Speeches by Brandreth.

“We have talked a bit about the fact that the announcement was made prior to the security clearance being granted. If security clearance had been sought prior to the announcement of Lord Mandelson’s appointment, would that have changed the judgment you made in granting security clearance?”

“Before moving on to the main things I want to discuss, on the point that has just been talked about, when exactly were these conversations taking place?”

“What was the reason, in your opinion, that it didn’t move forwards?”

“We have talked a bit about the fact that the announcement was made prior to the security clearance being granted. If security clearance had been sought prior to the announcement of Lord Mandelson’s appointment, would that have changed the judgment you made in granting security clearance?”

“Could there have been information from UKSV that would have changed your decision?”

“You say that you follow due process. Would you say that you would have made the same decision to grant clearance if it had been any other person being considered for ambassador? For example, if it had been a civil servant being considered rather than a political appointment, do you think you would have made the same ju…”

“If they had concluded the security vetting process, as was Simon Case’s recommendation, prior to formally making an announcement of the appointment, would that have changed the judgment that you made in terms of granting security clearance?”

“Thank you. I want to focus on the decision process that you went through to consider the recommendation of UK Security Vetting and the ultimate decision that you made to grant security clearance. When you were considering the recommendation and the risks that were brought to you by UKSV, did the findings, in your view,…”

“In retrospect, with everything that we know now, do you regret granting security clearance for Lord Mandelson?”

“You say that you follow due process. Would you say that you would have made the same decision to grant clearance if it had been any other person being considered for ambassador? For example, if it had been a civil servant being considered rather than a political appointment, do you think you would have made the same ju…”

“Okay. You were required to make the ultimate decision to grant or not grant security clearance. Given that, as you have said, the public announcement of Lord Mandelson’s appointment had already been made, in December ’24, before you took up the post, given that the White House had already confirmed it would accept, and…”

“T3. A local employer—himself a former apprentice—tells me that his industry is now in crisis, with his firm’s apprentice intake falling from 60 to just 20 this year due to this Government’s decisions. Meanwhile, Reaseheath College is having to turn students away and restrict courses in agricultural engineering and cons…”

“We are at a point where it is no longer credible to ignore the scale of the challenge posed by social media to children and young people. Platforms and algorithms are designed and deliberately engineered to maximise engagement, capture attention, and keep users scrolling for as long as possible. As adults, we can take …”

“I will now turn to why we need consistency for headteachers, schools, parents and children, particularly in relation to a mobile phone ban. Lords amendment 106 mandates schools to prohibit the use and possession of a smartphone during the school day. It is an amendment that could have been written in headteachers’ offi…”

“The war in the middle east is having a real effect on my constituents. From fuel to fertiliser, prices are increasing, and action needs to be taken to alleviate the consequences. Although there are immediate steps that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor should be taking, not least reversing the planned increase in f…”

“T7. Red diesel prices have shot up by 60%, a third of the world’s fertiliser goes through the strait of Hormuz, and energy prices are skyrocketing. All that is creating challenges for farmers, and will ultimately affect the prices we pay for food in the shops. What is the Minister doing to work across Departments to re…”

“Like other hon. Members, I have had many constituents get in touch about poor mail service. One constituent in Kelsall reached out to Royal Mail after experiencing deliveries once per week at best, only to receive a reply stating that service levels in our area are good. The same constituent later received a hospital a…”

“My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Does he agree that allocating NHS resources on a strictly per head basis disadvantages rural communities, particularly when nearly a quarter of rural residents are over the age of 65 and the rural population is ageing faster than in urban areas? Will he join me in encouragi…”

“Since the last estimates day, the world has grown even more volatile: war continues in Europe, and the middle east is once again descending into crisis. Recent events have underscored that although hard power is indispensable, soft power remains vital to a serious and effective foreign policy, protecting British citize…”

“It is no surprise that drones have become a central element of Iran’s response. The Shahed drones that it deploys are relatively inexpensive, easy to mass-produce, and capable of causing significant damage. However, the interceptors that we use to bring them down are substantially more expensive. Given the rate at whic…”