Speeches by Newbury.

“For a company like KKR, the size that it is and the way it operates, taking dividends out is small fry, really. It is looking for the sale price at the end of its ownership period. Sometimes these things are shrouded in mystery, but it is pretty clear publicly that KKR expects to make a profit selling Thames in seven t…”

“But the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and as I said, KKR has a long history of quick exit from companies to make a profit.”

“Again, through the potential change of ownership, the concerns that we have expressed about KKR’s ownership, will you make the case to it?”

“You mentioned that Ofwat might look more favourably on listing, but it has also said that it is concerned that there is only one bidder left in this process, and that there is no ongoing competition. You have kind of effectively ruled everybody else out very early on in the process. Do you have any comments to make on …”

“Some aspects of the cases that the hon. Gentleman is eloquently describing are sadly very similar to those in the case of Rob Spray, from my Cannock Chase constituency, who died suddenly in Bulgaria in 2019. Rob’s case is about to be heard at inquest, so I will not comment on the legal aspects, but I can say that his f…”

“I thank the Minister for the open and sensitive way in which she is responding to the debate and for sharing the experiences of the family of her constituent Nathan. I am familiar with that case. She heard me explain the contact that I am having with the family of Rob Spray in my constituency. Would she be willing to m…”

“I absolutely agree, and my hon. Friend hits the nail on the head. Often, the premium in semi-rural areas is very real. I will finish by saying that children and young people in the semi-rural communities that those of us here represent have just as much potential as those in rural and urban areas. I look forward to wor…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your esteemed chairmanship, Sir Edward. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Josh Dean) for securing the debate and particularly for including the phrase “semi-rural” in the debate title. Often in this place we debate the issues facing rural and urban areas, but …”

“Thank you, Baroness, for allowing us to sneak this issue in at the end of the session. The previous Government consulted on fairer food labelling, and the consultation ended a whole year ago tomorrow. What is the Government’s current position on introducing animal welfare labelling?”

“The consultation proposed a five-tier labelling system, which would initially just be for pork, chicken and eggs. That would obviously differentiate between products that fall below, meet or exceed the baseline animal welfare regulations for the UK, so that consumers can make an informed choice and they can see the goo…”

“Obviously it is not just about animal welfare concerns; it is also about making sure that our farmers, who are held to a higher standard than those importing goods, are getting recognised for meeting those standards. Do you think that this would go a long way to making sure that farmers are paid a fair price, in that c…”

“That is encouraging to hear, but, given that the consultation ended a year ago, what has been the delay to getting to this point?”

“Yes, but that was nine months ago.”

“I really appreciate that. Finally, do you have any indication on timescales for when we might see something?”

“That is fair enough. You touched on some aspects, such as implementation being delayed because trade will not be ready and you want to make sure that it has its full effect. The National Audit Office and some traders have stressed the importance of the single trade window to realising the benefits of BTOM. Is that one …”

“Yes. We understand that the team within DEFRA that was responsible for delivering BTOM has been disbanded. Obviously, you cannot keep groups like that going forever and ever, but does that mean that DEFRA considers the implementation of the BTOM to be complete now?”

“Yes, absolutely. In particular, a lot of businesses feel that it is quite overbearing; they feel like the amount of time and effort that is required for them to be compliant is very high, but at the same time, they worry that bad actors who are looking to get around the rules can do that quite easily. That is the theme…”

“Baroness Hayman, when you came into office and you looked at the border target operating model, particularly the design and the way it was being implemented, did you identify any issues with that? If so, what were they?”

“It would be escorted.”

“Yes, possibly, but, if you asked the port health authority in Dover, they would say that it would make a huge difference to their operations if Bastion Point, which was commissioned at a cost of £20 million, was open.”