Speeches by Cooper.

“The Minister has talked long and loud about confidence in the industry, but disappearing investment does not engender any confidence. The 200,000 people employed in the oil and gas sector in this country will look askance at GB Energy, which looks less like the second prize and more like the booby prize. The point is t…”

“I agree completely. I was privileged to join my hon. Friend at Tartan Week in America, which is a key showcase for all things Scottish. We are lucky that President Trump is effectively an Ayrshire businessman, since he owns a golf course in Scotland. If the Chagos deal were in effect vetoed by America, would our Foreig…”

“I thank all the right hon. and hon. Members who have taken part today. I associate myself with the Minister’s remarks about the aviation tragedies in America. Our hearts are with all those affected. It is clear from this debate that the strength of our relationship with America matters a great deal to us. I want to pic…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the UK-US bilateral relationship. It is a pleasure to serve under your tutelage, Sir John, and let me introduce you to a fine Scots word: fankle. It means a tangle, or a confusion. President Donald Trump knows what it means, because his mother was a Scot from the Isle of Le…”

“There will be a rally on Saturday, and the Minister appears to imagine that this indicates acclamation for his policy. We heard earlier in the week from the hon. Member for Falkirk (Euan Stainbank) and today from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (Chi Onwurah)—both well-known rural areas—that thi…”

“Maroš Šefčovič is today dangling the prospect of the UK joining the pan-Euro-Mediterranean convention. Of course, the quiet part is that that would once again turn this country into rule takers, not rule makers. Ahead of the summit, can the Paymaster General rule out the prospect of the UK falling in line with so-calle…”

“The Government seem fascinated by the price of Oasis tickets. Meanwhile, debt and the cost of debt are soaring. Should the Government—definitely, not maybe—come up with some ideas of their own for growth, rather than trying to copy the homework of regulators?”

“Undersea cables in the modern era are as vital to this country as the merchant navy convoys were in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1942, and they are equally vulnerable. Taking shape on the banks of the Clyde at the moment are the state-of-the-art Type 26 frigates, which have mission bays on board. The right hon. Gentle…”

“So they have not raised fishing with you, then? That has not been part of these negotiations?”

“Yes. Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that the EU were not keen on the New Zealand model, which gave us equivalence; they were keener on the Swiss model, which goes back to more dynamic alignment. Am I right in saying that?”

“We have already seen the EU push back a little bit on this, haven’t we? The Swiss and New Zealand models are slightly different, and the New Zealand model actually talks about equivalence, which is—”

“Okay. You talked about the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, which could require dynamic alignment. Now, dynamic alignment sounds marvellous, but it is kind of civil-service-speak for us being rule takers rather than rule makers, I think. Is there a danger there that we are drifting very close? Rather than resettin…”

“You talked about the EU, and relations seem to be broadly very good there, but of course, at the end of the day the EU is not a club; it is a protectionist bloc, really, if we get right down to it. Could there be a quid pro quo here? We have heard that the EU is quite keen on a youth experience scheme as well. But ther…”

“I appreciate that, but you must be looking at those arrangements. I think that for the Swiss deal, if there is a disagreement over something, ultimately the “backstop” is consultation with the Court of Justice of the European Union for interpretation. It would be quite a big step for a country like ours, which is outwi…”

“The hon. Gentleman talks about simplifying systems. My father applied for a postal vote because he was taking advantage of the early Scottish holiday and was going to be away on 4 July. When he tried to access a postal vote to vote for me, he found that the council could not recognise him, yet as he pointed out, it had…”

“I am delighted to hear that relations with the devolved Administrations are now on a collegiate basis. I have to say that my experience as a lowly special adviser with the Scotland Office at the tail end of the pandemic was nothing like that at all; it was very, very difficult. We faced constant battles with the Scotti…”

“I thank my right hon. and gallant Friend for that point. It is interesting that the Arrow 3 project he mentions is a joint project between Boeing in America and the Israeli defence machinery. Is there something in the innovation offered by Patria, a Finnish company, which is offering to help us build armoured vehicles …”

“With some of the most productive grassland in the UK, Dumfries and Galloway is not worried but terrified by this outbreak. I am reassured to know that we are doing what we can, but it is a very difficult problem to solve. Can the Minister reassure me that the Republic of Ireland will not be the unlocked back door throu…”

“No, that is fine, thank you very much, Chair.”

“I was very much struck by an ONS report that looked at people working on zero-hours contracts. It found that around 60% did not want more hours. We have heard the word “flexibility” used quite a lot by most people here. For a certain demographic, it might suit people to have zero-hours contracts, and people on zero-hou…”