Speeches by Hobhouse.

“Madam Deputy Speaker: “I will happily accept tariffs to oppose Trump and his corrupt regime.” Those are not my words, but those of a Bath constituent who emailed me today. Does the Foreign Secretary not recognise the strong feelings of so many of our constituents? They are ready to stand up to the bully that Donald Tru…”

“Bath has proudly welcomed hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, and we stand in full solidarity with the people of Ukraine, especially in Oleksandriya, which is our partner city. It has been concerning to hear that, in some parts of the country, Ukrainians have been encouraged to learn Russian as a GCSE, which can retraumati…”

“There is obviously also a global dimension to this. The US is signalling a walk away from net zero. Does that also affect business? We cannot really look at what we do here in the UK in total isolation. Does that global picture also have an effect on business willingness to invest?”

“There is obviously also a global dimension to this. The US is signalling a walk away from net zero. Does that also affect business? We cannot really look at what we do here in the UK in total isolation. Does that global picture also have an effect on business willingness to invest?”

“Does it affect the willingness of businesses to engage or make investments? Certain things are about sentiment, aren’t they? Businesses need to feel that they are investing in the right thing at the right time.”

“I probably also still call myself a zealot. I know you are not, but I am. “Net-zero policies…are increasingly viewed as unaffordable, ineffective, or politically toxic”—not my words, but those of the Tony Blair Institute. Does the breakdown of what we are now calling the political consensus—we can even question whether…”

“Does it affect the willingness of businesses to engage or make investments? Certain things are about sentiment, aren’t they? Businesses need to feel that they are investing in the right thing at the right time.”

“Would you say we are already so far down the road as businesses and communities that swinging back now would almost be—”

“Would you say we are already so far down the road as businesses and communities that swinging back now would almost be—”

“I probably also still call myself a zealot. I know you are not, but I am. “Net-zero policies…are increasingly viewed as unaffordable, ineffective, or politically toxic”—not my words, but those of the Tony Blair Institute. Does the breakdown of what we are now calling the political consensus—we can even question whether…”

“The bus grant announced for the west was portrayed by the Government as a win, but in reality it was a real-terms cut. The three-year bus grant settlement announced by the Labour mayor last month is down 35% on the previous three-year allocation, and will result in real-terms cuts. How can the Government call that a wi…”

“According to Government figures, output from new solar projects costs around £41 per megawatt-hour compared with roughly £140 per megawatt-hour for the lifespan costs of new gas power. I know the Secretary of State agrees with me and RenewableUK that clean energy remains the energy with the lowest cost, but how do we e…”

“Happy new year, Mr Speaker. Bath Welcomes Refugees has supported more than 800 refugees to integrate and access vital services such as housing—indeed, Bath is another place where Ukrainian refugees have received a very warm welcome. The Public and Commercial Services Union report “Welcoming Growth” highlights the impor…”

“This last debate of the year is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate some of the most valued aspects of our constituencies. I can mention only a few because of the time limit. VOICES has been delivering independent, trauma-informed domestic abuse services in Bath for more than a decade, and it currently supports …”

“I was a secondary school language teacher before I came to this place, and I had to deliver lessons on relationships. I have also raised two women and two men, so I was not exactly uncomfortable around young people, but I felt uncomfortable teaching those lessons, and it seems that I am not alone. About half of seconda…”

“Merry Christmas, Mr Speaker. May I thank you for signing the Christmas card of my young constituent, who was the winner of our Christmas card competition? When I gave it back to her, she was thrilled. I had the pleasure of visiting the Lush store in Bath. Lush has been a leading advocate for ending animal testing, cham…”

“Does the Minister acknowledge the unbalanced literature that is still taught in schools, the majority of which is written by men as opposed to women?”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Efford. What a wonderful debate to bring to this Chamber, on which I congratulate the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Luke Murphy). Jane Austen: what a legend, what a genius! She is still inspiring us today, and what an opportunity we have to hear from her directly, as s…”

“I have a very short follow-up question. Should that be off-grid? Should it be directly attached to a high-energy industrial process and the energy should not even touch the grid? Then we would not have all this constrained payment stuff.”

“Whenever there is a new technology, everybody can come forward and say, “I have this project”. How do the Government assess what is the most cost-effective or what will ultimately cost billpayers the least money? That is a problem, is it not? How much should the Government put their eggs into one basket? When they see …”