Speeches by Carden.

“We have the UK Soft Power Council now, which you sit on, Mr McDonald. Could you give us an update on its work and what it has been achieving in recent months?”

“Thank you, Foreign Secretary. It is sickening to think that Putin has sent a million of his own young people to their deaths in this conflict. What is your view on whether supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine would aid or hinder achieving a peace?”

“I have one quick final question, since I presume that other colleagues will ask about sanctions. I just wonder whether you think it could be time for our Prime Minister to engage in direct diplomacy with President Putin.”

“Good afternoon, Foreign Secretary. To what extent is the UK now leading on Ukraine? Obviously, the role of the United States has changed over recent months, and I wondered if you could update the Committee on how you see the UK’s role now, and on where the coalition of the willing is currently.”

“How are you monitoring, or how do you intend to monitor, the potential impact, or the loss of manpower, as this goes forward?”

“If we look at our embassies almost in competition with other world powers, such as China and Russia, I know of one example where Russia has six defence attachés and the UK has just gone from two to zero. DBT staff are being cut. FCDO staff now look like they are going to be cut. This is a risk about our influence in th…”

“Good morning, Sir Oliver. I serve as a Government trade envoy, and have had some experience of working with ambassadors and embassies. I want to ask a couple of specific questions on the overseas network of our embassies, because it is not just FCDO staff there; they are working alongside sometimes a bigger team of Dep…”

“Alex died following an unsanctioned exhibition kickboxing match at a gym in Wigan. That means it was not sanctioned by any national governing body and fell outside the jurisdiction of Kickboxing GB—the only organisation for the sport in the UK that is officially recognised by both Sport England and the World Associatio…”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this debate on safeguarding children in combat sports. I do so with a heavy heart and a profound sense of responsibility, because today I speak for a young constituent who can no longer speak for himself. Alex Eastwood was just 15 years old when, just over one year ago, he step…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for being here tonight, and I know that the family will be grateful for the interest he has shown. I will go on to talk about the lack of regulation and what the family are calling for. I know that the family would want me to thank the coroner in this inquest—Michael Pemberton—for his a…”

“I thank the Minister and the Secretary of State, who has been up to see the family in the Gallery this evening and who will meet them next week. I know the family and the solicitors, Leigh Day, will be incredibly grateful for the thorough response the Minister has given tonight, putting a lot of information on the reco…”

“I am grateful to have a couple of minutes to give my comments. I have been frustrated that Ministers have continued to say that the Bill is rooted in fairness. It originates, as far as my recollection goes, from a £5 billion cut from the Treasury, and I think that has marred the whole situation. The political mess it h…”

“The Minister mentioned UK manufacturing. I think it is really important that, as we seek to get towards a clean energy target and with these auctions going forward, the Government do far more to ensure that the production of wind turbines, for instance, is not just done abroad and imported, but involves UK manufacturin…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the right to maintain contact in care settings. I appreciate you chairing this debate, Ms Butler, and I am grateful for having secured the time to talk about an issue that has touched thousands of people and left a lasting trauma across our country. I start by thanking the …”

“My hon. Friend totally grasps the seriousness of the issue. It is why campaigners are fighting for a legal right—Gloria’s law—to maintain contact. That would put into law the right to at least one care supporter, a trusted loved one, to provide support and advocacy in all health and care settings, so that no one is eve…”

“I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for raising an issue that I did not touch on: the fact that good institutions and good care homes will want the involvement of families. They do not use blanket bans or try to prevent family members from being part of the care of their residents. The worry is that the most vulnerabl…”

“Thank you, Ms Butler, for getting here so quickly and saving our debate. I also thank the campaigners for coming here today, all hon. Members who participated and the Minister for her understanding of people’s experiences and openness to receiving evidence. I see this as a matter of principle. Sometimes, when the state…”

“I am sure my hon. Friend’s constituent will be grateful—as am I—that she has come to add her voice to this campaign. Families are still living with the trauma of that separation, yet even now, people in care settings are still being denied essential human contact. In those early days, we all understood the need for swi…”

“Thank you for joining us today, Sir Mark. How well do you think the FCDO’s priorities here in London are communicated and carried out by the office in the UN?”

“Can I pick up on something you said earlier about the popularity of the UK, say, with the UN Secretariat? That is not the same as being effective in influencing world affairs. Do you think that, as we see a decline in the influence of the United Nations, the UK perhaps needs to think now about how it can be better and …”