Speeches by Thomas.

“Our country should be proud of the fact that in the 1930s we welcomed 10,000 Jewish children from Europe on the Kindertransport. Alas, our predecessors would not countenance bringing across those children’s parents, and we know that the cost of that decision was the massacre of those parents in the Holocaust. There has…”

“For the avoidance of doubt, this speech comes from a place of deep appreciation for post-war Japan and for the enrichment it has given so many of us through its automotive and technological innovations and through global cultural phenomena such as “Godzilla”. It is starkly different from the Japan fought by our greates…”

“Since 2023, the Israel Defence Forces have killed a record number of journalists and killed a record number of humanitarian workers. They continually murder starving children as they queue for aid. An Israeli soldier outed his commanders for their illegal orders to arbitrarily kill civilians. That is not a sequence of …”

“My constituent campaigners at SafeAvon and Tewkesbury Friends of the Earth will be delighted to see that, at length, the Government have implemented a core Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge: the abolition of Ofwat. Will the Secretary of State now go further and implement a second pledge to put those campaigners on the …”

“I look forward to the swift deportation of anybody who takes advantage of our hospitality by breaking our laws and attacking women and young girls. In July 2024, I warned my constituents not to throw away their futures, as the far-right lynch mobs threatened to spread to Gloucestershire. Once again this thuggery has fl…”

“As a Member of Parliament who benefits from the contribution of 300 or 400 Gurkhas and Nepalese people, can I just say that I am very much enjoying the hon. Lady’s speech and I cannot wait to hear the rest?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for bringing forward this debate. Only last month I had a resident in my constituency office desperate to renew urgently the visa of the Ukrainian she was hosting. I am sure my hon. Friend will join me in saying that while the heroes of Ukraine fight Putin, for us as much as for them, we should s…”

“I thank the right hon. Member. It left us with a gap in our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. I accept that that was a coalition issue, but I am glad to hear that there is consensus in this room on the importance of ISR capability.”

“To their credit, the Conservatives have been quite open in lamenting the drawdown of the Wedgetail project, but will my hon. Friend join me in asking the Government how committed they are to the Wedgetail programme and to the initial order of five?”

“The reduction in the number of Wedgetails, which seems to have been a mistake, feels very reminiscent of the coalition Government’s cutting of the Nimrod programme despite having already spent billions of pounds on it. That left us without a maritime patrol aircraft, and we had to go cap in hand to the French and the A…”

“The hon. Member mentions the battlefields of Ukraine, which are key because the RAF has a large fleet of aircraft that covers all the fundamental air power roles, but our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability is particularly important to NATO. Does he recognise as I do that this gap is therefore part…”

“Two weeks ago, the House came together to watch the Labour party tear itself apart over to what extent it would remove welfare support from some of the most vulnerable in society, including, but not limited to, those with Parkinson’s and dementia. It is not all bad news, though. Jeff got married in the same week, so co…”

“The Pitt review recommended that the Environment Agency assume strategic responsibility for all forms of flooding. If you will consider for me the Environment Agency’s place within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the questions as to the precedence DEFRA is given in the face of Government proj…”

“Thank you. That leads me on nicely to my next question. The Committee has heard suggestions that a single overarching authority on flooding could improve public clarity and cross-system co-ordination. What is your view on that proposal, and would such a model strengthen existing flood responsibilities?”

“Thank you. I certainly agree on the pluvial flooding issue. You mentioned when you introduced yourself that the Environment Agency is a tier 1 responder, that you are a principal builder and operator of flood defences, and that you have strategic overview for coastal and fluvial flooding but not pluvial flooding. A lot…”

“The Pitt review recommended that the Environment Agency assume strategic responsibility for all forms of flooding. If you will consider for me the Environment Agency’s place within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the questions as to the precedence DEFRA is given in the face of Government proj…”

“Thank you. That leads me on nicely to my next question. The Committee has heard suggestions that a single overarching authority on flooding could improve public clarity and cross-system co-ordination. What is your view on that proposal, and would such a model strengthen existing flood responsibilities?”

“Thank you. I certainly agree on the pluvial flooding issue. You mentioned when you introduced yourself that the Environment Agency is a tier 1 responder, that you are a principal builder and operator of flood defences, and that you have strategic overview for coastal and fluvial flooding but not pluvial flooding. A lot…”

“I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. Does she have any thoughts on how we could attract more men to the industry?”

“The Liberal Democrats welcome investment in early years. One way in which I hope the Government will ensure that children with SEND and neurodiversity requirements are not left behind is by implementing systems in early years provision that enable SEND and neurodiversity to be identified and addressed sooner rather tha…”