Speeches by Bedford.

“Anyway, to go back to the £5 billion of welfare savings the Government proposed, that was a small but important step in the right direction that we on the Conservative Benches would have supported. Embarrassingly, they conceded to the hard left in the Labour party, so we are now in the perverse position that their welf…”

“When the Conservatives left office, there were just 2 million people on universal credit for health-related reasons. Today, that number stands at 3 million—a remarkable increase that highlights the sheer lack of action by this Government to get welfare under control. It tells the younger generation that aspiration is n…”

“Of course not. We on the Conservative Benches know that the hard-pressed taxpayer deserves better. I am proud that the shadow Secretary of State has outlined tough but fair proposals to cut the welfare bill. Our plan to make work pay and to stop the unfair gaming of the system would make savings of £23 billion for the …”

“Oh, go on then.”

“My hon. Friend makes his point perfectly.”

“In September 2024, my constituents and, indeed, the country were left shocked by the senseless killing of Braunstone Town resident Bhim Kohli. Mr Kohli, a well-respected and decent man, was just walking through Franklin park as he usually did, accompanied by his dog Rocky, when he was targeted and assaulted to death by…”

“I could not agree more. My hon. Friend mentions the rumours that the Government are planning to lower the voting age, and it would seem contradictory to have two ages of responsibility. I will turn now to new clause 18, tabled my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan). It is shocking that the girl wh…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Unfortunately, Labour Members tend to have the mantra: what I cannot have, you shall not have. We on the Conservative Benches want everyone to succeed.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for making an excellent point. Many people come to my surgeries and make that point month in, month out. That is why this Conservative motion matters. By abolishing stamp duty, we would be empowering young people to aspire to own their own homes and invest in their own futures. That is what a res…”

“My hon. Friend puts the case very clearly, and he is absolutely right. Labour Members talk about intergenerational unfairness, but they do nothing about it. We Conservatives believe in encouraging young people to determine their own futures.”

“I thank my right hon. Friend for putting that on record. I am not confident that this Labour Government understand aspiration, because they simply cannot comprehend the politics of people wanting to better themselves, their families and their communities. Sadly, they actually fear aspiration, and that is why this Labou…”

“I will give the hon. Member an example of Conservative aspiration. My family never owned their own homes—my grandparents did not own their own home—but Margaret Thatcher gave them the opportunity to do so. She gave many people like my grandparents the opportunity to aspire, to achieve and to own their own homes. That i…”

“This debate captures the key difference between Conservatives and the Labour party, because we on the Conservative Benches believe in people. We believe in their talent, their drive, their hopes and their aspirations. By contrast, the Labour party likes to box people in, to restrict, to regulate and to let the state de…”

“What ideas do you have on improving the governance in terms of what changes should happen? What is not in the Bill and perhaps should be to strengthen the governance in this space? Jack, maybe you have an opinion on this.”

“You touched on a few things there. How would you propose to address those things through your guidance—surplus extraction and engaging members—because there will be competing tensions there? How would you incorporate that into guidance?”

“We touched on the trustees and the need, I guess, for education and cultural adjustment in the trustees to understand their role in this in terms of the members’ interests but also the sustainability of the funds. What changes should happen on a trustee board to ensure that members are better heard or their interests a…”

“Some of the views from panel one suggested that there is a better approach between trustees and engagement with scheme members to understand their priorities. What is your view on that and how could it be improved?”

“Do you want to add anything on the questions I asked at the end of the first session? I asked what you would do with the pensions Bill; what you would do to improve things in this space. What are the one or two things that you would pull out that the Government need to either build on or not do?”

“Why do you suspect that the Government are not doing that, then? Why are the Government not doing that in the legislation? What would be the argument for not doing that, in your view?”