"I welcome the advance sight that I had of the statement. Agrifood is a hugely significant industry, providing a great deal of employment. It is also of huge strategic importance to us as a country. It is therefore quite troubling—I hope the Secretary of State will appreciate quite how troubled …..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"7. What recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on food security in the UK. ..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"The conflict in Ukraine shows the fragility of many of our supply lines, and it has certainly increased the cost of many inputs and is disrupting the sector considerably. In order to minimise these effects, will the Secretary of State look again with his colleagues at having a more flexible …..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Robertson.
Sadly, I can speak with some personal experience of how much of a violation it can feel like when people’s properties are flooded. In many ways, it is worse than a burglary: all the stuff is still there, but …..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. Let us be clear why we are discussing this issue: because the current occupant of the most notorious party flat in central London has persistently and simultaneously promised contradictory outcomes in respect of border arrangements between GB and …..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Rees. I thank the hon. Member for Rochdale (Tony Lloyd) for securing the debate, and for the interest that he has shown. I see that the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) is not with us at the moment, but …..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"I agree with the hon. Member’s intervention, and if he will allow me, I will go on to develop some of the many reasons why I believe that to be the case. We should be looking for the most pragmatic solutions in the short term to minimise those self-inflicted obstacles …..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"7. What recent assessment the Committee has made of the potential effect of the proposal in the Elections Bill to introduce voter ID on electoral participation. ..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"Given the scant evidence of electoral fraud by members of the public trying to cast votes to which they are not entitled, do the commissioners share my concern that attempting to introduce voter ID is an attempt to solve a problem which, in reality, simply does not exist?..." Richard Thomson - View Speech
"What recent discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on bringing forward legislative proposals to help tackle the illegal puppy trade. ..." Richard Thomson - View Speech