The Westminster lensArchive · §02 Speeches · 579 contributions

Speeches by Francois.

Every Hansard contribution by Mark Francois this parliament, most recent first. Back to the MP page for the headline figures and analysed positions.

Showing 241260 of 579 contributions · most-recent first

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DateDebate & contributionWords
3 Nov 2025Army Recruitment

As General Lord Dannatt, the former Chief of the General Staff, said at the weekend, “if potential recruits to our Armed Forces do not believe that their government will stand by them when performing their duties in a lawful manner, why risk joining at all?” He was speaking about Labour’s new Northern Ireland Troubles

defencelabour-market
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3 Nov 2025Army Recruitment

The former Labour Security Minister Lord West said recently that we “shouldn’t be doing” this. Lord Glasman, the founder of Blue Labour, said: “We must reverse it as soon as possible.” The hon. Member for Blackley and Middleton South (Graham Stringer) said that “to continue this against one side makes no sense.” With a

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3 Nov 2025Army Recruitment

It is in Hansard.

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3 Nov 2025“Soldier F” Trial Verdict

Conditional immunity.

defencecrimesocial-care
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30 Oct 2025Property Service Charges

As a constituency MP, I have had some appalling experiences with FirstPort, at Oak Lodge in Hockley and at King Georges Court in Rayleigh. The latter is a four-storey McCarthy Stone development that it manages, where the lift was out of action for almost a year. Is not the fundamental problem with FirstPort that it is

housinglocal-governmentcost-of-living
89
29 Oct 2025 Asylum Seekers: MOD Housing

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. We have just been debating the important matter of asylum seekers in MOD accommodation. Could you confirm, as I hope Hansard will, that in the nearly 37 minutes that we have spent debating this important matter, no Member of Reform has been in the Chamber or, indeed, made any

immigrationhousingdefence
59
21 Oct 2025 Korean War: 75th Commemoration

My hon. Friend highlights the fact that the Glorious Glosters were awarded a US Presidential Unit Citation, which is extremely rare for a non-American unit. Another link is that the Korean war memorial in Washington has a very brief inscription that reads simply, “Freedom is not free.” Does my hon. Friend agree that th

defenceculture-community
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21 Oct 2025 Korean War: 75th Commemoration

My right hon. Friend is making an excellent, poignant speech. In 2013, as the then Veterans Minister, I had the great honour of going to South Korea with His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester to represent the Government at the 60th anniversary of the armistice. As my right hon. Friend knows, the South Koreans refer

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13 Oct 2025Points of Order

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. As you know, when we have a Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers the Budget and then the Red Book, with all the fine detail, the numbers and the graphs, is immediately made available to MPs, so that they can at least glance through it and ask the Chancellor questio

mp-performancesocial-careeducation
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12 Oct 2025Digital ID

I am completely opposed to digital ID cards as a matter of principle. The proposal was not in the Labour party manifesto, and the Government have no mandate for it. It is basically a multibillion-pound gimmick to try to address the fact that small boat arrivals are up a third since they came to power and they have not

immigrationeconomy-jobsother
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12 Oct 2025Digital ID

Ah! [Laughter.]

immigrationeconomy-jobsother
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8 Sept 2025Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

This is fundamental to the whole argument. We have pressed the Government for months to tell us what the legal threat to the islands was. In his opening speech the Minister said that it was UNCLOS. That was the justification they have given us. Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that we have a general opt-out

defencefiscal-policy
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8 Sept 2025Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

Is it the case—my right hon. and learned Friend is a former Attorney General—that the ITU treaty to which we and others are a party states specifically that the ITU has no authority over the allocation of military spectrum, or military communications? It is clear that the ITU has no leverage legally at all over Diego G

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7 Sept 2025Veterans: Support

Labour’s currently stalled remedial order would specifically make it easier for Gerry Adams and his friends to sue the British taxpayer while throwing our Army veterans, many of them recruited from red wall seats, to the wolves. After everything the Government put their Back Benchers through in recent months, are No. 1

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7 Sept 2025Veterans: Support

Nearly a fifth of a million people have now signed the parliamentary petition to protect Northern Ireland veterans from prosecution, in opposition to Labour’s proposals for two-tier justice. Surely Ministers must understand that facilitating lawfare against our Army veterans, none of whom received letters of comfort af

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3 Sept 2025 Business of the House

I will be short, as I already am. Can we have a debate about delays in obtaining driving tests? There is a growing problem with unscrupulous operators using bots to sweep up months’ worth of tests then selling them back to very frustrated parents and students at a profit. The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency seems

fiscal-policylocal-governmentmp-performance
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1 Sept 2025 The Battle of Britain

It is a fact that partly because of the great efforts of Lord Beaverbrook overseeing aircraft production, we never ran out of aircraft in the battle—but we very nearly ran out of pilots. So does my right hon. Friend agree with me that part of Dowding’s genius was generating enough pilots and then taking sufficient care

defenceculture-community
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1 Sept 2025 The Battle of Britain

I am sure that I speak for the whole House in saying that that is entirely appropriate. James Holland, in his excellent book “The Battle of Britain: Five Months that changed History”, highlights the fact that the Luftwaffe made multiple mistakes in the campaign, but nevertheless concludes: “This should not detract from

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1 Sept 2025 The Battle of Britain

The whole House is grateful to my right hon. Friend for that very telling intervention. While I have the opportunity, I pay tribute to his marvellous speech and, more than that, to the wonderful service of his father, of whom he can be immensely proud. Also fundamental were the RAF commanders, principally Air Chief Mar

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1 Sept 2025 The Battle of Britain

Good afternoon, Sir Desmond. It is a genuine pleasure to serve under your chairmanship as we debate these momentous events in the run-up to Battle of Britain Day, which commemorates the 85th anniversary of the culmination of the battle on 15 September 1940. I congratulate the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas)

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Sources
SourceHansard · official report
MethodEach row is one contribution (intervention or speech). Word count from the official text.