Speeches by Lamont.

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for raising that point. I will not comment on the legality of whether Avanti has breached its contract, but I think he is making the point that there is an issue, or at least a perception, that train companies do not think that customers and passengers north of Manchester or north of Bi…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered transport links between Scotland and the rest of the UK. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Lewell-Buck, for the first time. I congratulate you on your position. I am pleased to have secured this debate to highlight the significance and importance of improving tr…”

“If I may say so on behalf of all Members, you have done a spectacular job as Chair, Mrs Lewell-Buck. I am grateful to all hon. and right hon. Members for contributing to the debate. We have Members here from across Scotland and also from Ulster, and I am grateful for the important points they made about the connections…”

“Did the commission have staff at the Wandsworth count?”

“At what point did the returning officer notify you of the problems about the declaration of the result?”

“What sanction has been imposed on Wandsworth’s returning officer?”

“My question was in terms of sanctions.”

“Thanks, Chair. My question is about where people get information about the activities of MPs—less at election time, although it comes up at election time. There is a website called TheyWorkForYou. I have spoken to you about it before, Vijay. It purports to tell voters how MPs have voted on different issues. I am sure t…”

“It is the opposite.”

“Obviously there are lots of participants in an election, whether it is candidates, parties, the Royal Mail or the printers. As a candidate, I certainly feel as though we get lots of oversight from the Electoral Commission. I suspect that political parties feel the same. Are you confident that the other participants—nam…”

“Thank you, Chair, and good morning to the witnesses. Your report suggests that the 2024 election was well run. Could you tell me the criteria by which you judge that?”

“Do you think that could have been avoided if the commission had engaged at an earlier stage with the printers and Royal Mail? For example, in my constituency a Royal Mail postman was on holiday for a week, and the postal ballots were not delivered because there was no replacement. The printers were obviously not gettin…”

“I suspect that may come up in further questions.”

“I have one more point. You mentioned, under your performance criteria and the standards that you set yourself, that there was an issue around a count. I am assuming that you were flagging the Putney count in Wandsworth.”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Harris. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone) for introducing the debate so well on behalf of the Petitions Committee, of which I am a member. Most new Governments come into power with positive plans to get things do…”

“I very much welcome the Minister’s statement and the removal of the Assad Government. What assessment have the UK Government made of the Syrian justice system’s capacity to prosecute war crimes, and all the horrendous crimes that were perpetrated against the poor people of Syria during Assad’s regime?”

“Ahead of the Christmas break, I am delighted to have this opportunity to recognise and celebrate some of the amazing organisations that serve the Scottish Borders all the year round. These groups, and the volunteers who help keep them running, often do not get the praise they deserve, so I want to mark the excellent wo…”

“Labour promised not to raise taxes on working people, but farmers are some of the hardest-working people I know. Peter Douglas from Jedburgh has looked at the details of this policy and he says that Labour’s inheritance tax increase will prevent him passing on his family farm to his son and daughter. They say Labour ha…”

“I have eight Royal Mail delivery offices in my constituency, staffed by a team of hard-working posties who cover a vast rural area around the Scottish Borders. Will the Minister tell them, and me, what commitment the new owner has given to maintaining those offices and staff levels?”

“Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate so that we can pay tribute to our young sporting heroes? I am sure that all Members have many examples, but 22-year-old cyclist Oscar Onley from Kelso was recently awarded the title of male rider of the year by Scottish Cycling after becoming the first Scottish-devel…”