Speeches by Williamson.

“Members on both sides of the House know how important these changes are, and getting them right is absolutely vital. My right hon. Friend the Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Steve Barclay) asked a specific question as to whether the Department has done an impact assessment. Could the Minister clarify whether that…”

“Right across the political spectrum, I think everyone feels that this was a poor decision and a bad decision, which is why it has unravelled so quickly. Can the Minister reassure the House that there was absolutely no local political interference in making this decision?”

“Yes.”

“It is only about a technical detail, and it probably shows the lack of understanding that we have of the Attorney General’s role sometimes. You said something very interesting about how, as Attorney General, you served a number of masters: you serve the law; you serve the Government; you serve the Head of State; but yo…”

“You have slightly touched on the fact that we are in quite a privileged position, in that we can talk about a case post arrest but pre charge. Is your general feeling that, as long as that is exercised responsibly, that should be preserved within the House?”

“Yes.”

“It is only about a technical detail, and it probably shows the lack of understanding that we have of the Attorney General’s role sometimes. You said something very interesting about how, as Attorney General, you served a number of masters: you serve the law; you serve the Government; you serve the Head of State; but yo…”

“You have slightly touched on the fact that we are in quite a privileged position, in that we can talk about a case post arrest but pre charge. Is your general feeling that, as long as that is exercised responsibly, that should be preserved within the House?”

“We know that the Chief Secretary is a very thoughtful, intelligent man, and he will know that the press were being briefed extensively about what the Budget was going to say. They were not making it up. Where does the Chief Secretary believe that that briefing was coming from? Does he believe that it was coming from sp…”

“This company operates internationally: bet365 is one of the most successful technology companies in this country, and it operates right across the globe. It is quite understandable why it does so, but the hon. Gentleman probably does not care about jobs in Staffordshire. He has probably not ever thought about jobs in S…”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and may I say what a delight it is to see you in the Chair this evening? I was not going to start by saying this, but I agree with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when—and I may misquote him slightly—he spoke about “decent jobs at decent wages.” I absolutely agr…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for her answer; I know that she takes the issue of Chinese influence incredibly seriously. The free speech legislation brought forward by the previous Government required the monitoring of bodies that are supported by the Chinese or funded and supported by the Government of China. That wa…”

“5. What steps her Department is taking to help prevent Chinese influence in universities.”

“Was it just because you were not convincing enough to change anyone’s mind?”

“The last Labour Government forced through the merger of Staffordshire ambulance service with West Midlands ambulance service, and Staffordshire ended up with a poorer service. There will be and is real concern in Staffordshire that these reforms could lead to a merger and the takeover of the Staffordshire police force …”

“In time, I am sure. We have all seen how so many decisions are made outside of a ministerial body—the Department itself—through bodies such as regulators and external agencies. Do you think the sub judice resolution needs to contain an exemption for these bodies as well? Obviously, we can question a Minister, as in the…”

“We all have ministerial experience—”

“So are the public.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Members tend to be quite broad in their comments.”