The House of Commons is debating support for women during the economic downturn this afternoon. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary and Shadow Minister for Women Theresa May has made the text of her speech available to ConservativeHome. Here it is in full: "Mr Speaker, this is an important debate, and would have been timely even […]
Shadow Northen Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson spoke for the Conservatives yesterday on the Northern Ireland Bill. The central purpose of the bill is to transfer responsibility for policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly from Parliament – but only once the Assembly requests it and Parliament agrees. Mr Paterson thanked the Secretary of State […]
Timothy Kirkhope, who leads the Conservatives in the European Parliament, has put out a press release in light of the failure of Heyday, a membership organisation of Age Concern. Heyday had brought a case to the European Court of Justice to challenge the legality of the compulsory retirement age. Employers are allowed to fire staff […]
Romford MP and Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Rosindell introduced his Teaching of British History in Schools Bill yesterday. It would make British history a core subject in schools at all ages. Mr Rosindell told the Commons: "Unlike in most European countries, the teaching of history is no longer compulsory in British schools after the […]
It was questions to Communities and Local Government ministers yesterday. Shadow London Minister Bob Neill asked a good question about centralised housebuilding targets: "It is five years this month since the Government’s own Barker review identified the problems that arise from reliance on the section 106 system and its attendant complexities as a means of […]
John Purvis MEP, who is Conservative vice-chairman of the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, has commented as the European Commission prepares to publish its response the De Larosiere report on financial supervision. This advocated the creation of a "European Systemic Risk Council", chaired by the European Central Bank, and a "European System of […]
Prime Minister’s Questions is covered in detail elsewhere on this site, but I have been moved to comment having watched the first half of today’s session. PMQs is good knockabout stuff, but it should be more than that. Not many people can watch it – given that it begins at noon – and so it […]
Sajjad Karim, MEP for the North West of England and spokesman on legal affairs, has put out a press release in light of the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. "The Mumbai attacks highlighted a failure of intelligence. A similar attack so soon after the last must surely raise questions about the state of […]
Bob Spink, erstwhile Tory and MP for Castle Point, rather upset some of his former Conservative colleagues yesterday during a debate on the Political Parties and Elections Bill, including James Duddridge (right). MPs were debating raising the threshold for public donations to parties from £200 to £500. Mr Spink intervened: "An amount of £200 is […]
The House of Commons hosted Culture, Media and Sport questions yesterday. Andrew Mackay, Bracknell MP and one of David Cameron’s right hand men, asked about the possibility of England hosting the World Cup. Would such a move be popular? The 2012 Olympic Games are not currently universally so. "I warmly support the bid. Does the […]
Monmouth’s Tory MP David Davies put down the following Early Day Motion on 12th February: "That this House believes that all banks which have received public funds and in which the British taxpayer now owns more than 50 per cent. of their value should be governed by the same freedom of information rules as Parliament; […]
On Friday the House of Lords debated its own future. Lord Steel of Aikwood (formerly leader of the Liberal Party) has brought in a Private Member’s Bill with four components. It would place the Appointments Commission on a statutory basis, abolish by-elections for hereditary peers, reduce the size of the House (from about 700) by […]
Tobias Ellwood, Bournemouth East MP and a Shadow DCMS Minister, has posed a written question that is all the more interesting in light of the fact that Tony Blair has just visited Gaza for the first time since being appointed Middle East envoy for the EU, Russia, UN and US in June 2007. "Mr. Ellwood: […]
Cheryl Gillan, who is Shadow Welsh Secretary and MP for Chesham and Amersham, introduced the second reading of the Autism Bill on Friday. Mrs Gillan had come top of the Private Members’ ballot, and received over a hundred requests for causes to promote. The Autism Bill aims to improve information on the number of people […]
Lord Howe of Aberavon, better known as Geoffrey Howe, spoke in the House of Lords yesterday about foreign affairs. Here are some highlights from his speech: "I start with a word about defence. We have long been accustomed, in government or out of it, to being able to fulfil our central objective, which is the […]