Speeches by Ballinger.

“I welcome the sanctions against extremist Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, whose dehumanising rhetoric has contributed to the land grabbing on the west bank and the destructive situation we see in Gaza. I thank the Minister and the Foreign Secretary for co-ordinating internationally on this, because together our action…”

“If the hon. Member wants to intervene, he may do so. As a former military man myself, I should also talk about the benefits to defence, including access to £150 billion of defence contracts. Many defence contractors in Halesowen have been cut out from European contracts since Brexit. They are very keen to be involved i…”

“The hon. Gentleman has talked a lot about European young people wanting to come to the UK, but what about the many British young people who want to go to Europe—to Berlin, Paris or Milan? What does he say to people from Boston and Skegness who would like to study overseas?”

“The hon. Gentleman has not mentioned the many businesses and confederations of businesses that have welcomed the deal. He is talking about energy. One energy company, Octopus Energy, has said that it will bring down people’s energy bills, rather than increasing them. What would he say to consumers who would prefer thei…”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I thank the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) and my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy) for arranging this debate. Maybe it will be the start of cross-party working on the EU. The people of Halesowen voted to leave at the Br…”

“We have been talking in this debate about some of the advantages to British agriculture and the British fishing industry of access to the European market. Of course, it will be fantastic for the people who have been welcoming this deal, and the deal will also be very much welcomed by the many consumers in Halesowen who…”

“The Conservatives started negotiations on handing over the Chagos islands because they understood the national security implications of not doing a deal. Indeed, they did 11 rounds of negotiations on this deal. Now, with our closest security partners—the Americans, the Canadians, the Australians and the New Zealanders—…”

“I’m Alex Ballinger, the Labour MP for Halesowen.”

“Thank you, Chair. I, too, was incredibly impressed by the resilience of the Ukrainian people and parliamentarians over these three years. In the short time that we were in Kyiv, there were a number of air raid sirens. A couple of days ago, we saw Russians again attacking civilian targets—destroying the minibus where ni…”

“I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement and for these essential actions: the sanctions on extremist settlers and the suspension of our trade negotiations with Israel. It is important that Israel sees that its allies will not stand by while it continues to forcibly displace Palestinians and block aid. Can the Fo…”

“21. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of a security and defence partnership with the EU on NATO.”

“Before being elected, I was proud to serve alongside our European allies, including French, Dutch and Estonian forces, in Afghanistan and elsewhere. In the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, it is more important than ever that we build on those alliances to strengthen European security. Can the Secretary of State t…”

“For many of our communities, youth services are a lifeline. They provide essential support to young people, helping them to navigate the complexities of adolescence and the transition into adulthood, but unfortunately those services have disappeared across the country. The decline of youth services in towns such as Hal…”

“My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Does he welcome the news announced today that 12,000 civil servants will move out of London and into the regions to work on exactly these issues? Would he recommend that some of the civil servants moving to the west midlands should come from the Department for Business and …”

“rose—”

“If this plan is not enacted and we see a return to large‑scale military operations in Gaza by the Israelis, what would be the consequences for the situation in Lebanon?”

“You will have seen the Arab proposals for peace in Gaza put forward by Egypt, Qatar and others. First, I would like your reflections on those peace proposals. To what extent do you think it is a credible plan? Is it something that could work in Gaza? Also, how much is peace in Lebanon linked to the situation in Gaza? W…”

“Who might that body be? What would be a credible Palestinian governance structure?”