Speeches by Maynard.

“Jenny, would you like to add to that?”

“I have a question about the Government’s role in your businesses and the biggest anchors it has on you or enablers it gives you. Without limiting yourself to access to finance, what are the biggest headaches that the Government cause you and what are the upsides that help?”

“Will, I am talking about operational independence.”

“I am heading there next, but I was thinking more about the third that is not growth enhancing. Who has the best ideas on how to use public money in a more growth-enhancing way?”

“I am not suggesting that it is, but I am just—”

“As an ex-entrepreneur, I am nervous about things like the British Business Bank. Generally speaking, I find that Governments make terrible investment decisions, so I am nervous about just leaving it to the Government to do that, and for the British Business Bank to be putting more money in on behalf of the Government t…”

“I am not suggesting that it is, but I am just—”

“Will, I am talking about operational independence.”

“As an ex-entrepreneur, I am nervous about things like the British Business Bank. Generally speaking, I find that Governments make terrible investment decisions, so I am nervous about just leaving it to the Government to do that, and for the British Business Bank to be putting more money in on behalf of the Government t…”

“Jagjit, there will obviously be lots of gossip and innuendo going on over the next few weeks about our fiscal framework. What problems do you see with that framework in which we are having to play, and what changes to that framework would you recommend?”

“Running with that point about health productivity, who has the best thoughts on how to change that?”

“I totally accept that but, maybe focusing on the process, is there anything we can do more cleverly about the process as a country? Jonathan, would you like to have a shot at that?”

“Going back to public sector involvement in the economy, the Government aim to increase public sector investment by more than £100 billion between 2024-25 and 2029-30. I have a grid in front of me that is about the policy impacts on real GDP as a result of that. By 2029-30, it actually has minus 0.1%, which is pretty ho…”

“I will follow up with that question. Sarah, what do you think about that Dutch scenario?”

“I appreciate that. Redesigning courses makes lots of sense, but there is that idea about localisation and trying to split out and give some explicit flexibility; let us say a 20/80 split or whatever it might be. Is that something that you think is a good way to head? Does that make sense?”

“I go back to wilful ignorance. To that point, we have planes going over there and can see bombs being dropped. We can join those dots, and we are choosing not to.”

“Which gives us some leverage.”

“That is how it looks.”

“Let me finish, please. We do have that lever, and we are choosing not to use it because of the contractual obligations. I think many of us on the Committee would say, “Is there not a case here—a very strong case—to be saying, ‘That is not allowed any more; we will do that’ and to play hardball to try to find a sensible…”

“Luke, those are the mechanics, and we get all that, but there are 60,000 people dead. The contracts are very important—I get that—but we do have some leverage, which is that we can stop allowing those parts to be exported if we choose, as a country, because we have these things called strategic export licence criteria—”