Speeches by Lamont.

“Thank you, Chair, and good morning to the witnesses. Your report suggests that the 2024 election was well run. Could you tell me the criteria by which you judge that?”

“Obviously there are lots of participants in an election, whether it is candidates, parties, the Royal Mail or the printers. As a candidate, I certainly feel as though we get lots of oversight from the Electoral Commission. I suspect that political parties feel the same. Are you confident that the other participants—nam…”

“Do you think that could have been avoided if the commission had engaged at an earlier stage with the printers and Royal Mail? For example, in my constituency a Royal Mail postman was on holiday for a week, and the postal ballots were not delivered because there was no replacement. The printers were obviously not gettin…”

“I suspect that may come up in further questions.”

“I have one more point. You mentioned, under your performance criteria and the standards that you set yourself, that there was an issue around a count. I am assuming that you were flagging the Putney count in Wandsworth.”

“Did the commission have staff at the Wandsworth count?”

“At what point did the returning officer notify you of the problems about the declaration of the result?”

“What sanction has been imposed on Wandsworth’s returning officer?”

“Thanks, Chair. My question is about where people get information about the activities of MPs—less at election time, although it comes up at election time. There is a website called TheyWorkForYou. I have spoken to you about it before, Vijay. It purports to tell voters how MPs have voted on different issues. I am sure t…”

“It is the opposite.”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Harris. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone) for introducing the debate so well on behalf of the Petitions Committee, of which I am a member. Most new Governments come into power with positive plans to get things do…”

“Ahead of the Christmas break, I am delighted to have this opportunity to recognise and celebrate some of the amazing organisations that serve the Scottish Borders all the year round. These groups, and the volunteers who help keep them running, often do not get the praise they deserve, so I want to mark the excellent wo…”

“I very much welcome the Minister’s statement and the removal of the Assad Government. What assessment have the UK Government made of the Syrian justice system’s capacity to prosecute war crimes, and all the horrendous crimes that were perpetrated against the poor people of Syria during Assad’s regime?”

“Labour promised not to raise taxes on working people, but farmers are some of the hardest-working people I know. Peter Douglas from Jedburgh has looked at the details of this policy and he says that Labour’s inheritance tax increase will prevent him passing on his family farm to his son and daughter. They say Labour ha…”

“I have eight Royal Mail delivery offices in my constituency, staffed by a team of hard-working posties who cover a vast rural area around the Scottish Borders. Will the Minister tell them, and me, what commitment the new owner has given to maintaining those offices and staff levels?”

“Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate so that we can pay tribute to our young sporting heroes? I am sure that all Members have many examples, but 22-year-old cyclist Oscar Onley from Kelso was recently awarded the title of male rider of the year by Scottish Cycling after becoming the first Scottish-devel…”

“I find some of the hon. Member’s remarks quite extraordinary. Is he genuinely saying that if concerns about wildlife, the environment or what is proposed are put forward by local residents, and particularly by the Environment Agency, they should simply be ignored in pursuit of this house building agenda?”

“My hon. Friend speaks well about the challenges in Keighley and Ilkley. On the point about consultation, residents in my area might not object to the location of a development, but they are concerned about the impact on doctors and schools. When those concerns are raised with the developer, it pushes back and says that…”

“The hon. Member is making an excellent point, but does he agree that, in Scotland, the issue is about resources as well? The local authorities and police authorities of Scotland just do not have the resources to police this. He is making the point that the legislation and rules are there, but, if he reads some of their…”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Edward. I thank the petitioners for raising this important issue, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for setting out the issues behind the petitions so well. I know from my own mailbag that many people are concerned about the…”