Speeches by Grady.

“This is just a quick follow-up. It is a very interesting chapter of discussion with Mr Glen, but I am just thinking about explaining this to constituents. There are people who want to abolish or severely constrain the OBR. Is your point simply this? It is not the OBR that is the constraint; it is the fact that we have …”

“On the question as to whether the OBR is operating competently, schedule 1, paragraph 1 of the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 provides as follows: “The office is”—and “is” is the key word here—“to consist of a member to chair it, appointed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer with the consent of the Tr…”

“If there was a radical reform to the OBR and we constrained its role in some way, how do you think the bond markets would react to that?”

“Are you confident that the chair will be in place by the 10-week deadline to which I referred?”

“The Chancellor wrote to this Committee on 20 February 2026. The Chancellor talked about the recruitment process and then she said, “Once a process has concluded, we would usually appreciate your assistance by facilitating your pre-appointment scrutiny before the summer recess”. Is it still the plan that the candidate i…”

“Does the Treasury have a contingency plan? This Committee consents to the appointment, and of course it can withhold its consent. What happens then? Do you have a contingency plan if this Committee does not approve the Chancellor’s nomination?”

“Could I just come in on long-term forecasts? Minister, you mentioned the fiscal risk and sustainability reports, which provide a long-term view of the sustainability of UK public finances. In political and public debate, do you think that the long-term sustainability of our public finances is getting enough attention?”

“Minister, you have given some examples of steps the Government are taking. The Institute for Government has suggested that the Treasury should respond in more detail to these reports, the inference being that the Treasury’s response is fairly slight. Is there merit in a longer ministerial statement, perhaps, on fiscal …”

“You mentioned the OBR staying out of policy. We have had it not just under this Government. In the previous Government, Jeremy Hunt’s former economics adviser has written about this. We have this annual to and fro about what causes growth and what does not cause growth. If only we knew. Does that not just take the OBR …”

“Would you consider it to be a good idea to have an annual debate in the House of Commons Chamber on the fiscal risk and sustainability reports so that people can look at this in more detail, and MPs across the Benches can look at this in more detail?”

“Minister, the last chair of the OBR, Richard Hughes, resigned on 1 December 2025, which is six and a half months ago. The recruitment campaign was launched on 20 February 2026, almost three months after the resignation. The Treasury has to give 10 weeks’ notice to the OBR of the Budget. If the Budget was, say, on 25 No…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) for securing this debate. A wonderful servant of the people of Glasgow, she is the embodiment of Glaswegian and Scottish values of public service that are shared across our family of nations.…”

“I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. The number of volunteers speaks eloquently to the generosity of spirit in Glasgow, across Scotland and across our family of nations. We are excited to welcome great sportspeople. I look forward to the return of a great Australian swimmer, Lakeisha Patterson, who is one of the…”

“Since I spoke, the police have explained more clearly some of the stuff that happened last night. Glasgow central mosque sits in the heart of my seat, and is somewhere that many Muslim brothers and sisters go to pray, as I am sure will visitors in Commonwealth games teams. That mosque had to be locked last night. Peopl…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) for securing this debate. A wonderful servant of the people of Glasgow, she is the embodiment of Glaswegian and Scottish values of public service that are shared across our family of nations.…”

“I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. The number of volunteers speaks eloquently to the generosity of spirit in Glasgow, across Scotland and across our family of nations. We are excited to welcome great sportspeople. I look forward to the return of a great Australian swimmer, Lakeisha Patterson, who is one of the…”

“Since I spoke, the police have explained more clearly some of the stuff that happened last night. Glasgow central mosque sits in the heart of my seat, and is somewhere that many Muslim brothers and sisters go to pray, as I am sure will visitors in Commonwealth games teams. That mosque had to be locked last night. Peopl…”

“The strategy relies heavily on voluntary commitments. I just want to explore that a bit, if I may. What some bankers have explained to me is that they accept that customers need help with their money, face-to-face banking, motor insurance and contents insurance. They accept that these are essential products. The hard f…”

“Minister, this is not the end, which is good news. I am delighted to hear that. Would you be able to write to the Committee, reflecting on the sorts of things you might explore to ensure that HMT is properly informed about consumer voices in the future, such as through calls for evidence and so on, as you develop this …”

“One of the criticisms that has been made is that there was no general call for evidence. This Select Committee has had a very successful call for evidence in the context of student loans. If we could go back in time, would a call for evidence have been a good idea to get a wider set of consumer voices?”