Speeches by Thomas.

“This is a particularly sorry saga. It is corrosive for not just this Government and the Labour party, but the entire political class and politicians as a collective body and it is certainly corrosive for the country. That is because a theme has emerged from this episode and others under this Government around competenc…”

“On that point, will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“I thank the Home Secretary for her statement. Does she plan to provide any additional resource or funding to the Prevent programme? If so, does she have any initial idea as to where that may be targeted?”

“Does my right hon. Friend acknowledge the comments made by Greg Jackson, the founder of Octopus Energy, who said that importing LNG has a greater carbon footprint than extraction from the North sea? Does he also agree that Labour and the Liberal Democrats are now acknowledging that the renewables market is itself not c…”

“We are increasingly dependent on China because of decisions taken by this Government. The pursuit of renewables-based future energy infrastructure is increasingly dependent on countries that are adversarial to us and pose a risk to our long-term energy security. The hon. Member is right on that point. This is not just …”

“Net zero is a socialist dream, because it epitomises centralised control, Government interference in daily life and redistribution. When an idea becomes immune to scrutiny, it is precisely then that scrutiny is most needed. That definitely applies in the case of Britain’s rush to net zero, because in our haste, we risk…”

“I will not give way any further. To accelerate the decline of that sector without a fully viable replacement is not just economically risky but fiscally short-sighted. At the same time, we must consider the livelihoods tied to the industry, as colleagues across the House have stressed. Tens of thousands of skilled work…”

“We only have to speak to businesses across our constituencies, and they will tell us about the reality of the economic calamity caused by decisions taken by this Government and the costs bearing down on them. The reality is that choices made by this Government continue to hollow out our industrial base, not because we …”

“In this climate, with the pressure on bills that we are facing and the volatility, do you think it is fair for it to remain?”

“Do you categorically rule that out?”

“Given the pressure on bills, particularly at the minute, and the volatility we are facing, is the carbon tax and the carbon price support element something the Government will consider looking at in the future? Are the Government absolutely committed to that, or will they consider removing that from bills?”

“Given where we are at the minute, acknowledging that around one third of the wholesale price is to pay not for the gas but for this carbon tax, do you acknowledge that scrapping that tax, even in the short term, would have an impact on reducing bills?”

“Carbon price support is over and above what is levied in EU countries. Why do the Government not consider removing that element?”

“I would like to talk a little about the policy costs that are trickling through to bills, starting with the carbon tax. The Government are understandably concerned about gas prices and how they will feed through to electricity prices for electricity that is generated through gas. Why has the Government not taken off th…”

“Does the Minister believe that a declaration of interests form should have been submitted for a role as significant as this?”

“While I welcome the Minister’s statement, my constituents and I have a few questions. How many households does the Minister project that this will be applied to? What does he foresee the average amount of support being? Is there a qualifying criterion in terms of benefits or household income? Will the fund be disbursed…”

“I pay tribute to the posties across Bromsgrove, but not to the management of Royal Mail. My constituents need action, not more platitudes, like Royal Mail saying to me that it is “very sorry” that letters have not been received. I implore the Minister to get together with the management of Royal Mail and Ofcom to deliv…”

“My constituents have been incredibly vocal in telling me that they do not want this. Frankly, because trust in the Government has eroded so much, this scheme is dead in the water. If the Government go ahead with it, what will they do to ensure that there is no single depository containing the data of millions of citize…”

“My constituents want the Government to get off their back and get on their side, rather than using their hard-earned taxpayers’ money to spend up to £40,000 on removing illegal asylum seekers. Will the Minister rule that out?”

“Given that the threshold for a significant impact event will likely be much lower for an SME than for a larger corporation, and while acknowledging and agreeing that SMEs are the backbone of the economy and make up the vast majority of companies that employ people in this country, how does the hon. Gentleman propose to…”