Speeches by Taylor.

“It seems you may have pre-empted the end of my question, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I would very much appreciate some clarification.”

“I thank the Committee Chair for bringing forward this report. Access to transport relates not just to disabled people, but to parents with pushchairs, people with luggage and so on—it benefits us all. I am often contacted by constituents about the condition of lifts at Sutton station. A focus on accessibility—with inve…”

“I, too, add my condolences to the shadow Leader of the House and his family. His father—from defending our country to improving our children’s happiness and increasing our cultural awareness—had an incredible life, and one of which I am sure he can be proud. The Government’s new Crime and Policing Bill promises signifi…”

“I completely agree. I will come on to that later in my speech. I have spoken to the organisers and leaders of the Chris Donovan Trust in my constituency. They spoke about the challenge of getting into some schools to talk about knife crime, because of the perception that talking about it was a problem in itself. That w…”

“The epidemic of knife crime is an issue that I have addressed many times in this place, although never in a debate specifically targeting its impact on children and young people. I commend the hon. and gallant Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) on securing this debate on such a significant matter. In Britain, we f…”

“You mentioned overseas voting, and 50% of the 200,000 overseas voters choose to vote by post. I think in the last election, only 50% of those returned their postal voting packs in time. We have understood the issues with printing and sending those out—simply, the international postal network is not capable of doing tha…”

“Picking up on keeping an open mind, there is a specific point about embassy voting, which we see lots of other countries use very successfully. Around London, we quite regularly see festivals and people having celebrations in the queues at embassies for overseas elections. Why has that specifically been ruled out if yo…”

“Absolutely, and I am looking to improve that.”

“Picking up on a comment from your opening statement, you said you want to ensure that all voters are fairly represented. As an example from your own constituency, you had a 56% turnout in your constituency and 34% of those voted for you. One in five voters in your constituency voted for you, and you were elected. Do yo…”

“I will try to be very direct. Earlier in the year there was a lot of media hysteria over a mooted donation to a political party by a foreign billionaire. There was a lot of worry about how that would distort politics. I have a couple of direct questions. Do you think it is appropriate to consider reducing spending limi…”

“Reducing spending limits.”

“This is specifically on trust in politics.”

“Just to pick up a point there, the Labour party’s policy states that flaws in the current voting system contribute to the distrust and alienation that we see in politics, yet you are saying that addressing that is not a priority for the Government. Is that right?”

“Crime and policing in London is at a crisis point. Figures show that Government funding for the Metropolitan police has fallen by more than £1 billion in real terms since 2010, and those cuts mean that we do not just need more bobbies back; we need more beats. Park police no longer patrol, and now we see the prospect o…”

“What resources are being provided to schools to support restorative justice initiatives in relation to knife crime, especially victim-led approaches such as workshops or peer mentoring to engage young people in conversations about its prevention?”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“I completely agree. It is about the feeling of powerlessness, as a resident—as a citizen—just standing on the high street and seeing these things whizz past, not being able to do anything about it, and knowing that that person could be long gone by the time the police are able to respond. It is clear, from all the word…”

“I am the constituency neighbour of my hon. Friend, and my residents enjoy the River Wandle just as much as his do. I am glad he has taken time off from walking along the river with his wife and his dog to speak about this in the Chamber. When Sutton is building new homes, to try to keep up with the demand for the homes…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I thank the hon. Member for Tipton and Wednesbury (Antonia Bance) for bringing this important debate to Westminster Hall today. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home and on their own streets, but for far too many in the UK, that is simply not the r…”

“St Raph’s hospice in my constituency faces a £140,000 increase in staff costs due to the Government’s national insurance hike. That means the hospice will have to further cut staff services that take pressure off the NHS. Will the Chancellor think again and provide an exemption for healthcare providers from the nationa…”