"My hon. Friend makes a valid point about the Governor being likely to come from the world of banking. Given the close integration of all our major UK banks and the Treasury, how could we possibly find an independent banker?..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"The hon. Gentleman referred to openness and transparency and to my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Kwasi Kwarteng) as neutered—although I am sure he is not. As a former Minister in the previous Government, the hon. Gentleman will have been privy to discussions on openness and transparency. Can he …..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"I, too, thank the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) for introducing the Bill. He has a reputation as a firebrand in Parliament, so I was surprised and pleased at his thoughtful speech. He almost got me to cross the line and support him. However, I was somewhat …..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"I never fail to be surprised at the ability of hon. Friends and hon. Members to vote for what they do not really believe in, as we might see next Tuesday. [Laughter.] The Whips do not need to write that down.
"I can assure my hon. Friend that I learned a huge amount from the painful experience of taking that Bill through the House.
I wanted to find out whether anything could be learned from seeing who were the original subscribers to the Bank. One of them was the Receiver of …..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I shall indeed turn to the substance of the debate, but I find it rather sad that an hon. Member seeking to restore the rights of Parliament should seek to deprive another hon. Member of the right to continue the long-established tradition in the House …..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"With the forbearance of the House, I will come to the substance of the Bill, but I want to set out the historical perspective for a few more minutes, if the House will indulge me.
Looking at the original subscribers, I was surprised to see the clerk of Eton college. …..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"I am grateful for your advice, Madam Deputy Speaker.
My worry is that the other place, in whatever form, will seek to flex its muscles and say, “If the Commons has a role in appointment and dismissal, why not us?” There could be a deadlock not only between the Executive …..." Mike Freer - View Speech
"That is one argument, but the contrary argument is that if the chosen candidate fails to carry the support of a substantial number of Members—there could be a majority of just one—there would be a credibility gap and the candidate would be damaged. What if the Chancellor were forced to …..." Mike Freer - View Speech