Speeches by Rhodes.

“Secretary of State, what are your priorities on international climate action from now to COP31?”

“What is the plan to achieve those things?”

“Finally, you talk about COP in terms of bringing all these different people together from civil society and elsewhere. Has the nature of COP changed in that it is now more about those big political statements of intent and about bringing people together and networking, with the real work being done elsewhere—outside of…”

“You talked about the hosting arrangements for COP31. What opportunities and challenges do they present?”

“Is there some way of helping the UK shipping sector in general? If it is going to be disadvantaged by doing that, are you suggesting that there should be some Government support?”

“Thank you. Mr Stace, you have already mentioned energy cost issues with regard to retrofits and all the related costs that there might be. How should those costs be fairly distributed? Who should pick up the tab?”

“Across all the different sectors, there are going to be some residual emissions during the period of the seventh carbon budget, requiring greenhouse gas removals. What in your view is the fairest way for each sector to contribute to the cost of those removals?”

“I want to ask some questions about costs and where they should or could lie. Mr Counsell, we have discussed SAF, and you mentioned things like upgrading the fleet, and that all requires significant investment. In terms of the costs, where do you see the balance lying between the airlines—yourselves—passengers and the t…”

“Where does the balance lie between airlines absorbing costs and passing them on to passengers?”

“Dr Hughes, on shipping, you are going to have all these additional costs in regard to upgrading vessels, fuel and so on. You also made a distinction earlier between domestic and international. How do we ensure that the extra costs do not put our shipping at a huge disadvantage in competing with other shipping fleets?”

“I do not intend to ask any questions during this panel, but I should declare that I have recently agreed to become a vice-president of the Association for Decentralised Energy.”

“I welcome the Budget set out yesterday by the Chancellor. The Labour party was founded on the principles of social justice, redistribution and universal rights, and the progressive nature of the Budget helps to deliver on those principles. It will ensure that the very wealthiest households pay a fair share to support p…”

“T5. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of how hosting UEFA Euro 2028 will benefit communities across the UK, particularly through its social impact programme?”

“What discussions has the Secretary of State had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the impact on Scotland of the increase to the national living wage?”

“I agree. It is vital to have proper documentation of what is happening, and the point was made earlier about the need for journalists to have access, so that they can report on what is happening and we can hold people to account.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairing, Ms McVey. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for opening the debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. Gaza’s healthcare system has been severely depleted. Israel’s campaign has destroyed health facilities, killed health work…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of UNRWA in ensuring the co-ordination and delivery of humanitarian aid. Its access must be unfettered; it must be allowed in and allowed to do the work that needs to be done on the ground. Last week, the UN reported that more than 13,000 households across Gaza were affe…”

“I agree. I was referring to past actions, but this is not just about what has gone on in the past. People must be held to account for what is happening now. As I have said, the withholding of humanitarian aid is itself an act in breach of humanitarian and international law, and those responsible for it must be held to …”

“I agree. We have a ceasefire—a very fragile ceasefire—but, even if it is successful, we must ensure that people are held to account for what has gone before. We should not allow progress with the ceasefire to take away from accountability for past actions.”

“I agree—there is a huge priority in getting humanitarian aid in, and it is absolutely upon the international community, including ourselves, to do all that we can to ensure that flow of aid. To ensure that children and families have sustained access to aid and the services needed to recover and rebuild their lives, Gaz…”