Speeches by Williamson.

“The Home Secretary is right to talk about the need for the information to be out there and for openness. In the light of that, can she clarify whether any Government officials talked to Maccabi Tel Aviv as a club or through either of the embassies to discuss the decision by the club to say that away fans would not trav…”

“In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Central specifically, 5,500 people are employed by bet365. It is not just a significant employer; it is the most significant employer. What actions or interventions is the Treasury looking at taking to try to offset some of the potential job losses that these policies will cause?”

“The hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) raised the important point that the OBR says that these measures will drive money towards the black market, potentially not benefiting the taxpayer and the Treasury as much as the Minister says. Will she explain what she will do to avoid the black market benefit…”

“I cannot adequately put into words the fear, concern and stress that farmers in my constituency and right across the country have felt as a result of the policy announced at the Government’s first Budget. That same fear is now being felt in rural pubs up and down the country due to the changes to business rates. Will t…”

“I have no doubt that you will be very organised and ready for Christmas, Mr Speaker, with all your presents purchased and wrapped. Some of us are not quite like that and will be making panicked purchases around our constituencies this weekend. If people are parking in Penkridge at Boscomoor retail centre or the Quinton…”

“Building on the question from the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Tim Roca), police and crime commissioners were able to act as a strong independent voice for commissioners. In what has been outlined so far, there is not really a voice for victims in local areas. What will the Secretary of State do to make sure that is r…”

“Going back to the parliamentary Session, Alan, you have a massive amount of experience. You have seen short Sessions and longer Sessions. As Leader of the House, what is your preference? Do you think the yearly structure of a parliamentary Session is better than over two years?”

“It is more about having a discussion, because you are right; Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and Reform will have booked in two or three years ahead. We are almost saying that in three years’ time, this is where we are looking to reshape the parliamentary year. You have got that two-week session that d…”

“You have touched on the accessibility report that is coming out tomorrow, so it would not really be fair to ask you what that is going to contain. You also touched on the fact that you will refer to some of the proposals of the Procedure Committee; that is appreciated. Can I go off track a bit? I always remember that I…”

“I totally agree with you on that.”

“Members on both sides of the House know how important these changes are, and getting them right is absolutely vital. My right hon. Friend the Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Steve Barclay) asked a specific question as to whether the Department has done an impact assessment. Could the Minister clarify whether that…”

“Right across the political spectrum, I think everyone feels that this was a poor decision and a bad decision, which is why it has unravelled so quickly. Can the Minister reassure the House that there was absolutely no local political interference in making this decision?”

“Yes.”

“It is only about a technical detail, and it probably shows the lack of understanding that we have of the Attorney General’s role sometimes. You said something very interesting about how, as Attorney General, you served a number of masters: you serve the law; you serve the Government; you serve the Head of State; but yo…”

“You have slightly touched on the fact that we are in quite a privileged position, in that we can talk about a case post arrest but pre charge. Is your general feeling that, as long as that is exercised responsibly, that should be preserved within the House?”

“It is only about a technical detail, and it probably shows the lack of understanding that we have of the Attorney General’s role sometimes. You said something very interesting about how, as Attorney General, you served a number of masters: you serve the law; you serve the Government; you serve the Head of State; but yo…”

“Yes.”

“You have slightly touched on the fact that we are in quite a privileged position, in that we can talk about a case post arrest but pre charge. Is your general feeling that, as long as that is exercised responsibly, that should be preserved within the House?”

“This company operates internationally: bet365 is one of the most successful technology companies in this country, and it operates right across the globe. It is quite understandable why it does so, but the hon. Gentleman probably does not care about jobs in Staffordshire. He has probably not ever thought about jobs in S…”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and may I say what a delight it is to see you in the Chair this evening? I was not going to start by saying this, but I agree with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when—and I may misquote him slightly—he spoke about “decent jobs at decent wages.” I absolutely agr…”