Speeches by Brandreth.

“Thank you. I have a broader question about the impact of the autumn Budget on the Department’s restructuring plans. In that recent Budget, the FCDO’s relatively small day-to-day resource and capital budgets for next year were reduced by £400 million each, as I understand it, from the amounts that were outlined in the s…”

“I understood that this was for capital as well—so £400 million for resource DEL but also capital, and changing from what was in the spending review to what was then given in the autumn Budget?”

“You have talked about how you are looking to reduce the size of some of the directorates or shift their relative sizes. Could you share how the FCDO monitors and evaluates what it is spending to demonstrate value for money? What process do you use for making those decisions to say, “This directorate is a better use of …”

“My hon. Friend makes such an important point. The money that will be spent on mandatory ID needs to be spent on ensuring that all our constituents are connected. The £9.5 million strategy to tackle digital exclusion is inadequate. To conclude, this policy is an attempt to distract from the Government’s failures and has…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I want to begin by thanking the 4,337 constituents in Chester South and Eddisbury who have expressed their opposition to the introduction of mandatory digital ID cards. The British public, including my constituents, are concerned not only by the principle of m…”

“Trial by jury may be more expensive than trial by judge and magistrates, but does the Minister agree that, as we have heard today, this decision goes beyond just finances? The right to a fair trial by an impartial jury is fundamental and essential to safeguarding justice, and it must be protected for all cases.”

“Thank you.”

“One of the issues that we have not touched on yet is the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly and systematically abducted by Russia. In the draft of the 28-point peace plan there is talk of a “humanitarian committee”, which would resolve what it calls “outstanding issues”, including a family reunification p…”

“How do you see Russian misinformation targeted to undermine American support for Ukraine?”

“I want to ask a bit more about not just Russian but Chinese state-sponsored information operations. As you have clearly set out, Russian disinformation appears to be marked by real scale, as well as adaptability and persistence, while Chinese FIMI, although it can be done at scale, sometimes appears to be a bit more li…”

“Thank you for setting out so comprehensively the challenges for global media freedoms. You are the CEO and co-founder of the International Fund for public media interest. Could you set out the work that the organisation does to promote global media freedoms and counter disinformation?”

“You have set out the work that you are doing and the countries that are providing funding. Given the funding challenges, to what extent do you think there is a need for a dedicated, multilateral initiative to fund independent journalism to combat FIMI and create a resilient information space? Where there are initiative…”

“How do you see Russian misinformation targeted to undermine American support for Ukraine?”

“I want to ask a bit more about not just Russian but Chinese state-sponsored information operations. As you have clearly set out, Russian disinformation appears to be marked by real scale, as well as adaptability and persistence, while Chinese FIMI, although it can be done at scale, sometimes appears to be a bit more li…”

“You have set out the work that you are doing and the countries that are providing funding. Given the funding challenges, to what extent do you think there is a need for a dedicated, multilateral initiative to fund independent journalism to combat FIMI and create a resilient information space? Where there are initiative…”

“Thank you for setting out so comprehensively the challenges for global media freedoms. You are the CEO and co-founder of the International Fund for public media interest. Could you set out the work that the organisation does to promote global media freedoms and counter disinformation?”

“How do you see Russian misinformation targeted to undermine American support for Ukraine?”

“I want to ask a bit more about not just Russian but Chinese state-sponsored information operations. As you have clearly set out, Russian disinformation appears to be marked by real scale, as well as adaptability and persistence, while Chinese FIMI, although it can be done at scale, sometimes appears to be a bit more li…”

“You have set out the work that you are doing and the countries that are providing funding. Given the funding challenges, to what extent do you think there is a need for a dedicated, multilateral initiative to fund independent journalism to combat FIMI and create a resilient information space? Where there are initiative…”

“Thank you for setting out so comprehensively the challenges for global media freedoms. You are the CEO and co-founder of the International Fund for public media interest. Could you set out the work that the organisation does to promote global media freedoms and counter disinformation?”