Speeches by Shastri-Hurst.

“I am normally a temperate man, but this is a farcical situation. I have huge respect for the Leader of the House, but I suspect that he has come here with gritted teeth, because the reality is that our constituents want to hear from the new Prime Minister. In fact, the Leader of the House has given a compelling reason …”

“Solihull’s Men Walking and Talking group is a huge success. It can lay claim to being if not the most successful one in the country, then certainly among them, and it improves both physical and mental wellbeing. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to all those who are organising that group and making…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Mrs Hobhouse. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) for securing today’s debate, and to the Members from across the House who have given their voice to this campaign over a number of years. It is entirely right that Parliament should pause tod…”

“The hon. Gentleman is right; there is collective support for doing more on this issue. That starts with getting the research right. Without the research, we do not know how to plan for the treatments of the future. I will move on to the other points, but he is also entirely right that this is not a party-political issu…”

“I refer Members to my entries in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, in particular my participation in a parliamentary delegation to Ukraine in February with the UK friends of the armed forces. I want to build on some of the arguments made by the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie). As I sa…”

“I have a great deal of respect for the Minister, and he has adopted the tone of the House, which is united on tackling this issue; but there is clearly a lacuna in the law as it stands. It will take time, however fast the Government work, to get that change on the statute books. In the interim, is the Minister prepared…”

“In response to the DIP, the noble Lord Hutton, a former Labour Defence Secretary, said that “the centres of resistance across Whitehall to extra defence spending have been allowed to prosper and they haven’t been overcome.” He went on to say that, as a consequence, our armed forces will not be war-ready by the end of t…”

“There are now over 1 million young people not in education, employment or training, which is the highest number in more than a decade. When the history books are written on this period of Government, does the Secretary of State agree that the story will be of a lost generation?”

“This brutal conflict has resulted in more than 14 million people being displaced. Around 5 million of those have been displaced over the border, but 9 million are displaced in Sudan itself. Will the Minister set out what practical steps the Government are taking to support those who are displaced internally?”

“Space has a crucial role to play in our national resilience. Responsibility for it cuts across Government Departments. With that in mind, and given the Cabinet Office’s role in cross-Government co-ordination, can the Minister confirm when the National Space Council will next convene?”

“9. What steps his Department is taking to improve cross-Government co-ordination on national resilience planning.”

“T2. Indeed—I am back by popular demand. Will the Minister set out what steps the Cabinet Office is taking to ensure that public appointments are made on merit alone and not based on political patronage or ideological principles?”

“It is a privilege to respond to the debate on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) for securing the debate and for setting out the landscape facing those with PANS/PANDAS in the UK, as well as recognising the lack of knowledge about the condi…”

“I place on record that, as a veteran myself, it was a huge privilege to serve on the Select Committee that considered this important legislation. I will concentrate my remarks on new clauses 4, 9 and 11. At first glance, they may appear to concern different matters, yet, in reality, they are united by the common princi…”

“Those serving today must know that Parliament understands the realities that they face and will not allow them to become casualties of legal uncertainty after returning home. It is not unreasonable for Parliament to ask whether the legal framework governing military operations properly reflects the realities of militar…”

“The armed forces ask much of those who serve and their families. New clause 4 recognises the sacrifices made by those military families, and new clauses 9 and 11 seek to address a long-standing concern about the legal environment in which our armed forces operate. The provisions proceed from the same objective: that th…”

“As the confident nation that I know we are, we should not be taking the armed forces for granted. We should honour the service of those who have served. Above all, we in this place must demonstrate—through actions, not merely words—that those who stand ready to defend Britain will always find Britain standing behind th…”

“That fact does not mean that we should abandon accountability—our British forces are respected around the world precisely because they operate to the highest standards—but neither should we create a system in which those who have risked their life for this nation face the prospect of endless reinvestigation, long after…”

“The Minister is right to point to the uncertainty that businesses are facing, and my constituents and local businesses repeat that message to me regularly. The Minister has indicated that there may be a chance that some of the tariffs or the categorisations will be changed. Will he undertake to come to the House and ma…”

“Last week, the former Defence Secretary said that the Prime Minister was unable and the Chancellor unwilling to fund the resources needed to tackle the threats facing our nation. Does the Minister agree with that assessment, and if not, why not?”