Speeches by Holmes.

“Q Minister, thank you; I know that you have had as long a day as the rest of us. I will ask you just a few questions, and the Opposition then wish to adjourn until we meet for line-by-line scrutiny. I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask you, based on the evidence that we have heard today. Part of my con…”

“Q Welcome to all our witnesses—virtual and in person—this afternoon. The Government have always been clear, and have said in the House, that any instance of ineligible people being able to vote is unacceptable. However, does the current system for overseas voting ensure that eligible voters are able to have their votes…”

“Thank you, and thank you for the work you have been doing.”

“Q You issue a fair challenge where apathy and not understanding the process for voters are an issue, but there is also the fact that we in this House rarely have overseas constituents get in touch. [Interruption.] Maybe I am lucky. I had one two months ago, and my team, who are very good, did not quite understand what …”

“Q Thank you. You anticipated my next question to you, Colin, so you have killed two birds with one stone. I will go to Imogen and Richard on the general point about the legislation, but first I will ask whether you agree with the proposal to allow downloadable ballot papers. Would that make the system easier? Imogen Ty…”

“Q Thank you for that very thorough answer. The Bill makes provisions for a number of risk factors to be taken into account when conducting enhanced due diligence checks on donations. Do you think that they are sufficient as outlined in the legislation? Alexander Browder: Bad actors are continually evolving, and within …”

“Q Good afternoon, both of you, and welcome to the Committee. I enjoyed reading both your submissions to the Committee. It really interested me that there is clearly a desire, from both your organisations, to reduce the amount of threats and harms to active participants in the political process, and to come up with tang…”

“I was just checking—I was not trying to catch you out. Richard Williams: Perhaps I can just add to that last point while it is top of mind. Something that came up in discussions among members of Labour International was what could be viable alternatives to the current system. Of course, we are not the first country to …”

“I would never have guessed. Azzurra Moores: We are working together partly because there is a real feeling among civil society that the Bill is much too narrow in scope and does not go far enough to tackle some of the major threats to elections that we are seeing. Part of the reason we came together is the quote that y…”

“Q This is not a challenge but an observation about your answer, for which I thank you. You have outlined some possible solutions. The British Overseas Voters Forum propose solutions such as ensuring that postal ballot papers are downloaded and securely posted via embassies and consulates. That is done in the Netherland…”

“Q I place on the record that I have absolutely no doubt about the Minister’s personal integrity when it comes to making sure that this legislation does the best it possibly can. But it seems unfair and unusual that as we sit on this Committee and as a review goes ahead that was asked for by the Secretary of State—off t…”

“Thank you. Dr Power? Dr Power: We are short on time, so I will say yes, and you can refer to my evidence. The only thing I would add is that one of the concerns we have about crypto-currency generally is its ability to supercharge donations below £500, which is underneath the check for permissibility. If that is a part…”

“Q It could also be argued that if you cannot prove that there has been an increase or decrease in the amount of personation, the system is working, couldn’t it? Dr Garland: I think we would need to know what exactly is happening. We have to be very clear on what we think the problem is in the first place, and of course…”

“Q Good afternoon and thank you for being here. My question is very brief because of the narrow scope of what you are answering questions on. Do you think that the Bill explicitly needs to take account of donations through cryptocurrency and how do you think that could best be achieved? What do you say to a number of co…”

“Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. Notwithstanding the rulings that you have made from the Chair, which I think are always perfect and completely right, we are now entering a new period in which a Prime Minister answers a question about a subject that was not asked and then focuses on asking a question of the …”

“Q What problem are you trying to solve, Minister? It is certainly my contention—you may disagree with this—that most people in this country will have a passport, driving licence or a form of photographic ID, and if you are a student at college, you will have a college ID. One of the witnesses today suggested that you c…”

“Q Thank you for coming this afternoon. Welcome back, Duncan, to these hallowed halls; it has gone downhill since you were last here. I have taken great pleasure in reading all the evidence that has come in today. There are some bits I agree with—particularly from Dr Hawley and Dr Power—but there are some recommendation…”

“Q I want to ask all three witnesses about one other area, very briefly. A recommendation in your evidence, Dr Hawley, is that we: “Prohibit crypto donations until/unless…crypto currency becomes much more widely used by a greater cross-section of the population”. That is something that needs to be seriously explored, be…”

“Q I do not think you are the only one sitting around the table today who considers the Bill a missed opportunity, particularly when it comes to catching up on digital harms and the scrutiny that all of us as local or national politicians should be under when it comes to digital campaigning. These quotes are from your b…”

“I appreciate that. We will go away to look at how that new clause can be tailored to your feedback, all three of you. The new clause came out of some of the campaigning in the Gorton by-election, so we will go away and look at it again.”