Speeches by Smith.

“It is really disappointing to see those on the Opposition Front Bench treating this as if it is some kind of party political issue. They do not have a monopoly on outrage about this; it really should be a cross-party issue. I will ask my hon. Friend the Minister about a specific element. As she and the Government work …”

“Same question to you, Sir George. Obviously it was a different time when you were chief, in terms of that legal enforcement, so how would you answer that question?”

“Thank you, Chair—no pressure. It is good to have you with us, gentlemen, and thanks for your answers. I would like to talk about 50:50 recruitment. Sir Hugh, you said at the start, when we were talking about the Patten review, that 50:50 recruitment was the most challenging recommendation to implement. You went on to s…”

“The hon. Gentleman will know the respect with which he is held in this Chamber for raising attention to the matters of terrorist atrocities over many years. On both sides of the House, we are keen to hear his stories, so we would just like him to take a moment and we look forward to hearing them.”

“We can talk about political parties and we can talk about the general population, but does the shadow Secretary of State agree that there is nearly universal opposition among victims of terrorism to the conditional immunity in the legacy Act?”

“My right hon. Friend may shortly be coming on to this, but civil cases have been raised as a concern given the potential for lawfare, notwithstanding that people like Gerry Adams are also subject to civil action in the coming months. Will he outline what he expects in terms of civil cases against those who served in ou…”

“A very quick one, now that the can is open and worms are everywhere, about the recruitment of the Chief Constable. Obviously, it is a massive job. It is a huge job in policing worldwide, let alone in this country. On the “home-grown” question, to call a spade a spade, surely there is an element here about community con…”

“I have two follow-up questions before we move on, and either of you can seek to answer them. In your experience as Chief Constable and in your analysis of the situation today, does the security threat to potential Catholic nationalist recruits play into the recruitment of Catholic nationalist officers? If it does, is t…”

“I am very clear that I am owned by a chocolate labrador. Coco is 12 now and the problem seems to be getting worse every year. That is why the reduction in decibels would be the most effective way of dealing with the problem. People could let fireworks off when they wanted and where they wanted, as long as the sound was…”

“Thank you, Chief Constable and Sir Iain. You have been very open and insightful in your comments. This is the last question, unless anyone wants to follow up. You have answered some of the questions I would have otherwise asked, but I am interested in what you were both saying about how Kenova continues to live on—what…”

“It is a great pleasure to lead this debate on Government support for freedom of religion or belief in Nigeria; I hope that we have some good debate. Recent events have thrown a spotlight on Nigeria in general, and on freedom of religion or belief in particular, so I hope that this debate can strengthen that spotlight. …”

“I thank the hon. Member. I know that he is concerned about this issue and has spent a lot of his time in this place addressing it. I am aware of that list. I am pleased to be speaking speak at the Open Doors world watch list launch tomorrow—I understand that Nigeria is also high on that list. What does this have to do …”

“I thank the right hon. Member for his contribution, and especially for his role in the Bishop of Truro’s report, which led to my position and ultimately played a huge part in putting freedom of religion or belief at the centre of our foreign policy. I am certainly advocating for that in my role, and I know that the Gov…”

“I thank the hon. Member for his contribution. I would certainly say that there are patterns around the world, and we must consider them honestly and address them. It is true that, as in Nigeria, freedom of religion or belief affects everyone, but we must be honest and straightforward when a particular community is affe…”

“Thank you for your guidance, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I apologise to the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire (Mike Wood). In conclusion, Nigeria is rich with potential and possibility, but in my view violent and legal suppression of FORB is undermining the country’s future. A plural Nigeria, rooted in…”

“I will take one last intervention.”

“The hon. Gentleman is right to draw other factors into the equation, whether it is competition over land in the middle belt of Nigeria, the climate change that leads to it, or other forms of identitarian conflict and competition for resources. Those things are true, without question. In my estimation it is also true th…”

“Again, I agree that we should have holistic relationships with all our partners; there should not be a hierarchy of importance when it comes to an economic trade deal versus pursuing our values as a country on things like freedoms. I am sure we will hear more from the Minister on that. I mentioned what is happening on …”

“I will make a little progress, as I want to ensure that the Minister has time to respond. The Government are doing some great things that I get to see and making a great deal of progress. We will hear from the Minister, but in my estimation the Government are supporting security work in Nigeria, working closely with th…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. I have been very pleased to meet Mubarak Bala twice now, most recently in person in Warsaw. He is a great credit to himself. He has suffered very unjustly as a result of being a humanist. I am sure we will hear this from the Minister, but the Government seem to be very clea…”