Speeches by Thomas.

“This brings me to my final question. If you had an ask of Government, what would it be?”

“I put the same question to Elizabeth de Jong on the pressure facing the sector. How much is down to the net zero trajectory versus the general trading environment?”

“For comparative purposes, are you able to put into perspective the situation we are talking about? As a multiple, how much more expensive does Fawley cost to run relative to a comparable ExxonMobil asset in a comparable economy such as the US or elsewhere in North America?”

“I have two questions. This was going to be my second one but, as Paul Greenwood has touched on it, I will ask it first. Given the pressure the sector is under, and given the value of the sector to UK plc—Elizabeth has pointed out that every facet of modern life is dependent somehow on the refining sector—how fertile is…”

“Benj, do you have anything you would like to add?”

“This brings me to my final question. If you had an ask of Government, what would it be?”

“I put the same question to Elizabeth de Jong on the pressure facing the sector. How much is down to the net zero trajectory versus the general trading environment?”

“For comparative purposes, are you able to put into perspective the situation we are talking about? As a multiple, how much more expensive does Fawley cost to run relative to a comparable ExxonMobil asset in a comparable economy such as the US or elsewhere in North America?”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“It is a pleasure to speak in this debate on this important topic, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is one that I am passionate about. I got involved in politics to make people’s lives better, and to be on the side of those who work hard, do the right thing and aspire for themselves and their family. That is the fundamental poi…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that the most obvious point is that, despite the Government’s disappointment at the collapse of the trial—we have heard numerous Ministers, including the Prime Minister himself, stress that—it is shocking that they appear not to have done every single thing possible to bolster the case and put…”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“My hon. Friend is spot-on. That is incredibly short-sighted, and I think it will prove to be a false economy. I urge the Government to embrace good design to provide a justification to my constituents for why they are pursuing the current house building targets in such a disproportionate way across the country. Most of…”

“My hon. Friend makes a valid and important point. That is one of the great peripheral benefits of this policy, should the Government embrace it, and I encourage them to look seriously at it. I encourage the Government to vote for this motion, even if only to show their intent, and even if they cannot implement it anyti…”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“I call on the hon. Gentleman to reflect on the fact that, regardless of our political differences, it is the Conservative party that has delivered three female Prime Ministers and the first Prime Minister from an ethnic minority background, while his has not managed to present any other leader than a white man.”

“Does the hon. Gentleman regret the fact that his Government have not honoured their pre-election promise to reduce council tax?”

“The Minister is in no position to lecture on reducing the size of the state, given that when Labour attempted to reduce the welfare bill, it marched all of its MPs up the hill, only to march them down again, when it buckled under the pressure from its own Back Benchers.”

“Does the hon. Member accept that over the last 30 years, the four years with the highest levels of new housing delivery occurred since 2018, under Conservative Governments? She is trying to make the point that stamp duty abolition is a tax cut dressed up as an intervention in the housing market. What on earth is wrong …”

“With the Government planning to bulldoze all over the green belt—other parties do not fare much better; the Liberal Democrats, in their manifesto, said they wanted to build even more houses—and given that the Conservatives have pledged to protect the green belt, will the Leader of the House explain to my constituents w…”