Speeches by Morello.

“I want to link up the questions that Uma has been asking you and something you said earlier, which was that, in relation to Matthew Doyle, you had been ordered by No. 10 not to tell the Foreign Secretary. Then, when you went to the Cabinet Office to seek permission to look at the UKSV report, you were told, “No, you ca…”

“Okay. You have already outlined the extreme levels of political pressure that you were under to complete this process. Is there any suggestion that that pressure filtered down to the Department that ultimately was making the recommendations to you? Were you satisfied in that meeting that the options that were proposed …”

“To what role?”

“Did Sir Philip raise any similar incidents during his tenure? Did he warn you to expect this kind of behaviour from No. 10?”

“To that point, the Prime Minister in his statement yesterday to the House, said: “Let me be very clear: the recommendation in the Peter Mandelson case could and should have been shared with me before he took up his post. Let me make a second point: if I had known before Peter Mandelson took up his post that the UKSV re…”

“But they had already made the decision to push ahead in the absence of the UKSV having completed its process. The idea that you can say, “I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known the results of the UKSV,” while at the same time imposing a process in which the UKSV could never have been completed in time for him to take up …”

“I want to clarify the conversation that happened in the meeting. Presumably, your chief of security comes to you and explains the concerns raised, but also the mitigation that he believes the Department can put in place. At that point, is it a recommendation to you or is it your judgment on whether or not those mitigat…”

“I want to link up the questions that Uma has been asking you and something you said earlier, which was that, in relation to Matthew Doyle, you had been ordered by No. 10 not to tell the Foreign Secretary. Then, when you went to the Cabinet Office to seek permission to look at the UKSV report, you were told, “No, you ca…”

“Okay. You have already outlined the extreme levels of political pressure that you were under to complete this process. Is there any suggestion that that pressure filtered down to the Department that ultimately was making the recommendations to you? Were you satisfied in that meeting that the options that were proposed …”

“You have made clear the exceptional circumstances surrounding the appointment of Sir Peter, the amount of stuff that had happened before the security vetting process had been completed, and that it was highly unusual and not the best practice for the way that the Foreign Office likes to run things. Were there other pol…”

“I want to clarify the conversation that happened in the meeting. Presumably, your chief of security comes to you and explains the concerns raised, but also the mitigation that he believes the Department can put in place. At that point, is it a recommendation to you or is it your judgment on whether or not those mitigat…”

“To that point, the Prime Minister in his statement yesterday to the House, said: “Let me be very clear: the recommendation in the Peter Mandelson case could and should have been shared with me before he took up his post. Let me make a second point: if I had known before Peter Mandelson took up his post that the UKSV re…”

“I accept that.”

“I totally accept that, but I just want to be clear that the advice you were given in that meeting—that conversation—was, “We understand these risks, we believe we can mitigate against them, and therefore you should be comfortable making the decision to grant it,” or, “It’s our decision that it can be granted given that…”

“This morning, Sir Olly Robbins appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee. What I saw was a dedicated public servant who, over 25 years, has held some of the most senior roles in the civil service. The Prime Minister would like us to believe that he was let down by officials such as Sir Olly, but in truth it was the…”

“But they had already made the decision to push ahead in the absence of the UKSV having completed its process. The idea that you can say, “I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known the results of the UKSV,” while at the same time imposing a process in which the UKSV could never have been completed in time for him to take up …”

“The Prime Minister wants us to focus on process and not his judgment, but this entire sorry episode is the direct result of his decision to make a direct appointment to one of the most senior roles in the FCDO of somebody who was wholly inappropriate for that role. Will the Prime Minister at least confirm to the House …”

“Chief Minister, you referenced earlier the negotiations over Gibraltar airport that happened under the previous Government. My understanding of this treaty is that a joint Gibraltar-Spanish venture will be established to control the commercial operations at the airport. Can you outline how that affects Gibraltar’s oper…”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Harris. I see a lot of familiar faces from the Railways Bill Committee— I worry that I have become a member of a group I never aspired to join. I am here to speak on behalf of the Liberal Democrats; we support this statutory instrument, which lowers the minimum age t…”

“What rights does the Government of Gibraltar have in terms of that joint venture, should you disagree with who the tender is awarded to or should circumstances change? Will you still retain all your previous rights?”