Speeches by Thomas-Symonds.

“Where I fundamentally disagree with some of the fishing industry, although not all of it—if you look at what Salmon Scotland said, they took a very different view—”

“Absolutely. I am not ruling it out. If it was on the basis of terms that I felt were in the national interest and were value for money, then absolutely.”

“I am talking about overall trade-offs.”

“Let us just be clear: as I said to the Committee at a previous session, I make the decisions, ultimately, on the trade-offs, John. That is my role. Some people will criticise, others will perhaps take a different view, but it is ultimately my role and responsibility to do that on behalf of the United Kingdom. Where did…”

“First of all, I would say that the UK can of course still participate in SAFE in up to 35% of the content, and that remains the case, irrespective of the outcome. Let me go back for a moment, because you highlighted the extraordinarily serious position that international politics is in at the moment. The Prime Minister…”

“Yes, I was described quite recently as “long-serving”; I was surprised, given what feels like the relatively short amount of time I have been in the role in the Cabinet Office, but maybe that is just relative to recent years. In terms of the UK-EU relationship and the progress since the May summit, I think we have made…”

“I was talking more broadly about the work that I have been doing, which is very broad, across youth experience, SPS agreement, emissions trading system linkage, and Erasmus+, which had very wide support. Since you have raised the issue of fishing, Scottish salmon obviously took a different view when we made that agreem…”

“I am not sure how different they are on the EU, in terms of the work that I am doing. There is obviously a difference of view, to say the least. The Scottish Government have a very different view of the future of the United Kingdom to my view or yours, let alone their view of the EU. In terms of the work that I have be…”

“First of all, on engagement with MPs, I will certainly be looking to circulate a “Dear colleague” letter with details. We will be holding drop-ins tomorrow as well, so that parliamentary colleagues can come along with specific cases. Charlotte, to your number of points about the portal, please do feed those details int…”

“The sanitary and phytosanitary agreement removes export health certificates and routine border checks, slashing costs and red tape for agrifood trade. For example, businesses will save up to £200 per shipment, making trade cheaper and easier. The Conservative party wants to put those costs back.”

“The Government agreed a new strategic partnership with the EU in May last year, delivering for UK jobs, easing the burden on bill payers and strengthening our borders. Whereas we are making significant progress, it seems the Conservative party and Reform would rip it up. Given that Reform has just recruited that well-k…”

“To clarify, there are no access fees in regard to either the emissions trading system linkage or the food and drink agreement that is being negotiated. That is absolutely clear. In terms of moving forward, we take pragmatic decisions in the national interest in various sectors, which is why we opened negotiations on el…”

“There is a real issue of democracy here, in the sense that we won a general election with a mandate to negotiate a closer UK-EU relationship. It is in our national interest to do so, and we have set out the red lines within which those negotiations are taking place. Listening to what the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy …”

“I look forward to visiting Belfast later today. The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that the East-West Council is an important part of our “Safeguarding the Union” arrangements. I certainly take a pragmatic and proportionate approach to the Windsor framework, which is one of the reasons I am so keen to get the…”

“No, and the situation is not as the hon. Lady has described. The work that the Government are doing in building a closer EU-UK relationship is crucial, and we can do it alongside a trade deal with India and an economic deal with the United States that is saving jobs at Jaguar Land Rover. The Government’s position is in…”

“Well, on the basis of my exchange with the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, I thoroughly look forward to bringing the Bill to the Commons and debating it fully. I can assure the hon. Lady that what we will be debating is why the Government’s approach is good for jobs and how it will bear down on bills for c…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Leader of the Opposition should have risen to the occasion yesterday in a profound moment for the nation. She chose not to do so.”

“The Prime Minister made his position clear with regard to Lord Mandelson’s position when that additional information came to light. With regard to the House of Lords, Lord Mandelson is currently on a leave of absence. The revocation of a title requires a bespoke piece of primary legislation and is separate from the rul…”

“On the first point, I met the families of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombings and the Hillsborough families only last week. It is critical that we get the balance right between allowing our intelligence services the secrecy that is essential to their work and having proper oversight. That is exactly the work t…”

“The consultation on the compensation scheme closes today. I am grateful to all who have shared their views. The Government will consider the consultation carefully and respond within 12 weeks. I am pleased to tell the House that, as promised, the first payments to affected people were made by the end of 2025, and that …”