Speeches by Lewell.

“We begin with a Select Committee statement. Graeme Downie will speak on the publication of the second report of the Procedure Committee, “Proxy voting: Review of arrangements introduced in Session 2024-25”, HC 489, for up to 10 minutes, during which no interventions can be taken. At the conclusion of his statement, I w…”

“I was about to remind Members that they need to bob if they wish to speak in the debate, but I see everyone already has. I need to call the Front Benchers at 2.38 pm, so we will need to impose an immediate time limit of two and a half minutes. I call Helen Hayes, Chair of the Education Committee.”

“It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne), who has spoken powerfully many times about his own experiences and has consistently pressed for justice for the 97. There is a longstanding, deep problem in this country that smacks of cover-u…”

“I will call Sir Christopher Chope to move the motion and then the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make a speech only with prior permission from the Member in charge of the debate and the Minister. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for 30…”

“Order. The shadow Minister has made it clear that he is not going to give way.”

“Order. Members will refrain from shouting out and having dialogue with the Secretary of State. Please intervene in the normal manner.”

“I call Al Pinkerton, who I assume is coming to the end of his contribution.”

“If the next speaker keeps their contribution to four to five minutes, we might be able to get in two more Back Benchers before I call the Front Benchers for their contributions. I call Jim Allister.”

“Order. Do not shout.”

“I know that, but it is the perception of the public. If you are one of those people who works in defence industry and your job is on the line, how would you view it?”

“We have talked about these issues quite a lot in the Committee, as we did in the previous iteration of the Committee before the general election, and we keep getting told that there are plans in place and that things are changing. When do you think start-ups will be able to come to us and say, “It actually has changed,…”

“In your short time in post, have you seen a cultural change within the MOD more towards that?”

“This might be another one for your colleague as well, but the MOD, as we know, is not comfortable with rapid change, risk or experimentation, or that fast-fail kind of environment that you would have with some start-ups and tech companies. What are you doing to improve conditions for them to grow and thrive throughout …”

“In the defence industrial strategy, the Government have said that their ambition is to have growth deals right across the UK. Will those defence growth deals be in every single region?”

“I know that.”

“For those workers there, there is some anger, because the decision to buy the F-35s may be seen as prioritising US workforce over UK workforce when we have made a great play about making sure that we build our own defence industrial base, and then a contract has been issued to a foreign country and people here are pote…”

“But consistent orders came to an end yesterday, so all that skillset is now going to be lost. We are part of the GCAP. How will we fill that gap, and why was this information not shared with this Committee last week when we asked direct questions about it? Surely the Department must have known that this was going to ha…”

“Morning all. In relation to defence industry and supply chains, you will be all aware that at our meeting last week the Secretary of State would not commit to a future order of Typhoons and that as of yesterday existing orders at Warton came to an end. Why was that information not shared with this Committee, because th…”

“For too long, charities, faith groups and churches such as my own, St Bede’s, have been supporting people struggling to get by. Does my hon. Friend agree that our child poverty taskforce needs to seriously consider scrapping the awful two-child benefit cap, because relying on charity to lift children out of poverty is …”

“11. What steps the Church of England is taking to help to tackle poverty.”