Speeches by Burghart.

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and there will be ample opportunity for them to do so tonight. Tonight the Government and Labour Back Benchers have a choice, and the choice is simple: to reject this controversial and unloved legislation, which promises much but would do no good.”

“I must agree with the right hon. Gentleman that this is clearly what vexatious litigation looks like. This is vexatious litigation moved against men who did nothing wrong but are now confronted with a legal framework that creates endless potential for challenge against them.”

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. On this afternoon’s carry-over motion on the Government’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, over the weekend, the Government briefed journalists that they would bring forward amendments to the Bill in order to give Members reassurance that adequate protection would be given to v…”

“I am sad to say that I am not surprised by either of those things. I am not surprised that the Government are living on vague promises to table amendments—despite having had six months to do so. I am sorry to say that I am not surprised that certain Government Front-Bench Members have chosen to absent themselves while …”

“I will give way now.”

“No. We are now entering the season finale of the tragedy that is this Government’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. It has been a long season. Despite taking office in July 2024, with a manifesto commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, they have taken 15 month…”

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“I strongly encourage the hon. Gentleman to take time to read the Armed Forces Bill amendment paper. The two gentlemen sitting either side of me, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) and my hon. Friend the Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), have tabled very many amendments. I …”

“Paragraph 1.6.c of the ministerial code states: “It is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.” Yesterday, the Prime Minister said to the House that Sir Olly Robbins “went on to say: ‘I…have complete confi…”

“Last week, someone in the heart of Government leaked some extremely sensitive documents to The Guardian. This appears potentially to be a crime under the National Security Act 2023. Has the Cabinet Office reported it to the Metropolitan police?”

“The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister is perfectly intelligent enough to know that there is an enormous difference between those two words. I will remind him that the Prime Minister is bound by the ministerial code. Yesterday, the Prime Minister also told the House: “Sir Olly was absolutely clear that nobody put pr…”

“Cat Little, the permanent secretary, has just told the Foreign Affairs Committee that a very, very small number of people have actually seen the document in question. Will the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister commit to the House that when he has identified who leaked it, he will report them to the Metropolitan pol…”

“I agree with what Wendy says. To recap a point that we have been over several times, because it is very important, there is a slight danger that over time we will end up in a system where MPs stop relying on parliamentary questions because the process is too slow and the outcome is unreliable when you know that if you …”

“Oh, it would never have been the Minister’s fault in those circumstances! Of course mistakes happen, and sometimes political games are played, but what we ought to move towards, in line with the rules of the House and the rules for Ministers, is the Government either being open about why they are not handing things ove…”

“Yes, we might get to that. We might draw attention to it on the Floor of the House, or we might use FOI. As I say, some Government Departments do not understand that when they try to hide things from us, it makes us believe that there is something worth finding. Often, they would do better just to tell us what it is an…”

“You would need to ask the Government Departments.”

“You are way ahead of me.”

“I caveat my remarks by saying at the outset that we have a good working relationship with the Table Office. Even though we do not always agree, everybody who works there is always very courteous and often tries to help us to find a way through. The problem is perhaps not so much the rules as the interpretation of them.…”

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wonder if I could get your guidance on seeking a correction of the record from today’s Prime Minister’s questions. In response to my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister said that Sir Olly Robbins “was absolutely clear that nobody put pressure o…”

“We would like to see some clarity given to the Table Office, so that it knows what it can let through. We do not want to get rid of the factual basis rule altogether, but we think that there should be more scope for Members to ask questions. Often the Government blocks what we would consider to be perfectly legitimate …”