Speeches by Rushworth.

“Does the right hon. Lady agree that the UK’s track record on this has been quite impressive, given that other countries frankly punch below their economic weight, so this is not just about the UK’s contribution but about the role we play in ensuring other countries shoulder the burden?”

“Earlier you talked about areas that remain a priority for the Government as well as areas that would be cut, but you did not mention on either of those lists the prevention of conflict. Is that still a priority for the Government and, if so, in what ways?”

“I just do not quite know what the Government’s policy is any more. It used to be 0.7%, then it was 0.7% if our fiscal rules are met. The OBR has said that our fiscal rules will be met by the end of this Parliament but it is being reduced to 0.3%. From this language about pivoting from being a charity to being an invest…”

“I do not envy your position. I have no doubt that you are trying to get the best impact for the pound. The Government are making political choices and it is important that the British public are given the full evidence of that impact. Will you commit, when we know the answer, for example, to how many girls stop going t…”

“BII has a remit of where it will and will not invest, but that is set by the Government, and the Government could review it. I would encourage you to, and I will write to you about this. I met with the head of the Bank of Palestine, for example, who pointed out that Palestine is not within BII’s remit but it would like…”

“My worry is that those projects will not be successful in a call that is based on health, they will be successful in a call that is based on atrocity prevention. Therefore, if there is not an atrocity prevention focus, if there are not specific funding rounds linked to it, those things will not get funded.”

“I know a bit about the impact of this because it was my life for many years before I was an MP. One of the most impactful things that I have seen the UK Government be a big contributor to is the work that we have done with civil society organisations on the ground that prevent rumours from spreading, that do peace educ…”

“I was lucky to go a secondary school that was sponsored by BAE systems, and we benefited from that investment. I am pleased that my hon. Friend is focusing on not only the importance of the Government procuring British, but the social value that employers can add, which includes ensuring that they offer apprenticeships…”

“On a similar theme, I congratulate the Government on securing a good deal for our farmers in the India trade deal, which was welcomed by the president of the NFU, who said it showed that this Government have “clearly listened”, in marked contrast to the previous Government. What assurance will the Secretary of State gi…”

“This week, events are being held across the Bishop Auckland constituency celebrating 80 years of peace in Europe, which followed a war so terrible that we still mark the years since. I vividly remember celebrating the 50th VE Day 30 years ago in my last year at primary school by dressing up as an evacuee, singing Vera …”

“I am deeply concerned about the funding of Howden-le-Wear primary school in my constituency. After years of real-terms cuts, it is now making four teaching assistants redundant. I will write to the Minister on that to seek her support, but the elephant in the room is that the pay of the chief executive of the multi-aca…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. I really welcome the work that has been done by Northern Lithium in Weardale in my constituency. Critical minerals will play an increasingly important role in the UK’s transition to net zero and in our economy. With the Church of England owning vast swathes of mineral rights acro…”

“9. Whether the Church of England is taking steps to help ensure that its ownership of mineral rights to lithium in Weardale contributes to economic growth in that area.”

“I thank my hon. and gallant Friends the Members for North East Derbyshire (Louise Jones) and for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey) for their questions. Can the Minister confirm that this agreement will close potentially dangerous routes for irregular migration? Is that possibly one of the reasons the Conservatives opened…”

“Daphne, building on that, can you think of any examples where the information that local organisations can provide assists with the UK’s diplomatic and humanitarian response?”

“It is good to be in front of you all again. It is an application for a Chamber debate on a significant topic that affects all our constituents, which is that boys are underachieving at every level of education. At SATs, only 57% are achieving the required standard, compared with 64% for girls. At GCSEs and achieving th…”

“Years ago, we did address it. There was an outcry about it that is not currently matched.”

“It is a fair comment. We were disappointed. It was very last thing on a Thursday afternoon, so hopefully one of the things is to put it earlier on the Thursday, but that is not that is not my gift to give. Certainly, we will follow up with everybody who has signed up for this, providing them with briefings ahead of the…”

“We let people know that as well. When we were asking for signatures, we did explicitly say, “Please do not just put your name to it if you are not willing to come.” Sam Rushworth made representations.”

“This is another issue that gained quite significant support: 30 MPs signed the application, including MPs from the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Reform, three different Irish parties and quite a lot of Labour MPs. Why does this matter? It is important to our constituents and it is also very personal to me. In the UK, on ave…”