Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Business and Trade
David Davis
Main Page: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)Department Debates - View all David Davis's debates with the Department for Business and Trade
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill
David Davis ExcerptsWednesday 13th September 2023
(7 months, 4 weeks ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 View all Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 Debates Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts Amendment Paper: Manuscript Amendments, Commons Consideration of Lords Message as at 13 September 2023 - (13 Sep 2023)
Dame Margaret Hodge (Barking) (Lab)
Mr Deputy Speaker, I am conscious that we must vote in five minutes to remain in order, so I will simply say that economic crime is a national security issue and should not be a partisan issue in this House. I urge the Minister to set aside the party political views that he is expressing and to go with the consensus that has been built, not just in the House of Commons but in the House of Lords and in the non-governmental organisation sector outside.
Mr David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) (Con)
The right hon. Lady is right. It is not just the parties but the different sides of the natural arguments over authority, libertarianism and civil rights that are not divided. I am a strong defender of the right to be presumed innocent, but there needs to be a rebalancing in this area, where the criminals we are up against are very sophisticated and will use smaller companies to get around this if they need to.
Dame Margaret Hodge
In the interest of trying to get to the vote on time I will close my speech, but I urge all Members to please support the amendments proposed by Conservatives in the House of Lords, which are eminently sensible, rational and pragmatic.