Speeches by Griffiths.

“Is there a specific ask to the Chancellor within that?”

“Going back to Stephen’s point about confidence and fragility, I am keen to hear your thoughts, but I often listen to—usually smaller—businesses expressing real concern about the business environment right now, and how hard it is for businesses with increased regulation, taxes and demands on them. I know we are talking …”

“I sense James was about to chip in, and I would love to hear his thoughts.”

“I just wanted to dig into the energy cost piece. What precisely have you asked for from the Chancellor that will make a difference to businesses? It is a subject close to my heart.”

“How well has the UK’s approach to regulating the energy grid traditionally supported long-term, patient investment?”

“What role should blended finance or public-private partnerships play in accelerating grid investment, and how easy do you think it will be to achieve this?”

“Can I jump in on that quickly?”

“Can the Minister tell us whether the Attorney General shares the concern of the CPS that there is not enough evidence to prosecute?”

“The whole thing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Vacancies are down; unemployment is up; people are concerned about their jobs. They are less likely to spend in a discretionary way.”

“I mean your customers. If people have less money themselves, they are not going to be spending the money in your stores.”

“Is it affecting the number people coming through your doors? You rely on people coming through your doors.”

“My apologies, I have to be out of here in five minutes, so hopefully you will be able to give me very short snappy answers. First of all, Lydia, I worked in hospitality in Leamington as a student. It is great to have you here. From listening to you, and in fact to all of you, what struck me is that this is not a cost o…”

“Following on from the Chair’s point there, Mr McGinty, when you were talking about what you were doing in Gloucester, it did strike me that you are a decent-sized city. I really want to re-emphasise the same point that the Chair was making. In my constituency of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, we have two much smaller …”

“Two nights ago, a man in his 30s was stabbed in the centre of Bognor Regis, and that follows a fatal stabbing earlier this year. Will the Government bring forward a debate to consider how to make high streets safer and tackle the increasing prevalence of knife crime in small seaside towns such as Bognor Regis?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Bradley Thomas) for securing this important and increasingly pressing issue. I also thank the hon. Members for Putney (Fleur Anderson), for Strangford (Jim Shannon), for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn) an…”

“The hon. Lady and I share a huge concern for ensuring access to all types of transport, including buses, for the disabled of every kind. Does she agree that the strike in London, which is crippling transport services, is causing greater harm to the disabled community here than in any other part of the country?”

“In a week when the Liberal Democrat-run Arun district council has been found to have the worst possible grading for its social housing provision—including more than half of its homes being without smoke alarms—it is alleged that two senior directors, including one responsible for housing, have left the council with red…”

“What change do you want to see to that?”

“My question is to each of you, but I will start with Dhara, if I may. What further action would you like to see to bring down small business energy costs and improve their overall experience of the market?”

“How do you make sure that you are getting the right people and the right people are paying tax? Forget the penalty; we should not be sending those notices.”