Speeches by Jardine.

“I have to say that this is one of the most depressing days I have spent in this Chamber in the past few years, because while I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to democracy in Venezuela and her repeated commitment to the rules-based international system and our alliances, I cannot bring that together with thi…”

“14. What steps she is taking to tackle hate crime.”

“I welcome the Minister’s comments, as I welcome the Government’s violence against women and girls strategy, including the confirmation that the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023 will commence in April. We know, however, that misogyny runs deeper, and attitudes and actions throughout society and on…”

“I also welcome the tone and sensitivity that the right hon. Gentleman has taken on this issue—not just today, but throughout. We all recognise that we should be led by evidence, which is absolutely vital. The trans community is a reality. They feel very vulnerable and very attacked. People who have been on the medicati…”

“Given what you have said, is there more that the NHS or the Government can be doing to ensure that your guidelines are followed?”

“Are there specific actions that came out of the event, that you are aware of, to try to bring that under control or address it in some way?”

“Ruth, I will ask you this first: NHS England held a stakeholder event on women’s chronic and procedural pain last month; did your organisation take part in that?”

“How confident are you that the actions will be taken up and that these issues will be addressed? Nobody? That is worrying. Are you confident at all?”

“I want to go back to hysteroscopies. Kate and Charlotte, your organisations have guidelines, but despite that we are still hearing about women’s experiences of pain during hysteroscopies and coil fittings. What steps have you taken to monitor that, and are they helping?”

“The picture the hon. Gentleman paints is very familiar to me. There was recently an application on the edge of a village in my constituency. The heavy lorries would cause vibrations on the narrow roads. However, as well as the environmental impact, there is the economic impact on rural areas, where agriculture is tryin…”

“I associate myself with the comments about yesterday’s horror in Sydney. I, too, welcome the Foreign Secretary’s clear and unequivocal call for the release of Jimmy Lai, and her condemnation of a politically motivated act that, as others have said, can only cause great fear among the Hong Kong community in this country…”

“The right hon. Gentleman is being very generous with his time. He mentioned the problems that we are facing with mental health care in Scotland. A parent came to me last weekend, distraught because they have been told that there is no prospect at the moment of their son getting the treatment he needs, as there is not a…”

“The right hon. Member is giving an impressive speech and a very important speech for Scotland. Does he agree that in May next year, Scotland will stand at an important crossroads where our future may be decided on how we pursue that election and who wins it, and that the time has come for change to address the problems…”

“T9. Retail is Scotland’s largest private sector employer, but businesses do not receive the same sort of business rates relief as those in the rest of the UK, which puts them at a disadvantage. A group of Scottish retailers recently wrote to the Scottish Government asking for this relief in the Scottish Budget. Will th…”

“I thank the hon. Member for giving way, especially so early in his speech. He talks about Scotland as we were. Does he share my concern that too often our history has been oversimplified, over-romanticised and focused on William Wallace, Robert Bruce and this entanglement with England, and has not looked at Scotland’s …”

“Notwithstanding the Minister’s comments, there is profound shock and confusion not just in this place but among the public about what Trump’s statements mean for our future defence and the future defence of our democracy. We have parliamentary elections in Scotland next year. Is he going to be promoting something in Sc…”

“I am a Scottish MP, so regional and national differences resonate with me, and you mentioned that there are some serious geographical issues. Could you give us a feel for how social mobility might vary across the UK and what you think might cause these differences?”

“It does, but it raises so many others. You talked about the different geographical areas. Not to digress too much, but I worked for a while in the highlands of Scotland, where the biggest problem is depopulation, because generation after generation—it is true of other rural areas—have to move to find any kind of social…”

“Getting back to the policies of the moment, how effective do you think strategies such as levelling up and the towns fund have been? Are the current Government taking the necessary steps to address regional disparities?”

“I think so, thank you. Summer, is there anything you want to add?”