Speeches by Bell.

“It is an independent commission and I do not want to prejudge what it should do. We have discussed it with them, and they are looking at how to think about adequacy in the round, not just in respect of the state pension. That is obviously right. The commission will publish an interim report, and I have not seen it, but…”

“As a statement of fact, it is true across all age groups or every age cohort that there are big differences in people’s ability to work, either for their whole lives or in different phases of their lives. The degree of that varies significantly for individuals over time and it varies across societies over time. Let me …”

“I will make a bit of progress, and then I am sure I will give way to the right hon. Gentleman, who is always very enthusiastic. He did actually stand up on this occasion. That is what a learning curve looks like—it is a shame Conservative Front Benchers have not found one in 14 long years.”

“That was not the best; there is much more to come. I am enjoying the enthusiasm. Sector-specific support continues for the likes of agriculture and horticulture, which retain access to red diesel, after it was withdrawn from most sectors in 2022. Our extension of the temporary 5p fuel duty cut includes a proportionate …”

“The decision to increase it was obviously taken by the last Government, and the acceleration of it was also put in place by the last Government, so you will have to ask them who they spoke to at the time. They did publish an impact assessment along with the 2014 Act, but it is not for me to talk about. There are other …”

“Our position is to deliver a stable transition. That was the position of the Conservative party. It is the party that introduced the energy profits levy. [Interruption.] I will answer the question. Gas and energy from the North sea will be part of the energy transition in the UK for some decades to come, as several Mem…”

“Wait for it; I am going to come to come to those 14 years. The hon. Gentleman is going to regret saying that. Through the Conservatives’ entire 14 years in office, fuel duty was never lower than it is today. In fact, it was higher than it is today for 80% of the time they were in office.”

“The state pension age? Okay. There are two ways of thinking about that. The Government’s revealed objective is that we want to see a slightly higher level of the state pension relative to earnings, which is being delivered by the maintenance of the triple lock over the course of this Parliament. That is the £30 billion…”

“Nicholas should come in on that, because he is spending his life on it and it is obviously not in the pension space. Overall, I would say most of what is happening in the Mayfield review at the moment is focused on employers and providers who recognise that we have a challenge, that we are letting people down and missi…”

“I am going to make a bit of progress, but I will give way soon, because Members have been very patient. I was coming on to the fact that we are not in the business of delivering regime change from the air, but we do need to de-escalate the conflict and we will play our part in doing that. Oil and gas prices remain belo…”

“I thank the right hon. Member for his kind remarks, even if they were driven by geography rather than personality. I will take what I can get in today’s debate! Since we are being kind to each other, I recognise the point he makes about the significant uncertainty we face in this world today. That uncertainty always ex…”

“We will continue to be responsive to a changing world, be responsible in the national interest and with the public finances, and take the necessary decisions to help families with the cost of living. That is this Government’s promise.”

“I understand why the hon. Member is asking that. I would gently point out that the level of petrol prices today is lower than at the time of the election, when the Conservatives had a temporary 5p freeze and explicitly did not include continuing that freeze in their manifesto. I offer that by way of indication of where…”

“I will make a bit of progress, and then take some interventions. As I was saying, we are providing additional capabilities to the middle east, but I want to be clear that the UK will not be drawn into a wider war. We on the Labour Benches have been clear about our approach. We are in the business of protecting British …”

“I absolutely understand why the shadow Minister is looking so worked up; fuel prices matter for everyone, especially those travelling long distances. After all, it is around 270 miles from North West Durham to Billericay—once he found his new constituency, that is. I know it is called a chicken run, but I am assuming h…”

“As I have said, oil and gas will be with us for some time. [Interruption.] Let me finish. That is why the Chancellor met the sector. [Interruption.] I hear all the chuntering from Opposition Members, but I did not hear as much chuntering when we saw a 70% fall in jobs in the North sea on their watch. [Interruption.] Th…”

“The first thing I should say is that everything in this space matters a lot. It matters a lot to all of us because we are all aiming to have a retirement, it matters a lot that we have the certainty of planning for that, and we would all like to have as much life in retirement as possible. I am going to start on that, …”

“We have asked for an independent review, and then there will be the Secretary of State’s review. I do not want to pre-empt the independent review, for politeness reasons, and I do not want to pre-empt the Secretary of State’s review for legal reasons, seniority reasons and all the rest as well. But it is a very good qu…”

“The failure to support people in ill health or with a disability to work or participate in whichever is the right way for them is a massive problem for all of society. One aspect of that may be interaction with the state pension age, but it is not the biggest one. The others are to do with people’s actual lives right n…”

“I think there is a wider question, which is probably more in the bigger labour market question. It is the traditional relationship between an employer and an employee. It is the value of retention of built-up skills. That is what is sitting behind a lot of our wish to ensure that we have this alignment of incentives be…”