Speeches by Brandreth.

“On that point about the balance between the benefits of alignment versus being able to regulate independently, not being part of the EU has meant that, for example, the UK has been able to become a world leader in gene editing in fruits and vegetables. Professor Paton, in your view what are the implications for areas w…”

“Since the UK left the EU in 2020, the UK’s fishing opportunities have increased each year. The current agreement on fisheries expires in June next year, and there has been a very public discussion, particularly from some member states, about linking a defence and security agreement to fishing rights. How far apart are …”

“The only point I want to add is about the decision to move funding from ODA to defence. I supported that decision in the short term—it had to be made quickly—but we were not given the opportunity to debate it properly. This is our opportunity, especially as we look beyond the short term to what we can do in the medium …”

“Is there any mechanism under international law by which Hamas leaders could be held accountable for the atrocities?”

“Thank you for the depth of coverage in your answers. I will not ask you about proportionality, because I think we have now covered that quite fully. I want you to talk about the law in relation to Hamas and really think through whether international humanitarian law, in your view, adequately addresses the challenges po…”

“I am sorry that we are having to cover so many important topics so quickly. I want to touch on the treatment of hostages. In particular, you have spoken before about the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. There have been some horrific reports of sexual abuse by Hamas terrorists. Could you share more of your und…”

“Is there any mechanism under international law by which Hamas leaders could be held accountable for the atrocities?”

“Thank you for the depth of coverage in your answers. I will not ask you about proportionality, because I think we have now covered that quite fully. I want you to talk about the law in relation to Hamas and really think through whether international humanitarian law, in your view, adequately addresses the challenges po…”

“I am sorry that we are having to cover so many important topics so quickly. I want to touch on the treatment of hostages. In particular, you have spoken before about the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. There have been some horrific reports of sexual abuse by Hamas terrorists. Could you share more of your und…”

“Is there any mechanism under international law by which Hamas leaders could be held accountable for the atrocities?”

“Thank you for the depth of coverage in your answers. I will not ask you about proportionality, because I think we have now covered that quite fully. I want you to talk about the law in relation to Hamas and really think through whether international humanitarian law, in your view, adequately addresses the challenges po…”

“I am sorry that we are having to cover so many important topics so quickly. I want to touch on the treatment of hostages. In particular, you have spoken before about the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. There have been some horrific reports of sexual abuse by Hamas terrorists. Could you share more of your und…”

“The hon. Member is giving an interesting speech and making important points, but distances in some rural areas mean that walking, and often cycling, are not feasible. Does he agree that any review needs a particular focus on rural roads and should perhaps support reducing speeds outside schools? In constituencies such …”

“Thank you so much for your answers so far. I just want to focus a bit on the disinformation that we have been discussing. You talked about the war in Ukraine being a turning point for Georgian Dream. How has your perception of disinformation changed over the time of your presidency? Has it become more acute? Was the wa…”

“Thinking about the challenges with trying to get your message across or communicate what you want to, did you have any tools to counter the disinformation that was being put out? If Georgian Dream is amplifying these disinformation messages, is it possible for others to combat that disinformation when there is no polit…”

“Given the debate we are having and the risk that our fishing communities could be used as a bargaining chip, does the hon. Member agree that, as the Government have said, food security is national security, and we cannot have our fishing communities and fishing stocks traded against defence in any way?”

“What is my hon. Friend’s view on the fact that this dramatic reduction in delinked payments does not seem to align with the Government’s claim that food security is national security? How can that be, when farmers in this country do not have any certainty?”

“On the Minister’s point about the SFI—“When it’s spent, it’s spent”—when did he know that the SFI budget had been spent in full? How long did he know it before he made the announcement to farmers, without giving them the minimum six weeks’ notice that had been promised?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent intervention. It is an attack on family farmers, rural communities and all the businesses that rely on those farmers to keep our rural communities going. As I said, it is unsustainable. That should stop us all in our tracks and make us think of the impact of having a country wi…”

“I rise to speak on yet another attack by this Government on our farming community. The decision to punish and penalise farmers by reducing the delinked payments they receive from April 2025 will have a hugely detrimental impact on the farming community in my Chester South and Eddisbury constituency, and indeed across t…”