Speeches by Powell.

“I know that the Sudanese community in my constituency welcome the UK’s leadership at the UN Security Council in pushing for a ceasefire, but it is deeply concerning that seven RSF-owned companies in the United Arab Emirates have been named and sanctioned by the US for supplying the finance and military equipment to sus…”

“I want to move on to remediation. This year will be the eighth anniversary of Grenfell Tower, and the National Audit Office recently estimated that 60% of buildings have not yet even been identified. The remediation action plan puts new targets on speeding that up. How exactly can we speed up this identification? If we…”

“I have a very specific follow-up on the homelessness prevention grant. There is a new restriction within that, which is that 49% needs to be spent on prevention. Of course, we all support prevention in the long term, but specifically some London councils are really concerned about that. They currently spend approximate…”

“Conscious of the time, let me switch topics briefly to elections. Do the Government recognise the risks of potential foreign funding in our political system and a general lack of transparency and accountability around money in politics? When might we expect some action on this?”

“Do you know when we might see legislation or a Bill on this?”

“Once the buildings have been identified, the next thing in the remediation plan is around forcing action. One of the big frustrations that people have is this buck-passing between developers and freeholders, and the issue of what leaseholders will face versus others. The scale of this is huge. It is millions of people …”

“I, too, thank the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Mike Martin) for securing this important debate. This issue matters deeply to my constituents. Kensington and Bayswater is home to a thriving Ukrainian community and is a hub for Ukrainian institutions, from the embassy and the consulate to the social club and the scho…”

“I agree. The moral and legal rationale for seizing these assets is clear. The total cost of Russia’s destruction of Ukraine has already far exceeded the total frozen state assets. It is inconceivable that Russia will ever pay for the irreparable harm it has caused Ukraine. Seizing these assets would not only increase U…”

“The hon. Member is absolutely right. There are things the UK can do to be the trailblazer and there are things we need to do in partnership with our international partners, and shortly I will move on to how I think we can do more on the assets specifically. I also want to take the opportunity to welcome the personal an…”

“One weak point in protecting our parliamentary democracy from hostile state actors is money in politics. Does the Security Minister agree that this latest case shows that it is a priority to ensure that our electoral laws are robust enough that only funds that are clean and sourced entirely from within the UK fund our …”

“Today is a moment to acknowledge the historical injustice endured by LGBT veterans, and to reaffirm our collective responsibility as a House to right the wrongs of the past. I will share a story of one of my constituents, Professor Andrew Hartle, a man whose life epitomises the resilience and achievements of LGBT veter…”

“My right hon. Friend will be aware of speculation about certain high-profile individuals seeking to interfere in our politics with their money, and about concerning examples from the last Parliament of opaque foreign funds finding their way here. Will the Leader of the House make time to debate updating our election la…”

“I welcome the statement and especially welcome what the Minister said about affordable homes, given the dismal numbers that were provided under the Conservatives. Those 1.3 million people on the waiting list deserve a voice in our planning system too, and I only wish the Opposition would recognise that. What approach w…”

“My hon. Friend is making a powerful point about trade. Does she agree that the ripple effects from disapplying the Windsor framework would hit all of us, including constituencies such as mine that are looking forward to the Government’s priority of resetting our relationship with the EU and finding practical solutions …”

“Perhaps the hon. and learned Member would like to reflect on a proposal that I support—a veterinary agreement with the EU to reduce the checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. That would have to honour our commitments under the Windsor framework, if it was to come into effect.”

“North-south co-operation between institutions in Northern Ireland was a vital component of the Good Friday agreement, so I thank my hon. Friend for making his point about treaties, because the Bill, which I have read, in clause 14 makes it possible to disapply protections in the Windsor framework for north-south co-ope…”

“My Georgian friends and colleagues in civil society, with whom I have worked for many years, are calling this a Maidan moment for the country. Protesters have been brutally assaulted, and there have been reports of journalists being hospitalised. Given that many Georgian Dream officials have ties to the UK, will the Mi…”

“It is now more than seven and a half years since 72 people lost their lives at Grenfell Tower in my constituency in north Kensington. It was a greater loss of life than any terrorist attack in London’s history. That is seven and a half years of no justice, and seven and a half years of no meaningful change. It was a tr…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The waste of councils’ and housing associations’ precious resources and the waste of people’s time in taking time off work and disrupting their lives to deal with the inefficiency and repairs is something that we have to fix. I am really hopeful that incoming legislation such as Awaa…”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”