The texts below are extracts from the two new MPs' first speeches to the Commons. Neil Parish MP: "I should probably declare an interest as a farmer, and hon. Members would expect me to talk a bit in the rural affairs debate about agriculture, food production and the need for food production. My view is […]
In his maiden speech, Zac Goldsmith, the new MP for Richmond Park, argued that conservatism has always been green: "The environment is the defining challenge of our era. It goes without saying—I hope—that without a healthy environment, we have no economy or future. It is the defining, underlying issue, and the basic maths tell us […]
Yesterday was day two of the new Parliament and three more Conservative MPs delivered their maiden speeches. Bob Stewart, the new MP for Beckenham who has spent most of his life in the military, described being elected to the Commons as "the best thing that has ever happened to me." He spoke fondly of his […]
The first of the 148 Conservative MPs of the 2010 intake to make his maiden speech was Richard Harrington, who rose for the first time in the Commons at 5.32pm yesterday, the very first day of the new Parliament. Aside from paying tribute to his Labour predecessor as MP for Watford, Claire Ward, he began […]