Speeches by Fox.

“When Kebatu was released in error, the Ministry of Justice published his photograph, his name and his offence, which was just as well, because it was actually a member of the public who located him and phoned the police. Why do not you do that for all releases in error?”

“You said last month that you had introduced the strongest release checks that have ever been in place for prisoners, which included mandatory checklists and the physical presence of a governor for certain releases. Why have there been subsequent mistaken releases since then? Where does responsibility for those mistaken…”

“But that happened in 2023-24.”

“Lord Chancellor, you referred to the last Government being responsible for 800 prisoner releases. I assume you are talking of the cumulative figure over 14 years. In 2021, the year you referred to, 54 prisoners were released in error. I am taking these numbers from your webpage. In 2023-24, it was 115. That figure doub…”

“Two-hundred and sixty-two is an all-time high.”

“In which year was that?”

“You have talked about a paper-based system and how it was very complex. Given that the number of prisoners released by accident doubled between 2023-24 and 2024-25, would you accept that your Government’s early release schemes made the system even more complex and unmanageable, and that is partially responsible for the…”

“But it would be reasonable for me to assume that that figure is no longer accurate and there have been more accidental releases since then.”

“Lord Chancellor, I would like to ask you about prisoners released in error. On 2 December, you announced that 12 prisoners had been released in error since your statement on 11 November, with two prisoners still at large. Is that still accurate?”

“Good afternoon. I am Sir Ashley Fox, the Member for Bridgwater. My interests are as declared.”

“Twelve months ago, the hon. Gentleman and I sat on the Bill Committee. This is the first time that the Commons has had the opportunity to debate this measure, courtesy of the House of Lords. The Lords have done us a favour, haven’t they?”

“Does the shadow Minister recall that in 1999 when the Blair Government increased the cap, they held a consultation beforehand, and that in 2015 when the coalition Government introduced a cap, they held a consultation beforehand? Why are this Government behaving differently?”

“My apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. If the current Prime Minister and the current Chancellor were to disappear, all confidence in the Government would collapse. It seems that the Prime Minister has as much faith in his Cabinet as the rest of us have in him. It is unfortunate that the Government are comprised almost ent…”

“My right hon. Friend makes a powerful point with which I agree. The combination of extra costs and extra regulations means that it becomes incredibly burdensome for small businesses to afford to take on staff. The above inflation increases to the minimum wage add further pressure, and that all has a disproportionate ef…”

“My hon. Friend is correct. In fact, what will probably happen is that many businesses will offer less work. That tells us that these regulations have been drawn up by people who have never run a business. When a farm, holiday park or festival operator knows that it might be legally required to provide fixed hours even …”

“The Globe Inn in North Petherton is a fantastic local pub. This financial year, its business rates bill is zero. By 2029-30, it will be £5,000, thanks to this Government. That is an extra 10,000 pints it will have to sell to meet that extra cost. How is the Government’s strategy helping?”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making that point, which I agree with. The Globe Inn is not a husband-and-wife team but a mother-and-daughter team, and those extra costs bear heavily on the business. It is not just business rates that are going up. There is also the hated jobs tax, which we heard about earlier, and…”

“Will the hon. Lady acknowledge that under the last Conservative Administration, the minimum wage rose at the same time as we created 4 million new jobs and left unemployment at a record low? The difference now is that in only 17 months, unemployment has risen by 280,000 as a direct result of her Government’s policies. …”

“I am fortunate to represent a beautiful part of the Somerset coast. Burnham-on-Sea, Berrow and Brean all have lovely sandy beaches and are visited by many holidaymakers every year. Seasonal tourism is not just part of the local economy; it is the bedrock of those communities. Our motion regrets the many measures introd…”

“18. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending freezes on income tax and national insurance thresholds on working people.”