Speeches by Brandreth.

“Foreign Secretary, I want to ask you a bit about the recent strikes between Israel and Iran, and of course the US involvement. I think it is probably fair to say that you have acknowledged the importance of Iran’s nuclear programme being diminished, but have perhaps been a little bit less committal about whether you su…”

“As we have been discussing, ODA spending has been the subject of significant cuts. Approximately 20% of UK aid in 2024 was spent by the Home Office on asylum seekers here in the UK. Have you made any assessment of what proportion of the remaining, significantly smaller ODA budget will be spent in the UK, rather than ov…”

“I am just trying to get an idea of the proportion that you are expecting. We obviously have significantly less, and there are some very important projects to spend it on. Have you thought not just about the costs coming down, which is excellent, but about the proportion?”

“You set out the six priorities that you are using as a basis for what you would want to use ODA spending for. How does the FCDO evaluate and demonstrate value for money against those criteria?”

“I appreciate what you have said about Ukraine being a priority, which the Prime Minister has set out and you have supported. Obviously, we have gone back and forth in written questions, and I am asking you now. There always seems to be another date in the future at which the answer will come. Really, I am just asking f…”

“Can I ask two quick questions?”

“We visited Ukraine earlier this year. Following that, I met with one of the legal advisers and senior lead teams within Ukraine’s conflict-related sexual violence mobile justice team. She expressed serious concerns about the scale of conflict-related sexual violence and the limited capacity of the Ukrainian system to r…”

“Foreign Secretary, in May I submitted a number of written questions to your Department on the ODA budget and the potential impact of reductions to UK-supported schemes in Ukraine, specifically those that address sexual violence, healthcare, education and reconstruction. The Department’s replies offered only broad commi…”

“I thank the hon. Member for his insights as a vet, and for emphasising what so many people across the House know: these changes are vital. May I also say how grateful I am to the hon. Members who took the time to serve on the Bill Committee? I am truly grateful for their support and contributions, and for the conversat…”

“I thank the hon. Member for introducing this important Bill, which I support. He talks about the impact of diseases that puppies might have when they are brought in. Does he agree that there are also diseases that have potential impacts on human health, often for the veterinary surgeons or nurses who are looking after …”

“With the leave the House, may I take this opportunity to thank the Minister for the majority of her remarks? Of course, we disagree about the Conservative record on animal welfare, but I thank her for her personal support and that of the Government for the Bill. I would like to thank to a number of people who have cont…”

“I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. It is a pleasure to reach this milestone in the Bill’s journey through the House of Commons. As we know, livestock worrying has devastating consequences for both animals and farmers. In Committee, I and other Committee members shared the experiences that had reso…”

“This has been a very interesting extension to the discussion, but I want to ask a couple more things about the WPS file.”

“I have some questions about the UK’s role in respect of women, peace and security. Mr Gowan, some of the evidence the Committee has received raised the concern that the UK, as penholder on women, peace and security, has not spoken out against recent moves by the US to frame women’s reproductive rights as being in oppos…”

“It was a worthwhile discussion to have. Mr Gowan, you have previously written that countries like Norway are increasing investment in gender-related programmes, but others “have quietly paid less attention to the theme.” Given that the UK is reducing our ODA spending, what does that mean for the credibility of the UK’s…”

“Mr Griffiths, some of the written evidence the Committee received pointed to a disconnect between the UK’s leadership on WPS and some of our country-level implementation. When we have enormous global conflict, women are always disproportionally affected. Do you have any thoughts about how the UK is ensuring that, in co…”

“My constituent Paul cycles more than 1,000 km a month all across the country, but he tells me that Cheshire’s roads are among the worst. Poor roads are dangerous for all road users, so does the Minister agree that national guidance for pothole repair policy must properly reflect the needs of cyclists alongside motorist…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I rise to speak in strong support of new clause 13, tabled by the shadow Minister. The new clause would place a duty on the Secretary of State to review the functions and effectiveness of the regulatory authority, which is currently the Care Quality Commiss…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have seen examples where regulators have not intervened quickly or robustly enough, and where systemic issues went unnoticed or unaddressed for far too long. We need to strengthen the remit and ensure that the CQC is properly equipped and held to the high standards that we expect …”

“Thinking about the Chagossian community in the UK, why does the treaty not include explicit guarantees for their right to return, particularly those who were either born in exile or are descendants of the displaced population?”