Speeches by Blake.

“I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and actions. If we achieve peace, as we all hope, the efforts to rebuild Ukraine cannot be only about infrastructure. They also have to focus on rebuilding people’s lives, from those who have been devastatingly injured or have lost loved ones, to civil society, which has bee…”

“I place on record my sincere thanks to the Secretary of State and Ministers for the constructive, open and thoughtful way in which they have engaged with me and my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed), as well as local leaders from the council in Sheffield, throughout the passage of the Bill, …”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his clear leadership, which is in stark contrast to the shadow Secretary of State. I was dismayed to hear her comments, which offered a complete dereliction of duty to future generations and followed others’ failures of leadership rather than showing leadership. I warmly welcome the r…”

“Yes, we have a broken system, but does the Home Secretary really believe that people having to flee violence, war and persecution means they have won a golden ticket if they are lucky enough to get refugee status here? Does she understand that such rhetoric is deeply offensive and feeds division? Does she accept that s…”

“That is exceedingly helpful. Just winding back, ownership has come out of all of your answers there. Are there any suggestions that we should be making in our report about how to build ownership across Government Departments, the Bank of England and the rest of it? How do we make sure that there is a continued collecti…”

“Professor Grubb, looking back at earlier carbon budgets, what do you feel worked and did not work in holding Government—and regulators, importantly—to account? How can we use any lessons that are there to make sure that the legal duties are fulfilled and delivered to avoid legal challenge as we go forward within that.”

“You should all join.”

“Just coming back to the governance arrangements, my first question is to Mr Childs and Mr Hunter Jones, but I am happy if you would like to come in as well, Professor. What governance or system‑wide barriers have held back delivery under earlier carbon budgets? How can these be addressed to reduce any delivery risks fo…”

“Clearly, having credible contingency plans is very important. There are mechanisms such as scrutiny, cross-Department oversight and public reporting. I know that we have spoken about public involvement, but what more can we be doing in Parliament and across Departments in Government to ensure that these plans are reali…”

“I have recently taken up the role as chair of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus. Zero Hour provides support to help me with this work. It is in my entry in the Register of Members’ Interests, if anyone wants to refer to it.”

“I thank the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee itself for the report, which I thought was very helpful and insightful. I share the concern that the Chair outlines about the gathering of evidence. I want to ask about media access into the Gaza strip. Is that an area that the Committee could look at…”

“That is very helpful. You have hinted at the political challenge, but what role do you think UK parliamentarians can play at COP30 and beyond?”

“The UK has a track record of playing a leading role in the sectoral initiatives announced at previous COPs, as you outlined. Do the UK’s financial contributions match the ambition shown by these announcements? You hinted at that in your last answer to the Chair. Do you think there are limitations at the moment?”

“Mr Topping, what does leadership look like at COP in terms of actions that we can rely on to positively influence other parties? You clearly have a lot of experience of this. Do you have some concrete examples that you could point to?”

“Could I ask about methane for a second? What action will be taken to intensify methane reduction commitments among countries at COP30? His Excellency Antonio de Aguiar Patriota: The methane aspect of the equation is interesting. I understand it has been responsible for roughly 30% of global warming since pre-industrial…”

“Do you feel they are of good quality, essentially? His Excellency Antonio de Aguiar Patriota: Yes. The British and, I would say, the Brazilian also. They are quite specific in establishing a timeline for reaching net zero, which is by mid-century, with ambitious fixed goals for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by…”

“On the quality, how satisfied is the presidency with the NDCs that have been submitted? Particularly that from the UK, but also those from other high-emitting countries. His Excellency Antonio de Aguiar Patriota: Excuse me, I am not sure I understood.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency. I would like to start by returning to nationally determined contributions. All parties to the UNFCCC are expected to submit new NDCs by February, but over 60 have yet to announce a new one. What is Brazil doing to ensure that the remaining NDCs are not only submitted but are ambitious and of…”

“I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s condemnations of the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack on the Heaton Park synagogue and the arson attack in Peacehaven. The Prime Minister emphasised the UK’s commitment to humanitarian support. While we all welcome the ceasefire, we know that the humanitarian crisis is …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Pippa Heylings) for securing this debate. I prepared a much longer speech, but I will keep it brief. We know the destabilising forces that scarcity of food can unleash, and what that can mean to commun…”