Speeches by Powell.

“I think the intention was right. Some members of the Opposition parties did not take those offers to read through the document in advance and to get the briefings in advance. That was up to them, and I can see that. I have said, at the Dispatch Box on the Floor of the House and in private, that the intention of ensurin…”

“As the Ministerial Code makes clear, important statements should be made to the House first when Parliament is in session, when Parliament is sitting. It makes use of the word “should”, as well. When Parliament is in recess, that is obviously difficult. There are challenges, for example, at the weekend, or when the Hou…”

“As I say, I have looked into this very closely. The Secretary of State himself has apologised for some of that. Let me just go through with you what happened when, and why it happened. I also make it clear that the Secretary of State, after discussions with me and the Speaker, undertook to write to the Speaker—he has s…”

“The SDR was incredibly important, and the SDR was published to the House first.”

“Nothing has changed; that is absolutely right. Let me say at the outset, the Prime Minister and I and the whole Government take our responsibilities to Parliament incredibly seriously. We want to restore respect for Parliament, which was diminished under the previous Government. Part of that is bringing important annou…”

“I have said that many times.”

“It is about the most important statements. We can have different views about that. There is a certain amount of subjectivity to that. Can we improve? Yes, we can improve. Do we take them very seriously? Yes, we do. They are subjective.”

“What I said then was absolutely right; it is what I would say now.”

“Again, I do not accept the characterisation. First of all, it is not for Ministers themselves to decide. These are collective decisions that are taken by the Government all the time. Those decisions are taken weekly and daily, and they are collective. I ask colleagues to consider the big difference between someone maki…”

“Just to be clear—”

“Fine. Yes.”

“I could sign them.”

“I thank the Chair of the Standards Committee for explaining the background to the report. I have given him this commitment, both privately and publicly: I am keen to bring the recommendations of Standards Committee reports to the Floor of the House as soon as possible, and I hope that I have shown willing by doing that…”

“I beg to move, That this House approves the Third Report of the Committee on Standards, Session 2024–25, HC 943, on Register of Interests of Members’ Staff, subject to any transitional arrangements agreed by the Committee on Standards, and amends the provisions endorsed by the Resolution of the House of 28 June 1993 as…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising another very serious and difficult issue in the House. The Foreign Secretary, in his conversations with the Syrian Government and others, continues to press them to take concrete action following the horrific violence that continues to be committed against the Alawite community, a…”

“May I join the shadow Leader of the House in marking the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings? We all remember that day well, and I am sure that the whole House will want to remember all those who died and those who were affected by it. May I also take this opportunity to welcome the newly announced new director of the…”

“I join my hon. Friend in thanking Sir Ian and Lady Dudson for all their service to his community and wish them the very best for their retirement.”

“I will certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating Cannock Wood and Gentleshaw Gardening Club on its commitment to bringing the community together and raising funds for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. I am sure there was a real buzz about the place at that event.”

“Absolutely. We need to see more banking services, which is why we have the programme of banking hubs. We need to make sure that banking services, access to cash and all the services that come with that are inclusive and that we have those things in mind, because it is the people who are often excluded from those servic…”

“I am sure many Members across the House share my hon. Friend’s frustrations about water companies operating in their constituencies. Frankly, some of the bad behaviour of those water companies has gone on for too long, and there has not been enough accountability or action on the issues that matter to us all. That is w…”