Speeches by Costa.

“Who gave you that assurance?”

“Can you please tell us who gave you that assurance?”

“Thank you. Paragraph 13 of the “Code of Conduct for Special Advisers” states that “briefing on purely party political matters must be handled by the Party machine.” For the purposes of this code, can you confirm that Labour party leadership speculation is a purely party political matter?”

“Thank you. Can I turn to another issue that you rightly regularly raised when you were Leader of the Opposition—namely, your frequent criticism of previous Administrations’ alleged cronyism and the way in which public appointments were undertaken? Only last month, Prime Minister, you profoundly regretted your own invol…”

“I understand that, but you have also regretted your own decision.”

“Thank you. Finally, on other public appointments, can I refer you to your recent decision as Prime Minister on appointments to the House of Lords? Prior to the general election, you promised to reduce political appointments to the Lords, and indeed stated as much in your party’s manifesto. Do you understand why the pub…”

“That wasn’t my question. My question was specifically about your comments prior to the general election and the decision that you made last week. But thank you very much, Prime Minister, for the answers that you have given.”

“Thank you very much. Can I now turn to the issue of written parliamentary questions and standards? I know that my colleague, the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre, as Chair of the Procedure Committee, has issued calls for evidence to her Committee’s new inquiry. Paragraph 9.8 of your “Ministerial Code” states: “Minist…”

“Thank you. Can you explain why your Government are failing to provide timely responses to WPQs, as obligated under the standards outlined by your own “Ministerial Code”?”

“Do you feel this very strongly, Prime Minister?”

“Thank you. By necessity, I will refer to very recent examples to assist you, Prime Minister, in demonstrating to this Committee how you have acted in accordance with the Nolan principles or relevant codes. The first such example occurred on 11 December, only four days ago. You posted on your personal X social media acc…”

“There is a separate code of conduct governing standards for special advisers—it is called the “Code of Conduct for Special Advisers”. You are, of course, familiar with this document, aren’t you?”

“Thank you. Paragraph 1.6.d of the “Ministerial Code” states that Ministers “should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest”. Are you satisfied that the responses that are currently being made are in compliance with t…”

“When Ministers fail to update the House and answer questions from MPs, which part of the “Ministerial Code” is being upheld?”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the reconsideration mechanism and the Parole Board Rules 2019. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. In 2018, the Parole Board decided to release John Worboys, the so-called “black cab rapist” who drugged and raped women between the years 2000 and …”

“I support the motion proposed by the Leader of the House and thank him for his kind words about me and other Members involved in this matter. The motion is, of course, about the report drafted by the Committee of Privileges. The task the House gave the Committee was, in essence, a simple one: to consider whether to rel…”

“I rise to present a petition from 241 residents of South Leicestershire who share my concern about the threat of gross overdevelopment in Lutterworth and its surrounding villages. I declare from the outset, as a proud constituency-based MP, that I live in the affected area. The petition highlights proposals such as the…”

“Following on from that question, Reform-led Leicestershire county council and Harborough district council have made a series of highly controversial decisions impacting on the people of Lutterworth and the surrounding villages. Does the Leader of the House agree that Freedom of Information Act requests that are made by…”

“I, too, thank the Leader of the House for so quickly coming forward with a proposal to enact the sole recommendation of my Committee’s third report of this Session. The Committee agreed its report on 12 June, and here we are, barely a month later, seeking to put its recommendation into practice. The change we propose i…”

“My comments will be necessarily brief, given the role that I play as Chair of the Committee of Privileges. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare) for the comments he has made and the respect with which he is conveying this motion to the Committee. The Committee stands ready to deal with this m…”