Speeches by Brewer.

“Do you have a view, professionally or personally, on how judo compares with other sports in the area of women’s coaching?”

“I would love to be in a world where that was the case in all areas.”

“Within judo, how close do you think we are to gender parity on coaching? When you say there are women at all levels, is that anywhere near 50%?”

“Thank you all so much for coming in. I would like to ask you, Lisa, about the coaching that we know you do alongside your refereeing. Sport England data shows that while many women volunteer as coaches in sports clubs, they are under-represented in roles that lead progression, such as coaching. Why do you think this mi…”

“In North East Hampshire, thousands of London-bound commuters rely on trains as an extension of their office, especially when that train is delayed. Despite that, the UK’s onboard wi-fi speed was ranked 16th out of 18 major European and Asian countries. Does my hon. Friend agree that without a statutory passengers’ char…”

“In North East Hampshire, thousands of London-bound commuters rely on trains as an extension of their office, especially when that train is delayed. Despite that, the UK’s onboard wi-fi speed was ranked 16th out of 18 major European and Asian countries. Does my hon. Friend agree that without a statutory passengers’ char…”

“You have said these things are very different, and you have said that this is not about performing masculinity or femininity. I agree with you that we have to take the heat out of this discussion because I want to protect women’s spaces and women’s safety, and I want to protect trans safety. I do not mean to be crass; …”

“I just want to come back to the specifics of the guidance because it feels like there is a bit of a contradiction where you have said in an answer to some Committee questions that we as a society have been successfully navigating this for a decade and more. You have also said that there is a change in the form of the S…”

“I want to follow up specifically on this point about common sense in a bit more detail. If we go back a few hundred years it was common sense that the earth was flat; if we go back 200 years it was common sense that women were far too emotional and sensitive to vote. So I would argue that common sense is not actually t…”

“I have a very short question: could you tell us how this code makes people’s lives better?”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Twigg. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) on securing this important debate. Connection and mobility are key to a social, happy and healthy society—and, as we are hearing, an educated one. The ability to build network…”

“Veterans’ mental health challenges can be significant, for obvious reasons—trauma, stress, spending a long time away from friends and family, and so on. As I am sure my hon. Friend knows, devastatingly, veterans under the age of 24 have a suicide rate that is two to four times higher than that for the civilian populati…”

“Veterans’ mental health challenges can be significant, for obvious reasons—trauma, stress, spending a long time away from friends and family, and so on. As I am sure my hon. Friend knows, devastatingly, veterans under the age of 24 have a suicide rate that is two to four times higher than that for the civilian populati…”

“In my area, children waiting for ADHD assessments—many already on the standard pathway for years—have been told that they will have to wait until 2027 at the earliest. We know this is happening nationally, because Healthwatch told us in its 2024 report. Does my hon. Friend agree that abolishing Healthwatch—the only sta…”

“You talked about the industrial strategy being the main vehicle for driving this change and the economic benefit that could result, yet the industrial strategy did not mention women once. Do you think it should have?”

“I would argue that giving women equal opportunity in business is not self-righteous, but I hear you. You have talked about interventions and the Government have said they will, “Not rule out interventions if investment in women founders fails to improve.” Given that investment has declined, what new interventions are t…”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Thank you all for your time today. Ministers, all-female teams received just 1.75% of UK equity investment in 2025, down from 2% in the previous two years. Why do you think the Government’s stated commitment to women-led businesses has not led to an increase in the proportion of equity invested in them?”

“Where you are saying it has not been called out separately, I am saying put it front and centre. We have a £250 billion economic growth opportunity here, which is potentially vast for the whole country and will benefit men, women, and our economy as a whole. I am struggling to understand why this is not front and centr…”

“Thank you. Kristen, if I can come to you. What proportion of the bank’s finance went to supporting female entrepreneurs in 2025?”