Speeches by Harding.

“I am sure that the Chancellor is sick of hearing her own words from last year quoted back to her: “extending the threshold freeze would hurt working people. It would take more money out of their payslips”—[Official Report, 30 October 2024; Vol. 755, c. 821.] Yesterday, she froze income tax thresholds, dragging one in f…”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“I do not have the time. Older homeowners who have watched their properties’ value soar over the years will be hardest hit by this granny tax. They are asset-rich but cash-poor. They may be forced to sell up—at reduced asking prices—and more properties will get dragged into the mansion tax net. As that happens, a propor…”

“I am one of those parents who scrambles for the driving test, and many of my constituents have written to me about this issue. For Martha in Molesey it took more than 15 months, and for Evan in Thames Ditton it took more than six months. Last week, one of the driving instructors in my constituency told me that a lack o…”

“Other countries in straitened fiscal circumstances did pledge to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, so will the Secretary of State explain why the Government failed to commit a single penny, despite the fund being conceived and designed with British minds? There was even talk of it being headquartered here in the Ci…”

“I was pleased to see that Sudan was included in the G20 consensus. Will the Prime Minister set out what that will look like in practice, given that the atrocities of El Fasher seem likely to be repeated in Kordofan? What protections will be in place for the safe passage of civilians and humanitarian workers, what will …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. This is an important and timely debate. I thank colleagues for their powerful contributions. I also thank the petitioners, including 479 of my own constituents in Esher and Walton, and those who have written to me about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Two…”

“It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for bringing this important debate to the House. Modern slavery remains one of the greatest violations of human dignity in the world. In Pakistan, an estimated 2.34 million people—more than one in 100—are affe…”

“I would like to shine a light on one of those many stories. My constituent in Esher and Walton paid over £16,000 for a kitchen remodelling that was never delivered, and the same company is alleged to have defrauded other constituents, including one this year who lost £20,000. When fraud occurs on this scale, it is thef…”

“It struck me, when you were talking about you as experts, how the role of ICAI has changed after the merger. Is there more of a role for ICAI now that perhaps some expertise has been lost from the FCDO, as was stated after the merger? How did your role change in that environment?”

“I think you have answered it all; thank you.”

“One of the things we as a Committee are very interested in is the public perception of aid. While it seems that the popularity of aid has remained consistent over decades, sometimes the effectiveness is questioned. How does ICAI play into that debate? Did you have any media interest in some of your reports or reviews? …”

“Welcome. Could you start by telling us what the ICAI’s highlights have been since the beginning of this commission in July 2024?”

“It is indeed a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) for securing this debate on a critical issue. It is critical because we are at a cliff edge. This year, with 120 armed conflicts, more than at any moment since the second world war; thi…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this vital debate and powerfully laying out the success of the Global Fund. Stepping back now and cutting our contribution to the fund, just as the United States is abandoning vaccination programmes altogether, would be devastating for some of the world’s most vulnerable people…”

“My hon. Friend raises an important point in his powerful speech, and I would like to take it further. Even if British-made weaponry is not being diverted and ending up on the battlefield in Sudan, the UK is still breaching sections 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 of its own arms export licensing criteria. Those rules not only prohibi…”

“I would like to raise the plight of hairdressers. Angels in Thames Ditton in my constituency told me that this Government are hitting small businesses with higher employer costs, rising business rates and wage hikes that are already squeezing very thin margins. They are facing not just one increase, but a combination o…”

“Why do you think we lack that appetite?”

“I am sorry to keep popping in and out, but what you are saying is inspiring ideas in my head. I am interested in the risk appetite of localisation and what your response to that is. It strikes me as being essential, as you say, to get to the neediest, but then there is an increased risk appetite around that, which if w…”

“So is it a cultural inheritance, a legacy issue?”