Showing every spoken contribution, including 5,750 under 12 words. Hide short remarks

1. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Julian Lewis

   Palestine Action: Proscription and Protests

   As I have indicated previously, I have my doubts about whether the terrorism label is most suited to a group that is certainly criminal, certainly violent, and arguably seditious, in its attacks on the assets of our military, but I have a positive suggestion to make. Will the Minister undertake fully to brief the Chairman and members of the Intelligence and Security Committee, which I used to chair but on which I now no longer serve? If they were able to see information that the Minister cannot share publicly and say to us that they were satisfied with the terrorism designation, I for one would find that reassuring.

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2. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Julian Lewis

   Omar al-Bayoumi: Arrest and Extradition

   Does the Minister accept that ever since the Saudi nationality of the vast majority of the 9/11 hijackers became known, there has been deep suspicion about the role of the then Saudi Government in the atrocity that took place? To what extent do the Government believe that the nature and attitude of the Saudi Government have changed over the past 24 years?

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3. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Julian Lewis

   Defence Industrial Strategy

   Now that the killer in the Kremlin has reinstated the serious prospect of all-out war on the continent of Europe, does the Minister accept that this places a premium on national autonomy in our procurement process? In future with procurement issues, will the Government make it clear to what extent we can proceed with acquiring the necessary munitions, irrespective of what is happening to the allies with whom we might normally co-operate?

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4. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Jeremy Wright

   Indefinite Leave to Remain

   Order. I do not need to point out that this is a very popular debate. I remind hon. Members that if they wish to be called to speak, they should please stand. To give you an indication, something like four minutes each should allow us to get everybody in, given the numbers who wish to speak, so please bear that in mind.

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5. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Jeremy Wright

   Indefinite Leave to Remain

   Order. This is just a gentle reminder that we are aiming for four minutes. I will not impose a formal time limit unless I have to, but it would help if we could keep close to four minutes.

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6. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Jeremy Wright

   Indefinite Leave to Remain

   The hon. Gentleman is as good as his word.

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7. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

   Renters’ Rights Bill

   The UK needs a vibrant and fluid private rented sector. We need it to deliver communities that are happy and cohesive, and to deliver fairness, stability and security for families. I have been looking at the Government’s position on the Bill, and I pay tribute to the Minister for Housing and Planning, the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Matthew Pennycook), for the work he has done on it—or is he the right hon. Member?

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8. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

   Renters’ Rights Bill

   Well, he deserves to be the right hon. Gentleman. He has been doing the hard yards; he has done loads of work on this Bill. I am sure he was disappointed that he did not get to lead the Department—congratulations to the new Secretary of State—but I have no doubt that the opportunity will come in the near future. I would just say: be patient for the moment. While I have no doubt that the Bill is full of good intentions, it is poorly though through and counterproductive. In fact, I am assuming it is poorly thought through, but it is entirely feasible that the measures within it are well though through, and are designed to undermine the private rented sector. It is inept, either by accident or on purpose—I will go with inept by accident, because that is more in keeping with the Government’s actions in this Department. The Bill is clearly a mishmash of measures on issues that are Back-Bench hobby horses—issues that those on the Front Bench do not have the authority or the courage to put to bed. It is entirely counterproductive, as has been recognised and highlighted by their lordships in the other place. The Bill risks driving private landlords out of the sector, reducing the supply of private rented accommodation and pushing up rents for those in the private rented sector. Limiting the supply of such accommodation means limiting the options for tenants in the private rented sector, and leaving them worse off. We do not need to look very far to see what happens when Governments get this wrong. In Scotland, fixed-term tenancies were abolished, rent controls imposed and regulations tightened, and what was the result? Fewer landlords, shrinking supply and the fastest rises in rents in the UK, with Edinburgh and Glasgow facing steeper rent rises than ineptly Labour-run London. The Labour Government in Westminster are about to make the same mistake, because Government Back Benchers are, for whatever reason, obsessed with “fixing” an already highly successful sector. The private rented sector has the highest satisfaction levels of any tenure type—higher than levels in the social rented sector or among owner-occupiers.

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9. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

   Renters’ Rights Bill

   The hon. Gentleman makes the classic statistical error of assuming that his inbox is representative of all the people in the sector. Has it not occurred to him that people who are happy in their private rented accommodation do not tend to write to their MP, saying, “Apropos of nothing, I just want to let you know that I am happy”? I have it on good authority from my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (David Simmonds)—my good friend and colleague—that the hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales) is not doing a terribly good job of championing the social rented sector in his constituency. He seeks to deny the private rented sector, while simultaneously denying people the social rented sector. I am not sure where he thinks people in his constituency should live. The point is that the Bill is a mishmash of incoherent proposals, which, instead of being designed to improve the private rented sector, are designed to keep angsty Back Benchers happy, but Front Benchers are already starting to learn that they cannot pay political Danegeld to their Back Benchers. I give the Front-Bench team due notice: their Back Benchers will be insatiable. They will take whatever red meat they are thrown, and they will ask for more. We have already seen this, Madam Deputy Speaker, with the proposed changes to social security and disability benefits. The Front Benchers had plans, but their Back Benchers had other plans, and guess who won? Those showing courageous leadership on the turbulent Back Benches. The Government will see the same again on this issue. The Opposition understand that a good tenure mix is good for the UK. We took measures to improve the private rented sector, but we made sure that we did it in the right order. We made sure that the courts were ready.

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10. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    It is interesting that on the one hand, we have voices on the Front Bench saying that we did not do anything in government, while at the same time, voices on the Labour Back Benches say that we were doing something.

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11. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    No. Perhaps Labour Members should co-ordinate their criticism. The previous Conservative Government understood that there is a need to reform the system, but that every part of the system needs to be ready. That is why we made sure that the justice system was ready first before we started making changes to the legal frameworks, giving tenants, landlords and courts the time to adjust. However, the Labour Government have abandoned that discipline. The changes put forward by their lordships came about through careful consideration of the provisions in the Bill and their implications in real-world scenarios, not the fantasy world of many Labour Back Benchers. The Labour Government were defeated in the other place on several important amendments. There is a pattern to the Government’s defeats: time and again, Ministers accepted a principle but when it came to taking action to deal with the principle, they fell short. I will give some examples from amendments on Report in the other place. Amendments 87 and 88 in the name of Lord Keen would raise the standard of proof for financial penalties to “beyond reasonable doubt”. The principle is clear: setting serious penalties requires having serious evidence. The noble Lord Keen made the case powerfully in the other place, yet the Government still refuse to act. In doing so they are introducing a huge degree of uncertainty for both landlords and councils, and uncertainty is toxic to the provision of homes in the sector. Making these changes will reduce the housing supply.

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12. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    If the hon. Gentleman was going to criticise what I say, he should have at least listened to what I said. What I said was that extrapolating—

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13. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    No, no, get it right first time. What I said was that extrapolating from a Member of Parliament’s inbox is not a good way of gauging the full spectrum of opinion within a cohort of people. At no point did I say—and I would never say—that we should ignore the people who write to us, and no one should assume that we do. I am pretty certain that the hon. Gentleman would not, and I certainly do not. That is absolutely not what I said. The point I am making is that the Government’s argument was, “There aren’t that many people, and frankly they’re all posh, so we can ignore them.” That was basically the framing of their argument, but tell that to the extended families of people, typically of ethnic minority origin, who often live in close proximity to each other. There will be communities all across the country where the elders of the family have rented properties that have tenants in them, but because those properties are near where they live, they envisage at some point in the future members of their extended family moving into the properties in order to provide care for them. Disregarding and diminishing this as an idea just because it is something that the Government Front Bench accuse only the posh Members of the other place of doing is rather distasteful.

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14. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir James Cleverly

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    There are always opportunities for abuse, but we cannot be closing off a provision that would be really valuable to many families around the country because there is a risk of abuse. If we were to do that, there would be loads of areas where Government would not legislate. We do not disregard an opportunity just because of the potential for abuse; we manage that potential for abuse. I will move on a bit more quickly as I want to ensure that all Labour Back Benchers get their opportunity to speak. [Interruption.] It is their legislation. Lords amendment 58 in the name of Lord Cromwell would reduce the ban on re-letting from 12 months to six months. That is a wholly pragmatic point. There is the idea in the Bill that a landlord would have to wait for 12 months, but if it is clear after six months that, despite genuine efforts—there is provision to ensure that efforts are genuine—there is no chance of selling, it is entirely reasonable that a landlord should seek to re-let. That is not as quickly as Members on the Labour Benches would do so; nevertheless, it is an entirely fair provision. The largest Government defeat in the other place came on amendment 59 in the name of Lord Young of Cookham, which is about the exemption for shared owners from the 12-month ban on re-letting. The Minister said at the Dispatch Box that he recognised that this area created challenges, but I urge the Government not to dig in their heels on the issue. The cohort of people envisaged by the amendment are often those most in need of flexibility—people who are not of significant financial means—and limiting their options when it comes to, perhaps, a distressed asset would be entirely wrong. I have no doubt that he recognises that. I urge him to move quickly to a resolution on this matter to reassure the Chamber and the other place that those people will not be disadvantaged by the Bill. The Lords amendments are well thought through. They attempt to take this mishmash of a Bill and knock it into some credible shape, providing protection for tenants and a bit of reassurance for landlords so that they can continue to provide a supply of private-rented accommodation to help people get on the housing ladder and to live in homes they love and value in communities that they cherish. If the Government choose to blindly ignore those amendments, I have no doubt that the Bill will have the effect of reducing the number of landlords, reducing the number of homes and increasing rents, which is the opposite of what any of us in the Chamber should want. That is why the Opposition will support the amendments.

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15. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sir Andrew Mitchell

    Omar al-Bayoumi: Arrest and Extradition

    My right hon. Friend the Member for Goole and Pocklington (David Davis) did the House a service today in raising this important matter, but there are wider issues associated with the extradition treaty with America. The House will recall that the treaty was set up when Sir Tony Blair was Prime Minister to address terrorism, but in recent years, it has controversially been used for a much wider remit; from time to time, it has looked as though commercial and national advantage was sought from it. That suggests that the time may be right to review it. Will the Minister look at the matter carefully, and consider whether now is the time to do that?

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16. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sarah Bool

    Veterans: Support

    22. What steps he is taking to help support veterans into employment.

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17. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Sarah Bool

    Veterans: Support

    From my proud support of the National Transition Event held annually at Silverstone in my constituency, I am aware of the work of Mission Community, a service charity tasked with the delivery of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs’ veterans industry engagement programme, which is designed to advocate for our veterans by working with industry trade bodies. What sectors will the Government focus on in their work so that veterans and their families feel the benefit, as well as that having a positive impact on our economy?

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18. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Saqib Bhatti

    Cadets

    15. What recent steps he has taken to help increase the number of cadets.

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19. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Saqib Bhatti

    Cadets

    I was in the King Edward’s school RAF combined cadet force, and until recently I was on the board of the West Midland Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association. I was pleased to learn of the Government’s lofty ambition to increase cadet sizes, but I was worried by the comments of the Public Accounts Committee, which said recently that there was a distinct lack of “detail and funding” to achieve those numbers. Without the funding and without the detail, these plans and numbers are meaningless, are they not?

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20. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Palestine Action: Proscription and Protests

    Order. I urge the Minister to be a bit more succinct in his responses.

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21. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Omar al-Bayoumi: Arrest and Extradition

    I call the shadow Secretary of State.

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22. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Omar al-Bayoumi: Arrest and Extradition

    I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Ben Maguire.

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23. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Defence Industrial Strategy

    I call the shadow Secretary of State for Defence.

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24. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Defence Industrial Strategy

    I call the Chair of the Defence Committee.

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25. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Defence Industrial Strategy

    I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

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26. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Defence Industrial Strategy

    May I ask Members to be brief, and the Minister to be even shorter?

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27. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Point of Order

    I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order. I take it that he notified the hon. Member for Clacton that he intended to refer to him in the Chamber.

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28. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Point of Order

    The hon. Member is nodding. The Chair is not responsible for anything that hon. Members say outside the Chamber—that in itself would be a full-time job—but he has put his point on the record. Renters’ Rights Bill: Programme (No. 2) Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Renters’ Rights Bill for the purpose of supplementing the Order of 9 October 2024 (Renters’ Rights Bill: Programme): Consideration of Lords Amendments (1) Proceedings on consideration of Lords Amendments shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion four hours after their commencement. (2) The Lords Amendments shall be considered in the following order: 11, 14, 18, 19, 26, 27, 39, 53, 55 to 62, 64, 67, 1 to 10, 12 and 13, 15 to 17, 20 to 25, 28 to 38, 40 to 52, 54, 63, 65 and 66, 68 to 77. Subsequent stages (3) Any further Message from the Lords may be considered forthwith without any Question being put. (4) Proceedings on any further Message from the Lords shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement.—(Sir Nicholas Dakin.) Question agreed to.

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29. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    I must draw the House’s attention to the fact that Lords amendments 39 and 68 engage Commons financial privilege. If either of those Lords amendments is agreed to, I will cause the customary entry waiving Commons financial privilege to be entered in the Journal. Clause 12 Right to request permission to keep a pet

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30. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    With this it will be convenient to discuss: Lords amendment 14, Government motion to disagree, and Government amendment (a) in lieu. Lords amendment 18, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendment 19, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendment 26, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendment 27, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendment 39, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendment 53, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendments 55 to 62, Government motions to disagree, and Government amendment (a) in lieu. Lords amendment 64, and Government motion to disagree. Lords amendment 67, Government motion to disagree, and Government amendment (a) in lieu. Lords amendments 1 to 10, 12, 13, 15 to 17, 20 to 25, 28 to 38, 40 to 52, 54, 63, 65, 66 and 68 to 77.

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31. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Ms Nusrat Ghani

    Renters’ Rights Bill

    I call the shadow Secretary of State.

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32. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mr Peter Bedford

    Channel Crossings: Military Assets

    5. Whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the use of military assets to help prevent crossings by illegal migrants of the English channel.

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33. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mr Peter Bedford

    Channel Crossings: Military Assets

    The safety and security of my constituents is my No. 1 priority. Given the national security risk posed by some of those who cross the English channel illegally, I ask the Minister to look again at using military assets to physically stop those small boats from landing in the first place. Will he do that today?

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34. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mr Mark Francois

    Veterans: Support

    Nearly a fifth of a million people have now signed the parliamentary petition to protect Northern Ireland veterans from prosecution, in opposition to Labour’s proposals for two-tier justice. Surely Ministers must understand that facilitating lawfare against our Army veterans, none of whom received letters of comfort after leaving their service, shows that Labour just does not have their back?

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35. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mr Mark Francois

    Veterans: Support

    Labour’s currently stalled remedial order would specifically make it easier for Gerry Adams and his friends to sue the British taxpayer while throwing our Army veterans, many of them recruited from red wall seats, to the wolves. After everything the Government put their Back Benchers through in recent months, are No. 10 and Ministers really intending to press ahead with this madness and do Gerry Adams a favour, at the expense of the soldiers who opposed him? Are they pressing ahead with the remedial order—yes or no?

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36. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mr Gagan Mohindra

    NATO Defence Spending Target

    3. What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on meeting the NATO target of spending 5% of GDP on defence.

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37. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mr Gagan Mohindra

    NATO Defence Spending Target

    Tomorrow we will vote on a Bill that shamefully gives up the sovereignty of our military base in Diego Garcia. Given the commitment to spend more on defence, will the Secretary of State confirm if the money spent on Chagos will be included in our declared NATO spend?

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38. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mark Pritchard

    Indefinite Leave to Remain

    May I just say to the Minister that his socks are in order? The Clerks are excellent, because I now know that the first reference to socks in the House of Commons was in 1842, in a manufacturing debate. To reassure him, there is no mention whatever of socks in the “Rules of behaviour and courtesies in the House of Commons” or in “Erskine May”, which of course was first published in 1844. Members can therefore all be reassured, and certainly the Minister can be: his socks are in order. There is a ruling.

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39. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mark Pritchard

    Indefinite Leave to Remain

    Order. Votes in the House are always, as we know, a moveable feast. However, it is likely that there will be eight votes later this evening, so perhaps everybody here in Westminster Hall could keep an eye on the main Chamber, unless they want to come back here later in—I don’t know—95 minutes. It is entirely up to Members, because I will not be here, but they will.

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40. 8 Sep 2025·Parliament·Mark Pritchard

    Indefinite Leave to Remain

    Order. Before I call the Front Benchers, an update from the Chamber: there are apparently more Members standing now than there were even 10 minutes ago. At the discretion of the shadow Minister and the Minister, we can run the debate for the full time to 7.30 pm, which is great.

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