Speeches by Harding.

“Thank you, Minister, for sharing your distress. I think we all share the same distress, and it is day after day, as you and the Chair said. When we are talking about days, what timeframe are the Government waiting for in order to make their next move?”

“Do you think that reducing poverty should be explicitly mentioned as a central tenet of the approach, as it was in DFID value for money?”

“The programme operating framework defines value for money as value to the taxpayer, not maximising the impact of those living in poverty. What is your reflection on that?”

“In this Chamber in September, I called for Thames Water to be put into special administration in order to protect my constituents. A portion of the bills they have paid since then has gone on lawyers and consultants to put together a deal that has collapsed. The Liberal Democrats—unlike the Conservatives, who continue …”

“I would like to concentrate not just on purely rural areas, but on places like Surrey. In my constituency, the 514 bus connects Esher and Molesey, two important centres of our community, but it runs only twice on weekdays and once on a Saturday. On Sundays it is never to be seen. The service was severely cut back in 20…”

“I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. I also pay tribute to the humanitarian workers in Gaza, who are risking their lives to help the Palestinian people. The very powerful words by our own UN humanitarian chief have already been referenced. He said that 14,000 babies need food within the next 48 hours or they w…”

“It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) on securing this debate. This year, as both Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund conduct their funding replenishments, it is more important than ever that we consider the…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for a well-made point. I have consistently said that cuts to our international aid and development spend create the space for rogue actors to move in, including China and Russia. I know that the Government like polling, so I am happy to share that the British people understand the value of spendi…”

“I absolutely agree, and I was about to come on to the economic benefits of Gavi and the Global Fund. There are economic benefits: a study of Gavi-supported countries showed that, through healthcare savings alone, each dollar spent returns $21. When wider social benefits are considered, that rises to $54. Accounting for…”

“Israel’s continuing blockade of Gaza, now exceeding 70 days, is utterly unacceptable. Will the Government now recognise that the blockade constitutes a clear violation of international law? The Government must respect whatever determination the ICJ reaches regarding genocide. There are already clear obligations on the …”

“To continue on advocacy, I met a Health Minister for an African nation today who was ever so pleased with the support that the British had given with the almost elimination of malaria, but urged us to keep at it before it grows. There was no suggestion that they wanted reliance on the UK but they wanted more time. I ha…”

“Does the UK remain committed to the sustainable development goals?”

“Yes, you did. Does tackling extreme poverty, which a previous Labour Government did so much good on post-1997, remain the focus of UK aid?”

“In a letter to us on 16 April, the Minister confirmed that the Government are still considering their response to the ICJ ruling that was made in July. When will there be a response to that?”

“That is the surprise of the Labour Government, that the cut to international aid is hurting the world’s very poorest. Within the cut, how can you be assured that the tackling extreme poverty commitment remains of the Government?”

“I would like to expand on this. On the impact assessment, the ONE campaign suggests that the 40% cut to UK aid would result in 600,000 fewer lives saved —that is roughly the population of Glasgow—and 37 million children missing out on vaccinations for deadly diseases, which is more than double the number of children in…”

“Your manifesto does not seem to suggest that there was a crisis in support for international aid and development. Indeed, it seems to say, “With previous Labour Governments, Britain gained world-leading expertise in international development. Under the Conservatives this capacity has been downgraded and as a result Bri…”

“In relation to the US, are there conversations from Government to Government encouraging them to keep their role as the leader in USAID? I met a group of Congressmen and women yesterday who were very interested in the separation when DFID came into FCDO. They are going through the same thing with the absorption of USAI…”

“I understand when you say you want to minimise the impact of it, but you are the Government. These cuts are a political choice, and we have talked also about how they are linked to the defence budget. Also, in previous Governments when fiscal circumstances have been even worse than they are now, they have kept to above…”

“A care provider in my constituency has already been in touch, saying that a third of his workers are from overseas and are delivering about 60% of the work. He will be unable to care for 80 of his 120 clients. He has been hit by horrendous national insurance contributions, and has invested thousands of pounds in the mo…”