Speeches by Brandreth.

“It was reported in December that the FCDO was the victim of a cyber-attack by the Chinese state-linked Storm-1849 group. Could you confirm the nature and scale of that breach, and whether you have confirmed who was responsible?”

“The Government have heard from these Benches time and again about the impact the family farm tax has had on food security and the risk to countryside stewardship and our environment and the economic viability of farms, but also, crucially, about the impact on farmers’ mental health. My question to the Minister is simpl…”

“I welcome the removal of Nicolás Maduro, who for too long oppressed the people of Venezuela, but history shows that the aftermath of intervention can be as consequential as the intervention itself. What specific steps is the Foreign Secretary taking to ensure that there is no vacuum for instability or hostile actors to…”

“May I, too, wish you, Mr Speaker, your team and Members across the House a very merry Christmas? Given the significant demand for new homes, my constituency has seen a large number of developments in recent years. However, some developers are building and selling homes, then moving on without completing the work, leavi…”

“Children struggling with gender dysphoria and their families are trying to find their way through very difficult and often distressing times. We should be helping them, not experimenting on them. Should we not be following the example of other European countries, such as Denmark and Finland, which have shifted their po…”

“Thank you. It is helpful to get that full answer, although I was particularly asking about the message it sends our international allies. On 3 November last month, members of the House of Representatives in the USA wrote to you to express their concerns with the super-embassy application. They said: “As one of our clos…”

“I would like to ask you about the plans for the new Chinese embassy. As you know, the China super-embassy planning application is causing a lot of concern for many people in the UK who oppose the regime and for others. The current proposal will see the embassy built in a prime strategic location in central London, next…”

“You will be aware that yesterday the Intelligence and Security Committee published its annual report, which highlights the inadequacies of the Government approach towards China. In particular, the report states: “Given the extent of the threat posed by China…and particularly that of its interference operations, we are …”

“And my point is not just that the Committee cannot see the audit, but that probably most people working in the civil service—you can tell me if I am wrong—do not have the security clearance necessary to see it, and therefore if there are things that need to be implemented and Departments that need to be working togethe…”

“Okay. You talked about the wide range of areas that our relationship with China touches on. If the majority of the audit is classified at a level beyond what most people working in the civil service could see—indeed, so classified that up to this point even the Committee has not been allowed to see it—how can we expect…”

“Thank you; that is really helpful. We will definitely take you up on your offer of a private briefing, I am sure. I will just note, though, that I was of the understanding that a number of UK allies and partners, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland and Germany, have published explicit national China…”

“Foreign Secretary, your predecessor agreed to come before the Committee and talk us through the China audit once it was published. Since then, however, the Committee has not received any update. Of course, your predecessor made a brief statement in the House to explain why it would not be published and, instead, small …”

“But an important one.”

“You mentioned earlier the broader issue of the future of Palestine and moving towards a two-state solution. I understand that the Government provide funding to the Palestinian Authority. I wonder whether you could provide some detail on how much funding we have provided since July last year and what the plans are for n…”

“Can I ask one final question on this?”

“The CMCC suggested—at the end of last month, I think—that something like 24,000 trucks of aid and goods have gone into Gaza. You have said that more aid has got through, but there are concerns. We all want much more aid to reach the people who need it. I am trying to understand, given that we have approximately 15 pers…”

“I want to get a better understanding of our role in the CMCC. You mentioned that we have civil and military personnel out there. Could you provide details on how many individuals we have there, what kind of briefings they provide, and how regularly you are getting briefings from them about the work that is going on?”

“I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I wonder whether the Minister is comfortable with the fact that introducing an uncapped unfair dismissal compensation award will make the UK an international outlier, when many of our international competitors have clear limi…”

“Just last week, I visited one of the many fantastic cafés in my constituency. The hard-working owner told me that she had chosen not to take on a young Saturday worker as a direct result of the increase in business rates. Does my hon. Friend agree with me that this Government’s policies are directly affecting employmen…”

“As we are talking about the migration directorate, I will start with the subject of the OBR and its “Economic and fiscal outlook” report. It identified a risk that the Home Office might not achieve its £1.1 billion savings on the asylum budget. How might that affect the Foreign Office? Will the Home Office failure to a…”