The Westminster lensArchive · §02 Speeches · 493 contributions

Speeches by Lowe.

Every Hansard contribution by Rupert Lowe this parliament, most recent first. Back to the MP page for the headline figures and analysed positions.

Showing 6180 of 493 contributions · most-recent first

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DateDebate & contributionWords
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

Let us at them. “Growth and good jobs in every place” is verbal baby food. What does “Richer lives with choices and opportunities for all” mean? Does that mean you are going to hire people on merit, or through ability? I am not clear. I am of adequate intelligence—I am not very clever—but that is not entirely clear to

159
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

That is quite important, because it might be her intention but they need to understand how to deliver against that intention. It is all very well to have intentions, but you are asking museums and galleries to try to deliver against a ministerial wish list, and it is not clear how you are going to judge them. You need

135
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

First, I agree that it is a cracking Report from Gareth and his team.

14
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

I could not help asking because I think it is quite important.

12
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

I could not help asking because I think it is quite important.

12
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

Let us at them. “Growth and good jobs in every place” is verbal baby food. What does “Richer lives with choices and opportunities for all” mean? Does that mean you are going to hire people on merit, or through ability? I am not clear. I am of adequate intelligence—I am not very clever—but that is not entirely clear to

159
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

Are they clear on what they need to do? Presumably, you will skew your grant funding towards those who deliver on your objectives. You are, after all, the master and they are, ultimately, receiving gifts. I am not sure from your answer that it is entirely clear to them.

49
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

That is quite important, because it might be her intention but they need to understand how to deliver against that intention. It is all very well to have intentions, but you are asking museums and galleries to try to deliver against a ministerial wish list, and it is not clear how you are going to judge them. You need

135
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

It came from the Secretary of State. You hand out £484 million to these 15 institutions, or you did in ’24-25, and I think I am right in saying—unless you tell me differently—that in January 2026 you had not clarified how you intend to assess whether the museums and galleries are delivering against those three prioriti

61
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

I would be careful not to damage a model that, as you said earlier, is very successful.

17
20 Apr 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-20)

I am delighted to see that your visitor numbers, both domestic and overseas, are rising after some terrible decision making during covid, which affected everybody in the country, so that is good news. I should disclose that my brother is responsible, through his Madrid company—a business called Factum Arte—for making t

118
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

Does that include these wretched gates and everything else that has gone in? Is that all included or is that on top?

22
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

Chairman, Elaine has given us an answer on the line.

10
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

Finally—before the Chairman cuts me off—given my knowledge of the DWP and HMRC, I think they are now both structurally flawed. You’ve got to do a lot from a governance point of view and from a cultural point of view to change the way they operate. Figure 4 in the Report deals with DWP, the Department for Education and

123
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

I listen in horror. I built the stadium at Southampton, which was not as big a project as this, but we built it on budget and on time. The only way we did that was by identifying what the design was, what we wanted and what it was going to cost. The other thing we did, which you have got to do in this situation, is bol

184
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

But 37 consecutive years suggests that that is not working. Do you need to do something different?

17
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

The gates you put on the outside—who signed all that off?

11
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

Should I have asked James, maybe?

6
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

I must confess that I am quite bemused about this whole thing. I want to ask a few questions—ostensibly about cost, although I think that cost is pretty irrelevant at this stage. Is the objective of this exercise to basically do necessary repairs to the UNESCO heritage building, or is it to provide better accommodation

74
19 Mar 2026Public Accounts Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-03-19)

My question is for Andrew, I think. I see that you are a passionate Newcastle supporter. It is a great, passionate football club—love it. I also see that you have spent 23 years in the civil service, and you have worked in two of the worst-performing Departments: the DWP and HMRC. I think I am right in saying that the

140
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Sources
SourceHansard · official report
MethodEach row is one contribution (intervention or speech). Word count from the official text.