Speeches by Jogee.

“I will happily give way to the Member of Parliament for my in-laws back in Northern Ireland.”

“—and my hon. Friend the Member for Mid and South Pembrokeshire (Henry Tufnell)?”

“My hon. Friend makes a really important point. In the Gallery is Father Tommy Merry, who used to be the vicar of St Margaret’s at Wolstanton in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where there are a number of Commonwealth war graves. I was there recently and saw the amazing volunteers who live in my constituency—the centre of our col…”

“The hon. Gentleman makes a really good point. I feel as though Conservative campaign headquarters has seen my speech, because I was just about to say that in world war two, soldiers from across the Commonwealth made immense sacrifices in the fight against fascism on the battlefields of Europe. They included Indians, Af…”

“I am grateful to all my friends for coming out tonight with their helpful, pithy interventions, but if I wax lyrical too much I will get into trouble. The hon. Member raises an important point and more generally acknowledges the important role that Britain and Ireland together have played in advancing the causes of fre…”

“A very good choice. I am glad that she chose me. Actually, I am sure that she regrets it sometimes in this life. The importance of Northern Ireland both to the United Kingdom and to the Commonwealth is absolute, and he and I are at one on that. The hon. Gentleman’s intervention demonstrates why I am delighted to have s…”

“I will, and I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I am glad he has found his voice. He was losing it earlier on today, and I am grateful to him for his intervention. From Devon to Newcastle-under-Lyme and up to north Yorkshire, he is right that we want to ensure that we hold on to not just that community spir…”

“I would be delighted to give way to the right hon. Gentleman.”

“I am grateful for the chance to lead the House in acknowledging and marking Commonwealth Day 2026. I declare an interest as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the Commonwealth and a member of the executive of the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association—and as, in many ways, a child of the…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. He calls me his hon. Friend; I am not sure what that does for his street cred or mine, but I am grateful to him for the compliment—it will probably cause you more trouble these days, comrade. But in all seriousness, he raises an important point. There are people up and down the Unit…”

“My hon. Friend from Lichfield in Staffordshire raises an excellent point. I am looking forward to him competing one day in the Commonwealth games when they are held in Lichfield—”

“I know that it is naughty to intervene on the Minister in my own Adjournment debate, but since we have five minutes left—four minutes, excuse me —I wonder whether he might touch on a couple of those economic benefits to which he just referred.”

“I will give way to the hon. Member, who I don’t think was there in 1949.”

“My hon. Friend is right. As he talks about the importance of ports to the Commonwealth, I think of my grandfather who docked at Liverpool in February 1941 to help the war effort and fight the fascists. My hon. Friend makes an important point, which many of us in our cities, our families and our communities strongly fee…”

“Talking of Southampton, I happily give way to my hon. Friend.”

“I would bet on you, brother. But in all seriousness, my hon. Friend raises an important point. The Commonwealth games is just one example of how the Commonwealth brings people together, and he and I will be cheering on team GB together as they do well. In the latter—excuse me, Madam Deputy Speaker, my hon. Friend threw…”

“How could I refuse my hon. Friend from Staffordshire?”

“If the hon. Member waits a little minute longer, he will hear all the important points that I make, some of which he has just mentioned. I agree with him. He knows that I had the wisdom to marry a woman from County Antrim—”

“I had not planned to speak; I only came to show my support for my hon. Friend the Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones), but as there is time I will make a brief contribution, with your indulgence, Ms Jardine. It is excellent to see you up there presiding over us; this is the first time that I have spoken in …”

“Forgive me, I should have known—two successful twins. My right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Garston brought back the fur ban while I was in primary school, so it now falls to another Eagle to get the job done and deliver the fur-free Britain that we all want to see.”