as we negotiate our SPS agreement.
Neil O'Brien (25679)
match score: 0.79
That meeting was not recorded in the PM’s register of meetings and emerged only later
John Whittingdale (10632)
match score: 0.79
Instead, the Foreign Office was told that this was the wish of the Prime Minister, and Lord Mandelson was asked to fill in a conflict of interest form, so that there could be an understanding of private interests that “might” conflict with his position
Chris Ward (26519)
match score: 0.79
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, that he will be graciously pleased to give directions to require the Government to lay before this House all papers relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States of America, including but not confined to the Cabinet Office due diligence which was passed to Number 10, the Conflict of Interest Form Lord Mandelson provided to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), material the FCDO and the Cabinet Office provided to UK Security Vetting about Lord Mandelson’s interests in relation to Global Counsel, including his work in relation to Russia and China, and his links to Jeffrey Epstein, papers for, and minutes of, meetings relating to the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson, electronic communications between the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and Lord Mandelson, and between ministers and Lord Mandelson, in the six months prior to his appointment, minutes of meetings between Lord Mandelson and ministers in the six months prior to his appointment, all information on Lord Mandelson provided to the Prime Minister prior to his assurance to this House on 10 September 2025 that ‘full due process was followed during this appointment’, electronic communications and minutes of all meetings between Lord Mandelson and ministers, Government officials and special advisers during his time as Ambassador, and the details of any payments made to Lord Mandelson on his departure as Ambassador and from the Civil Service except papers prejudicial to UK national security or international relations which shall instead be referred to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.79
The scope of the motion could also include thousands of documents. It is obviously in the national interest to protect national security, and to be transparent and act with urgency—I completely accept that—but it is important that we now take time and care to balance those elements.
John Whittingdale (10632)
match score: 0.79
I completely share my hon. Friend’s astonishment. As further revelations come out about the behaviour of Jeffrey Epstein, particularly in relation to his links with Russia and other hostile powerhouses, one would have thought that the Government would say, “Please, if there is anything involving Peter Mandelson, we wish to know about it.” The potential damage to our national interest that may have occurred as a result of Lord Mandelson continuing to feed information to Jeffrey Epstein is huge. That is something that has not even begun to be properly exposed yet.
Alicia Kearns (25906)
match score: 0.79
I hope that, as part of any release, the Government will contact the Ministry of Justice and require the release of any additional documents that would be in our national interests, or anything that references Mandelson or any British national in any way. I ask the Minister to confirm that. Any existing documents could be on the ISC’s desk by Friday, so let us ensure that we move quickly.
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.79
Let me start by congratulating my hon Friend the Member for Exeter (Steve Race) on securing this debate and welcoming the interest in it
Richard Foord (26086)
match score: 0.79
I am grateful to the hon. Member for Exeter (Steve Race) for calling the debate. I appreciate that CITB is at arm’s length from Government, but of course, 946,000 young people were registered as NEET last summer. Does the Minister share my view that money is better spent on organisations such as CITB than it is on welfare payments to young people?
Lisa Smart (26556)
match score: 0.79
We Liberal Democrats recognise the vital importance of safeguarding national security, and we genuinely welcome the openness that the Minister displays about looking at using the ISC to get to the bottom of some of this. However, there are already safeguards to protect national security. Those include the National Security Act 2023, which restricts the disclosure of information where that would harm the safety or interests of the UK. By tabling their amendment, which uses international relations as a reason to keep secret the information that they have, the Government are trying to wriggle out of their obligation to tell the truth, and we will not support it.
Charlie Dewhirst (26461)
match score: 0.79
Can I ask him specifically: was he ever instructed by Mr Shiner’s law firm, Public Interest Lawyers, to act in any legal case?
Alec Shelbrooke (24893)
match score: 0.79
To my right hon. Friend’s question about vetting, can she foresee a circumstance where a professional diplomat would be given clearance if they had sold passports and taken undeclared loans?
Alex Burghart (25659)
match score: 0.79
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, that he will be graciously pleased to give directions to require the Government to lay before this House all papers relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States of America, including but not confined to the Cabinet Office due diligence which was passed to Number 10, the Conflict of Interest Form Lord Mandelson provided to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), material the FCDO and the Cabinet Office provided to UK Security Vetting about Lord Mandelson’s interests in relation to Global Counsel, including his work in relation to Russia and China, and his links to Jeffrey Epstein, papers for, and minutes of, meetings relating to the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson, electronic communications between the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and Lord Mandelson, and between ministers and Lord Mandelson, in the six months prior to his appointment, minutes of meetings between Lord Mandelson and ministers in the six months prior to his appointment, all information on Lord Mandelson provided to the Prime Minister prior to his assurance to this House on 10 September 2025 that ‘full due process was followed during this appointment’, electronic communications and minutes of all meetings between Lord Mandelson and ministers, Government officials and special advisers during his time as Ambassador, and the details of any payments made to Lord Mandelson on his departure as Ambassador and from the Civil Service
Rebecca Smith (26512)
match score: 0.78
I am interested in how the funding will be delivered to where it is really needed in those smaller communities
Jeremy Corbyn (10133)
match score: 0.78
Many people watching today’s debate will not be happy that Parliament is merely shoving this issue off to one of its Committees, because they think there should be a wider public interest inquiry into the whole affair
Alicia Kearns (25906)
match score: 0.78
It is quite clearly the will of the House that that would be beyond unacceptable—it would be a contempt of Parliament, if it happened. I can say—I would like to think that this goes for the entire House—that I have complete confidence in the integrity of gentlemen such as my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Sir Jeremy Wright), who sits on the ISC. No one would impugn his integrity or question whether he would ensure that he got to the bottom of whatever is necessary. There is no question but that this issue goes so far beyond the vile and inhumane treatment of women; it appears, I am afraid, that Peter Mandelson betrayed not just his colleagues but his own country for the financial interests of others.
Jeremy Corbyn (10133)
match score: 0.78
The question is fundamentally one for the Prime Minister, and it is a bit odd that he is not here for the debate. It is a bit odd that he has not spoken in the debate and that all he has done is say what he did today at Prime Minister’s Question Time. I cannot believe that, when he was about to appoint Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to Washington, he was not made fully aware of all of Peter Mandelson’s record. The Prime Minister would have known about the number of times that Peter Mandelson was forced to resign, even from the Tony Blair Government, because of his behaviour. He would have known Mandelson’s record as an EU Commissioner, and of his interesting relationship with global dealers in minerals and many other things. He would have known all of that, yet he still went ahead and appointed Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, apparently despite advice from the Foreign Office and others. What a shame, what a disgrace and what an appalling appointment to make. We do not even know whether Mandelson is still being paid by the Foreign Office.
Alex Burghart (25659)
match score: 0.78
Before I hand over to other Members, let me move briefly on to the conduct of Lord Mandelson while he was our ambassador in Washington, which I think is relevant to our debate because it again exposes the Prime Minister’s lack of judgment in appointing him. There is obviously strong evidence to suggest that Mandelson behaved entirely inappropriately when he was Secretary of State under the last Labour Government, but equally big questions are now outstanding about what was happening in 2025 in Washington—as I said, this is relevant now. On 27 February 2025, the Prime Minister, while in Washington, visited the American data and AI company Palantir at its headquarters. The meeting did not appear in the Prime Minister’s register of visits; it only came to light later.
Charlie Dewhirst (26461)
match score: 0.78
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister, in response to my question, appeared to deny ever being instructed by the disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner, yet I have here the 2007 case of Al-Jedda v. the Secretary of State for Defence, where it quite clearly says that the appellants were instructed by public interest lawyers including one Keir Starmer QC. Perhaps the Prime Minister might want to return to the House and clarify his earlier remarks.
Alec Shelbrooke (24893)
match score: 0.78
Does my hon. Friend think that we will now start to understand how Mandelson had such a level of influence that, having had to resign from Government for not declaring six-figure-sum loans, having had to resign from Government for trying to flog passports, and having gone off to the EU and faced all the allegations about that, he was brought back into Government and put into the House of Lords? There must have been something that made people think it was a good idea to bring him back again and again and again.
Steve Race (26345)
match score: 0.78
I would be interested to hear the Minister’s view of the changes that the CITB has brought in, and whether he and the Department believe that those changes are aligned with our goals of increasing access to and take-up of apprenticeships and closing the skills gap across the country
Edward Morello (26604)
match score: 0.78
In evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee after Mandelson had been withdrawn from Washington, the Cabinet Secretary said that a summary of the developed vetting and conflict of interest report was given to the Prime Minister prior to Mandelson’s appointment, and the Prime Minister appeared to confirm that at the Dispatch Box earlier. The Government and the Prime Minister have repeatedly said that it was the extent of the relationship that somehow altered the appropriateness of his appointment. What message does my hon. Friend think it sends to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, and to the many victims of rape, paedophilia, sexual assault or sex trafficking, that anyone with a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein should be deemed appropriate to be our representative in Washington?
Neil O'Brien (25679)
match score: 0.77
Today, I actually feel quite a lot of sympathy for Labour Back Benchers. Once again, they have been put in a totally impossible position by the Prime Minister and his adviser Morgan McSweeney. The Government wanted the same people who had appointed Mandelson in the first place to be able to control the release of information about the extraordinary way in which that appointment was made. I feel for Labour Back Benchers, because those people in Downing Street are the same people who told them they had to vote to cut the winter fuel payment because there would be a run on the pound if they did not. They are the same people in No. 10 who told Labour Back Benchers that they would not change their position on the family farm tax, and then—after people had killed themselves—changed their position on it. They are the same people who got Labour Back Benchers to vote against an inquiry into grooming gangs. That is telling, because that was another occasion on which this weak Prime Minister put his own political interests ahead of respecting victims.
Alec Shelbrooke (24893)
match score: 0.77
The Prime Minister stood at the Dispatch Box and said that he knew. The Minister says that documents such as the vetting report will be released, but all that is irrelevant. We are not interested in what the report says, because the Prime Minister said that he knew. The question for the Minister is this: why did the Prime Minister feel that it was appropriate to appoint Peter Mandelson to be one of the most senior ambassadors in the world? That has nothing to do with vetting; it goes to the heart of the Prime Minister’s judgment.
Jim Allister (25122)
match score: 0.77
Sadly, the European Union being the European Union, it had no great interest in investigating those matters; they were rather swept under the carpet. I say to the Government that Peter Mandelson was there as the United Kingdom’s Commissioner to the European Commission, and that gives status and opportunity to venture into inquiries about those matters. Then, of course, he came back to be sacked, again.
Lisa Smart (26556)
match score: 0.77
The revelations about Peter Mandelson’s conduct raise profoundly serious questions about judgment, national security and accountability. The leaked emails suggest that while serving as a Cabinet Minister, he shared sensitive Government information, sharing details about the 2008 financial crisis, market-sensitive bail-out measures and potential asset sales. These allegations point to potential misconduct in public office, aimed at helping those involved to enrich themselves. They certainly warrant the police investigation that was announced yesterday, but also reveal catastrophic failures in the systems meant to protect our national interest.
Graham Stuart (11406)
match score: 0.77
My hon. Friend may have heard the powerful speech by the hon. Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) earlier in the day about factionalism in the Labour party. The Prime Minister not only appointed Peter Mandelson to the post of ambassador knowing, as he declared today, what he knew, but he previously brought him in as a strategic adviser, advocate and planner in the 2024 Labour general election campaign. All Labour Members are tainted by that association with Mandelson, which was brought about by the leader of their party, now the Prime Minister, who knew about this matter at the time. That perhaps has not been picked up on as fully as it should have been in today’s debate.
Natalie Fleet (26343)
match score: 0.76
I am glad that the paedophile Epstein’s files are being released, and I am glad that there is cross-party consensus that more information should be made public, and that anyone who knows anything should declare it. However, I will not lie; I am angry that victims and survivors have had their anonymity ripped away because of the careless way that their information was handled. I am angry that men trafficked, exploited and raped women, while others turned a blind eye at best, and covered it up at worst.
Ian Roome (26388)
match score: 0.74
Declares that the Tarka Rail Line between Barnstaple and Exeter needs structural improvements to the line’s capacity and resiliency.
2026-02-03
Sean Woodcock (26552)
match score: 0.96
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Kit Malthouse (25346)
match score: 0.89
I am glad that the hon Gentleman is paying attention to my entries in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, but, as he will know, I have not been forced out to get a job
Helen Whately (25398)
match score: 0.84
The hon Gentleman indicated that he is a member of the Treasury Committee, so he must be interested—even though he is looking at his phone—in these unavoidable questions
James Asser (26594)
match score: 0.83
One of the issues it raised was getting younger people interested in going into the business because there are other opportunities elsewhere
Pat McFadden (11936)
match score: 0.83
That is in their interests and in the national interest
Alec Shelbrooke (24893)
match score: 0.83
Were neighbouring residents given advance notice of the auction details so that they could express an interest?
Hamish Falconer (26446)
match score: 0.83
The foreign influence registration scheme means that it is now an offence for someone not to declare that they are acting as an agent for another country
Hamish Falconer (26446)
match score: 0.82
I do not wish from the Dispatch Box to get ahead of the direct participants but, as she would expect, we are in regular discussion with all those with an interest
David Lammy (10678)
match score: 0.82
I am of course taking an interest in this issue, and I look forward to meeting campaigners in the coming months to discuss what more we may be able to do
Charlotte Cane (26425)
match score: 0.81
They are not afforded the opportunities to develop and pursue their own interests
Rebecca Smith (26512)
match score: 0.8
It will be interesting to hear the Minister comment on that
Samantha Niblett (26414)
match score: 0.8
At that time, I had to register a statutory off-road notification for my car because I simply could not afford to run and tax it, so twice a day, every day, I would walk to the school
Angela Eagle (10182)
match score: 0.79
Regulation will help to ensure that businesses can trust that brokers are acting in their best interests
Siân Berry (25752)
match score: 0.79
Can the Minister explain why, despite the interest in lifting the overall benefit cap in the Chamber today, according to the impact assessment the only options assessed were doing nothing or this very narrow measure?
Mark Pritchard (11946)
match score: 0.79
Thankfully, Iranian influence is in decline in the south Caucasus and central Asia, but one country in which it seems to be in the ascendancy is Georgia. Does the Minister share my concern about allegations that there are up to 13,000 Iranian companies registered in Georgia, with 700 registered to one small building in one small village? There is potential sanctions-busting and sanctions-evasion activity going on there. That money feeds into the Iranian regime and funds its malign and malevolent activity across the world. Will the Minister take that up with the Foreign Secretary, and investigate whether Iran is funding its regime by using Georgia as a back door to the Black sea?
John Cooper (26634)
match score: 0.79
I thank the hon. Lady for her interesting intervention. Her chip challenge sounds like a lot of fun, and I defer to Madam Deputy Speaker about the question of proper parliamentary language—I am sure what she said is perfectly acceptable.
Lizzi Collinge (26592)
match score: 0.78
] I am interested by Opposition Members’ interpretation of reality
Andrew Murrison (11132)
match score: 0.78
What assessment have the Government made of the threat that that poses to our critical national interests? Has he considered the prepositioning of our autonomous mine-hunting capability, which entered service at the beginning of last year?
Hamish Falconer (26446)
match score: 0.78
I was interested to hear about my hon. Friend’s visit to Oman. The Kingdom of Jordan is one of our closest allies in the region. We discuss these issues regularly with the Jordanians, and other regional powers that are affected, and I was conducting that business this morning.
Lizzi Collinge (26592)
match score: 0.77
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that fecklessness is not limited to any one socioeconomic group. It is interesting how people born into great wealth consider their position to be due only to their very hard work, yet they consider it to be other people’s own fault if they are born into poverty. That is really quite shocking.
Sam Rushworth (26323)
match score: 0.77
Those measures include: the Renters’ Rights Act 2025; the Employment Rights Act 2025; increases in the national minimum wage; the falling interest rates that are cutting mortgages; the new rules on school uniforms; the 30 hours of free childcare; free breakfast clubs in every school to reduce the early morning stress on working parents; the extension of free school meals to a further 4,500 children in Bishop Auckland; the extension of the warm home discount to more households; and investment in youth hubs, family hubs, and arts and culture
David Baines (26565)
match score: 0.77
This has been a very revealing debate in which Members on all sides of the House have made interesting points, but this matter has unfortunately become quite polarising.
Luke Evans (25805)
match score: 0.77
It is interesting that the debate in the House is slanted towards the Labour view, because they have the numbers. If we look at the public polling, however, we know that, consistently, 60% of the public support the cap and only 30% want it to be taken away. Why is that? Fundamentally, they understand that there has to be give and take. The worry here is that someone will suddenly get £3,650 with no contractual change within society to better themselves.
Kim Johnson (25803)
match score: 0.77
Poverty is a political choice; it is about choosing the interests of the many over the influence of the few
Josh Fenton-Glynn (26545)
match score: 0.77
Indeed, it is interesting that Opposition Members often argue for a simplified tax system for the wealthy, but when it comes to benefits, they have done nothing but buttress the system with more and more complex rules
Ashley Fox (26370)
match score: 0.77
Does anyone believe him? There is not a thought for the taxpayer, and not a thought about the extra debt that the Government are incurring and the interest that will have to be paid on it
Hamish Falconer (26446)
match score: 0.76
We continue to monitor developments closely and will not cease in our demands to Iran to protect fundamental freedoms, including access to information and communications. We are also continuing to take robust action to protect UK interests from Iranian state threats. Those threats are unacceptable. They must and will be defended against at every turn. We will continue to work with our allies and partners to improve regional stability and prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The UK will continue to challenge the actions of the Iranian regime and we stand proudly on the side of freedom and human rights.
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.76
It was very interesting to hear the arguments of the hon Member for Runcorn and Helsby (Sarah Pochin)
John Slinger (26564)
match score: 0.76
In conclusion, we are the Labour party; we want to give young people the skills and opportunities, and to create the ecosystem, that will unleash their potential. That starts by preventing their early years from being blighted unnecessarily by poverty. We also stand for compassion and support for those who really need it, and that is what we will provide. Ending the two-child limit, and the wider measures I have outlined, are vital to ensuring that our young people become the architects of their futures, not merely tenants living in a world shaped by the older generations, by vested interests and, indeed, by those who are opposed to this Bill.
Manuela Perteghella (26569)
match score: 0.75
The two-child limit has punished children for circumstances entirely beyond their control. For nearly a decade, families have been denied support simply because a child happened to be born as a third or a fourth child. That was a cruel choice made by policymakers, not one made in children’s best interests, and it really shows that a Government can get it wrong. This was a particularly callous policy because it was designed to punish children, and because of the harm done to generations of young people, who are the future of our country.
2026-02-02
Noah Law (26513)
match score: 0.96
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Darren Jones (25637)
match score: 0.91
I think the Register of Members’ Financial Interests is a matter for the House, not the Government, but I am sure that the House authorities will have heard the hon Gentleman’s question
David Davis (10162)
match score: 0.89
On Wednesday 21 January, before my contribution to the debate on the Northern Ireland remedial order, I omitted to refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.85
I thank the hon Member for her interest
Judith Cummins (25393)
match score: 0.85
He has now drawn the House’s attention to his relevant declaration in the register
Max Wilkinson (26344)
match score: 0.84
Is it not time to end the Lord Mandelson charade once and for all by bringing legislation to the House to strip him of his peerage? And what about his membership of the Privy Council? The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister referenced declarations of interest, so will the Government work with the House authorities to republish Peter Mandelson’s entry on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests dating back to his time as a Cabinet Minister in a Labour Government?
Ben Obese-Jecty (26354)
match score: 0.83
The Minister knows that I have a keen interest in this topic
Darren Jones (25637)
match score: 0.83
The key thing, though, is that when someone lies in their declaration of interest, there must be a consequence, and that consequence for Members of the other place needs to be removal from the House of Lords and loss of peerage; that can happen only if the other place brings forward proposals to update its own processes, and the Government stand ready to support it in doing so
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.81
I see that we have opened a whisky competition, but the hon. and learned Gentleman is quite right: it is really important that we champion the building of buses and so much else in the United Kingdom. We have great examples of that, and we will always put the national interest first.
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.81
I thank the hon Member for his interest and his engagement in this important Bill
Lilian Greenwood (24774)
match score: 0.81
Additionally, we are funding bus franchising pilots to test the viability of different franchising models so that we can understand how these can deliver better bus services, including in rural locations. That includes a pilot in Cornwall, and I await the results with interest.
Rachel Gilmour (26543)
match score: 0.8
As so many of my colleagues have rightly said, our thoughts today should be first and foremost with the victims. I hope that no political party in this Chamber would use this as an excuse to cover the backs of some of the less fragrant Members of the House of Lords. The fact that Lord Mandelson was, as ever, interested only in the ruthless pursuit of financial gain will come as a surprise to no one. No. 10 is now saying that Mandelson should lose his peerage, and I wholeheartedly concur. However, is it not staggering that Members of this House seemed more aware of Mr Mandelson’s skeletons in the wardrobe than the Prime Minister who appointed him?
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.8
Yes, I will, and I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the shocking case of Nathan Gill. As my hon. Friend rightly says, Nathan Gill got 10 and a half years for taking bribes in relation to Russia. The leader of Reform is not even interested enough to start an investigation to see whether that is the extent—which it will not be—of Russian influence in his party.
Graham Leadbitter (26499)
match score: 0.8
However, I want to focus on an issue that is important to employment in my constituency: the Ardersier site, part of the Cromarty Green freeport, in which Mingyang has expressed a significant investment interest
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.79
I pay tribute to all those businesses in my hon. Friend’s constituency, of which there are very many, as he rightly says. Enhancing our trade and economic ties with Japan is in the interests of both countries, and that is precisely what we are focused on.
Luke Taylor (26443)
match score: 0.79
The files released on Friday are an horrific record of the relationships among the rich and the powerful, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and we have seen mention of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and of course Peter Mandelson. It is horrific and, as other Members have mentioned, we must keep the victims at the forefront of our minds. We have heard the discussion of the email that Peter Mandelson sent to Epstein about business issues, and there was a second one in 2010 in which he gave a preview of the €500 billion bail-out that was imminent. In the light of that, will the Government be proactive in encouraging a police investigation? Are they in discussions with the US Department of Justice about unredacted emails and, potentially, documents that have been withheld and not yet released, which detail the offending further? Will they also republish Peter Mandelson’s entries in the register of interests from his election in 1992 through to 2010?
James Cartlidge (25414)
match score: 0.79
It is interesting that the Secretary of State passed responsibility for answering the question to the DRI Minister next to him, but the Minister did not answer the question. This is of profound national importance because, for us and the United States, these are our most important and sensitive capabilities. When the Minister answered three times last week, he read that sentence about controlling
Liam Byrne (11360)
match score: 0.79
I want to welcome the Prime Minister’s serious engagement with serious power: it is essential to safeguarding our national interest
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.79
This step is an early indication, not the sum total, of the kind of progress that this sort of engagement can achieve through leader-to-leader discussion of sensitive issues, in standing up for British interests
Tan Dhesi (25695)
match score: 0.79
We must engage pragmatically with our allies and with others around the world when it serves the national interest
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.79
We entered negotiations on SAFE participation in good faith; however, no agreement was possible that met our national interests
Torcuil Crichton (26500)
match score: 0.79
Along with that of the right hon Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael), my constituency has an obvious interest in the High North and the defence of the western approaches
Darren Jones (25637)
match score: 0.79
The Prime Minister has been very clear that the declarations of interest put forward by Peter Mandelson were not wholly truthful
Kemi Badenoch (25693)
match score: 0.78
As I was saying, of course we should engage with other countries, even hostile ones, but we need to do so with our eyes open and from a position of strength. That requires a Prime Minister and a Government who put our national interest first.
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.78
It is good to know that the hon. Gentleman, the Member of Parliament who tables the most parliamentary questions to the MOD, keeps track of all his questions. I am certain that I have replied to that one, but will check when I get back to the Department, and make sure that he has the reply. We are looking at all the incidents from Titan Storm, at previous suggestions of incidents, and at potential injuries. The injuries under the last Government were well documented, but we have instigated a number of investigations to get to the bottom of what happened, and why that information did not flow to Ministers ahead of the IOC declaration. I will continue to keep the House updated on progress.
Mark Francois (10901)
match score: 0.78
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I fear that the Veterans Minister, who is still here, may have inadvertently misled the House earlier. According to House of Lords legal records, from 29 to 31 October 2007 in the al-Jedda case against British soldiers held before the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, the applicants were represented by several QCs, including the now Prime Minister, who were instructed—it is in the records—by Public Interest Lawyers, Phil Shiner’s law firm. Would the Minister or the Prime Minister care to correct the record?
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.78
In the light of those conversations, I believe that a collaborative approach will continue, because it is in all our interests
Christopher Vince (26350)
match score: 0.78
When we hear of an MP, or in this case a Government Minister, representing the interests of outside bodies—in this case, a vile paedophile —it is absolutely disgraceful, and very upsetting to those of us who come here for the right reasons
Mark Francois (10901)
match score: 0.78
“If that’s the Prime Minister’s moral stance, then one has to ask questions about how compatible that is with his job of making decisions about putting soldiers in harm’s way in the national interest for the defence of the realm”?
Julian Lewis (10358)
match score: 0.78
Can the Minister not see that it is in the Labour party’s interest, as much as it is in the national interest, that this issue of stripping Mandelson of his peerage should be resolved as soon as possible and that wider legislation is brought in subsequently? The Minister may be a little young to remember when the late John Prescott compared Mandelson to a scorpion in a jam jar that he was holding, but can he explain to the House the fatal fascination of Labour leader after Labour leader appointing this man to post after post, given his chequered record of corruption and multiple resignations?
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.77
I have paused the declaration of IOC for Ajax until the investigations of safety incidents have concluded
Alex McIntyre (26434)
match score: 0.77
It is in the interests of the whole House that we get this place in order so that those who commit heinous acts, who align themselves with people like Jeffrey Epstein, are no longer in this place, and so the public can have trust that we are acting in their best interests
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.77
She claims great interest in the China embassy
Anna Gelderd (26618)
match score: 0.77
South East Cornwall now has a clear opportunity to act, firmly aligned with the national interest for growth across the UK
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.77
There are thousands of US personnel stationed in Britain. Their presence here helps keep us safe, as well as protecting American interests. We will continue to work closely with our US allies—it is important to do so—and will continue to invest in deepening the security partnership with personnel based in the United Kingdom, to keep us safe in these more dangerous times.
Kieran Mullan (25883)
match score: 0.77
The whole House can see with its own eyes what is happening here. The Prime Minister, on paper, has the support of more than 400 MPs. If they want to show their support, they can fill every single seat on the Government Benches, as far as the double doors, but they are all drifting away as these exchanges proceed. Even at the start of his statement, the Prime Minister did not have the authority to command that they fill two or three Benches behind him. He is clearly on his way out. The problem is that in his desperation to shore up his position, he is trading away our national interests. Can he name a single tangible benefit that he has secured in respect of the rights of Hongkongers?
Kevin Bonavia (26330)
match score: 0.77
I am particularly interested in what he had to say about the border security pact, because my constituents in Stevenage are very concerned about the small boats crisis
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.77
It is astonishing that the Scottish National party is simply not interested in the progress that we have made on the India trade deal, which is hugely beneficial to Scottish businesses, or in the halving of tariffs that comes into effect today in relation to China. Businesses in Scotland know exactly what that means to them, which is why they are celebrating. SNP Members cannot bring themselves to even welcome it.
Ian Byrne (25816)
match score: 0.77
The latest information appears to show that Peter Mandelson, when he was a Minister, worked alongside one of the world’s most notorious paedophiles and conspired against the interests of the British people in pursuit of money, power and influence. That strengthens the case for a Hillsborough law to hold those in power properly to account. Under that law, Ministers who used their office to gain a benefit—financial, reputational or otherwise—or who caused detriment to others while knowing that their conduct was improper, would face up to 10 years’ imprisonment. It cannot come quickly enough.
Grahame Morris (24715)
match score: 0.77
I also welcome the proposed upgrades to the lines east of the Pennines, focusing on electrification, an issue that was of great interest and importance during my time as a member of the Transport Committee
Kemi Badenoch (25693)
match score: 0.76
I welcome the Prime Minister’s efforts to collaborate more with our long-standing ally Japan, but let me turn to China. Of course Britain should engage with China. Even though the Chancellor was not allowed to go, even though it is an authoritarian state that seeks to undermine our interest, even though it spies on us—sometimes within the walls of this building—and even though it funds regimes around the world that are hostile to our country, China is a fact of life, a global power and an economic reality. Let me be clear: it is not the Prime Minister engaging with China that we take issue with. What we are criticising is his supine and short-termist approach.
Alex Sobel (25680)
match score: 0.76
It is right that the Prime Minister goes to China if he is acting in the best interests of all those living here. Last year, the Joint Committee on Human Rights undertook an inquiry into transnational repression. In front of us, we had Chloe Cheung, a young Hongkonger from Leeds who had a $HK1 million bounty put on her head. She told us about how she had been intimidated and harassed. Did the Prime Minister speak up for all the Hongkongers in the UK who have had bounties on their heads and who have been intimidated and harassed? Will he ensure that people living in the United Kingdom are safe from the Chinese regime?
Darren Jones (25637)
match score: 0.76
My right hon. Friend is right that each individual issue is wholly unacceptable, and cumulatively they are also unacceptable. The undeclared exchange of funds and the passing on of Government information, let alone the fact that those exchanges were to a convicted paedophile, are wholly unconscionable. The House will know that if any of those activities were to take place today, Ministers would be swiftly relieved of their duties and could be, via the recall petitions available to the House, removed from their constituency, too. As to the matter of criminal investigations, of course that is a matter for the prosecution services and the police. As I have informed the House, the investigation by the Cabinet Secretary into the released documents, as requested by the Prime Minister, is currently under way.
Alicia Kearns (25906)
match score: 0.76
When John Major went to Beijing, he spoke clearly and said, “We will not forget Tiananmen Square.” In contrast, the Prime Minister refused to say Jimmy Lai’s name until he was wheels up. I have never said that we should not engage with Beijing; I have said that we should not give it a propaganda visit. It is extraordinary to abrogate the responsibility of the Chinese Communist party, whose actions we had to respond to, therefore pausing trade talks, as if it has done nothing wrong. Finally, the Prime Minister met with Cai Qi, the man responsible for running two spies who were undermining this Parliament, but he excluded that from his statement. Why doesn’t he tell us why he thought it was acceptable to meet this man and what he got out of it in the British interest?
Max Wilkinson (26344)
match score: 0.76
Is it not now obvious that our best economic interests and our national security are best served by a more rapid reintegration with the European Union?
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.76
The hon. Gentleman will recognise that, for the first time, we have in place a security and defence partnership agreement with the European Union. That is part of our stepping up our willingness to work with the European Union. He knows that the SAFE negotiations did not come to a successful conclusion. That was quite simply because it was not in the interests of the British taxpayer and the British defence industry. We will do a great deal more to support the wider security of the European Union and European nations through NATO.
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.76
It would be impossible to safeguard our national interests without engaging with this geopolitical reality
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.75
Only the SNP could go about this in this way—instead of welcoming the halving of tariffs on Scottish whisky, the right hon. Gentleman raises things that have absolutely nothing to do with China or Japan. Only the SNP has no interest at all in delivering for Scotland.
Bradley Thomas (26561)
match score: 0.75
The Prime Minister has failed to stand up for Britain’s interests. From what we have seen, he could not even make it across Beijing’s red carpet without being guided along the way. What did the Prime Minister expect to receive in return for approving the Chinese super-embassy, and did the Chinese give it to him?
Gregory Stafford (26626)
match score: 0.74
Uyghurs, Falun Gong, Tibetans, unregistered religious groups, human rights lawyers, pro-democracy campaigners, Hongkongers in this country and Jimmy Lai—what single, tangible difference has the Prime Minister made for their safety and security?
2026-01-29
Sally Jameson (26406)
match score: 0.93
I remind Members of my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests: I am a member of the POA
Jessica Brown-Fuller (26372)
match score: 0.89
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, as the chair of the all-party group on infant feeding
Liz Twist (25623)
match score: 0.85
I should declare an interest as a 1950s-born woman
Ian Murray (24872)
match score: 0.83
The EFL—of course, my hon Friend knows this—is a membership organisation, and therefore vested interests take hold on whether a club may be advantaged or disadvantaged by 3UP and, of course, all the connotations around that
Bob Blackman (24945)
match score: 0.81
I declare my interests as the chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on the Holocaust memorial and education centre, co-chairman of the APPG on Israel and sponsor of this year’s Holocaust memorial reception in Portcullis House, on behalf of the Holocaust Educational Trust
Judith Cummins (25393)
match score: 0.8
Order. I am interested in hearing what the Minister has to say, as are our constituents.
Mark Garnier (24824)
match score: 0.79
This is a really interesting point. The Secretary of State chose to mention the triple lock in his statement and to say that the state pension will go up by up to £575 this year, with incomes expected to rise by up to £2,100 a year by the end of this Parliament. We all know that there is no cap on the triple lock. [Interruption.] There is no cap on it, but he made the point that that would rise by “up to” £2,100 a year. Is he implying that the triple lock is about to be capped? Will he confirm that he is apparently U-turning on the Government’s policy on the triple lock by imposing a cap?
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.79
On behalf of the 5,000 WASPI women in my constituency, I must register my deep concerns about the way that people are hiding behind the ombudsman’s report, and saying, “No, we can’t help the WASPI women
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.79
I find the idea that the hon. Gentleman raised of a defence bond genuinely interesting. I will raise it with the Secretary of State, at least to get the hon. Gentleman a response. I happen to believe that we do not debate defence enough in this House. [Interruption.] Well, not compared with how it was some time ago. I will therefore see what prospect there is of bringing forward a defence debate in the near future, in which we talk not just about what is happening in the world, but about how we might best support our armed forces.
David Mundell (11970)
match score: 0.79
As co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Latin America, I was interested to note that, after 25 years of negotiations, the EU has announced a trade deal with the Mercosur South American trading group. What is the position of the UK Government on a trading agreement with Mercosur?
Jonathan Brash (26339)
match score: 0.79
Too often, our game has been overtaken by vested interests, with as many headlines about ownership and governance as there are about the football itself. Pools fans know that only too well. That is why I want to place on record my thanks and welcome to Hartlepool United’s new owner, Landon Smith. His recent takeover has given us our club back. I was delighted to welcome the journalist Robbie Stelling to Parliament. Disgracefully, he was banned from home games by the previous owner, but he is now, quite rightly, welcome once again at Victoria Park. That moment mattered, because it symbolised something bigger: Hartlepool United returning to its supporters, town and values.
Kate Dearden (26548)
match score: 0.78
To hear the Conservative party try to lecture us across the Dispatch Box on trade union engagement, industrial relations and how we operate our economy is very interesting
Peter Prinsley (26383)
match score: 0.77
On Holocaust Memorial Day itself I was so proud to stand in the cathedral of Bury St Edmunds, alongside local Jewish citizens and the schoolchildren of Suffolk, and to make the declaration of remembrance as the first Jewish MP for this ancient town, for we are living in a time of increasing polarisation and division. This is our struggle. I have seen the marches, and they fill me with foreboding. We have seen the protests, and we have seen the rise of far-right, so-called populists all over the world, including right here on Westminster bridge. Too often, the legitimate street protests against the actions of the Israeli Government have simply degenerated into shocking antisemitic chanting. The murderous attacks on Jews on Yom Kippur in Manchester and in the attack in Australia did not arise from nowhere. This is our real and present danger, and we must not underestimate it, for it is pervasive.
Martin Vickers (24814)
match score: 0.77
I have taken a particular interest in the western Balkans because when I studied for my politics degree, one of the units was the break-up of Yugoslavia
Danny Chambers (26607)
match score: 0.77
It is an honour to speak in this debate and to follow such passionate speeches, including that of the hon. Member for East Kilbride and Strathaven (Joani Reid). I congratulate the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley) not only on such an eloquent introduction to this debate, but on such an interesting history of the persecution of Jews in Britain for the best part of 1,000 years. That was very informative and provided a much-needed context for our discussion.
Gareth Bacon (25750)
match score: 0.74
Declares that bootleg alcohol poses a considerable danger to tourists and has, tragically, resulted in deaths in countries including Laos, Turkey and Vietnam.
2026-01-28
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.83
Before I conclude, let me discuss the money. It is an absolute disgrace that this House has not had full disclosure on the money. It is in the public interest for Ministers to tell the truth, to be held to account, and to stop hiding the true cost by misrepresenting the positions of the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Government Actuary’s Department. That is utterly shameful. Today, Labour MPs have an opportunity to join us—
Lincoln Jopp (26573)
match score: 0.82
I am very time-constrained and a lot of points have already been covered. In search of inspiration I was wondering what I might add to the debate, so I will read out a piece of casework which, although not relevant to the Chagos islands, is an interesting comparator. It comes from a member of the public who had written to his bank manager. I suppose I owe it to him to anonymise him, so I need to come up with some sort of pseudonym. I will call him Mr Powell.
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.82
Some interesting questions were asked today, and I want to try to deal with some of them.
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.82
] I think a lot of people are interested in the past
Alec Shelbrooke (24893)
match score: 0.81
When the Government act in the national interest, changes in position should be welcomed
Sarah Olney (25596)
match score: 0.81
“stability, security and freedom and to the UK national interest.”—[Official Report, 13 January 2026; Vol. 778, c. 789.]
Pippa Heylings (26421)
match score: 0.81
They have all told me that they have more children on their SEND register than their funding will cover
Kieran Mullan (25883)
match score: 0.8
They could not care less; they are restrained only by their strict self-interest
Tom Hayes (26566)
match score: 0.8
The right hon. Gentleman has slightly taken forward the point that I was going to make. I take the point that we live in a more insecure time, and that this country has to respond to that. He has given the example of Germany; it is able to do what it is doing because its indebtedness has not risen as extraordinarily in recent years as ours. We are in deficit to the tune of £2.7 trillion, and we pay £105 million in debt interest repayments every year before we pay for anything else, so we are in a particularly difficult situation as a Government, and that is due to our inheritance.
Diana R. Johnson (11647)
match score: 0.8
Companies have already shown an interest in taking on such employees, including E
James Cartlidge (25414)
match score: 0.79
“When signing, ratifying or acceding to this Convention or at any time thereafter, a State may, without prejudice to the obligations arising under section 1, declare in writing that it does not accept any one or more of the procedures provided for in section 2 with respect to one or more of the following categories of disputes”,
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (10119)
match score: 0.79
Is the hon Lady aware of a device called the statutory override which allows local authorities not to declare a deficit in their accounts although they are still incurring a debt? As for schools funding, Gloucestershire is almost at the bottom of the league
Andrew Rosindell (11199)
match score: 0.79
Meanwhile, genuine opposition on the Benches from which I speak now has put aside party squabbles, because national interest must always come before party—there is not really much in common usually between the Reform and Liberal Democrat Benches, but this is a matter of principle. Colleagues in my new party voted for the amendment in the name of the hon. Member for Surrey Heath, and I commend them for doing so. It asked simply to give a displaced people the right of consent before their homeland is gift-wrapped and donated to a foreign country. That is all we are asking: let the people decide. Who can seriously disagree with that principle? We rightly insist on self-determination for the Falkland Islanders, we strongly uphold it for Gibraltar, and we defend it for every other British overseas territory and former colony. The Government are happy to support that principle over Greenland, it seems, but not for their own British Chagossian people. It makes no sense and it is morally reprehensible.
Diana R. Johnson (11647)
match score: 0.79
Contrary to what some people say and believe, the interests of employees and employers are not diametrically opposed
David Lammy (10678)
match score: 0.78
I utterly condemn the Iranian regime’s brutal repression of peaceful protesters. It is a long-standing position under successive Governments not to comment on whether a specific organisation is being considered for proscription. We have long criticised Iran’s authoritarian regime and taken robust action to protect UK interests from Iranian state threats, and that includes over 220 sanctions on Iran and placing the entirety of the Iranian state on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme. We are working at pace, of course, to explore what further measures can be taken to respond to these horrific events.
John Slinger (26564)
match score: 0.78
The sovereignty of the Chagossians is a sensitive and delicate issue which we are attempting to deal with, as my hon. Friend the Minister set out. We have established a contact group. Many meetings have taken place, and I strongly endorse those steps to give respect to the Chagossian people for what has happened to them. The Conservatives used only £1.6 million of the £40 million support fund for the Chagossian people, which hardly indicates that when they were in office the interests of the Chagossian people were their No. 1 priority.
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.78
The agreement safeguards the interest of both the United Kingdom and the United States well into the next century
Kieran Mullan (25883)
match score: 0.78
That is a fact. My right hon. Friend will know that other UN bodies have supported Argentina for decades, and are pressuring us to continue negotiations around that issue. The Government rely on what the UN says, but the UN’s position on the Falklands is completely contrary to the interests of this country.
None ()
match score: 0.78
The Deputy Speaker declared the main Question, as amended, to be agreed to (Standing Order No. 31(2)).
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.78
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. Again, it is the Opposition who have been raising the issue that this deal gives succour and strength to Britain’s enemies. All the people who are working against us—China, Russia and Iran—will accelerate their plotting with their Mauritian friends on how to undermine the operationalisation of the military base on Diego Garcia, and on how to exert their influence in the Indo-Pacific at the expense of all our interests.
Alec Shelbrooke (24893)
match score: 0.78
On debt, the hon. Gentleman has slightly forgotten something called a pandemic, which cost half a trillion pounds. He has forgotten Gordon Brown’s banking crisis, which also cost a half a trillion pounds, and he has forgotten that we have gone into a war in Europe that caused 11% inflation. We get a very interesting dichotomy from Government Members; they say, “Inflation was 11% under your Government, but it’s not our fault that inflation is going up; it’s because of the war in Ukraine.” They might want to marry those two sentences up.
Tim Roca (26549)
match score: 0.78
If we expect others to respect international rules where it suits us, whether in Ukraine or the South China sea, we cannot be seen to apply them selectively elsewhere, except in the supreme national interest
Alex Sobel (25680)
match score: 0.78
I know that the Deputy Prime Minister takes a deep interest in Uganda
Aphra Brandreth (26553)
match score: 0.77
Ultimately, the deal is not in the interests of the United Kingdom. It is not in the interests of protecting one of the most important marine environments on the planet, it is not in the interests of the British Chagossians, who have been ignored throughout this process, and it is certainly not in the interests of the British taxpayer. Those on the Labour Benches know that another U-turn is looming. The deal is indefensible. Today, Members have an opportunity to do the right thing, support this motion and bring this surrender deal to an end.
Tim Roca (26549)
match score: 0.77
That is why, in my view, this is a sensible, hard-headed deal, and a confident assertion of the United Kingdom’s national interest
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.77
The hon Member is absolutely right, and he speaks to my fundamental point about capitulation, surrender and the way that the Government have worked against Britain’s interests
Pippa Heylings (26421)
match score: 0.77
A stark reality keeps county councillors and their finance officers awake at night. Cambridgeshire’s overall dedicated schools grant deficit stood at £62.8 million at the end of 2025. Forecasts show that the high needs block deficit will rise to about £94 million by March 2026, and potentially to £200 million by April 2028. The council is now paying about £3 million a year to service the interest on the debt, which places the county in severe financial risk. I raised this question with Minister McGovern when we had a meeting about the local government financial settlement—
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.77
My right hon. Friend has made his point very clearly. This Government are not standing up for our values or interests. Nor are they making any effort to demonstrate that they are on the side of our national security. Fundamentally, that is what this debate is all about.
Andrew Lewin (26376)
match score: 0.77
Since Labour came to office, the Bank of England has made the decision to cut interest rates six times. GDP growth last year was ahead of forecasts, and there are 500,000 more people in the labour market today than there were in July 2024. There are good reasons to be positive about the economy in 2026, but I absolutely recognise that we cannot be complacent. I know how difficult it can be for young people. Yes, that is because of the Conservative inheritance, but it is also because of the structural changes we are seeing: there can be intense competition for entry-level jobs; there is anxiety about the impact of artificial intelligence; and there are still too many people in insecure work.
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.77
It protects our national interest, it defends our national security, it protects the Diego Garcia base from legal threat, it supports the Chagossian community and it preserves the unique environment in the archipelago
Kieran Mullan (25883)
match score: 0.77
If Mauritius seeks to align itself strategically with China, do we think China will hesitate and ask it not to break the treaty because of international law? China will not respect any Bill or pay any attention to diplomatic consequences for Mauritius if it thinks it is in its interest to get Mauritius to break that agreement. That is the difference between any form of agreement and sovereignty, because once sovereignty has been given away, it can never be bought back.
Julian Lewis (10358)
match score: 0.77
I am a little worried that the Minister is confusing Ministers coming to the Dispatch Box and not answering questions with proper scrutiny of what is going on, so here is a very specific question for her. She has heard previously about the Pelindaba treaty. Mauritius is a signatory, and all signatories have to declare their territories to be nuclear-free zones, effectively. If in the future the Americans, with our agreement and approval, wish to have some nuclear weapons permanently or temporarily on the base at Diego Garcia, will they be able to do so if Mauritius has sovereignty over the islands?
James Cartlidge (25414)
match score: 0.76
To conclude, I asked why the Government were surrendering land that we own freehold, only to lease it back for £35 billion. Is it not the same reason why they are surrendering our brave veterans to a new era of lawfare? Is it not the same reason why Labour gave up our fishing grounds, the most critical possession of an island nation, to access an EU defence fund from which it has not had a penny? We have a weak Prime Minister who always fails to put Britain’s national interests first. If Labour was strong enough to put our national interests first, surely it would stand up to Mauritius and reject this deal. After all, if the Government did that, they could spend the money that they saved on our armed forces, at a time when rearmament at home is on hold, precisely because Labour has failed to fund defence properly.
Kieran Mullan (25883)
match score: 0.76
Do the Government really think that our enemies will put international legal obligations ahead of pursuing their own strategic interests? Of course not, yet we are expected to undertake a strategic surrender in the name of the rule of law in a way that advantages them, and on what basis—that they might look at what we have done and change their ways in the future, as they failed to do in Hong Kong? That is incredible naiveté.
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.76
They are all in hiding, because they are embarrassed. They can join us and stop this surrender. They can tell their constituents that they voted to save a British territory from being lost, that they stood up for our defence and security, that they voted to save £35 billion from disgracefully being handed over to a foreign Government while their taxes at home go up and their public services are squeezed, and that they voted to defend the rights of the Chagossians. Alternatively, they can sleepwalk through the Division Lobby like sheep, defending the indefensible and backing another Labour weak policy and failure of their enfeebled Prime Minister. Conservatives have opposed this deal at every stage from day one and we will continue to do so. We will fight to kill this Bill to defend both British sovereignty and Britain’s pride and national interests.
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.76
Whether it is on arguments of international law, defence and security, self-determination, the importance of the Chagossian people standing up for their rights, or the environment, it is the Conservatives who have been standing up for Britain’s national interests by unequivocally opposing this surrender treaty
Tim Roca (26549)
match score: 0.76
This debate ultimately turns on whether we understand the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be, much as some believe otherwise. We still live in an economically, militarily, politically and morally interconnected world, and that interconnectedness has not gone away. It has become more contested, more multipolar and certainly more strategic, but it has not ended. That matters, because this deal must be judged not on slogans or hyperbole but on whether it secures the United Kingdom’s security interests in that interconnected world.
James Cartlidge (25414)
match score: 0.75
This is a fundamental point. The most sensitive part of our military is the nuclear deterrent; it is critical to the defence of ourselves and our allies. The United States is also nuclear armed. We are a naval nuclear nation, and the base at Diego Garcia is a critical naval base in strategic terms. Yesterday, it was reported that the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Bérenger, had declared that nuclear weapons could not be stored on Mauritius if sovereignty is restored to Mauritius. Does the Minister understand that to be the case?
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.73
“The UK’s (very important) deal with Mauritius secures the operational capabilities of the base and key US national security interests in the region.
2026-01-27
Beccy Cooper (26515)
match score: 0.86
As a declaration of interest, I am still a public health consultant or specialist on the General Medical Council register
Helen Morgan (26056)
match score: 0.84
I declare an interest in that my husband works for an independent wine merchant.
James Asser (26594)
match score: 0.83
I declare that I am a leaseholder
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.83
She raises the matter of vested interests
Richard Fuller (24787)
match score: 0.83
Given my interest in financial matters, I hope that I have the House’s discretion to make a couple of general points about the finance of solar farms, of which I know the Minister will be aware
Meg Hillier (11605)
match score: 0.83
I should first declare that I am a leaseholder
Ben Spencer (25889)
match score: 0.82
I will start with what is now a traditional declaration: I am a non-practising doctor and my wife is a doctor
Julie Minns (26403)
match score: 0.82
I would like to place on record my interest as the mother of an NHS nurse.
Ben Spencer (25889)
match score: 0.82
As always, Mrs Cummins, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I rise to speak to new clause 2, which stands in my name and is supported by many other Conservative Members. I declare again that I am now a non-practising doctor and my wife is a doctor.
Dr Caroline Johnson (25597)
match score: 0.82
I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Opposition, but first I should declare my interest as a consultant paediatrician and member of the British Medical Association.
Stella Creasy (24949)
match score: 0.82
That would not be in anybody’s interest
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.81
The hon. Member may not wish to watch the football, and that is fine—that is her decision—but she will be interested to know that we are consulting on whether we can extend the power over longer licensing hours to other events. She will have to let me know if there are other events that she would like to go and watch in a pub, and that can be part of the consultation.
Brian Leishman (26492)
match score: 0.81
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to hold a public inquiry into the handling of RAAC by national and local government; to introduce legislation to require the maintenance of a high-risk building register, to mandate reporting of building defects by surveyors and other professionals and to introduce sixty-year liability for developers for building defects; and to consider compensation measures such as a ban on levying interest on mortgages on homes condemned after the discovery of RAAC, and the restoration of first-time buyer status for affected homeowners.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.81
Commonhold ensure that the interests of homeowners are preserved in perpetuity
Michael Shanks (26276)
match score: 0.81
The views and interests of local communities are key to that
Wes Streeting (25320)
match score: 0.81
The Opposition amendment to remove the commencement clause is designed to make industrial action more likely, not less likely. It tries to bind my hands and make this job even more difficult. It looks like political gameplaying, at a time when we are trying to save the NHS, and it looks like party interest before national interest. I hope that the Conservatives will consider whether their amendment is really necessary.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.81
All manner of provisions in the draft Bill that we are discussing are absolutely about rebalancing leasehold and freehold interests. To take the example of forfeiture, freeholders have often been in an unassailable position of strength vis-à-vis leaseholders. That is what we are trying to address by introducing the Bill. I thank my hon. Friend for her support.
Sarah Russell (26571)
match score: 0.8
I thank the Minister for his statement, which demonstrates how Labour stands up for people against vested interests—my constituents will thank him for it. On the ongoing problems with unadopted estates, which I have been raising with him since before my election, I would be extremely grateful if he agreed to visit my constituency to see the difficulties that homeowners face.
Wes Streeting (25320)
match score: 0.8
We recognise that we need to keep the great people we have invested in, because doing so is in their interest and in our national interest
Karin Smyth (25390)
match score: 0.8
In the interests of time, I will address the amendments at the end of proceedings, when I have heard from them—I think we have the gist of most of those issues. I restate our firm commitment to the Bill and all clauses.
Torsten Bell (26331)
match score: 0.79
We will always give the hon. Member an answer—and I mean always, at every single one of these sessions. Government Ministers, particularly at the Northern Ireland Office, spend a lot of time speaking to Ministers in Northern Ireland. He is absolutely right to say that the cost of living crisis affects not just one part but all parts of the United Kingdom. To take just one example, the six interest rate cuts since the general election have already made a big difference to those in Northern Ireland whose mortgage renewal is coming up.
Pippa Heylings (26421)
match score: 0.79
Declares that peaceful environmental protestors are being treated as criminals, facing excessive charges, receiving prolonged sentences, and enduring unjust treatment in the media; further declares that the Public Order Act 2023 introduced anti-protest regulations that have proven intimidating to those who wish to continue to raise their voices peacefully; and further declares that the UK’s commitment to the fundamental rights of freedom of assembly, expression and non-violent civil disobedience should be reaffirmed.
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.79
Over and over again, Conservative Members profess to be paragons of fiscal virtue, yet stand up in this place and say they want to cut taxation, which in effect means more and more borrowing. We have in the past seen the problems caused by Conservative Governments who let borrowing run out of control, cause interest rates to surge for families in our constituencies, send our economy to the dogs and harm living standards. We will not stand for that—we will not make the mistakes they made—and we will come forward with proportionate changes that support businesses, but that make sure we can continue to keep our public finances on a sustainable path.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.79
My hon. Friend is right: there will always be vested interests that resist reform of the nature that we are trying to take forward, just as there will always be naysayers out there for whom nothing we do is ever good enough. This package as a whole, as I have said, will end the leasehold system in its entirety and in a single Parliament. That will be a huge achievement for this Government and we will succeed on that basis where other Governments have failed.
Mel Stride (24914)
match score: 0.79
We are waiting with interest to hear the details of the latest U-turn on business rates this afternoon, but if the briefing is to be believed, it will be far too little, too late. The Chancellor simply does not understand the desperate situation so many of our pubs are in. Many pubs are asking why the Chancellor chose to spend billions more on the benefits bill instead of providing proper, permanent business rates support.
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.79
I thank my hon. Friend for her engagement on behalf of the businesses in her constituency. She raises some interesting issues on tax, regulation and licensing when it comes to pubs and hospitality. I do not want to pre-empt the work of the high street strategy, which will be a cross-Government effort with the Home Office, the Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Treasury working together, but we want to hear about these things from businesses on the ground. I look forward to engaging with Members of Parliament from all parties as we work on the strategy in the coming months.
Michael Shanks (26276)
match score: 0.79
Obviously, my Department has a particular interest in how we plan the energy system, but we are seeking to work much more broadly right across Government
Helen Morgan (26056)
match score: 0.78
Would the Minister elaborate on the impact of the Bill on universities that offer medical degrees elsewhere in the world? I think we have all been contacted by Queen Mary, University of London; the implications for the university may be serious if graduates, who have always been considered UK graduates, undertaking NHS training, and a UK medical qualification registered by the General Medical Council, suddenly have their expectations changed.
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.78
I thank the Minister very much for his statement. It is indeed a joy to have some good news in the Chamber for everyone out there, and we welcome that. Thank you for that, Minister, and for the Government’s proposals. The Government have an interest in Northern Ireland, and while homeowners in Northern Ireland have the ability to buy out leaseholds under the Ground Rents Act (Northern Ireland) 2001, that Act does not provide for a cap on ground rent in its calculations. Will the Minister undertake to discuss these proposals with the devolved regions to enable a blanket costing to apply UK-wide at this time of austerity?
Dr Caroline Johnson (25597)
match score: 0.78
“an acceptable programme for provisionally registered doctors”
Karin Smyth (25390)
match score: 0.78
I am also grateful to all colleagues for scrutinising the Bill so thoughtfully and thoroughly during today’s proceedings and, as I said previously, for meeting me last week to go through some of the provisions. It shows that Parliament can put its shoulder to the wheel and get stuff done in the public interest. We act in the public interest because we were elected on a mandate to fix our broken NHS and make it fit for the future, and we will not succeed in that goal without our workforce, who are and will always be our greatest asset.
Torsten Bell (26331)
match score: 0.78
This Government are supporting small businesses, because the hon Gentleman is right on one thing, which is that high energy bills are not in the interests of British industry
Ben Lake (25669)
match score: 0.78
Dozens of small businesses across Ceredigion and north Pembrokeshire will have listened to the Minister’s statement with interest. Could he please reassure me that the consequential funding that he has confirmed will go to Welsh Government will be determined and communicated in time—by 1 April—to allow the Welsh Government to allocate additional support to those small businesses?
Rachel Reeves (24851)
match score: 0.77
Like many, I was staggered by reports that senior counsel appointed by Mr Abramovich in relation to proceedings in Jersey include the shadow Attorney General. I cannot speak for the Opposition—I had many years of doing that—but our focus remains ensuring that there is no further delay in proceeds from the sale of Chelsea football club reaching humanitarian causes in Ukraine. If Mr Abramovich fails to act quickly, this Government are fully prepared to pursue legal action to release the funds. We know whose side we are on: we are on the side of the Ukrainian people, and of Britain’s national interests.
Angela Rayner (25429)
match score: 0.77
We know, however, that vested interests have repeatedly resorted to lawfare to block such measures, and may do so again; we have already seen the scaremongering begin, with outrageous claims that these changes will impact on lifesaving building safety work
Rachel Reeves (24851)
match score: 0.77
We have had six cuts in interest rates since the general election, reducing typical mortgage costs by £1,200 a year, and have secured record levels of inward investment and trade deals with countries around the world
Nia Griffith (11692)
match score: 0.77
I thank my right hon. Friend the Chancellor for bringing us record investment, financial stability and repeated interest rate cuts, but does she share my astonishment that Reform is not only welcoming treacherous Tories who did so much to wreck our economy and public services, but actually entrusting them with economic policy?
Preet Kaur Gill (25666)
match score: 0.76
The Prime Minister has been clear: a serious Labour Government must align migration, skills and training policy with the national interest. We cannot simply be passive; we must shape our domestic workforce to ensure that the NHS can continue to function. The same principle should apply wherever we are overly dependent on skilled migration because domestic training was neglected for 14 years under the Conservatives. Investing in people in the UK, and expecting that investment to strengthen Britain, is not ideological; it is responsible government.
Julie Minns (26403)
match score: 0.76
These, frankly, are illegal, unregistered, untaxed monster bikes without MOTs. These bikes have become a menace not just on the streets of Carlisle, but in communities across the UK. Their speed and lack of traceability makes them the perfect accomplice in robbery, phone theft and drug dealing. Our local neighbourhood police teams have done a good job of seizing and crushing these illegal machines, but they are fighting a losing battle. Cumbria’s police, fire and crime commissioner, David Allen, who is in the Public Gallery today, believes that the time has come to stop the problem at the source by banning the sale of these illegal e-bikes and the conversion kits that create them. I agree, which is why I am introducing the Bill.
2026-01-26
Liz Saville-Roberts (25302)
match score: 0.9
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests—specifically, my role as the co-chair of the Justice Unions Parliamentary Group.
Mark Francois (10901)
match score: 0.87
On the reserves, I should first declare an interest
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.86
I want to declare an interest as a former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment for three years and a member of the Territorial Army for the Royal Artillery for 11 and a half years
Vikki Slade (26582)
match score: 0.85
I should declare a personal interest as my husband Paul is a Royal Navy veteran, my daughter Abbi is a current Army reservist, I am a member of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, and my husband is the armed forces champion at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.85
If my hon Friend permits me, I will take this as an early indication of his interest in serving on the Bill Committee, where he could press his arguments on the value of credit unions to members of the armed forces and veterans
Alistair Carns (26599)
match score: 0.83
I have been a long-standing fan of the reserves, and I have to admit that I have a conflict of interest: I am a reservist
Mark Francois (10901)
match score: 0.82
Turning to housing, I should declare a different interest, as this was an area I cared about very much when I served as an MOD Minister
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.82
I know that the right hon Gentleman takes a keen interest in these affairs, and I will happily discuss some of the details of these proposals with him
Tan Dhesi (25695)
match score: 0.82
It will be important that the new body can act independently in the interests of the forces community and that it is subject to detailed parliamentary scrutiny in this House
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.82
The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting suggestion, and I will be happy to have the roundtable he has called for.
Lizzi Collinge (26592)
match score: 0.82
Perhaps they are too busy making Cameo videos, or forgetting to declare hundreds of thousands of pounds of extra income and gifts
John Milne (26624)
match score: 0.81
On that point, I declare my support for Horsham district council’s work. It confirmed to me last year that it is examining the cost of exempting military compensation payments from all locally means-tested benefits. Does the hon. Member agree that in the spirit of the armed forces covenant, military compensation payments should be exempted from means-tested benefits nationally?
Pat McFadden (11936)
match score: 0.8
Since the new year we have had the first expressions of interest from firms that want to participate in the youth guarantee scheme
Diana R. Johnson (11647)
match score: 0.8
I thank my hon. Friend for her interest and her visit to Tipton Jobcentre Plus, and for her kind words about the staff there. Jobcentre Plus in Tipton has been reviewing local ESOL availability. It is welcoming work with the combined authority to look at expanding provision, to ensure that demand is met and so that more claimants can move into work.
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.8
To come back to the question of cross-party support, not just in the House but across the UK, 14,000 companies and other organisations are signatories to the covenant, and almost every council in every part of the UK has an armed forces champion to promote the interests and the adoption of the covenant
Vikki Slade (26582)
match score: 0.79
Another aspect of the Bill that raises interesting questions is the extension of the special reserve. Although some former members of the armed forces would be more than happy to go back and do their bit, others do not feel that way. One local resident told me that he has done his fair share and does not see why he should be called up again up to the age of 65. I know that my husband would be happy to go back, but I suspect, given his recent attempts to get fit, that he is very unlikely to reach the threshold. What assessment has the Department undertaken of how many in that cohort will be physically able to serve, and what else might they be able to do to serve their country?
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.79
I hope that he and everyone who follows this with interest will see the progress we are making and the determination we are expressing
Josh Newbury (26317)
match score: 0.79
A comment made to me by a member of the ICB’s staff was, “They just aren’t interested”
Luke Akehurst (26420)
match score: 0.79
I think that their apparent lack of interest in defence matters could partly be because, while most of us across the rest of the House have sleepless nights worrying about the threat to the United Kingdom and its allies from Russia, Reform Members do not actually accept that that threat exists; they are on a spectrum that ranges from thinking it is all Ukraine’s fault that it was ever the subject of two invasions and the threat of a third, through to their Welsh leader actually accepting money from the people whose military threat we are trying to counter
Richard Tice (26399)
match score: 0.79
I will tell the Minister what is deeply irresponsible, and that is to give away our national sovereignty and damage our national security interests
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.79
The White Paper signals our interest in this model of direct entry, but, as has been noted, the devil is always in the detail and it is all about how these reforms are implemented
Stephen Timms (10596)
match score: 0.78
We have appointed a firm to facilitate the co-production of the review, and, drawing on an open expression of interest, we have appointed a steering group of 12, which will come together for the first time this week
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.78
We will continue to engage with it on this important matter and on the importance of the deal to secure US and UK interests, and allay any concerns, as we have done throughout this process
James MacCleary (26581)
match score: 0.78
They represent our values, defend our interests, and stand ready to protect us and our allies
Jack Abbott (26385)
match score: 0.78
That legal framework is vital, but legislation alone is not enough. Covenant delivery also depends on strong community institutions. In Ipswich, one such institution is Combat2Coffee, a community interest company, founded by ex-soldier Nigel Seaman, that has become a national model of veteran-led support. Combat2Coffee exists to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the armed forces community and their families. It does so through something deceptively simple: connection. Through coffee mornings, outreach, volunteering and employment pathways, it rebuilds the sense of belonging that many veterans lose when they leave uniform. In 2025 alone, Combat2Coffee supported more than 200 veterans through outreach activities, with more than 2,000 people attending armed forces community coffee mornings. Earlier this year, the organisation’s volunteers were awarded the King’s award for voluntary service, which is the highest honour a voluntary group can receive. That recognition reflects not only the scale of their impact, but the depth of their understanding that mental health is not a niche issue but a continuum, and that early community-based support saves lives.
Peter Swallow (26369)
match score: 0.78
A nation’s defence is only as strong as those who serve to uphold it. The Bill bolsters our armed forces, and it gives personnel and their families the support they deserve, just as they support our most vital national interests every day. This is a Bill from a Government who take their responsibility to our security and to our service people seriously. I am proud to back the Bill.
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.78
The White Paper signals our interest in the direct entry model for increasing the range of people working within our police service. Lord Blunkett will be reporting shortly on his review of policing leadership, and I am sure that those recommendations will deal with many of the issues that my hon. Friend has raised. I look forward to receiving them and implementing them in due course.
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.78
I began by quoting Peel’s declaration that
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.77
We have made very clear how this deal supports our national security interests and those of the US—
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.77
The independent review will take into account existing devolution and local governance arrangements, and I will happily ensure that he and others who are interested in this are kept updated as the review rolls out
Dave Doogan (25796)
match score: 0.76
In 2014, the UK Government committed to increasing the number of Scotland-based personnel to 12,500—I would be interested if the Minister could advise what the figure is now
2026-01-22
James MacCleary (26581)
match score: 0.95
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Alison Bennett (26498)
match score: 0.93
I refer the House to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Ann Davies (26359)
match score: 0.88
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests; as most hon Members know, I am a dairy and sheep farmer from west Wales
Neil Hudson (25875)
match score: 0.84
At this point, I must declare both a professional and a personal interest: I am a veterinary surgeon, a fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and a graduate of Cambridge Veterinary School
Chris Ward (26519)
match score: 0.83
We have consulted on a public interest test
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.83
I could, and I welcome my hon Friend’s interest and expertise in this area
Angela Eagle (10182)
match score: 0.82
I am very interested in using the fund to ensure that money is made available to those who know their areas best, so that it can be put to best use
Alistair Carmichael (10785)
match score: 0.82
They have more of an interest in ensuring that there is a business to be handed on
Melanie Onn (25317)
match score: 0.82
In future negotiations it would be preferable, to say the least, if efforts were made to keep this House informed and if those who have an interest on behalf of their constituents were able to engage directly with those who are negotiating
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.81
We are always driven by our national interest
Neil Hudson (25875)
match score: 0.81
It has offered Members from across the House the opportunity to discuss an issue that is central to our national interests and our values
Chris Ward (26519)
match score: 0.81
As part of that, we have consulted on plans to introduce a public interest test before any further services are outsourced and we will publish the results soon
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.81
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this interesting matter to the House. The UK is full of incredible quirky history, and I will make sure that the relevant Minister has heard his point. I encourage him to seek an Adjournment debate on the issue he raises, and I hope that NatWest has also heard his remarks.
Martin Rhodes (26575)
match score: 0.81
It has been a registered social landlord since 1987, and it provides homes and services to around 364 tenant members
Chris Ward (26519)
match score: 0.81
I am delighted that the Government have negotiated associate membership of the Erasmus+ programme from 2027. That could open up opportunities for more than 100,000 young people from all backgrounds to learn, train, study or volunteer abroad. It is good news for further education colleges, universities and businesses, and is just one example of how this Government are building a strong new relationship with the EU that is in our national interest.
Steve Reed (25170)
match score: 0.8
I have carefully assessed more than 350 representations from those councils that have elections scheduled for May, and from others interested in the outcome
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.8
My hon. Friend raises a very interesting issue. The Government want to ensure that people can look forward to a comfortable retirement, and there is a strong history of learning from best practice in other countries, not least on old age and employment-related pensions. The Pension Schemes Bill is progressing through the Lords, and I will raise my hon. Friend’s concerns with Ministers, because he certainly makes interesting points.
Perran Moon (26482)
match score: 0.8
Meur ras, Mr Speaker. In the 2021 census, despite the disturbing absence of a tick box, over 117,000 Cornish people registered their identity by having to click “Other” and then typing in “Cornish”. With the current consultation on the 2031 census due to close on 4 February, does the Leader of the House agree with me that this farce must end, and that the Office for National Statistics must add a Cornish identifier tick box to the 2031 census?
Martin Wrigley (26484)
match score: 0.8
Is it in the public interest that the management of this information is being outsourced to Palantir?
Alistair Carmichael (10785)
match score: 0.8
I am sure that message that will indeed be heard with some interest in the Northern Isles
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.79
My hon Friend is right, and I am very interested to hear about the course at his local college
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.79
One hundred people replied to that advert; 10 people expressed a further interest; and only one turned up for the interview
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.79
It is in our national interest to do so, and we have set out the red lines within which those negotiations are taking place
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.79
However, what we do, and what I do every single week, is negotiate that closer UK-EU relationship, which is in our national interest
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.79
The Government’s position is in the national interest, and we will continue to pursue it
Andrew George (10222)
match score: 0.79
In the interests of time, I will write to the Minister rather than going through the technical detail now, but it is important that the sanitary and phytosanitary changes that have been brought in be properly understood
Torcuil Crichton (26500)
match score: 0.78
Again, this is not the Minister’s Department, but the Western Isles council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, and, I suspect, other local authorities across our coastal communities, have faced a recent challenge from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, about which I have written to the Treasury. The council may lose its authority as a registered dealer of controlled oils, supplying 14 fishery piers across the 10-island chain that makes up the Western Isles. Those sites are in remote location, which, combined with the physical geography and the need to have fuel supplies available out of normal hours, means that the sites cannot possibly be physically or remotely monitored, as HMRC says they have to be. The council has been informed that, unless the sites are monitored and HMRC is satisfied that all sales are for legitimate licensed use, the sites and the licences may not be approved.
Adam Jogee (26541)
match score: 0.78
This has been an excellent debate, and I particularly enjoyed the speech from the hon. Member for Caerfyrddin (Ann Davies). I went through her constituency last summer on the way to go and see my hon. Friend the Member for Mid and South Pembrokeshire (Henry Tufnell). Next time, I shall stop off for a cuppa and see her in action. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher), I married a woman from a family of farmers, so I share his experience and interest in these issues.
Nick Thomas-Symonds (25279)
match score: 0.78
To clarify, there are no access fees in regard to either the emissions trading system linkage or the food and drink agreement that is being negotiated. That is absolutely clear. In terms of moving forward, we take pragmatic decisions in the national interest in various sectors, which is why we opened negotiations on electricity trading before Christmas. The hon. Gentleman has crystalised the choice at the next general election: this Government are negotiating a deal that will bear down on food and energy bills, give law enforcement more tools to keep our country safe and create jobs; the Conservatives, for ideological reasons, are setting their face against those things. I would welcome that debate with them.
Alison Bennett (26498)
match score: 0.78
A close and strong relationship with our European partners is vital to our interests
Gavin Williamson (24729)
match score: 0.78
I was very interested to hear what the Secretary of State said. I represent a two-tier local authority area, and I live in a two-tier local authority area, yet I seem to pay considerably less council tax than people living in neighbouring local authority areas that are Labour-controlled and single-tier. Can the right hon. Gentleman explain how?
Lincoln Jopp (26573)
match score: 0.78
Will the Leader of the House please use his good offices to encourage the Home Office to come here on Monday to make a statement, which I am sure would be of interest across the House, to find out where the asylum seekers that have been moved into Crowborough barracks have been drawn from?
Alistair Carmichael (10785)
match score: 0.78
Layer on top of that the interests of aquaculture, and we begin to get a sense of the complexity of seafood harvesting and production
Charlie Dewhirst (26461)
match score: 0.78
My right hon. Friend the Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman) mentioned PFI contracts earlier—a particularly pertinent subject as many of them come to an end. That is impacting a number of schools in my constituency, where work is suddenly not being done and costs are going up. One school has carried out a survey that says it will cost £3.5 million to bring the school back up to a safe standard, but it is concerned that the company that should be doing the work will declare itself bankrupt, leaving the school and the local authority with the bill. I suspect that that is not an isolated case and that Members across the House will be aware of similar issues. Can we have a debate in Government time on PFI contracts and their impact on public services?
Brendan O'Hara (25370)
match score: 0.78
In the interests of improving Government transparency, will the Cabinet Office now publish the details of how the Government reached the decision that allowed Lord Mandelson, the man who described the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as his “best pal” and who then urged him to fight for his early release following his conviction, not just to retain his place in the House of Lords but to keep the Labour Whip and his Labour party membership card?
Adam Jogee (26541)
match score: 0.77
The petition of the residents of the constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme declares that the A525 outside Meadows primary school and the A531 at the junction of Crewe Road are inadequate, dangerous and putting the lives of the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme at risk. The petition acknowledges that in December 2025 a parent was knocked down dropping their child off to school and that there have been many more near misses in the many weeks and months before.
Miatta Fahnbulleh (26389)
match score: 0.77
We share the hon. Member’s view that local government is on the frontline of delivering services to the people of this country. It can do so only when central Government works with it in partnership to overcome the shared challenges that we face. Our local government reforms, including funding reforms and reorganisation, will enable local councils that are empowered to deliver local services and equipped to drive economic growth and to work in the interests of their communities. That is a shared goal and a shared priority, and we will work with anyone across any political party in order to deliver it.
Angela Eagle (10182)
match score: 0.77
Protecting standards is not enough on its own, however. We are backing British farmers to create a productive, profitable and sustainable future for farming. We believe that support is essential for our country’s economic growth and food security. Through new technology, streamlined regulation and nature-friendly farming schemes, we are helping farmers to produce food for the nation. A stronger and more productive domestic farming sector is in our national interest and will keep high-quality British food on the shelves for consumers.
Neil Hudson (25875)
match score: 0.76
When we talk about improving marine welfare and addressing some negative practices, we must be clear that fishermen and women in the UK are trying to act in the best interests of the ecosystem on which they depend
Tom Hayes (26566)
match score: 0.76
This week the Prime Minister hit the phones again to protect our interests; meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition risked undermining those efforts, acting almost like a Trump Trojan horse in this Chamber. Diplomacy is paying off: tariff threats are receding and Greenland solutions may be emerging. Does the Minister agree that we must always put country before party and work with the US and our European allies, and that our efforts should command cross-party support?
2026-01-21
Emma Reynolds (24868)
match score: 0.84
I also thank Members for the interest we have had across the House, other than from the Conservatives
Judith Cummins (25393)
match score: 0.84
Order. Members will have seen the interest in the debate shown by the number of Members on their feet and will be aware of the short time available. I do not want to bring in a time limit at this moment, but I ask Members to keep their comments as brief as possible in order to help each other out.
David Davis (10162)
match score: 0.84
I suppose I should declare an interest: I was the only person, other than Tom Watson, to have had an Act of Parliament struck down in the courts—not using a declaration of incompatibility, but actually using article rights and so on—so I am quite familiar with that process, and this is not it
Mark Garnier (24824)
match score: 0.83
It is expected in 11 or 12 years, I think, that less money will be paid into the pension schemes pot than is withdrawn by those of us who are approaching retirement—I declare an interest, in my own case
Kemi Badenoch (25693)
match score: 0.82
Back to the national interest
Peter Swallow (26369)
match score: 0.82
I welcome the warm homes plan for the support that it will give, not only to the constituents most in need in Bracknell Forest, but to everyone who is making important upgrades to their home, including through low and no-interest loans for solar panel upgrades. What thought has my right hon. Friend given to supporting leaseholders in making these changes, and to ensuring that they are not held back by freeholders turning down common-sense requests?
Emma Reynolds (24868)
match score: 0.82
I thank my hon. Friend for her interest, and indeed for her submission to the Independent Water Commission. On the financial management of our water companies, we have set out in the White Paper that the new regulator will have the power to step in to ensure that unmanageable levels of debt are not taken on by water companies. We have seen some very poor financial dealings in the past, which have led to poor performance and poor maintenance of water assets.
Kemi Badenoch (25693)
match score: 0.82
Jokes aside, these questions I am asking are about our national interest
Andrew Bowie (25703)
match score: 0.81
What steps will the Department take to ensure that low-interest loans will provide good value for money? How many homes will benefit from the low-interest and zero-interest loans scheme, and how will it be determined who gets a low-interest loan or a zero-interest loan?
Paul Kohler (26570)
match score: 0.81
Yes, in other words, it is for our Government to stand up for our international obligations. Hon. Members should look about them; look at what is happening at the moment with Greenland. This is the time when we should stand up for our international obligations. It is a time for us to believe in the rule of law. There is a declaration of incompatibility and our Government should absolutely stand up for our international obligations.
Emma Reynolds (24868)
match score: 0.81
The second shift is from corporate interest to public interest
Emma Reynolds (24868)
match score: 0.8
I would like to see longer-term investors, such as pension funds—I am a former Pensions Minister—being more attracted to invest in the water system. We need a more stable, long-term regulatory approach to get more of those investors involved. I met the Maple Eight when I was in Toronto last year, and there is great interest in investing in our water system, but we have to get the regulatory system right first.
Luke Murphy (26488)
match score: 0.8
The cost of living is the No. 1 issue for my constituents, so I welcome this record investment in warmer homes and lower bills. Measures such as zero-interest and low-interest loans for solar batteries and heat pumps, greater protections for renters, and solar on new homes will all make a huge amount of difference. When will my constituents be able to begin applying for those low and zero-interest loans? For many, there is no time to wait.
Claire Hanna (25447)
match score: 0.8
Today I again urge the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister, where concerns exist about disclosure, ECHR compatibility and judicial independence, to ensure that we face down those vested interests, in or out of uniform, and show Britain as a democracy that upholds laws and rights
Lincoln Jopp (26573)
match score: 0.8
“A declaration of incompatibility has no legal effect and does not affect the ongoing validity of the incompatible legislation. It is merely a tool by which the courts can draw attention to an incompatibility; it is then for the Government and Parliament to decide what action, if any, to take.”
Charlie Maynard (26544)
match score: 0.8
This Bill is a double whammy on last year’s national insurance hikes—the NICs burden went up last year due to the rate increase, and now this measure is raising their NICs bills for a second time. I would be interested to hear from the Minister what assessment the Government have made of the impact of these changes on businesses, and on small businesses in particular. That is why the Liberal Democrats have tabled amendments requiring the Government to publish full assessments of the impact of the Bill on the recruitment and retention and the tax liabilities of businesses.
Iqbal Mohamed (26620)
match score: 0.79
4 billion in interest payments on money held by the company, yet bills have risen by an eye-watering 28% to 34% in the past year, and are predicted to rise by a further 30% between now and 2030
Mark Garnier (24824)
match score: 0.79
I challenge Labour MPs. Why are they being whipped to vote against these measures and against the interests of lower-paid people? Why are they being asked to vote against the interests of graduates and younger people and vote for a regressive tax?
Ed Miliband (11545)
match score: 0.79
We also want to look at how a zero or low-interest loan scheme could work across the United Kingdom
Alex Burghart (25659)
match score: 0.79
I take everything the hon. Lady’s Committee does incredibly seriously. There is a good deal of experience on it and she always has interesting witnesses. I was very interested in the remarks made at her Committee the other day by experts in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I hope to have the opportunity to talk to her about that, as well as to the people who were giving evidence.
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.79
She has chosen naked opportunism over the national interest
Peter Swallow (26369)
match score: 0.79
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has set out, this remedial order follows rulings by the High Court of Northern Ireland and the Court of Appeal that declared a number of provisions within the previous Government’s legacy Act to be incompatible with our human rights obligations under the European convention on human rights.
Pippa Heylings (26421)
match score: 0.78
The Liberal Democrats have long called for an emergency home energy upgrade scheme with free insulation and heat pumps, and we have recently submitted proposals for low-interest loan schemes, so we really welcome this significant investment by the Government in low-carbon heating
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.78
That is why I am working hard to ensure that we do not get to that point, and I will continue to act in the national interest
Hilary Benn (10669)
match score: 0.78
Section 10(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998 allows a remedial order to be made on two grounds: first, if there has been declaration of incompatibility in relation to a provision of legislation and an appeal against the declaration has been “determined or abandoned”—the word “abandoned” is really important here—and secondly, if there are “compelling reasons” to do so
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.78
I am very pleased that we are backing my hon. Friend’s home town of Clydebank with £20 million of Pride in Place funding. Just this week we hosted a reception to meet people who are working hard to change their neighbourhoods across the United Kingdom. That is Labour delivering on national renewal. As my hon. Friend rightly says, compare that with the SNP, which is more interested in squabbling over independence than using a record settlement to fix Scotland’s public services.
Jessica Brown-Fuller (26372)
match score: 0.78
Last year, Southern Water’s chief executive saw their pay double to over £1 million a year, while my constituents in Chichester face rising water bills, sewage outflows that continue for days at a time and the continuing over-abstraction of our chalk streams. What are the Government going to do about these water companies that are evading the bonus ban? Does she agree that a public interest model is the overhaul that we actually need?
Ed Miliband (11545)
match score: 0.78
I can announce that the Government are, for the first time ever, setting aside up to £2 billion to subsidise zero and low-interest loans for solar panels, batteries and other technologies, learning from the successful experience of other countries and meeting demand for this technology
Paul Kohler (26570)
match score: 0.78
We welcome the remedial order, but that does not mean that we are declaring the job done
Hilary Benn (10669)
match score: 0.78
With great respect, I disagree. In answer to the hon. and learned Gentleman’s first intervention, I tried to explain that he is right in what he reads out in relation to article 2; it is the subject of a continuing appeal. However, the declaration of incompatibility under the ECHR remains, because the court ruled both of those things. It is not at issue in the appeal, and that gives the Government the ability to bring forward an order under section 10. I will give way to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp), but then I will bring my remarks to a close.
Hilary Benn (10669)
match score: 0.78
The right hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson) says that we should wait. He is perfectly entitled to advance that argument, but he is one of the majority of those who have taken part in the debate who are in favour of getting rid of immunity, which is what the remedial order does. The hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister) said that nobody is interested in those who were affected by the Kingsmill massacre. I disagree with that. As he will know, the Kingsmill massacre is currently the subject of an investigation by the legacy commission, and I hope that, along with all those investigations, it is able to make progress.
Jonathan Davies (26557)
match score: 0.77
I was particularly interested to hear of the £90 million that has been set aside for the development of heat pumps, because Vaillant—one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heat pumps—is based in Belper in my constituency
Rachel Taylor (26478)
match score: 0.77
The latest interest rate cut—the sixth since Labour formed this Government—is great news for mortgage holders in Wales, North Warwickshire and Bedworth and across the UK, bringing down the cost of family mortgages by almost £1,400 a year. Will the Secretary of State update the House on how this Government’s policies are helping to strengthen our economy and improve the cost of living as a result?
Geoffrey Cox (11541)
match score: 0.77
He says that because the declaration of incompatibility is not the subject of the intervention of the veterans, that gives him the opportunity—entirely technically and devoid of any moral merit whatsoever—to bring in this remedial order, but he knows perfectly well that the substance of the argument on which the remedial order is based is very much in point in the deliberations of the Supreme Court, so what the Court will do, if it decides against him, is to remove the entire basis for the remedial order that he is bringing in
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.77
I am not sure if every town and city has street pastors, but there are many people from the churches who have an interest in young people and issues relating to them
Jo Stevens (25304)
match score: 0.77
Wages are up, and inward investment is up. Inactivity is down on the year, and unemployment is down on the year. We have also had six cuts in interest rates, meaning that families taking out a new mortgage are £1,400 a year better off than they were under the Tories.
Sammy Wilson (11374)
match score: 0.76
Why is the Secretary of State going through with this? He knows the results, so why does he pursue it? I can only assume that he puts the adherence to the ECHR above the interests of veterans and victims, and that is a disgrace
Tom Hayes (26566)
match score: 0.76
It was interesting to hear the Liberal Democrats really struggle to say that they admire this policy, given that they seem to be getting everything they want from it, and it is disappointing to see the deserted Conservative Benches for this statement. [Interruption.] Oh, I offer my apologies to the shadow Minister, who is not with allies.
Calvin Bailey (26340)
match score: 0.75
That is important, because when the UK faced an internal crisis that was similar to the crises that it sought to manage elsewhere, it used military support to the civil authority to address it. In my opinion, it should have declared a state of emergency. Under such a state, the Government can enact powers that they are unable to enact during peacetime, the most important and pertinent of which is the ability to deploy their own military on their own streets in the protection of their own civilians. The issuance of such orders brings with it clear and defined parameters, under which those acting in the supplementary capacity of the police have the right and authority to use legal force on behalf of the state in an attempt to save lives.
Steve Witherden (26583)
match score: 0.75
The thug in the White House has shown that he does not listen to grovelling or sycophancy, and he will continue to harm British interests no matter how compliant we are. Like all bullies, he will always find the weakest link. Will the Prime Minister close ranks with our European allies and commit to retaliatory tariffs?
Jim Allister (25122)
match score: 0.75
Indeed, the Secretary of State came pretty close to confirming that when he said in this House this afternoon that if and when the remedial order goes through, it is his view that there would be no basis upon which to continue the Republic of Ireland’s action. That is the problem. We have a Secretary of State who is genuflecting to the Dublin Government. That is the feeling of innocent victims in our country. They are forgotten, but worse than that, they are way down the queue when it comes to a Government that are interested primarily in facilitating those who give shelter to their killers.
2026-01-20
Shockat Adam (26364)
match score: 0.91
I refer hon Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests; I am a practising NHS optometrist
Helen Morgan (26056)
match score: 0.85
May I just highlight that I did not declare my interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on digital communities, which I should have done?
Julian Lewis (10358)
match score: 0.83
I declare a sort of interest, in that many members of my family were murdered in the Holocaust
Monica Harding (26516)
match score: 0.82
I declare an interest as the mother of four young adults and teenagers
John Slinger (26564)
match score: 0.82
I should declare that in a previous role, I advised a mobile phone company on communications
Kieran Mullan (25883)
match score: 0.81
I do not intend to hold up the House further, as I wish to ensure that others with interests in other Lords amendments have the opportunity to speak
Sally Jameson (26406)
match score: 0.81
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wish to apologise for inadvertently making an error. At the start of my speech on the Sentencing Bill, I forgot to declare that I remain a member of the Prison Officers Association, following my time in the Prison Service. I hope that the record can be corrected.
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.8
I have said this before, and I will say it again: to all the Labour MPs who have been whipped and commanded to enter the Division Lobby to back the surrender Bill and support the Government’s plan to remove the Lords amendments, I say, “You are being used to service the interests of your Prime Minister, rather than your country and your constituents
Tom Hayes (26566)
match score: 0.8
This treaty protects our national interest
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.8
Given the point about consolidation, I am confident that this is a proposal that we will be able to make work in the national interests of our country and all the people who live here
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.8
I am very interested in the idea of age classification, and I would be more than happy to talk to her about that
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.8
I think it is really important that those duties are upheld and implemented. As I have said, I am very interested in highly effective age assurance measures, which are already required for some of the most serious issues, including pornography, and whether they should be extended to other areas.
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.8
I am very interested in looking at highly effective age-assurance measures
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.79
I will absolutely look at those issues and make sure that young people’s views and voices are at the heart of this. It is interesting that, when we look at the Australians’ experience, we see that they had to define what social media is and what it covers. That has not been as straightforward as some might have thought, and I think it is really important that we look at it closely. The OSA does not have a definition of social media, so that is one thing we need to consider.
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.79
Finally, subsection (4) would infringe on the prerogative power to make and unmake treaties. It is not wise to impose any immovable requirements about a hypothetical set of circumstances that might arise in the future. This provision risks requiring the Government to breach the UK’s obligations under a treaty. It is clearly preferable for all options to be open to a future Government, so that they can deal with whatever the future may bring and act in the UK’s best interests, taking into account all the circumstances.
Richard Tice (26399)
match score: 0.79
If the decision is in the national economic interest, could the Minister confirm that some British steel might be used in this Chinese embassy? Can he guarantee that it is in the national security interests of British citizens?
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.79
On age verification, I am extremely interested in what more we can do to enforce the existing law, and we will be gathering evidence on those points
John Hayes (10265)
match score: 0.79
I will speak, however, about the interests of the Chagossians, who have been ignored throughout this process, who were uninvolved in the negotiations from the outset, whose voice has not been heard, and whose future has been disregarded. That seems to me to be wholly unethical.
Kanishka Narayan (26333)
match score: 0.79
Mobile coverage is an extremely important topic, which is reflected in the amount of interest shown across from the House in any parliamentary activity on the subject
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.79
My hon Friend will know that we have been doing extensive work to ensure that the Foreign Office is focused on the key priorities and on delivering for the national interest
Graham Stringer (10576)
match score: 0.79
The amendments before us would not affect the core of the Bill, because that was dealt with in a very short period of time on Second Reading, on Report and in Committee, but they are important in as much as they ask for information. We are going to pay for something that we did not used to have to pay for. It will have consequences for our ability to look after our defence interests in the Indian ocean, and we do not know how much it will cost. Amending the Bill to give us an exact figure for those costs is important. Lords amendment 1 is also important if for some reason Mauritius changes its view or the islands disappear under water. I do not have the opportunity this evening to vote for what I would like to vote for, but I will vote for the amendments that the Lords have put before us.
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.79
I did a big thing with my local schools, and it was really interesting because at that time young people said they wanted to be online for some of the benefits, but already saw the problems—the bullying, the harassment and what was happening to younger children
Sammy Wilson (11374)
match score: 0.79
What way is this to build trust? The Government have refused to give them a say on whether this treaty reflects their interests and deals with their concerns and the despicable way in which they have been treated in the past
Peter Prinsley (26383)
match score: 0.79
What further representation can we make to resolve this? Surely it is in the interests of all people in Israel and in Palestine for this fragile peace to be preserved
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.78
The right hon. Gentleman uses language that I think is inappropriate, unhelpful and inaccurate. I have made the point about consolidation, about the national security advantages and about this Government’s commitment to securing our national interests. Let me say one final thing. He is right to raise the case of Jimmy Lai. He knows the Government’s clear commitment that Jimmy Lai should be released immediately.
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.78
What sensible members of the public will be interested in is what the security professionals—the security agencies, the intelligence services, those people who really understand the nature of the risk and the threat—have said and what they think, and I have been clear about what they think and about the way in which we have approached the process, which I believe will deliver national security benefits for our country
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.78
Let me turn to the issue referenced in the Lords amendments. I want to answer the many genuine questions that have been asked by a number of hon. and right hon. Members on behalf of the Chagossians. We have secured a deal that protects the interests of the Chagossians. I know that there are a number of Members of this House who rightly care deeply about this issue and have done so for many years, but I am afraid to say that there are others who have picked up the mantle for pure political game playing and who fail to recognise that there is a genuine range of opinions within Chagossian communities; there are some who oppose this deal and there are many who support it, and that simply has not been recognised by many. We deeply regret—I reiterate this—the way in which Chagossians have been treated by successive Governments in the past. That is why we are committed to a future relationship that is built on trust.
Simon Hoare (25427)
match score: 0.78
The Secretary of State has demonstrated her commitment and interest in this issue at the Dispatch Box this afternoon, and we thank her for that. However, with the greatest respect, if social media had just arrived in our sitting rooms two weeks ago, a consultation might be necessary, but the canon of evidence about the demonstrable harms being done to our young is now very clear; that is what we have all read in our inboxes in recent days. The consultation will not throw up anything that we do not already know. Still less will it find a unanimity of view. There will always be differences of view on whether to ban. To govern is to choose. Can I urge the Government to choose to act swiftly, and to use the legislative vehicle in the other place to act now, because too many of our young people are on a precipice?
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.78
I agree with my hon. Friend about the destructive impact of deregistering NGOs. Part of the 20-point plan that President Trump set out, which Israel and all countries signed up to, was about substantially increasing humanitarian aid and support in Gaza. Instead, the current situation takes us backwards. It is significant that the Palestinian National Committee for Gaza has now been set up. I have continually pressed, in all the international discussions, that the committee should be able to take responsibility for significantly increasing humanitarian aid.
Alex Ballinger (26580)
match score: 0.78
My hon. Friend makes a good point. This treaty has been through the interagency process in America and has support across the system. Colleagues may have mentioned the President changing his position, but the US system is much wider than that, and I do not think we should we should base our long-term strategic and security interests on Truth Social posts.
Sammy Wilson (11374)
match score: 0.78
Indeed, they seem to be willing to surrender when any challenge is made to its interests
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.78
By taking tough steps to keep us secure, we enable ourselves to co-operate in other areas, including in pursuit of safe economic opportunities in the UK’s interest, and in areas such as organised immigration crime, narcotics trafficking, and serious and organised crime
Katie Lam (26588)
match score: 0.78
If the Government ever want the British people to believe that they are motivated by anything other than deep shame about our history, they would do well to accept the amendments before us today or—far better—to scrap this deal entirely. The British people are owed a Government who stand up for their interests today, not punish them for the imagined sins of our ancestors.
Anna Gelderd (26618)
match score: 0.78
In South East Cornwall, we may be geographically removed from Diego Garcia, but we are closely connected to the realities of our national defence. Torpoint has the third highest number of veterans of any community, with over 14% of people having served. Residents across the area have written to me about the importance of this issue. His Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport is the largest naval base in western Europe and a key part of our national defence capability, so we are an area that understands the importance of national defence and its complexities. We know that it requires long-term thinking and joint working with multiple allies, each of whom understandably has its own national interests in mind.
Alicia Kearns (25906)
match score: 0.78
Anyone who votes against the clawback tonight should be ashamed of themselves, because they should want to put in place the minimum protections for the people of the Chagos islands—those people who have come this evening to hear us debate, because their voices have not been heard in this Chamber and they have been denied by a Government who would not meet them, a Government who have no interest in supporting them, and a Government who tonight will vote against the only protections that might make sure that their voice is heard.
Tom Hayes (26566)
match score: 0.77
In the interests of giving a briefer speech, I am going to put down the two pages that further explain the way in which the treaty reinforces the UK’s relationship with the Chagos islands and supports our national security
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.77
Labour’s Chagos surrender Bill is back, and this House has its last chance to act in the national interest, defend the rights of the Chagossian community and protect the money of hard-pressed British taxpayers, who are being expected to foot a colossal bill of £35 billion, which is being given to a foreign Government to—guess what?—cut their taxes, while our taxes rise.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
The UK Prime Minister will always act in our national interests. That means pursuing Britain’s security, prosperity and values. That is what he has done at every stage, and it is exactly why he was so firm with the President about our support for the sovereignty of Greenland. We are working continually with our international allies. We are co-operating closely with partners right across Europe to respond in a strong and firm way, in order to prevent a trade war that will cause damage to UK and US industry, and to build instead the collective partnership on security that is in all our interests.
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.77
Lords amendment 1 would amend clause 1 to prevent the Bill and the treaty from entering into force until the Government had sought to renegotiate the termination clauses to include the base becoming unusable due to environmental degradation. That is unnecessary and I shall set out why. First, limiting the circumstances in which the treaty can be terminated protects the UK’s interests and those of the United States, which has invested heavily in the base. In line with the United States’ wishes, the previous Conservative Government agreed to limit termination to two grounds, both of which are in UK control, and this Government have secured that—
Mark Sewards (26440)
match score: 0.77
I proudly declare that I will be visiting the Falkland Islands as a guest of their Government next month
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.77
As I have said, limiting the circumstances in which the treaty can be terminated protects the UK’s interests and those of the US. The Government have secured that procedure.
Alex Ballinger (26580)
match score: 0.76
This is not an exercise in process; it is about whether this House chooses to protect on firm, enforceable terms an overseas base that is fundamental to British security and our closest alliances. Diego Garcia is a critical asset for the UK and our allies. It supports counter-terrorism, monitors hostile state activity, and enables the rapid deployment of UK and US forces across regions that matter deeply to our national interest. Those opposing the Bill need to be clear about what they are opposing. They are opposing a treaty that secures the base for 99 years with full operational freedom, one that is backed by our allies and was negotiated substantially under the previous Government.
Dan Carden (25642)
match score: 0.76
We can assist that process, in the Iranian people’s interests and ours, by banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Graham Leadbitter (26499)
match score: 0.76
Yesterday, the Prime Minister attempted to justify the hesitant approach that is being taken to Greenland, the US and the EU as being in the national interest, yet there was nothing in the national interest about Brexit, a false-hope deal that has left us far away from our European friends, desperately clinging to a US Administration who do not care about our national interests. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that the UK is nothing but a cork in the ocean, bobbing around at this moment of international crisis, neither here nor there—and all because of a disastrous, isolationist, self-sabotaging Brexit?
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.76
While securing our national security, we have taken steps throughout the Bill to ensure that we have the measures in place, including the full control of Diego Garcia; the 24-mile nautical buffer zone where nothing can be built or placed without our consent, meaning that we can protect our interests; a rigorous process to prevent activities on the wider islands—some over 100 nautical miles away—from disrupting base operations; a strict ban on foreign security forces on the outer islands, whether civilian or military, without UK consent; and a binding obligation to ensure that the base is never undermined. These are robust provisions, and they defend the national security of ourselves and our allies, including the United States.
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.76
It plays a crucial role in defending our interests, our countries and our people and ensures that we remain equipped to face an increasingly complex and dangerous world
Iain Duncan Smith (10180)
match score: 0.76
Some of my right hon. Friends, one of whom I see on the Front Bench, have raised other reasons in these debates. Beyond the ICJ judgment, we were told there were other issues, and that somehow if we did not do this we would face challenges under the United Nations convention on the law of the sea and by the International Telecommunication Union, which stands steadily. What is most interesting about all this is that, when pressed throughout, bit by bit Ministers’ arguments fell apart. These issues are very detailed, so I will not go into them now, but they will have to be raised in much more detail later.
Jim Allister (25122)
match score: 0.76
The Minister’s gymnastics have been equally on display when it comes to dealing with his party’s manifesto. Contrary to what he says, it is very clear that when the manifesto declares that Labour will always
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.75
We will not pause in defending our national security interests and those of our allies. We will do the right things to keep our national security and the operations of the base working as they have done for many decades. Despite the claims from the Opposition Benches, I reiterate that it is a matter of public record that, on February 2024, the former Prime Minister spoke with his Mauritian counterpart to confirm his commitment to negotiations, which continued until the general election. It was simply not credible to try to hang on, hope for the best and endanger an asset that is vital to our national security. The reality is that the previous Government failed to secure a deal. They failed to secure protections for the outer islands, for example. When it came to a matter of critical security, they did not deliver, so I am proud that we have secured a deal that is able to do those very things.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.75
I agree with my hon. Friend. We need to maintain the fragile ceasefire and to make progress towards peace and, ultimately, the two-state solution that is in the interests of the people of Israel and the people of Palestine. I, too, have heard horrendous stories about medical conditions from some of the brave doctors who were operating there, before the ceasefire, in the most difficult and dangerous of conditions. We are very clear that the humanitarian support that still needs to be surged must include medical supplies and healthcare support. Not only is this an issue that we raise continually with the Israeli Government; we are also raising it as part of phase 2 of the peace process.
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.75
“Diego Garcia is a vital military base for the US. The UK’s very important deal with Mauritius secures the operational capabilities of the base and key US national security interests in the region. We are confident that the base is protected for many years ahead.”
2026-01-19
Laurence Turner (26517)
match score: 0.91
I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my chairship of the GMB parliamentary group
Joe Robertson (26504)
match score: 0.9
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a serving Isle of Wight councillor
Tonia Antoniazzi (25634)
match score: 0.9
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and to my chairship of the all-party parliamentary beer group
Alex Sobel (25680)
match score: 0.89
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as the co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on music
Gareth Snell (25601)
match score: 0.85
At this point I should declare an interest, as a governor of my local sixth-form college
Vikki Slade (26582)
match score: 0.82
I welcome the DBS’s new video, which was launched before Christmas, to support faith organisations with the legal duty to refer. The legal duty to refer requires organisations to notify the DBS when they remove a person from a regulated activity because they have harmed or may pose a risk of harm, but it does not protect those in the care of an individual who has not been registered by their employer in the first place. I welcome the changes made in the Crime and Policing Bill, which will close the loophole for supervised staff, ensuring that they will be eligible for checks against the children’s barred list. I also welcome the Minister’s work to ensure that that happened earlier last year.
Brendan O'Hara (25370)
match score: 0.8
I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Greenland
Josh MacAlister (26321)
match score: 0.8
I welcome the hon Member’s interest in this issue, and the reports from the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee
Graham Stringer (10576)
match score: 0.8
There is clearly a vested interest for some councillors who may feel, looking at the opinion polls, that they will lose their seat
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.8
I appreciate that there has been significant interest in our engagement with allies and partners on this matter
Vikki Slade (26582)
match score: 0.8
DBS checks currently have to be undertaken by an employer, a registered organisation or an umbrella organisation
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.8
We have so many shared interests and a shared history, which is why it is so important that we pursue this disagreement in a robust and constructive way
Josh MacAlister (26321)
match score: 0.8
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce a financial oversight scheme for children’s social care. That will increase the transparency of children’s social care providers so that we can make accurate, real-time assessments of financial risk so that local authorities can step in and take swift action in the interests of children.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.8
We have long had deep interests and partnerships with the US that go back many years
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.8
We are clear about the importance of working in the UK’s national interests and pursuing different issues to make sure that we protect UK businesses and UK prosperity, as well as our shared values, including sovereignty
Florence Eshalomi (25759)
match score: 0.8
The deadline for people who have to re-apply for postal votes is 31 January, while the deadline to register to vote is in April
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.8
It would be in no one’s interests
Bridget Phillipson (24709)
match score: 0.8
We are continuing to review initial teacher training, but we want to make sure that, through our curriculum review and its outcomes, children receive stronger education around financial literacy, budgeting and saving. There are some fantastic examples of schools that are already doing this well, but we want that to be the reality for all young people, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his interest in this.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.8
I welcome my hon Friend’s framing of this around the interests of our young people and the values of shared co-operation
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.79
Will the Minister take steps that are well within the Government’s power, act in the national interest, and make it clear that the consulate as proposed is not necessary for the carrying out of consulate functions, and is therefore not acceptable?
Vikki Slade (26582)
match score: 0.79
When I made inquiries, the DBS could find no record of the organisation, so I could not establish whether the teacher was registered, or even whether the organisation had obtained checks on any of its other staff. The Disclosure and Barring Service told me that it has no jurisdiction over whether an employer or safeguarding lead should take action; its role is only to record whether the legal duty to refer an incident has been met. It told me that any failure to investigate lay with the employer and whoever regulates the employer, but as there is no regulator for dance schools, I met another dead end.
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.79
“It is natural and just that all nations put their interests first and guard their sovereignty…We stand for the sovereign rights of nations”.
Hamish Falconer (26446)
match score: 0.79
Putting Iran on the FIRS regime means that there is a new offence of seeking to act on behalf of the Iranian regime in the UK without properly so declaring, so it is harder for people to do that in this country without being exposed to the force of law enforcement. As I said just now to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies), UK law enforcement has proved itself capable of finding these people and ensuring that they are prosecuted.
Seema Malhotra (25150)
match score: 0.79
We have talked extensively about our serious, clear-eyed approach to a relationship with China that is in our long-term interests—one in which we co-operate, challenge where we must, and compete. This is not just about balancing that; it is about being strong on security and on the economy, through engagement. The hon. Gentleman will also know that China is the world’s second largest economy and the UK’s third largest trading partner, so not engaging is no choice at all.
Georgia Gould (26528)
match score: 0.79
We are delivering our manifesto commitment by legislating to introduce Ofsted inspections of academy trusts and related intervention powers for the Secretary of State, which will support strong governance across the sector, ensuring that the interests of children always come first
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.79
We continue to have shared interests and shared threats—for example, Arctic security is clearly a shared security interest—but we are also strengthening our direct security and defence co-operation with Europe
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.78
I thank my right hon. Friend for those remarks, and I will convey that message to the Prime Minister. We have clearly seen that our Prime Minister is standing up for the UK national interest, our security and prosperity and British values. We know that our security and prosperity are strengthened by alliances and partnerships, not by pulling apart.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.78
I just say to the hon Member that what we have seen from our Prime Minister is a serious level of international leadership that is immensely important: a robust and hard-headed approach to the UK’s national interests that is the way we achieve results and have achieved results in a series of different areas
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.78
When it comes to support for businesses, we are making sure that we bring back economic stability to this country, with six interest rate cuts that will reduce the cost of borrowing for businesses and households
Zöe Franklin (26555)
match score: 0.78
I find it really interesting that this urgent question comes from the Conservative party, which sought to cancel local elections this year and last year in Surrey. [Interruption.] Given the professed concern for democracy of the right hon. Member for Braintree (Sir James Cleverly), I hope that he will commit to supporting Lord Pack’s amendment in the House of Lords, removing the Secretary of State’s power to change the timing of local elections—[Interruption.]
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.78
It will only be strengthened by countries working together, so this is about our interests in that shared, collective security, but also our values of defending sovereignty and territorial integrity
Georgia Gould (26528)
match score: 0.78
I thank my hon Friend for her efforts in so brilliantly representing the interests of visually impaired young people and the time that she has spent with me on this important topic
Sarah Dyke (26270)
match score: 0.78
Pressures on schools to convert to academy trusts are considerable and widespread, but academising at all costs is not always in everybody’s interests
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.78
Under this Government, interest rates have been cut six times, which will reduce borrowing costs for businesses small and large, and we are doing all we can to boost living standards, so that people have more money in their pockets to spend in hospitality businesses
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
The job of Government is to pursue the UK national interest and build alliances to work with our allies both in the US and in Europe to promote the UK’s prosperity, our security and our values
Adnan Hussain (26595)
match score: 0.77
The Prime Minister insists that a trade war is in no one’s interest, yet we know that the US has declared sanctions on our economy, in spite of the so-called special relationship. If these sanctions come to pass, can the Secretary of State say what concrete measures will be put in place to protect UK businesses from their detrimental effects?
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
This is clearly a serious moment. I wonder whether the right hon. Gentleman actually saw the Prime Minister’s response this morning. He should know that it is because this is a serious moment that we respond in a serious way and that this Prime Minister responds in a serious, calm, robust and hard-headed way about what is in the UK’s national interest and how we work together in the alliances that are crucial for our security and prosperity and are underpinned by our values. That is why the Prime Minister has been so firm in the United Kingdom’s response and why I welcomed the Danish Foreign Minister to London today.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
We are taking a very robust, hard-headed approach to this matter, to work through what is in the UK national interest and get a resolution that can protect, defend and strengthen Arctic security, as well as UK security more widely
Clive Efford (10185)
match score: 0.77
If this was truly a debate about the security of the Arctic, we would be talking about more than the sovereignty of Greenland, which is clearly a matter for the Danes and the people of Greenland. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that our collective interests and security are best served by working collectively through NATO, rather than creating division in that alliance, which will only help those who want to do us harm?
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
This is an important question to finish on, because the UK is proposing an new Arctic sentry as part of NATO. We already have a Baltic Sentry and an Eastern Sentry that pull together operations and co-ordination in a strategic way to look at the defence of those regions and how all NATO allies can pull together to support that. We believe the same is now needed for the Arctic. The Arctic is the gateway for the Russian northern fleet to threaten the whole of the transatlantic alliance. That is why we believe an Arctic sentry would be in everyone’s interests.
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.77
Iran continues to pose a threat to us all and to our interests with its sponsoring of terrorism and its nuclear programme
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
I thank the hon. Member for his support for the coalition of the willing. He will know that the UK and France set out a declaration of intent, and further work is under way on the security guarantees. I caution him against drawing an equivalence between the US and Russia, which I hope he did not mean to do, because it is obviously Russia that poses a significant threat to Ukraine and the whole of Europe, while the US is a long-standing and close ally in defending security in Europe.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.77
However, I say to my hon Friend that the role of the Government is to pursue the UK’s interests in a calm, robust and hard-headed way, which is about getting results and ensuring that we build the partnerships, including with the US and with Europe, that make all of us stronger together
Jim Allister (25122)
match score: 0.76
However, I am intrigued as to how this Government are properly so exercised about America’s disrespect for the territorial integrity of Greenland, but so disinterested about the disrespect of the territorial integrity of our own country, whereby the European Union imposes its laws, as on a colony, in 300 areas of law on a part of the United Kingdom and insists on an international customs border to partition this United Kingdom
Luke Taylor (26443)
match score: 0.76
Diplomacy relies on rational actors, yet even in the last fortnight we have seen Donald Trump declare that he is not bound by international law, only by his “own morality”. He has deployed paramilitary forces against his own people, and he speaks of cancelling elections. How apt! We have also seen the unilateral kidnapping of the President of an independent country. We are not dealing with a rational man; he responds only to shiny baubles, as we have seen with the incredible saga of the Nobel peace prize. I agree with the hon. Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare) and ask the following question: will the Government consider removing the King’s visit to the United States and boycotting the world cup? The only thing to which Donald Trump responds is his own pride.
Alan Gemmell (26476)
match score: 0.76
First, how will she explain to the US Administration our interests and our actions at this time, and stop the sanctions and resolve the situation? Secondly, building on the excellent question asked by my hon Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (Dame Chi Onwurah), might the Foreign Secretary take an interest in the Franco-British fast jet replacement programme and a company called Aeralis, so that we do not have to rely on an American solution?
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.76
I spoke to Secretary Rubio today and we agreed to take forward further discussions on the issue. I assure the shadow Foreign Secretary that we will be pursuing every avenue for discussions directly with the US and with all our close allies, the purpose being to prevent the tariffs and the trade war that would be in no one’s interest, and to replace the threats about sovereignty and tariffs with a constructive, shared approach to our security, including security in the Arctic.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.75
We have always been clear that a trade war between any nation—certainly between the US and European countries—is deeply damaging and not in anyone’s interest. That is why our first priority right now should be to stop this happening and stop the tariffs, and to build a shared sense of security.
Alex Sobel (25680)
match score: 0.75
We know that the IRGC has used two registered cryptocurrency exchanges to move approximately $1 billion since 2023, evading international sanctions
Ellie Chowns (26577)
match score: 0.75
The PM has said that a trade war is in no one’s interests, but we all know that if you give ground to a bully, you get bullied even more
Kerry McCarthy (11455)
match score: 0.74
I welcome the Prime Minister’s strong response, and the assurances that we have heard from the Foreign Secretary today. She has rightly made it clear that Donald Trump’s claims to need to possess Greenland for security reasons are complete and utter nonsense. The United States already has access. The Foreign Secretary spoke of a multilateral approach to Arctic security; there is also the critical minerals element, which I suspect has a great deal to do with Donald Trump’s interest in the country. What are we doing to adopt a similar multilateral approach to critical minerals, as we seek to divest ourselves of reliance on China?
2026-01-15
Iqbal Mohamed (26620)
match score: 0.96
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Katrina Murray (26494)
match score: 0.85
When I applied to the Backbench Business Committee for this debate, I said, with bravado, that there was a lot of interest, even though I had some concerns that the subject might be a little bit niche
Lisa Nandy (24831)
match score: 0.83
I thank the hon Gentleman for raising this issue, which I know is of considerable interest to many Members
Gideon Amos (26531)
match score: 0.83
Now it is the Town and Country Planning Association—I should probably declare an interest as an honorary, voluntary vice-president of that organisation
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.8
We watch developments with interest
Mary Creagh (11898)
match score: 0.8
On Monday, we opened the expressions of interest process for the planned forest in the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor
Jesse Norman (24827)
match score: 0.8
Secondly, the issue of pubs and hospitality has consumed so much of the power, concern and interest of the House. We are always apt to get lost in generalities. In a way, that is a condition of politics: we debate the laws and the general issues of the country. It is also important, however, to zero in on a particular factual situation from time to time and use that to get a wider sense of what is happening.
Jayne Kirkham (26525)
match score: 0.8
Another constituent of mine is a business owner who entered insolvency due to the pandemic, through no fault of his own. He had to close his worldwide travel risk management business because of the restrictions that were in place at the time. Despite having run a viable business before covid, he now finds himself subject to extremely high interest rates—up to 32% on loans that he is trying to secure to set himself back up in business. He is concerned that he is being penalised, as if his insolvency was the result of mismanagement or poor creditworthiness rather than extraordinary and unforeseeable external circumstances. That not only hinders recovery efforts but may discourage future entrepreneurship.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.79
I must stress—we have been candid about this fact from the outset—that ultimately, decisions on new town locations will be made in the national interest
Nick Smith (24728)
match score: 0.79
My hon Friend always takes an interest in ceramics and parliamentary procurement
Lisa Nandy (24831)
match score: 0.79
I will have something more to say about the programme she describes very shortly, but as a Government we are determined to ensure that every child has the chance to find their spark and develop their interest, not just children whose parents can pay
Florence Eshalomi (25759)
match score: 0.79
Secondly, our Committee recommended, in our report last year on land value capture, that the Government should enable greater use of tax increment financing instruments to fund infrastructure in new towns. That model allows local authorities to borrow money against the anticipated tax receipts resulting from the future infrastructure. TfL used that system to finance London Underground’s Northern line extension to Battersea and Nine Elms—I declare an interest, in that the lovely new Nine Elms station is in my constituency. Our committee heard that this method of financing could be used more widely across England. Are the Government considering that, and if not, why not?
Christopher Vince (26350)
match score: 0.79
Let me give the House one interesting fact about Harlow before I wind up my remarks. Harlow has a fantastic cycle network—of course, it needs more investment, and I will always push Essex county council to continue investing in it—and thanks to that network, as well as to our green wedges and green fingers areas, which are hugely important to the sense of community, it is possible to get from one side of Harlow to the other without ever going on a main road.
Richard Fuller (24787)
match score: 0.79
That target may have an impact on the type of housing being built, so I would be interested to hear the Minister comment on that with regard to Tempsford
Lizzi Collinge (26592)
match score: 0.78
I thank the Minister for his statement. It is really interesting to see the response from Opposition Members. Obviously they never have to wrestle with interacting with the state; perhaps they have people to do that for them.
Olly Glover (26572)
match score: 0.77
Where do we go from here? First, it would be interesting to hear from the Minister what redress he thinks should be considered, given the campaign that ExcludedUK has mounted
Christopher Bloore (26357)
match score: 0.77
Declares that the postal delivery service in Inkberrow village requires improvement.
Shaun Davies (26332)
match score: 0.76
Today I welcome the renewed interest in new towns thanks to this Government’s agenda to build three new towns
Christopher Bloore (26357)
match score: 0.76
I would be interested to know what metrics he will use to measure progress on meeting his report’s recommendations by the end of this Parliament
Douglas McAllister (26334)
match score: 0.74
Caritas Internationalis is just one of the 37 international aid organisations that Israel has sought to ban or deregister. This will have a severe impact on humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza. At midnight mass, Christ the Redeemer church in the west bank adorned its Christmas tree not with baubles, but with the names of the lands expected to be occupied or already stolen by illegal settlers. What support can the Church provide to these brave Christians in Occupied Palestinian Territories?
2026-01-14
David Taylor (26576)
match score: 0.95
Here I should refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, which includes a reference to my role in that regard
Gareth Thomas (10594)
match score: 0.88
I declare at the outset that I am a member of the M4Money credit union.
Caroline Nokes (24809)
match score: 0.84
Members will be interested to know that I will call the Front Benchers at 6
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.84
I assure the right hon Gentleman that there is no conflict of interest simply because I have set out a view
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.84
I can write to the right hon Member in case there were discussions in other Departments that might also have had an interest
Martin Vickers (24814)
match score: 0.83
When I spoke to the union representative yesterday, he said that there were seven such expressions of interest
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.82
We are a founding member and chair of the conference of participants of the register of damage, which allows Ukranians to record losses, injury or damage caused by the war
Melanie Onn (25317)
match score: 0.81
We understand that there may well be commercial interests involved, but could we not open the books, and see the matrix that the official receiver used and how they reached their decision, under Chatham House rules? Then at least elected representatives would be able to make an assessment on behalf of their constituents
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.81
It is in everyone’s interests to make sure that these issues are dealt with properly
Alistair Carns (26599)
match score: 0.81
It is really important, and it is our job in the Government to ensure that those Members with a vested interest understand that detail when the time is right, so that we can represent it correctly in the House
Martin McCluskey (26427)
match score: 0.8
That has also allowed time for bidders to express an interest in the site and its assets
Ed Miliband (11545)
match score: 0.8
I have a long-standing promise, which I will fulfil—[Interruption.] Everyone seems to know about that promise to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency to see what GE Vernova is doing. She makes an important point about ensuring that procurement, in which I know GE Vernova has a particular interest, should as much as possible be from the UK. My Department is working on that through not just the clean industry bonus, but many other things that we are doing.
Emily Thornberry (11656)
match score: 0.8
I hope that we can find legal grounds for deploying military assets against the shadow fleet under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 and do insurance spot checks on false-flag ships, some of which were expelled by the countries for which they used to wave the flag and claim they came from. Some of those countries do not even have a shipping register, yet the ships still claim that they belong to those countries. If the ships are not insured, we can really take action, and I am glad to hear that we are going to step that up. That sort of sanction busting must stop.
Heidi Alexander (24953)
match score: 0.8
If I may, and in the interests of time, I will ask the Rail Minister to write to my hon Friend with further information on that, but I appreciate that it will be important for his constituency
Melanie Onn (25317)
match score: 0.8
We have also had trusted privilege, as a House, in the past; we were able to see secure information and secure documents. All of us were able to go to a room and sign in to read documents on exiting the European Union, for example. There are ways and means of doing these things, and of placing trust in elected representatives. Much of the information from companies was made available to local representatives anyway, because they emailed the details to us. It would be interesting to learn why the official receivers deemed bids not to be credible.
Ed Miliband (11545)
match score: 0.79
With the greatest respect, I trust our analysts in my Department more than I do the hon. Gentleman when it comes to arithmetic. As he is somebody who I think has had an interest in the past in solar panels—
Heidi Alexander (24953)
match score: 0.79
I was interested to hear the hon Lady’s contribution
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.78
Secondly, I suggest that the shadow Home Secretary and other hon Members, in their own interests, pay attention to what Sir Andy has written in his report of today
Richard Tice (26399)
match score: 0.78
Picking up that point, if there was a serious bid to buy the whole site—to invest in it, keep it going, maintain the jobs and grow the number of jobs—surely that should have been taken into account, not only in the interests of the local area, but in the strategic interests of Lincolnshire and the country. Will the hon. Gentleman therefore ask the Minister to ensure full transparency in this whole process so that we can establish whether or not there were credible alternative bids to keep Lindsey oil refinery going?
Lewis Cocking (26316)
match score: 0.78
Will the Prime Minister commit to that, or will he continue to put the interests of foreign Governments and countries above our own?
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.78
The principle we put in place on inheritance tax is the right one. We listened, and we made an announcement. What we are doing is turning the country around. [Interruption.] Yes, we have changed the country; we have changed the failed approach of the Tory Government, who crashed the economy and sent mortgage rates through the roof, left millions stuck on NHS waiting lists and presided over the worst Parliament for living standards on record. We are turning that around and changing that: inflation and interest rates are coming down, waiting lists are coming down and wages are up more in the first year of a Labour Government than in 10 years of a Tory Government.
Mark Pritchard (11946)
match score: 0.78
On community relations, can she assure me and other Members that lessons will be learned from this report and that other chief officers of other forces will look upon it as a reminder that they should be acting on behalf of the whole community that they seek to serve? She said that she was not able to direct the west midlands PCC to dismiss the chief constable, but is she confident that there will be no conflict of interest and that the PCC will not feel conflicted in removing the chief constable? Of course, I am sure that the chief constable still has honour, and therefore might choose to resign
Martin Vickers (24814)
match score: 0.78
“The sales process remains ongoing, with the Official Receiver and Special Managers continuing to engage with all interested parties
Kemi Badenoch (25693)
match score: 0.78
The hon Member for Kingston upon Hull East (Karl Turner)—this is so interesting—has said:
Douglas Alexander (10661)
match score: 0.78
Through the shouting, I heard the claim that yesterday’s announcement in the Scottish budget had helped Scottish colleges. I had the opportunity to visit Forth Valley college last week; I simply invite the hon. Gentleman to talk to the principal of that college, or indeed the principal of West college, or the principals of any of the further education colleges in Scotland. If he were to suggest for one second that the uplift announced yesterday touches the sides of the 20% cut that we saw previously, that would be an interesting perspective. I tell him to look at the numbers and not to judge this on the rhetoric; he should judge the cuts that his Government have delivered, and then come back and, perhaps, apologise to the young people of Scotland.
Douglas Alexander (10661)
match score: 0.78
There are many people who have interesting observations on how to run an economy, but Conservative Front Benchers are not among them
Heidi Alexander (24953)
match score: 0.77
Nevertheless, I believe that laying out our strategy now is sensible, responsible and in the long-term interests of the country
Ed Miliband (11545)
match score: 0.77
Secondly, I know this is painful for the right hon. Lady, but I am using the same metric that she endorsed in November 2023, when she was Energy Secretary. She published the document, and she knows the truth about that metric: offshore renewables today are 40% cheaper to build and operate than new gas. However much she tries to struggle or flail around, those are the facts, I am afraid. She asks about carbon pricing. It is very interesting that even when we take off carbon pricing, gas is still more expensive, on the figures we published today. Her sums simply do not add up.
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.77
Let me assure my hon. Friend that all matters of community cohesion are under intense discussion across Government. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has already set up a taskforce to deal with antisemitism. I am sure that the Prime Minister and I will have more to say in the coming weeks about how we might take a fresh approach, but this is a question for wider Government, because although the Home Office interest is in countering extremism, as it should be, our broader interest in community cohesion sits across the rest of Government. I can assure her that it is a cross-Government effort.
Andrew Rosindell (11199)
match score: 0.76
For all the talk of negotiations, we must not lose sight of the fact that the GDP of the UK and our allies combined colossally outweighs that of Russia, and we need to leverage that in every right way. We need to ramp up our defence industrial base now for the long term, because we know that, for Russia, sustaining its war economy will come at an enormous price at a time when it is already reeling from sanctions, with interest rates at high levels not seen in decades and with welfare payments having to be slashed.
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.76
This matter has been of interest to all policing leaders across the country, and it is why I addressed the final remarks in my statement to policing leaders everywhere because it is important that we learn the lessons from this event, and I hope that everybody will hear that message loud and clear. Operational independence will always be respected, but we all as a country—every citizen and every one of us as parliamentarians and members of the Government—need to know that when the police make a risk assessment, we can trust that assessment and rely on it.
James MacCleary (26581)
match score: 0.76
Britain must take an active role in ensuring that Ukraine’s interests remain at the heart of all future negotiations, reinforcing collective deterrence and signalling that European security and Ukraine’s sovereignty remain non-negotiable
Clive Jones (26377)
match score: 0.76
Trump has shown time and again that he does not care about international rules and obligations, and is more interested in cosying up to autocrats and increasing the coffers of the wider Trump family
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.76
The Tories crashed the economy and now they want to give lectures. The right hon. Lady is wondering why nobody is listening to them—nobody is ever going to listen to them on the economy ever again. In 18 months, because of the decisions we have made, inflation is falling and the Bank of England says it is coming back down to target; we have had six interest rate cuts in a row; wages are up more in the first year of a Labour Government than under the first 10 years of the Conservative Government; and we beat the forecasts on growth for 2025. We are turning this country around after the appalling mess they left it in.
Kevin Bonavia (26330)
match score: 0.76
Does the Prime Minister agree that Labour Governments always have and always will defend British interests, not those of Russian dictators or oligarchs?
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.76
In Paris, at the largest meeting yet of the coalition, my right hon Friend the Prime Minister joined President Macron and President Zelensky to sign a declaration of intent
Johanna Baxter (26375)
match score: 0.76
It will come as no surprise to colleagues across the House to hear that the issue I want to focus on is the treatment of the Ukrainian children. When I first visited Ukraine, this was the issue that struck me to my core. Russia has stolen 20,000 Ukrainian children from their home, and Russian authorities themselves report that more than 700 Ukrainian children have now been officially registered in Russia—a heinous war crime that continues unabated today.[Official Report, 15 January 2026; Vol. 778, c. 8WC.] (Correction)
Shabana Mahmood (24788)
match score: 0.74
It is for that reason that I must declare today that the chief constable of West Midlands police no longer has my confidence
Douglas Alexander (10661)
match score: 0.73
This is literally and figuratively a deadly serious issue. As we have just heard from those on the SNP Benches, the SNP will be claiming in the coming months that this is as good as it gets for Scotland, but the reality is that its shameful record in Scotland is more than 6,800 drug deaths since it declared a public health emergency. That, let us be clear, is the worst drug-related death rate in Europe. It is a shameful failure by the Scottish Government. Despite all their claims about the budget yesterday, once again it was a missed opportunity to take a better approach. We have provided the resources, but alas we have a Scottish Government who are out of time, out of ideas and failing in terms of public health.
2026-01-13
Mike Wood (25362)
match score: 0.88
Before I begin, I will disclose that although I do not have any relevant interests to the debate in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, I have received hospitality below the threshold from UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, CAMRA and the British Institute of Innkeeping; there may be others
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.85
That said, I fully understand Members’ interest in the case, so I will briefly set out the process that the case has followed to date
Caroline Nokes (24809)
match score: 0.84
“(1) HM Treasury must carry out a review of the effect of sections 63 to 68 of this Act (Pension interests).
David Smith (26606)
match score: 0.84
I declare an interest: I am the UK special envoy for freedom of religion or belief, or FORB, as I will refer to it from now on
None ()
match score: 0.84
(2) HMRC must establish a dedicated helpline for enquiries relating to inheritance tax on pension interests.
Dan Jarvis (25067)
match score: 0.84
My hon Friend makes important points, and I will undertake to look at her specific point about the risk register
None ()
match score: 0.83
Clause 63 - Tax to be charged on certain pension interests
Dave Doogan (25796)
match score: 0.82
I have heard a range of cases from right hon. and hon. Members about that differential, and I would certainly like to see nothing happen that would jeopardise the drinks, hospitality or agricultural sectors in the west country, but I will leave that to be divined by others with a more material interest, if the hon. Gentleman does not mind.
Paul Kohler (26570)
match score: 0.82
Before I go further, I should declare an interest: I am the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the night time economy and the owner of a speakeasy, CellarDoor, in Covent Garden
Lucy Rigby (26596)
match score: 0.82
As hon. Members will know, there are also long-standing inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions. Most UK-registered pension schemes are discretionary, meaning members can nominate whom they would like to receive death benefits, but the scheme trustees are not obliged to follow members’ wishes. Under existing rules, any unused pension funds and death benefits from discretionary schemes are not subject to inheritance tax. By contrast, some pension schemes are non-discretionary, and these are subject to inheritance tax under existing rules.
Stephen Doughty (25166)
match score: 0.82
I declare an interest as a Christian who has worked with Open Doors and others in the past to draw attention to cases where people are persecuted for their beliefs
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.82
On the specific case before Ministers, at the application stage it was a matter for parties what information was put forward for consideration, and it was a matter for Tower Hamlets what information was put on the planning register and the inquiry website
James Wild (25866)
match score: 0.82
New clause 22 is straightforward. It would require the Chancellor to set out the impact of these measures on pension saving, household saving decisions and personal representatives. There is real concern—I am surprised the Minister did not address this—about the administrative burden being placed on personal representatives and the effect on the industry. Personal representatives will be required to identify every pension asset, calculate the inheritance tax due and ensure payment within six months, and they will be personally liable if they fail to settle all the liabilities due. In many cases, that deadline would be impossible to meet and must be extended. Furthermore, if a pension fund has to quickly sell illiquid assets, such as commercial property, it may not get the full market value, but the Bill does not introduce a relief where the underlying assets must be sold and the proceeds are less than the value of the assets at the time of death. Late payments will attract interest at 8%. By contrast, someone in self-assessment has 10 months to pay tax on the income they already understand.
Lucy Rigby (26596)
match score: 0.81
It would also require HMRC to establish a dedicated helpline for inquiries relating to inheritance tax on pension interest
None ()
match score: 0.81
New Clause 24 - HMRC guidance on inheritance tax on pension interests
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.81
I am sure that my hon Friend’s constituents will take an interest in the debate on Monday when we get to it
Jo Platt (25611)
match score: 0.81
I declare an interest as the chair of the all-party parliament group on ADHD
Laurence Turner (26517)
match score: 0.8
If I may, I will say a few words about the revaluation 2026 process. I have raised questions about this before, and the Minister has indicated that—as the phrase goes—discussions are ongoing, so in the interests of time I will not repeat my questions today. However, I would like to note two things. First, the Valuation Office Agency has been genuinely independent since the days of the increment value duty, and secondly, valuation 2026 has been coming for a long time. It was the last Government who changed the law to introduce three-year valuation exercises, and as successive annual reports of the VOA make clear, the risk of valuations in individual sectors that are not of sufficient quality was foreseen. A delivery plan was developed before the 2024 general election to mitigate that risk, as the VOA saw it. Presumably the Government of the day did not have concerns about the VOA’s approach, because if they did, they would have raised them on the record.
Lee Dillon (26584)
match score: 0.8
If this debate had taken place before Christmas, I would have had to declare an interest, but my father has now sold his majority share in our local pub in our home town, which I think goes to the core of today’s debate: publicans are leaving the sector
Ian Roome (26388)
match score: 0.8
I will offer the Government some advice. It is one word: common sense. [Interruption.] Well, two words. Given the interest in national security, I am quite surprised that a Planning Minister is at the Dispatch Box to talk about this case, but the two issues are intertwined. The Minister has rebutted other Members’ questions with “That is a security issue; it is not my portfolio”, but given what we know, will he review the proximity of other countries’ embassies to major underground fibre-optic cables? That is a big worry for the country’s intelligence services and for many constituents throughout the country.
Wes Streeting (25320)
match score: 0.79
I certainly join the hon Member in his final message and commend him for his declaration, because the more we can break taboo and stigma around these issues and get people talking more openly about the telltale signs of risk, the better protected we will all be
Luke Evans (25805)
match score: 0.79
The hon Member rightly points to the cumulative effect, but I am interested to see that her new clause 9 does not mention the Employment Rights Bill or the impact of the national living wage increase
Helena Dollimore (26507)
match score: 0.79
Will the Minister have a look at whether it is ranked correctly in the national risk register, and what preparations there need to be for major incidents such as this?
David Smith (26606)
match score: 0.79
That brings me to irresponsibility. It would be irresponsible to assume that Nigeria’s problems are not our own. Nigeria is playing an increasingly influential role globally. It is young, resource-rich and growing. The UN has projected that Nigeria will become the third most populous country on Earth by 2050, and as I have said, the UK is home to a substantial and growing community of Nigerian-born residents. They are a hard-working, law-abiding, enterprising part of our nation, and we are privileged to have them with us. Working well with Nigeria is in our interest for the sake of all.
Yvette Cooper (10131)
match score: 0.78
Last year, we placed Iran on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme to detect, deter and disrupt malign and undeclared efforts to undermine our democracy, we sanctioned the criminal Foxtrot network for the violent threats it posed against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on behalf of the Iranian regime, and we have geared up the UK’s security infrastructure to better tackle hybrid threats
Lizzi Collinge (26592)
match score: 0.78
I have a particular interest in the accountability of public services due to the shocking treatment of some of my constituents by NHS trusts. I was pleased to sit on the Bill Committee, which was on the whole collegiate and comprehensive. I welcome the statement from the Leader of the House that we will be getting the Bill right, but will he assure me that there will be minimal impact on its implementation, notwithstanding that it must go to the other place?
Priti Patel (24778)
match score: 0.77
The Opposition will work with the Government in the national interest, and in the interests of global security and stability, to pass legislation and other measures needed to keep us safe from Iran and put maximum pressure on its despotic regime. I have a suggestion for the Foreign Secretary. Instead of legislating for the £35 billion surrender of Chagos, will she use the time we have in this House to deal with the IRGC and the Iranian regime, in order to keep us safe? Will she use that £35 billion to bolster our defences, because at this critical moment Britain must do all we can to stand with Iranians fighting for their freedom, and to protect them and us from Tehran’s threat.
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.76
I appreciate that the hon. Gentleman has approached this with understanding. In thanking him for that, may I say that there has been extensive debate on these matters, and I am grateful to everyone who has taken part. This is an ongoing situation, but it is important that we get the Bill right. It will be the meaningful Bill that we set out to achieve. It is not in the interests of the Bill to try to resolve the next stage by tomorrow. That is precisely the reason I have decided to move it until the beginning of next week—to give that bit of extra time.
Ben Maguire (26623)
match score: 0.76
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (Andrew George) on securing the urgent question and showing leadership on this crisis in the absence of a Government response. There has been no Cobra meeting and no declaration of a national emergency, and many of my North Cornwall constituents did not even receive the emergency alert. I have great respect for the Minister, but he does not even seem to have the correct number for households currently without power.
Sammy Wilson (11374)
match score: 0.76
I welcome the fact that—rather belatedly, two weeks later—the Government have made a statement to the House about the situation in Iran, giving particular attention and praise to the women who have, at great personal sacrifice, led the opposition to the regime, which directs its ire at women in particular. This should stand as a warning to the people who wish to promote sharia law and sharia courts in this country. The Foreign Secretary has highlighted the impact of the Iranian regime on our citizens and our interests. What discussions has she had with the Iranian opposition, to ensure that there is a transition from this repugnant regime to a friendly, democratic and peaceful regime there?
Helen Maguire (26627)
match score: 0.76
Last night, Surrey Heartlands ICB and two hospital trusts in Surrey declared a critical incident, which means that some hospitals cannot guarantee that patients will be treated safely and operations could be cancelled to make urgent care a priority. Will the Secretary of State confirm what action the Government are taking to support those trusts and what funding will be made available to ensure that such incidents do not recur?
David Smith (26606)
match score: 0.75
In conclusion, Nigeria is rich with potential and possibility, but in my view violent and legal suppression of FORB is undermining the country’s future. A plural Nigeria, rooted in the common good, in which 250 million people have genuine freedom to reason, question and believe is a blessing to Nigeria itself, to Africa and to the world. A flourishing Nigeria is good for Britain and a challenge to the autocrats of west Africa in declaring that freedom is, in the end, worth it.
Andrew George (10222)
match score: 0.75
Many residents in my constituency have observed that if this same level of destruction, service outage and loss of life had happened in London and the home counties, the national media would have given it headline billing for days and the Government would have declared a national emergency
Dan Carden (25642)
match score: 0.75
Iran is a remarkable country with a rich history and culture. Its people have been living under tyranny for decades. They are now fighting to rid themselves of their chains. Britain is a friend to the Iranian people. Our aim should be to stop the regime massacring its citizens and to set the people of Iran free for a democratic future. These are messages that the people of Iran would welcome. The Republic has declared war on its people. They are being murdered in the dark, and we must be a force for light. Given the internet blackout, what is the Foreign Secretary doing to ensure that the people of Iran can hear her message, and this country’s message, of friendship and support? Some Iranians are talking about the return of Reza Pahlavi. What conversations have the Government had with him?
2026-01-12
Jeevun Sandher (26521)
match score: 0.97
Before I speak, I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Kit Malthouse (25346)
match score: 0.96
I draw the attention of the Committee to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.86
The hon Gentleman also asked about interest
Samantha Dixon (26118)
match score: 0.85
All practitioners should be registered, and there should be safety, but I will write to the hon. Member with the specific details to answer his question.
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.84
My question is simple: what has been done to encourage those who are not members of any electrical organisation to register with one? Because of the work they do, they can put people’s lives at risk, and it is important that those who are not registered get registered—the quicker, the better
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.83
2%, which can be paid, interest-free, over 10 years
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.83
I turn to new clause 11, which would ask the Government within six months of the Act coming into force to make a statement on the impact of the savings measures on household savings decisions and outcomes for savers. As hon. Members know, most UK taxpayers are entitled to a personal savings allowance on top of their standard personal allowance. Basic rate taxpayers can receive £1,000 of savings interest without paying tax, and higher rate taxpayers can receive £500 without paying tax, on top of the personal allowance.
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.82
A valid point that my constituents have brought to my attention is that if they pay the higher rate of tax, tax on the interest from savings rises to 40%
Sonia Kumar (26590)
match score: 0.82
If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of establishing a statutory national register of electricians.
Robbie Moore (25922)
match score: 0.82
Can the Minister explain how we ended up in the bizarre scenario in which two estates—I use the term “estates”, because they need not necessarily be farming businesses; they could be any kind of family business estate—valued at £5 million could generate different amounts of tax for the Treasury, depending on the ownership structure? Secondly, can he explain, because I cannot see this in the amendments that have been tabled, why there is no indexation link to any increase? Obviously, land values will increase over time. Thirdly, when he was last at the Dispatch Box, he said that interest would not be charged, so can he clarify whether, when inheritance tax liability is triggered, interest is or is not triggered in that 10-year period?
Robbie Moore (25922)
match score: 0.82
On practicalities, I would be interested to understand whether the Minister or the Treasury has done any analysis of the impact on the district valuer
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.81
I thank my hon Friend for her continued interest in this area; she is a strong representative for the rural communities that she represents in the north-west of our country
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.81
The Government are proud to represent the national interest, with strong representation for rural, semi-rural and urban constituencies
None ()
match score: 0.81
National Register of Electricians
Sonia Kumar (26590)
match score: 0.81
Gas installers must legally register under a Health and Safety Executive-owned scheme, yet electricians, despite near-zero part P enforcement and around 20,000 electrical fires a year, remain governed by voluntary clubs
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.8
Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free
Josh MacAlister (26321)
match score: 0.8
The Department’s priority is to protect students’ interests by ensuring continuity of study, and access to clear information, support and practical options
Samantha Dixon (26118)
match score: 0.8
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require people to be competent or under supervision, while building regulations require domestic electrical work to be conducted safely. The Government see no need to establish a statutory national register of electricians, who may be listed on the registered competent person electrical register already. None the less, the Government will continue to work with the Building Safety Regulator on reforms of the competent person scheme to improve public and building safety.
Gareth Davies (25858)
match score: 0.8
Our amendments seek to mitigate at least some of the damage by removing the anti-forestalling measures that have purposely tied the hands of so many farmers and business owners across our country. The Chartered Institute of Taxation and many others have pointed out that these measures particularly trap more elderly farmers, who have been robbed of their ability to plan. The Government have said all along that they expect farmers and business owners to alter the ownership structure of their assets. I would be really interested to hear just how the Minister believes that elderly farmers, in particular those in the final few years of their life, should do that.
Gareth Davies (25858)
match score: 0.8
Finally, we should have no confidence in the practicality of the measures before us. The Chartered Institute of Taxation has warned that extending 10 annual interest-free instalments to APR and BPR property does not solve the problem; those instalments will still be a significant burden. In practice, it is unlikely that many families will be able to pay the tax without selling up.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.8
In the coming weeks, we will provide registered providers with the remaining information that they need to finalise their business and future supply plans, so that they can submit large and ambitious proposals when bidding opens next month
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.8
I have been in discussions with Opposition Members about the wording of our manifesto; I am glad that Conservative Members have taken such interest in it
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.8
That sounds like a very interesting and practical solution to many of the challenges we are discussing. I hope that my hon. Friend will send me more details.
Gareth Snell (25601)
match score: 0.8
I would be genuinely interested to know whether he has no issue with the rate being frozen, and more people paying tax as they earn more money, and whether this is about the party politics of previous manifesto commitments
Emma Hardy (25646)
match score: 0.8
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, and yes, we have been spending a long time talking to each other. I watched the EFRA Committee with great interest, particularly when Dave Hinton rated himself eight out of 10. It is really important that the Drinking Water Inspectorate has the space to do its investigation. It is also really important that Ofwat has the space to have a look at this company. My priority here and now is trying to get people’s water back on and the system up and running, and that is where I want to focus my time, but there are questions to be asked about why we are back in this situation again.
Gareth Davies (25858)
match score: 0.8
If that deadline is missed, the estate will be hit with a punishing interest rate
Emma Hardy (25646)
match score: 0.79
One of the reasons we introduced the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 and the bonus ban was exactly to ensure that people who get a bonus have earned it and that people who have not earned one do not get one. That seems a pretty straightforward way of doing things in my mind. This goes back to the point made by colleagues across the House that water companies should be talking to Members of Parliament about where they need to put bottled water stations and what is the most effective place for that. Water companies have a statutory duty—it is not just that they can if they want to—to supply water to people in the event of supply outages. Two fundamental things the Drinking Water Inspectorate will look at are how well or otherwise the company has supplied water to people on the vulnerable register and how well or otherwise it has made bottled water available. Quite frankly, I am as outraged by this as the hon. Gentleman.
Carla Lockhart (25562)
match score: 0.79
I will quickly address new clause 1, which would require the Chancellor to publish a Northern Ireland-specific impact assessment. That should not need an amendment; it should be done as a matter of course. But this sudden interest in farming by the Alliance party is not lost on the folks at home. Not only are farmers at home battling the Labour Government’s anti-farming policies, but they have an Alliance Farming Minister who is tone deaf to the needs of farmers—a Minister who supports climate change extremism, who is further regulating the industry, and who is blaming farmers for the algae bloom on Lough Neagh while ignoring the 200 million tonnes of waste from Northern Ireland Water. Farmers in Northern Ireland are getting it from all quarters, and I, for one, make no apology for standing up tonight against this tax grab, but also against the policies in Northern Ireland that are damaging our farms.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.79
My hon Friend is a powerful advocate for the interests of Banbury, and he has rightly and forcefully conveyed the message that the communities he represents expect homes, infrastructure and services that have been promised as part of a planning approval to be delivered as quickly as possible
Vikki Slade (26582)
match score: 0.79
The interest rates on their student debts are way above the interest rates that the landlords of the buy-to-let properties they are forced to live in, which have mould growing up the walls, are paying on their investment properties
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.78
My hon. Friend’s speech was really helpful in bringing comparative evidence to the debate. I hope he will send that my way for review. Opposition Members who asked about changes made in other countries may be interested in reading that evidence, too. He also provided a helpful exposition on the economic theory sitting behind some of these changes and the need to ensure that our taxation system incentivises people to make investments and good decisions for the long-term health of our economy. He touched on the crucial point—it is worth making this clearly—repeatedly pointed out by many tax experts and tax commentators that one challenge in the UK’s taxation system is that we treat income received from different sources very differently, which can lead to distortions. It is better to ensure that we do what we can to reduce the gaps between the tax treatment of different sorts of income. [Interruption.]
Dan Tomlinson (26502)
match score: 0.78
I thank the right hon. Member for giving me time to top up my glass of water—and for his intervention. The Government have been very clear in our approach since we took office. We needed to raise revenue to fund public services, and we have been consistent in our objectives in that regard. We also needed to get borrowing down, and borrowing is falling in every single year of this forecast because of the decisions we have taken. I believe it is the fastest reduction in borrowing in the G7, bringing back economic stability and allowing the Bank of England the space to cut interest rates, as it has already done six times since the general election.
Luke Pollard (25690)
match score: 0.78
I thank the hon. Member for his questions. He will have heard my first answer, which answers some of his questions, which said that the NMH decision will be made as part of the defence investment plan. That will be announced shortly, so I will not be able to give him an answer today. I continue those conversations with Leonardo, as indeed I have today. It is important that we continue having those constructive conversations because I understand the importance of Yeovil not only to his constituency, but to our wider defence ecosystem and, as a south-west MP, to the wider region as well. Leonardo is expert in not only building helicopters but servicing them, and I am excited about some of the work it is undertaking on autonomous helicopters, as well as its wider business interests across the UK, especially in electronics and other areas. I am happy to continue conversations with the hon. Member about this, as I will do with the company and with the trade unions representing the workforce.
Matthew Pennycook (25379)
match score: 0.77
At the spending review in 2025, we announced record investment to kick-start social and affordable housing at scale across the country. Alongside regulatory certainty and stability and measures to rebuild the capacity of registered providers after their weakening over the previous 14 years, we are ensuring that communities in Aldershot will get the social and affordable housing they need.
Liz Kendall (24816)
match score: 0.77
My hon. Friend is another amazing campaigner on these issues. She is right to raise the issue of speed. I think I am correct in saying that the legislation expects platforms, when they know that this material is there, to take it down swiftly. It is interesting to note that the Take it Down Act that has been passed in the United States has a 48-hour time limit on non-consensual intimate image abuse. I always look at what is happening in other countries to see what more we can learn.
Sarah Dyke (26270)
match score: 0.76
Although the Environment Secretary has declared that there will be no more changes to the family farm tax, I hope that the Government have recognised the scale of the damage that they have done to British agriculture. British farmers produce a public good; they are the linchpins of our country’s food security and therefore our national security. In an ever more volatile world, this is more important than ever. This Government must not let British farmers down again.
David Smith (26606)
match score: 0.76
A multitude of structural factors contribute to the sustainability of intergenerational farming. There are many similarities between Britain’s blue-collar workers in the factories and what we might call green-collar workers in the fields. Both are squeezed by commercial interests and a globalised race to the bottom in pricing, costs and wages, which is why the laissez-faire approach to farming economics, such as in the imbalanced trade deals of the Conservative party, work against the sustainability of farming.
Mims Davies (25330)
match score: 0.76
Again, my constituents have been left with poor, misleading or no communication from South East Water, with too many vulnerable people—even those on the priority services register—left waiting
Josh Babarinde (26353)
match score: 0.76
South East Water is failing Eastbourne. It is unacceptable that it left thousands of residents in Sovereign Harbour, Hampden Park, St Anthony’s and Langney without water supply this weekend; it is unacceptable that it refused my ask to set up a water collection station in Eastbourne, forcing residents to travel 35 miles to East Grinstead if they wanted bottled water; and it is unacceptable that many residents who are on the priority services register received absolutely nothing, including no information. Does the Minister agree that South East Water is a busted flush? Does she agree that it is a scandal that water bosses such as Dave Hinton dine out on enormous bonuses, salaries and the rest while failing the residents across our area? Does she agree that Dave Hinton needs to go?
2026-01-08
Shockat Adam (26364)
match score: 0.92
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a practising optometrist
Matt Western (25701)
match score: 0.88
Various organisations that have been established have interests in this area
James Wild (25866)
match score: 0.86
I declare an interest, having bought one a few years ago in the expectation that I would be able to ride it legally by now, but that is permitted only under state-licensed schemes
Joe Powell (26477)
match score: 0.83
Similarly, as my hon Friend the Member for South Dorset (Lloyd Hatton) mentioned, the long-standing effort to bring in transparent beneficial ownership registers to the UK overseas territories and Crown dependencies would enable better tracking of assets under the control of sanctioned individuals
Joe Robertson (26504)
match score: 0.83
It probably led to an interest in something different from gambling, but that is another matter
Phil Brickell (26368)
match score: 0.83
As an interim step, the Minister will agree that individuals with a legitimate interest, including journalists and civil society, must have meaningful access to beneficial ownership information
Jim Shannon (13864)
match score: 0.81
Anyone who has to declare a health issue on their driving licence will know that it becomes much more complex—I declare an interest as a type 2 diabetic
Dawn Butler (11447)
match score: 0.8
That this House believes that the aim to permit principle in planning policy erodes the ability of local communities to shape their neighbourhoods; further believes that planning decisions should be made in the public interest, not skewed towards automatic approval; and therefore calls on the Government to remove the aim to permit provision so local councils can regulate the spread of gambling premises.
Dawn Butler (11447)
match score: 0.8
That this House believes that the aim to permit principle in planning policy erodes the ability of local communities to shape their neighbourhoods; further believes that planning decisions should be made in the public interest, not skewed towards automatic approval; and therefore calls on the Government to remove the aim to permit provision so local councils can regulate the spread of gambling premises.
Lilian Greenwood (24774)
match score: 0.8
I thank the hon Gentleman for his continued interest in these areas
Iqbal Mohamed (26620)
match score: 0.8
According to the gambling commissioner’s own register, Kirklees council has granted 34 gambling licences, with 10 gambling premises located in my constituency alone
Matt Western (25701)
match score: 0.79
It is interesting to see that some of our peers in NATO have taken this a bit further, and we should look closely at that, but we are constrained by international law
Ian Murray (24872)
match score: 0.79
Let me talk very briefly about cumulative impact assessments, which the Prime Minister committed to directly at Prime Minister’s questions in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brent East. The Government want local authorities to feel empowered to make data-driven decisions that are in their communities’ best interests. We want them to feel able to curate healthy and vibrant spaces that reflect the needs of their local communities. As part of our Pride in Place strategy to strengthen local authority influence over the location and density of outlets, we have confirmed that we will introduce cumulative impact assessments when parliamentary time allows. Cumulative impact assessments will empower local authorities to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas identified as vulnerable to gambling harms. We have heard a lot about where those gambling harms are.
Iain Duncan Smith (10180)
match score: 0.79
I urge the Minister to look at imposing targeted Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible for Mr Cornelius’s arbitrary detention and asset seizure. I am going to list just eight people who are involved in the board of the Dubai bank: His Excellency Mohammed Al Shaibani; Yahya Saeed Ahmad Nasser Lootah, vice-chairman of the board of directors; Hamad Abdulla Rashed Obaid Al Shamsi, a board member; Ahmad Mohammad Saeed Bin Humaidan, also a board member; Abdul Aziz Ahmed Rahma Mohamed Al Muhairi; Dr Hamad Buamim; Javier Marin Romano; Bader Saeed Abdulla Hareb; and Dr Cigdem Kogar. I offer up the names of these people, all of whom are involved in this case, for the Government to think carefully about taking action. Unfortunately, Ryan’s case appears to be a clear example of economic interests taking precedence over human rights, largely because the UAE is such a major financial investor and trading partner.
Keir Mather (26271)
match score: 0.79
Great British Railways will have a statutory duty to promote the interests of passengers in decision making to improve performance, reliability and passenger experience
Andrew Rosindell (11199)
match score: 0.79
We know that some creatures do not have to be registered if they are run over by a motor vehicle, so will the Minister consider amending the Road Traffic Act 1988 to include cats and other wild animals?
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.79
He is such a diligent and hard-working MP, who always has the interests of his constituents at the forefront of his mind, and I thank him for that
Alan Campbell (10086)
match score: 0.79
There have been a number of recent debates relating to the accessibility of our railways, but I think further such debates—perhaps Backbench Business or Adjournment debates—would be of great interest to Members across the House
Richard Holden (25893)
match score: 0.79
Measures such as requiring proof of identity to register a vehicle could have been included, as recommended by the all-party parliamentary group for transport safety
Bernard Jenkin (10312)
match score: 0.78
May I congratulate the hon Gentleman on the quality of this report? I have a family interest in undersea cables: it was my great-great-grandfather, Professor Fleeming Jenkin, who laid the first transatlantic telephone cable in 1858
Janet Daby (25727)
match score: 0.78
I would be very interested to know whether the Department has made an assessment of areas affected by multiple flight paths and what it is considering to manage the impact of that
Matt Western (25701)
match score: 0.77
I do not know about the timings—I am not close enough to the Government for that—but the United States did something interesting, which was to have a scheme to lease two ships, costing them $10 million a year
Keir Mather (26271)
match score: 0.77
The Lib Dem spokesperson is right to identify the fact that passengers deserve access to a rail network that serves their needs, which is why accessibility will sit at the heart of Great British Railways. It will have a legislative requirement, with the licensing watchdog ensuring that accessibility is always considered— there will be an accessibility duty within the Railways Bill. On fares, the Bill and the rail fare freeze will save passengers £600 million in 2026-27; contrast that with the period from 2010 to 2014, in which fares rose by 60%. If the Lib Dem spokesperson is interested in the rights of passengers and affordability on the railway, he should have supported the Railways Bill on Second Reading.
Bernard Jenkin (10312)
match score: 0.77
Could he explain to the House, and for my benefit, what effect, if one applies sanctions to some foreign leader, dictator or person who is in a completely different jurisdiction, does a sanction actually have and how can it be made to bite on the interests of that person so that the sanctions are actually felt by that person?
Pippa Heylings (26421)
match score: 0.76
I have made the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary aware of those attacks, but does the Leader of the House agree that that cannot be allowed on British soil? Further measures are needed to protect political dissidents here in our country, and a debate on transnational repression and the Government’s measures to combat it is in the interests of democracy and this House
2026-01-07
James Naish (26329)
match score: 0.97
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (10119)
match score: 0.84
I start by declaring an interest as a farmer and as chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on shooting and conservation
Luke Charters (26480)
match score: 0.83
Just briefly on loan repayments, plan 2 borrowers, including me, were never clearly told that higher graduate earnings meant higher loan interest. As a former Financial Conduct Authority regulator, I can tell the House that, although the regulations do not apply to student loans, my honest view is that the communication around student loan repayments, where income is linked to interest rates, feels like a mis-selling scandal waiting to unfold.
Simon Hoare (25427)
match score: 0.83
I echo the point that has been made: it is daft to merge sections 1 and 2 with regards to shotgun licensing—I declare an interest as a holder of one
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.8
On the question of detailed numbers, yesterday was a political declaration—a political statement
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.8
I think this is a test for the leader of Reform: are the interests that he declares closer to those of President Putin or closer to those of the British people?
Andrew Murrison (11132)
match score: 0.8
What I am interested in, however, is expediting justice for my constituents
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.79
My hon. Friend is entirely right that the long-term commitment we and other nations have made to Ukraine is not just about our military support or the deployment of a multinational force into Ukraine; it is about the financial support Ukraine will require for the long term. We are certainly interested in the proposals that she has been championing. Led by the Treasury, this Government have been in discussions with those who are developing such proposals, and we will continue to hold those discussions, because such proposals will potentially play a significant role in contributing the sort of financial investment that we must see in Ukraine for the long term.
Sarah Sackman (26438)
match score: 0.79
When I talk about reform of the system, of course I listen to important stakeholders who lead our professions, and of course their opinion counts, but my interest is in having a criminal justice system that serves the public, not one that serves lawyers
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.79
I will reflect on the fact that we have had six interest rate cuts in a row, and for those with mortgages that will be hugely effective
Simon Hoare (25427)
match score: 0.79
Given 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 debate on rural communities. In passing, it is interesting that we have been told in the media over the past few days that Reform UK is the party of the farmer. Its Members must be out tilling the fields! As always, they are all noise, no delivery.
Kemi Badenoch (25693)
match score: 0.79
Is it not time that the Prime Minister changed course, and for once put the British national interest first?
James Cartlidge (25414)
match score: 0.79
On rules of engagement, we note from the joint declaration of intent that our service personnel will be granted
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.79
I will keep the House updated as the situation develops, and were troops to be deployed under the declaration signed, I would put that matter to the House for a vote
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.78
The right hon. Gentleman has returned to a subject that has been raised and debated in the House before. He was a member of the last Government, and he will know that in advance of any decisions, they are never disclosed or confirmed by Ministers. As for the concerns that he has expressed, I welcome his support for the Government’s decision and their participation in and leadership of the coalition of the willing, and for the declaration of intent that was signed yesterday.
Tan Dhesi (25695)
match score: 0.78
Does my right hon Friend agree that the future of Greenland is for Greenlanders and Denmark to determine, and that any attempts by a NATO ally to seize NATO territory would not be in our collective interests, and least of all in America’s interests?
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.78
On the question of Greenland, I have been in contact with the Danish Defence Minister. The Prime Minister was very clear in the joint declaration that he signed yesterday in Paris that Greenland is part of Denmark. Its sovereignty is not at stake, and it is defended by being part of NATO. Its security is guaranteed by all 32 member states, and any future for Greenland is a matter for the Greenlanders and the citizens of Denmark.
None ()
match score: 0.78
The Speaker declared the main Question, as amended, to be agreed to (Standing Order No. 31(2)).
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.78
My hon. Friend is right to question me on UK deployment and our commitments. He will get the chance to question me directly; I look forward to appearing before his Committee later this month. As the Prime Minister said at Prime Minister’s questions, the House will have the opportunity to debate the issues in detail if and when there is any commitment and decision to deploy troops, following on from what he made clear was a political statement—a declaration of intent that is significant in advancing our work to secure Ukrainians’ future, but nevertheless a political declaration. The House would then have the chance to debate in full Members’ concerns, the consequences of any future deployment to Ukraine, and the terms on which we would make that deployment.
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.78
I can assure her that we want to work with all colleagues across the House on that crucial issue, and it is in our interest to do so
Kevin McKenna (26529)
match score: 0.78
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, and commend our incredible servicemen and women who have defended our interests here. I am increasingly worried, as are many other Members, about the shadow fleets and the way in which they are operating in the world. Given that there are two international ports in my constituency, I should like the Secretary of State to reassure my constituents by telling me how the United Kingdom will protect the workers, sailors and companies operating out of the Sheerness and Ridham docks at sea in future.
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.78
The Leader of the Opposition talks about the shadow Attorney General. Of course, I accept that lawyers have to represent all sorts of crime. Of course, I accept that principle. The question is whether the shadow Attorney General can sit in the shadow Cabinet when the Conservative party says it supports us on sanctions. We want the money from Chelsea football club to go to Ukraine. I am not sure whether that is the Leader of the Opposition’s position. If it is her position, presumably it is something they discuss in the shadow Cabinet, advised by a shadow Attorney General who is representing the very man whose money we want to send to Ukraine. If she cannot see the conflict of interest in that, then she shows no judgment and no leadership at all—the same old. It is a new year, but the Leader of the Opposition has absolutely nothing to offer the country. She is totally irrelevant. Nobody is listening to her. This is the year when, on this side of the House, we turn a corner and people benefit from the decisions we made: £150 off energy bills, freezing rail fares and lifting half a million children out of poverty. We are turning the corner and there is much more to come.
Angela Eagle (10182)
match score: 0.78
The rural economy already contributes £259 billion to gross value added in England alone, and we know that rural areas offer significant potential for further growth. The Government are committed to harnessing this potential to ensure that we can fully realise the opportunities that exist in the rural economy across the whole country. Small and medium-sized businesses are the engine room of the Government’s No. 1 mission, which is growth, and there are half a million registered SMEs in rural areas—the vast majority of them not having anything to do with agriculture or farming.
None ()
match score: 0.78
The Deputy Speaker declared the main Question, as amended, to be agreed to (Standing Order No. 31(2)).
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.78
Yesterday’s declaration advances that work significantly
John Glen (24839)
match score: 0.78
He is a serious and experienced politician, and I have no doubt that he always acts in the national interest
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (26472)
match score: 0.78
Back in 2004, when I was 17, the foxhunting debate was playing out. It has been incredibly interesting to hear so many Conservatives talk about Labour MPs not understanding rural issues or the foxhunting debate. I can tell the House that one reason I became a Labour member—let alone a Labour MP—was foxhunting. I remember how furious I was, aged 17, that Conservative Members were so angry about the foxhunting ban but did not care about lifting children out of poverty. I could not comprehend that world. That is what drove me to Labour. Those were my values, having grown up in a rural area. Now, I am incredibly proud to stand here representing a rural seat. I continue to stand on that ticket and I defend the Labour manifesto.
Gavin Robinson (25280)
match score: 0.78
The Prime Minister will be aware of the grave concerns that abound around the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, particularly among veterans and those who stand up and speak out for the interests of those who defend our nation
Josh Newbury (26317)
match score: 0.78
I very much agree with my hon. Friend. I must confess that I am a little envious of her, because she has the Mayor of West Yorkshire backing up the Labour Government and using that investment wisely—and, I hope, making use of the powers introduced by that Act—whereas the Conservatives on Staffordshire county council took absolutely no interest in doing so during their time in power. The recent news of Reform UK’s cost-cutting review suggests that our bus services will continue to be neglected.
Rishi Sunak (25428)
match score: 0.77
The future of Ukraine, and indeed the security of Europe, is an issue of vital UK national interest—a point that the right hon Gentleman, and others, have made
Angela Eagle (10182)
match score: 0.77
Interestingly, some of it turned up abroad, so there is clearly an organised crime element that needs tackling properly
Luke Myer (26411)
match score: 0.77
I welcome the Government’s decision to increase defence spending to the highest level since the cold war, and the Teesside defence and innovation cluster stands ready to support the national interest. Will the Defence Secretary do everything possible to ensure that British steel is used across the defence industrial supply chain, so that national security is also economic security for Britain?
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.77
I hope that his constituents will both support the Prime Minister’s declaration of intent in Paris yesterday—because of the importance of Ukraine to our long-term security—and support and recognise the professionalism of the US operation on the Bella 1 today
Alison Bennett (26498)
match score: 0.77
Declares that if the Government were to agree to a request from West Sussex County Council to delay its election due this May, this would result in sitting councillors serving for up to six years, rather than the usual four, resulting in a democratic deficit.
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.77
On the number of nations committed to and involved in the planning of the coalition, as the Prime Minister has said, and as I said in my statement, yesterday’s meeting was 39 strong. It was the largest meeting of the coalition of the willing yet. Yesterday’s declaration of intent signifies not just an advance in our work towards the security guarantees and peace, but a gathering of momentum behind that.
Nia Griffith (11692)
match score: 0.77
I very much welcome the Prime Minister’s leadership and the signing of the declaration of intent, but the vicious attacks by Putin on Ukraine over Christmas suggest that peace is still a long way off. Will my right hon. Friend update us on the military aid and support we are providing to Ukraine? Can he reassure us that where there is depletion of stocks, that is being backfilled?
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.76
The hon. Gentleman is quite right to point to the importance of Project Asgard. It is breaking new ground. It is demonstrating new technologies and new military techniques. It is Britain at the forefront of creative military innovation and technology, and we are determined to accelerate it. On the wider question of the peace negotiations and red lines, the nature of any negotiations is always that declared initial positions are tested. If a successful process of peace negotiations is secured, we want to be ready, and we are ensuring that we are ready, to play a role in securing that peace for the long term through the multinational force for Ukraine.
Noah Law (26513)
match score: 0.76
Given that what is proposed today is a peacekeeping force, does the Secretary of State wonder, as I do, when the leader of Reform will cease his adulation of Putin, ensure that there are no further traitors among his ranks, support the peace process in Ukraine and stand up for British interests?
Mark Sewards (26440)
match score: 0.76
I welcome this evening’s statement. I say, primarily to those outside this Chamber, that any deployment of British forces in Ukraine is not going to be a tripwire to a wider conflict. If we do not deploy those forces, put that deterrent in place and back Ukraine—if we allow Putin to take Ukraine either now or at some point in the future—there will be devastating consequences for British interests and global stability.
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.76
Let me be very clear about what was agreed yesterday. Military plans were drawn up some months ago, and I have updated the House in relation to that. Yesterday’s was a political declaration that sits under those military plans. If there were to be deployment, there would have to be a legal instrument. Deployment would only be after a ceasefire, to support Ukraine’s capabilities, to conduct deterrent operations, and to construct and protect military hubs. There will be a statement to the House at the earliest opportunity. [Hon. Members: “When?”] There could hardly be an opportunity—[Interruption.] Opposition Members claim that they want to know about this, and they are trying to shout me down.
Angela Eagle (10182)
match score: 0.76
Let us be absolutely clear about what this Tory motion really is. It is not a plan for rural Britain, and it is not a serious attempt to fix the problems that our rural communities face; it is an exercise in political distraction. Every single regret listed in this motion is the direct result of decisions taken by the Tories over their 14 disastrous years in government. They regret raising taxes after crashing the economy and blowing a hole in the public finances. They regret business closures after years of stagnant growth, poor investment and broken rural infrastructure. They regret changes to funding for rural areas after hollowing out public services, cutting rural transport and stripping away neighbourhood policing in the very places where visibility and response times matter the most. They regret the changes to the rural way of life, but sold out our farmers in trade deals and broke their funding promises. Even their own former Environment Secretary admitted that they had failed to defend our agricultural interests. They regret uncertainty when it was their chopping and changing, their political chaos and their lack of long-term thinking that created it in the first place. Rural communities deserve honesty, not selective political amnesia, and from this Government, they will get it.
Dave Doogan (25796)
match score: 0.76
I am interested to know how keen the Minister is to adhere to that distinct element of the Labour party’s manifesto, because it seems clear to rural communities up and down Scotland and elsewhere on these islands that it is pick-and-mix as the Government introduce things that were never in the manifesto and fail to deliver that which was
Keir Starmer (25353)
match score: 0.76
Yesterday we were working with our NATO allies, including the US—our NATO ally—on a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which will not happen without security guarantees from the coalition of the willing backed by the United States. That is a vitally important issue, and we made progress on it, but there will not be a just and lasting peace in Ukraine without those security guarantees, and not achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine is not in our national interest. That is why I am applying so much time and energy seeking to get that outcome.
John Healey (10268)
match score: 0.75
The political declaration that the Prime Minister signed with President Zelensky and President Macron will sit alongside, and is developed from, the detailed work on the military planning for the coalition of the willing and the deployment of the multinational force for Ukraine, and it is an important part of the contribution that the UK will make in the future to the security of the UK and the security of Europe.
James MacCleary (26581)
match score: 0.75
Does the Secretary of State accept that this announcement and other global events intensify the urgent need to increase defence spending to 2.5% and beyond? The Paris declaration states that the force would be deployed only after a credible cessation of hostilities. Can he give some detail on what that means in practice? If it refers merely to a ceasefire, would British troops be expected to conduct combat operations if hostilities were suddenly to resume?
2026-01-06
Alison Griffiths (26536)
match score: 0.95
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests
Mary Creagh (11898)
match score: 0.81
The problem has been that it is a paper-based register, so how can people check it at the moment? My understanding is that the move is to a digital system, but I will get back to her
Mary Creagh (11898)
match score: 0.81
I am in passionate agreement with the hon. Gentleman, as I am sure is everyone in the Chamber and watching at home. I would say, however, that big businesses use all available resources to protect their income. They are sophisticated businesses—some are registered companies—and they have their own ways of making life difficult for law enforcement. We are in a bit of a David and Goliath situation. They have been very good at doing that. This is a complex crime, and it takes a while to unravel.
Ian Murray (24872)
match score: 0.81
I think the legislation means that there has to be a report to Parliament in March—I am sure the hon Gentleman will be very interested in that
Kit Malthouse (25346)
match score: 0.8
The hon. Gentleman is making a very interesting and pertinent speech. I hope he will welcome the fact that the Bill strengthens the requirement on companies to not only look at prevention but have an adequate recovery plan. Does he think that there is adequate sanction in the Bill for those companies that are deemed not to have an adequate recovery plan? My reading is that regulators cannot necessarily fine for a negligent recovery. As the hon. Gentleman said, the human factor so often matters, but surely that matters as much in recovery as it does in prevention.
Pete Wishart (11333)
match score: 0.8
As the Bill progresses, will he be prepared to look at some measures—maybe something like a bot register where people have to declare their intent when it comes to this type of activity? Will the Government look at this seriously so that news can be protected in this new environment?
Mike Reader (26630)
match score: 0.8
To businesses, I say that money talks, and when there are stronger enforcement risks to someone’s business, all of a sudden cyber-security ends up higher up the corporate risk register
Jodie Gosling (26314)
match score: 0.8
Further, once a property has left the register, it becomes increasingly difficult to trace those responsible for it
Mary Creagh (11898)
match score: 0.8
I agree with my hon. Friend. One of the things that I am very interested in exploring is what the playbook is. The hon. Member for Bicester and Woodstock asked who such things should be reported to, and the problem is that if that is not clear, people do nothing. The most important thing when any crime is being carried out, wherever it is happening—whether that is on the Tube or wherever we see things happening—is for us as citizens to do something. That might be reporting it to the council, the local police or the Environment Agency, whose hotline is 0800 807060—I thank my officials for getting that through so that it is on the public record.
Emily Darlington (26412)
match score: 0.8
We have to protect our national interest and ensure that our partners put our national interest and cyber-security first and foremost
Chi Onwurah (24807)
match score: 0.8
It is appropriate that we begin 2026 by talking about an issue in the House that is of grave importance to all our constituents, but is not discussed enough either here or in the country: cyber-security. At the start of the millennium, only a quarter of the UK and 6% of the world were online. Today, almost 98% of the UK and 68% of the world use the internet. According to Ofcom, we each spend between three and six hours online every day, depending on our age and interests. For many—perhaps too many—life is lived online. Even when people are not online, the infrastructure of their lives is. Whether people use online banking or not, their bank account details will be stored in a cloud somewhere. The same is true of health records, electricity bills, children’s school records, the safety sensors of our nuclear power plants, Christmas Marks & Spencer orders and Uber ride details.
Mary Creagh (11898)
match score: 0.79
We will also require vehicles that transport waste—the man with the van—to display their permit numbers on their vehicles and on their advertising, so service users can be reassured that their waste is being handled by an accredited business rather than criminals. The reform will introduce mandatory technical competence for all permit holders, meaning that anyone transporting or making decisions about waste will have to demonstrate that they are competent to do so, rather than simply just going on a register. Waste will be managed by authorised persons only and in a safe manner.
Calum Miller (26617)
match score: 0.78
In late October, I was knocking on doors in Kidlington when a conversation opened my eyes. The resident—not particularly interested in politics—was ready to close the door when he said, “Actually, my housemate Billy might want to talk to you.” He shouted upstairs and Billy came down. Billy Burnell is a local angler who knows the River Cherwell inside out. He showed me photos and videos of a vast waste dump beside the river. This was not fly-tipping—it was industrial-scale organised criminal dumping.
David Reed (26628)
match score: 0.78
Finally, I want to raise the issue of cyber-crime law. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 dates from a time when fewer than 1% of the population had access to the internet. Its blanket prohibition on unauthorised access fails to distinguish between malicious attackers and legitimate cyber-security professionals acting in the public interest. That matters: vulnerability research and threat intelligence are essential to defending our systems, yet many professionals in the industry operate in a legal grey area when carrying out work that ultimately strengthens our national security. Updating that framework, including by introducing protections for reasonable research, would modernise the law without weakening it.
Ian Murray (24872)
match score: 0.78
He makes a very interesting point that I am very conscious of and happy to take away
Matt Western (25701)
match score: 0.78
Given the right hon Gentleman’s extensive experience, it is very interesting to hear what he says
Ed Miliband (11545)
match score: 0.78
It sounds like a really interesting project. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that there are huge opportunities. Opportunities abound when it comes to co-operation with our near neighbours and across the world to help our energy security, deliver clean power and bring down bills.
Michael Shanks (26276)
match score: 0.78
We are genuinely excited about any new technologies that come forward, so we are very interested in innovation like that
Julia Lopez (25652)
match score: 0.77
I will be very interested to see what the strategy looks like and whether it is up to the challenge we now face
Anneliese Dodds (25618)
match score: 0.77
The Minister stated at the beginning of this debate that when national security is on the line, we must be ready to act, and I strongly agree. A number of Members in the Chamber have said how important it is that we have a cross-economy and cross-society approach to these issues. I believe that the sanctioning of these individuals risks chilling transparency, including potentially transparency that can uncover foreign interference. I hope the Government will resist all attempts to reduce transparency. The welcome efforts in this Bill on cyber-resilience must be accompanied by work to counter other cyber and information-related threats to our national digital sovereignty and, more broadly, threats to our national security and interest.
Richard Tice (26399)
match score: 0.77
Could the Minister explain why the Government have rejected a higher bid for the Lindsey oil refinery that would have kept jobs, kept the refinery open and attracted more investment in favour of a lower bid that is destroying jobs, is mothballing the refinery and is against the growth interests that the Government profess? Can he also confirm whether or not the taxpayer is retaining the decommissioning liabilities of the oil refinery?
Julia Lopez (25652)
match score: 0.75
The United States remains a vital ally, but in this new era Britain must be very clear-eyed about risk, the reality of hard power and the need to protect our sovereign interests