Speeches by Taylor.

“I thank the Minister for his statement and thank the Government for the support they have given to the people of Syria. The terrible events of this weekend bring home the vital importance of an inclusive process for all people in Syria. I am aware of the Minister’s response to a previous question about our diplomatic p…”

“Much within the Bill will bring significant positive changes to communities like mine in Hemel Hempstead, where crime and, in particular, antisocial behaviour continue to be a major issue. Under consecutive Conservative Governments, criminals got an easy ride. The Conservatives left a great mess, and this Bill helps to…”

“I will start, as many Members have, by recognising the urgent need to increase defence spending. Over recess, I went to Ukraine for a week—it is an existential crisis. If Ukraine falls, I am convinced that the Baltic states will be in Putin’s line of sight too. Like others in this House, I am obviously extremely pained…”

“My hon. Friend makes an interesting point, which I hope he will get to make in more detail in due course. In the time available to me, I will carry on with a few other suggestions. Another suggestion relates to British International Investment. I am not here to criticise the work that it is doing, but the point of ODA …”

“I will not, if the right hon. Gentleman does not mind. The justification for that could be that the BII makes capital investments, which are ultimately an asset on the Government’s balance sheet, and that finance does not count towards the Government’s budget deficit. That could be one way of justifying such a measure …”

“T6. Acknowledging that official development assistance will go down to 0.3% of GNI in 2027, can the Minister confirm whether it will remain at 0.5% for the calendar year of 2026, which will help ensure that UK aid keeps the maximum number of people alive for the longest possible time?”

“I want to ask about funding. It would be helpful to know how you are currently getting funding. Then I have a follow-up question about the bigger picture of what has happened in the US and the UK on aid spending.”

“I want to ask about funding. It would be helpful to know how you are currently getting funding. Then I have a follow-up question about the bigger picture of what has happened in the US and the UK on aid spending.”

“I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for securing the debate and for his bravery in going as far as Kharkiv. I admire his work and advocacy. I associate myself with everything that hon. Members have said, especially about the bravery of the men and women of Ukraine, who…”

“I spent all last week in Ukraine, and had the opportunity to meet a Defence Minister and a number of soldiers on the frontline. The Defence Minister painted a bleak picture of the situation there, including the fact that Russian production of arms continues to go up and up and up. Meanwhile, the soldiers I spoke to on …”

“Yesterday marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Make Poverty History campaign and of a fantastic speech, remembered by all of us who were there, delivered by the late, great Madiba. That campaign inspired a generation of campaigners and a great Labour Government to deliver unprecedented action to tackle globa…”

“West Herts college in my constituency offers a great selection of courses, including computing courses that offer a pathway to a career in cyber-security. For young people in Hemel Hempstead considering a career in that field to defend our country, can the Minister outline further details of the steps that he took last…”

“8. What steps he is taking to help increase recruitment to the armed forces.”

“To change the tune slightly, we have talked about smallholder farmers a bit already. I know that the FCDO provides some funding to help smallholder farmers, recognising that they have a role to play in food security, particularly within their own countries and maybe regionally as well. Partly because of my background o…”

“Hi, Minister. Thank you for coming in again. I am now turning to questions related to how SDG2 relates to some of our broader policies around trade and Alice’s question around debt. There are two questions on trade specifically. First, have assessments been made about the potential impacts of UK trade agreements on foo…”

“10. What steps her Department plans to take with employers to help increase economic growth.”

“The last Labour Government reduced child poverty by nearly half, from 3 million to 1.6 million, and legislated to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Instead, under the Conservatives, the number of children in relative poverty significantly increased between 2010 and 2023. Does the Secretary of State agree that working wi…”

“17. What steps she is taking to improve SEND services.”

“At a recent surgery, a constituent told me that she had fought Tory-led Hertfordshire county council to carry out an EHCP assessment for her son for well over a year. Since it concluded, she has been forced to go to tribunal six times in the past two years. She informed me that she met resistance from the school and th…”

“The hon. Member knows that I try to work with him locally in a constructive way, and I will in future, but the problems that we have in Hemel Hempstead are 14 years in the making. Some of them go back 20 years, because of long-standing issues. It is fair to point out that the people in charge of those issues at the tim…”