Speeches by Downie.

“I congratulate all those on this side of the House who have made their maiden speeches this afternoon. It has been absolutely fantastic to hear all those stories. It has been a long 14 years since we had a Government and a Budget that will deliver for Scotland, the UK and working people. We have had 14 years of austeri…”

“The right hon. Member mentioned people fleeing the country. Could he point to at least three examples of anyone at the investment summit now saying that they will withdraw that money?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, and I congratulate him on his debut at the Dispatch Box this morning. As he mentioned, earlier this month the Secretary of State joined me on a visit to Rosyth dockyard in my constituency. Does my hon. Friend agree that the failure of the SNP to support the defence sector in recru…”

“4. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the number of defence sector jobs in Scotland.”

“Let me begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Adam Thompson) on his maiden speech. I am delighted that he gave us a lesson on how to say his constituency name. How can I say “Erewash” to further confuse Hansard? I also congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Natalie Fleet), who is n…”

“A year ago, despite the undoubted challenges, there were early signs of improved relations between Israel, the Gulf states and others that were pressing Israel to move towards the two-state solution that we in this House would all like to see. The Iranian regime, however, through its own actions and those of its proxie…”

“May I begin by congratulating everyone who has made their maiden speech this afternoon and evening? They did so under time pressure, which adds a layer of complexity that I am glad I did not have. As I mentioned in my maiden speech, I grew up on an RAF base in Berlin. As Members might expect, remembrance is a huge part…”

“Does the Foreign Secretary agree that when it comes to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, it is vital to co-ordinate rules globally, including with China, to protect British people and our technological infrastructure?”

“Despite there being a healthy number of large supermarkets and other petrol suppliers in the city of Dunfermline, research by a group of my constituents has found that petrol there is consistently up to 5p per litre more expensive than it is when sold by the same suppliers less than 10 miles away. That harms small busi…”

“11. What progress he has made on resetting relations with the devolved Administrations.”

“This new Labour Government have already outlined that they are going to invest in sectors vital to the economy of Dunfermline and Dollar, including renewables, defence and engineering. That investment can only fully deliver if there is alignment with the Scottish Government to deliver the pipeline of skills needed for …”

“Over the last few years we have seen an increase in attacks by foreign Governments on UK cyber-security. Will the Minister please update us on what steps his Department is taking to ensure our public services across the UK are fully protected?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. I will be very brief. I am a former small business owner—does my hon. Friend agree that as part of that review, we should also be looking at and promoting to small businesses the benefits of adequate family leave and flexible working at the same time to help grow the economy?”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his very welcome statement. He mentioned the importance of the Ukrainian forces’ efforts in the Black sea against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and how important that is to the Ukrainian economy. Could he go a little further and describe how this funding for Ukraine will help to ensure …”

“Absolutely. At the core of the Bill is the need to raise wages for people across Fife, across Scotland and across the UK. That will be a key achievement of this Bill, which has been undertaken by this Labour Government within the 100 days that we promised the electorate. The change in the landscape has been caused by a…”

“It is a privilege to follow the maiden speech of my hon. Friend the Member for Hamilton and Clyde Valley (Imogen Walker). I visited New Lanark on a school trip when I was younger, as many people in Scotland did, and it was a fantastic portrait of a beautiful part of the country. I pay tribute to other Members who have …”

“Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the failure of both the SNP and Conservative Governments to plan for the site at Longannet, which closed in 2016 and now lies empty, is a missed opportunity? Does he agree that all Governments in the future should be looking to work together on that, to bring thousands of jobs back to…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (John Grady) on securing this important debate. Back in the mists of time, in 2007, a new economic strategy for Scotland was announced by a new kid on the block, a certain Mr John Swinney, a member of a…”

“Does the Minister agree that a key area for investment from the national wealth fund should be Scotland’s port infrastructure in order to ensure we are making the best economic use of our coastline, such as at places like Rosyth in my constituency?”

“With many high street banks announcing local branch closures and pointing people to the post office as a resource for services, the attractiveness of being a sub-postmaster has never been more important. In my constituency, though, our post office in Cairneyhill will be closing, and those considering taking it over are…”