Speeches by Western.

“I understand that. It just seems that it is almost an academic argument, given that there is no need to be using it. I guess that is my simple point. If you say, Mr Falconer, that it has been used, and you gave a date when you believe it was used, what is the likelihood—what are the chances—of it being used again in Ga…”

“Experts tell us that the F-35 is not actually the most appropriate vehicle of force in the aerospace to be using for this kind on conflict—that the F-15 is a far better vehicle. Why are we even allowing the F-35—that is, we have talked about the trade permissions—because it is actually not the most appropriate?”

“Experts tell us that it is really not the most appropriate vehicle of force for use in Gaza—that the F-15 is more appropriate. Why do we think it should be permissible for them to use it anyway?”

“So, Qatar?”

“In that case, perhaps I could ask Ministers Falconer or Bryant, on what basis have the Government identified that there is a clear risk that the export of F-35 components would cause serious IHL violations? I appreciate that goes back slightly to where we have been before, but clearly—”

“Okay. Can your Department confirm whether Israel has been using the F-35 in Gaza?”

“So these flights are identifying the locations of hostages?”

“Total number, then?”

“How frequent are they?”

“Minister Pollard, what is your understanding of the purpose of the RAF surveillance flights?”

“Mr Bryant, is it possible to have a breakdown of that £128 million—not now, obviously, but subsequently?”

“But it is a striking statistic: £128 million-worth of exports for military equipment in a three-month period, which is greater than the three-and-a-half-year period that preceded it.”

“Let me expand on that, because I find it difficult to get my head around a statistic that Amnesty UK fed in, from a report by Campaign Against Arms Trade. They calculated that the UK approved licences for £128 million-worth of military equipment to Israel in single-use licences between October and December 2024, which …”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered consumer affairs. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. You will be familiar with the expression “knowing the price of everything, but the value of nothing”. Perhaps that was yesteryear, or possibly yesterday, but today I want to say this. UK consum…”

“I thank all those who participated in the debate. It is a Thursday afternoon, and I would have anticipated that a lot more people would have wanted to speak to this issue. I welcome the points that have been made. We have used examples that perhaps bring a certain lightness to the debate, but they are good examples of …”

“Several hon. Members around the Chamber raised the differential pricing between in-town and out-of-town stores. The points the Minister made are totally right, but when retailers were asked about this at the Business and Trade Committee, they just said that it was due to a different cost base. A corporate has a big cos…”

“I should have congratulated my hon. Friend at the very beginning on his appointment—a very warm welcome, Minister, to the role. He talks about dynamic pricing and ticketing. He will probably be aware that in the Business and Trade Committee we looked at Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The Opposition spokesperson, the hon…”

“There are other products available, Dame Siobhain, but I will not give an entire list of them. Whatever someone’s guilty pleasure is, though, the products that they have grown up with and loved are not what they were. Even tubes of toothpaste in boxes, despite appearing to be a similar size to the product bought a few …”

“On that point, it is quite clear, as we have seen, that the number of deaths we have seen at the food distribution centres run by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—something like 3% of the total number of deaths—is an outrage. Does my hon. Friend agree that restoring an orderly supply of humanitarian aid is critical?”

“Three of the UK’s five worst harvests have been in the last five years, and this year is looking particularly concerning, with yields likely to be down and margins for farmers on the brink. Just last month, the Bank of England said that extreme weather is now one of the key factors in driving food price inflation. Coul…”