Speeches by Heylings.

“Yes, we should join the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance. We very much support that. Following COP28, we are looking forward to COP30. Hopefully, the UK can once again demonstrate global leadership, as part of an alliance of other countries that finally has a clear transition pathway. Our UK port capacity is currently one…”

“We welcome the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, but we urge the Government to go further, particularly with regard to the protection of chalk streams. That is very personal to me and to many Members across the House. I have campaigned for many years to stop the dumping of raw sewage and for the better protection of o…”

“I could not resist; I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way, given the time limit. He is talking about how important language is, but is it not considered to be an act of national self-harm to talk down the incredible opportunity for the North sea to be a global leader?”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“My hon. Friend makes such a compelling argument for the protections and accountability that are needed in Wales. We need better protections for our chalk streams, which are unique habitats for nature. The Liberal Democrats will continue leading the fight against this sewage scandal. We will continue standing up for nat…”

“We are absolutely and critically supportive of a just transition in the North sea, to move off fossil fuels alongside and parallel to our increased use of renewable energy. It is therefore right to reintroduce onshore wind into the nationally significant investment regime, ensuring that there is a level playing field w…”

“That is exactly the point I am making. I have been talking with my constituents, particularly about the controversial new large-scale Kingsway solar farm in my constituency. We need a land use framework and a strategic spatial energy plan that tells us and informs local planning and decision making about the scale of s…”

“We are living in the shadow of the former Conservative Government’s failure to invest in renewable energy and insulate our homes. Those failures have contributed directly to an energy crisis that has left households struggling with soaring bills and businesses facing crippling costs. The majority of people polled in th…”

“Addenbrooke’s hospital in my constituency has launched a major expert clinical inquiry, following worrying evidence that nine young children suffered worse outcomes than expected following surgery by a now suspended paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. I have written a letter to the hospital requesting that a 2016 report in…”

“I completely agree. That is why the Liberal Democrats will continue to call for restrictions on trade with regions where abuses take place, including Xinjiang, and advocate for Magnitsky-style sanctions against individuals and entities involved in Uyghur persecution. This is about more than Britain. It is about playing…”

“I completely agree. The Great British Energy Bill gives a statutory steer that helps us have those long-term plans. The clean energy transition has to be done with communities, not to communities. I commend the Government for committing an additional £5 million to the community energy fund, bringing certainty at least …”

“Alongside community groups across the country, including Power for People and Community Energy England, I am pleased to welcome the inclusion of community energy and benefits in the Bill through Lords amendment 1. It was possible after all, and I congratulate the Government on taking this step. We Liberal Democrats hav…”

“My second question is around the carbon budget, so again it links in. With the Seventh Carbon Budget that the Climate Change Committee has produced, it has shown optimistically that we can achieve our net zero targets, but it says we must work very hard because by 2040 the second largest emitter will be land use and ag…”

“That is at the planning level, but at the national strategic infrastructure level, a lot of the large-scale solar farms are controversial in areas where people are looking at whether it needs to be at this scale or in this place. Do you see the land use framework, even before the spatial energy plan comes forward, as i…”

“So you see it having some level of material weight in planning?”

“In planning terms, many of us have been in planning committees so we know that there are various levels of weight, aren’t there?”

“The strategic spatial energy plan is coming much later, so hopefully, we would see that integration happening. How do you think the delivery will work, once we get the results of this? You say it is not prescriptive, and it is not going to be compulsory, but what are the levers? I would hope we might hear about it havi…”

“Hopefully you are looking at the timing of this being—”

“Later this year. Are you looking at that being in conjunction with other spatial frameworks such as the spatial energy—”

“You have mentioned how important it is to have this joined-up planning. With us being the Environmental Audit Committee, we are looking across Departments at how they are fulfilling all those environmental principles. There are tools that are key to that and one of those is the much-awaited land use framework. It was g…”