Speeches by Baldwin.

“Was part of that process saying, “By the way, Chancellor, you are looking at a political problem here because this is a huge increase for this sector”?”

“Your predecessor used to like to shut down the phone lines for the public with little notice and try to force everyone to use the app and digital paths. I presume that is still part of the strategic direction that you want to take things. Can you update us on how that is going?”

“We know that it is an issue.”

“Did you flag to your Minister in advance of the Budget that 32% was a big hike compared to previous hikes and that therefore there might be a political issue coming out of this valuation when you combine that with withdrawing the covid-era support? Did you flag that?”

“I have one final question for Mr Marks, if I may, on the small consignments changes that you are bringing in. You said that, because of operational reasons, you are making that quite a long implementation lead time. You will be aware that the EU is bringing in the changes a year earlier. We raised Northern Ireland earl…”

“Thirty‑two per cent?”

“So you are not proposing any changes at the moment.”

“There are online marketplaces that offer to help you collect that VAT. Can you update us on where you have got to on that?”

“Another fraud that the Public Accounts Committee has highlighted is in online marketplaces and people setting up fake UK companies for VAT purposes. I know that you have done a consultation on that. Can you update the Committee on where that has got to?”

“If you could kindly follow up by writing to the Committee about the details on that case, that would be helpful.”

“This time it seems to have taken people hugely by surprise. The pub association is saying that vast amounts of additional beer needs to be sold in order to make this economic. This time around did you find that more pubs and hospitality businesses were seeing a sharp increase than in a normal revaluation and, if so, ho…”

“It does seem like a huge increase, does it not?”

“I would like to ask Mr Russell about business rates because there are two things going on that have given pubs and hospitality businesses a nasty shock at the Budget. One is the policy decision about the withdrawal and tapering of the covid support, but the other is around the valuation of those premises, which, Mr Rus…”

“There are quite a lot of other things that are not related to this particular sector. I have been told by Eurotunnel that its rateable value went up from £40 million in 2023 to £118 million in 2026. These just seem to be enormous changes. The other thing that has been flagged to me by a range of different sources is th…”

“On a point of order, Dr Huq. Could you clarify whether it is in order for so many Government speakers in the debate to have left the Chamber before the Front-Bench speeches to listen to their beleaguered Prime Minister at the parliamentary Labour party meeting?”

“The hon. Member needs to be careful about what he says on that front, frankly. On taxes specifically, I do not think he can point to a single time in history where, in three months, there has been such a dramatic change from what was promised to the public in a general election campaign and what actually happened in th…”

“That is probably 4 million people who have, in that length of time, signed the petition. I encourage the hon. Member to dream on. Why have we seen the robust signing of these petitions over the past two years? It boils down to the fundamental principle of our democracy, which is based around peoples’ manifestoes. We ne…”

“Thank you, Sir Edward, for allowing me to speak on behalf of the 1,892 people in my constituency who have signed this petition. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) for expounding why this is an important debate. I am in my fifth Parliament now, and I do not recall the …”

“While the Home Secretary thinks about the safe and legal routes, my constituents are concerned about the unsafe and illegal routes. Will the Home Secretary update the House on how many gangs have been smashed in the first 18 months of this Government?”

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Earlier the Minister said that agricultural property relief was not available under Margaret Thatcher. In fact, it was Margaret Thatcher’s Government who brought it in under the Inheritance Tax Act 1984, and it was subsequently increased to 100% under John Major. How might I g…”