(2 years, 7 months ago)
Commons ChamberOrder. Can I just ask the Secretary of State to please not take advantage? This is topicals. Please tell me if you want to pick a Member who you do not want to be able to ask their question.
(2 years, 7 months ago)
Commons Chamber(3 years, 3 months ago)
Commons ChamberLet me tell you, I didn’t hold my breath. [Laughter.]
Go figure, as Joe Biden might say.
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on becoming Prime Minister. He is absolutely the right person for the job and I wish him every success. He knows he has my full support. His two immediate predecessors made levelling up a key part of their agenda. Will he reaffirm his commitment to levelling up and start as he means to go on by approving the levelling-up fund bid for Bingley in my constituency?
(4 years, 7 months ago)
Commons ChamberI do not want to take up too much time because the time we spend now eats into the time for the main debate. However, it is important to register that literally hundreds of new clauses and amendments have been tabled to the Bill. It is a 300-page Bill, which had two days for Second Reading. The fact that it has only one day on Report is an absolute abuse of this House.
We are supposed to carry out a job of scrutinising legislation and ensuring that it is fit for purpose, but we will have a matter of a few hours for Report. The Minister has no opportunity to engage in debate on all the new clauses to explain why the Government will accept or reject them. Surely the least this House should be able to expect is to have some proper free-flowing debate and some explanation from the Government of their position on each of the new clauses, which people have taken the time and trouble to table. It is an absolute disgrace and it is important that that point is registered before we start the debate because it is an abuse of this House.
I did allow that contribution—there was special dispensation—so that it could be put on the record.
Question put and agreed to.
(4 years, 8 months ago)
Commons ChamberI remind those on both Front Benches that topical questions are meant to be short and punchy, so we do need to get on. I have quite a list.