Here are extracts from four more maiden speeches given during yesterday’s debate on developing a high-skilled economy which focused on education. Mel Stride, the MP for the newly drawn constituency of Devon Central, spoke passionately in favour of education being “the great highway of social mobility”: “I have a strong belief that the greatest gift […]
In a maiden speech delivered yesterday, Caroline Nokes, who won Romsey and Southampton North, addressed the subject of building a high-skills economy, which was the topic of yesterday's debate on the Commons: “Even in an area where we are fortunate to have good schools, an excellent university and companies like Ford committed to Britain’s manufacturing […]
Stockton South's new MP, James Wharton, gave his maiden speech in the Commons yesterday and spoke of the confusion over his area's identity: "Teesside as a whole needs to re-establish its true identity. Half of my constituency has been in Yorkshire, half in Durham, all was once in Cleveland, and all was also once in […]
Two of Lancashire's newly-elected Conservative MPs made their debuts in the Commons yesterday by emphasising the importance of manufacturing. Andrew Stephenson, who gained Pendle, said in his maiden speech that the manufacturing sector had been strangled by excessive tax and regulation by the Labour Government: "I am proud to represent a seat where a higher […]
Amber Rudd gained Hastings and Rye from Labour at the general election and used her maiden speech yesterday to raise two issues of particular concern to her constituents: transport links and the Hastings fishing fleet: "Like many towns, we suffer from the coastal problem of being at the end of the line. Looking at previous […]
Iain Stewart stood for Parliament in Milton Keynes in both 2001 and 2005 before being successfully elected at his third attempt at this year's general election in the slightly-redrawn Milton Keynes South constituency. In his maiden speech yesterday, apart from revealing that he was baptised by Gordon Brown's father, he took the opportunity during a […]
Dr Phillip Lee replaced Andrew Mackay as MP for Bracknell at the general election and opted to use his maiden speech yesterday to discuss issues relating to the space industry: “The space industry is a growing area. That is why it is vital for UK prosperity. There is a multitude of economic opportunities. The industry […]
Alok Sharma, whose family originally hails from India, gained Reading West from Labour at the general election. He gave his maiden speech last night and opted to focus on the challenges and opportunities for Britain presented by the emerging economies such as India and China. “Over the past decade the relationship between emerging economies such […]
Last night Laura Sandys, who won the Kent seat of Thanet South at the general election delivered her maiden speech in the Commons. At the start of Carers’ Week, she took the opportunity to highlight the importance of government supporting those who selflessly care for relatives: “Young, old, frail, healthy — carers are selfless family […]
Jesse Norman gained Hereford and South Herefordshire at the general election from the Liberal Democrats and began his maiden speech last night by comparing the state of the economy bequeathed by Labour to the situation he witnessed in eastern Europe around the time of the fall of communism: “I was in eastern Europe at a […]
There were only four maiden speeches from new Conservative MPs yesterday, the first of which came from Stephen Phillips, the new MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham in Lincolnshire. He paid a warm tribute to his predecessor, Douglas Hogg, and concluded that his new constituents "were evidently satisfied with the make and model that they […]
Andrew Percy gained Brigg and Goole at the election and made his maiden speech during Thursday’s debate on poverty: “Before becoming a Member, I was a schoolteacher, and I intend to champion the issues of school funding, deprivation and exclusions. I am delighted to have been called to speak in the debate on poverty because […]
During his maiden speech last Wednesday, Richard Graham, who gained Gloucester from Labour, spoke about the perils of youth unemployment: “We are a great working city which now has record youth unemployment and too many families with no working role model—in fact, there are occasionally three generations living entirely off benefits. I believe that everyone […]
Many of the new intake gave their maiden speeches during Thursday's debate on poverty. Chris Skidmore, who was the first Tory gain of election night when he won Kingswood, expressed his anger at the Labour MPs looking to the past rather than the future: "Over the past few days, I have sat through many speeches, […]
In the House of Commons on Thursday, Claire Perry, who has stepped into Michael Ancram’s shoes in Devizes, explained the damage done to rural Britain under the Labour Government: “I live in a small Wiltshire village, so I have seen at first hand the damage to rural Britain that was caused by the last Government—possibly […]