Speeches by Lamont.

“I am grateful to my neighbour for his contribution and for the cross-party, cross-border working we have secured on this issue. He is right that the consultation took place back in 2021. There was great opposition at that point and then there was a further, much smaller, consultation. I think a lot of people assumed th…”

“I am grateful to all hon. Members for their contributions this afternoon. We have demonstrated the importance of rail services to the rural communities that we collectively represent. I am grateful to the Minister for his response. I have two points of concern. We again heard from the Minister about the importance of t…”

“The Scottish Government have announced a review of the grooming gangs evidence in Scotland, but that falls short of a full inquiry and disappoints many of the victims. I have asked for this before. Please will this UK Government extend their inquiry to the whole of the UK so that the victims of these appalling crimes g…”

“The EIC, as I understand it, has a much more formal role in terms of co-ordinating all these different bodies. Is that not a step in the right direction?”

“In terms of the office that you hold, how do you envisage that relationship with EIC? Is it clear, or does it need to be refined a little?”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for magnificently introducing this petition on behalf of the Petitions Committee. I also thank the more than 4,000 local residents in the Scottish Borders who have signed the petition. This issue cuts to the very heart of the relationship between …”

“Will the Minister give way, please?”

“On a point of order, Ms Furniss. Could you clarify how long the Minister has left to speak? By my understanding, he has until 7.29 pm so as to give the proposer of the motion a minute to respond.”

“Good morning, Sir William. My question is about the Government’s replacement of the Committee on Standards in Public Life with the EIC, the Ethics and Integrity Commission. What is your view on this change?”

“That is helpful. One last question from me. If the opinion polls are to be believed there are going to be some radical changes after the next election, with perhaps a whole new way of doing government. Do you think our system of standards in public life are sufficiently robust to deal with new ways of doing government …”

“The Government have been very clear about their wider commitment to restore confidence in government and ensure Ministers are held to the highest standards beyond the establishment of the EIC. What other reforms do you think might be necessary to achieve that goal?”

“Are there any other bodies that deal with standards that should be part of this network that are not currently?”

“The EIC now has a more formal role in terms of co-ordinating the various standards bodies that exist. Do you welcome that more formal role of co-ordinating that the EIC has?”

“If you fast-forward five or 10 years how would you define success or failure of EIC?”

“In terms of the office and the role that you hold now, how do you anticipate the relationship with the EIC evolving over time?”

“Andy Haldane, former Bank of England chief economist, has said that the Government’s “repeated mistakes” and misinformation about the public finances have sucked all the energy from the economy. Chief Secretary, the former chief economist is correct, isn’t he?”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Budget creates no incentives for people to invest and take the risk of setting up and growing a business. It sends out all the wrong messages about what we want in a country that has traditionally been full of entrepreneurs. Because of the doom loop that the Chancellor has create…”

“This Labour Government came to power with so many promises. The Chancellor promised to kick-start economic growth, and not to increase the taxes of working people. Now that Labour is in government, I am afraid that it is doing the exact opposite. If it can be taxed, the Chancellor will tax it—an electric car, a holiday…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The intention may have been to force overseas investors, trust funds and others out of the farming sector, and to attack big landowners, but the tax is doing the complete opposite: it is destroying the family farm sector, forcing tenant farmers out, and seriously impacting on our foo…”

“My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech about the flaws in this Labour Government’s Budget. Does he share my concerns about the many farmers who were outside Parliament today to express how strongly they are opposed to the impact of inheritance tax changes on their business? It is very telling. I know he was there a…”