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Tag: Speeches

  • Keir Starmer – 2024 Statement on the Armed Forces Review

    Keir Starmer – 2024 Statement on the Armed Forces Review

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 16 July 2024.

    We live in a more dangerous and volatile world. My government will forge a new clear-eyed approach to our national defences, equipping us to tackle international threats head-on while keeping the British people safe and secure.

    I promised the British people I would deliver the change needed to take our country forward, and I promised action not words. That’s why one of my first acts since taking office is to launch our Strategic Defence Review. We will make sure our hollowed out armed forces are bolstered and respected, that defence spending is responsibly increased, and that our country has the capabilities needed to ensure the UK’s resilience for the long term.

  • Jim Allister – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Jim Allister – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Jim Allister, speaking on behalf of the Traditional Unionist Voice, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    I join in the congratulations and best wishes expressed to you, Mr Speaker-Elect. I have observed your speakership from a distance, and now I will have the benefit of observing it rather more close up. With me on my best behaviour, and with you at your tolerant best, I trust that we will have a mutually cordial relationship. I will certainly draw on your guidance and the experience that you bring to this House.

    I come to this House on behalf of my constituents in Northern Ireland with a very clear message: Northern Ireland’s place within this United Kingdom must be restored. We must end the partitioning of our kingdom by a foreign border, and we must end a situation in which 300 areas of law in Northern Ireland are controlled not by this House, and not by Stormont, but by a foreign Parliament. That is an appalling constitutional affront, and my focus in this House will be on playing my part in seeking to redress that gross inequity.

  • Sorcha-Lucy Eastwood – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Sorcha-Lucy Eastwood – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Sorcha-Lucy Eastwood, the Alliance MP for Lagan Valley, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker-Elect. I warmly congratulate you on your re-election.

    I am here as the new MP for Lagan Valley and representative for the Alliance party of Northern Ireland. My presence here demonstrates a changing, more shared and more integrated Northern Ireland. Of that, we in Alliance are very proud.

    Mr Speaker-Elect, you have managed business smoothly and fairly, including ensuring that smaller parties have had their voices heard. Given the greater diversity of parties in this House, that leadership and precedent becomes even more important. I also want to put on the record how well you represented Parliament on the world stage, and at the time of the passing of our late Queen and the coronation of our new King.

    I also want to associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks about this job being one of public service. All of us in this House owe a debt of gratitude to our constituents. I will never forget the constituents of Lagan Valley, and I join everyone in the whole House in looking forward to committing myself to public service for all.

  • Colum Eastwood – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Colum Eastwood – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Colum Eastwood, the Leader of the SDLP, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker-Elect. I am very glad to be back and very glad to see the results of the election. Many people in Northern Ireland are delighted with it. We look forward to holding the new Government to account for the promises that they have made to the people of the north of Ireland.

    I want to take this opportunity to welcome all the new Members—even the ones I profoundly disagree with. The one piece of advice I would give every new Member is to remember that the Speaker does not just chair the meetings; he is the boss. He is in charge of everything around this place and it would do well for you not to fall out with him. In fact, even a bit of sucking up is sometimes good. I want to take this opportunity, as I say that, Mr Speaker-Elect, to congratulate and thank you for all the fantastic work you did over the last Parliament. You were a champion, as you said yourself, for Back Benchers and for the smaller parties. Even when some of us pushed very close to the line, when we felt that certain things had to be put on the record of this House—he knows what I am talking about—you were there to protect us from some of the legal authorities who would like to get at us. Thank you very much for that.

    Mr Speaker-Elect, I wish you all the best in corralling this new House. It is very diverse in terms of representation and in terms of opinion. I look forward to the end of tribal politics—I think that will be a sight to behold. Congratulations.

  • Adrian Ramsay – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Adrian Ramsay – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Adrian Ramsay, the Co-Leader of the Green Party, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker-Elect, and congratulations on the support you have received from across the House today. I can already say, on behalf of the new cohort of Green MPs, that we have been very pleased with the support you have given us. You have shown that you go out of your way to support new Members in this House, and to support MPs from all parties to be able to hold the Government to account and represent our constituents. I know that I speak on behalf of all the Green MPs—and, I am sure, all new MPs—in saying that we are very conscious that we are here first and foremost to be constituency MPs, to represent our residents. We appreciate your support in enabling us to do that.

    May I associate myself with the remarks of the Prime Minister about the importance of politics being about public service? I very much hope that in this new Parliament we can all move to a less tribal form of politics, where we work together where we can agree and move things forward in the national interest.

    Mr Speaker-Elect, thank you for your support, and congratulations.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Liz Saville Roberts, the Leader of Plaid Cymru, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llefarydd. I, too, rise to congratulate you on your re-election as Speaker of this House, and to wish you well in presiding over this historic Session of the new Parliament. I am heartened that, for the first time in history, the proportion of women elected here is over 40%. More than half of those are new to this House. It is fantastic to see steady progress towards proper representation.

    I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate not just the incoming Government on their victory, but the smaller parties in this place. All of us here, whether we belong to the largest parties, the smallest parties or no parties at all, were elected in the same way. Whatever the size of our parliamentary grouping, the principle of one vote, one value is the foundation of our democracy. That principle should be cherished and defended for the sake of all our constituents.

    I repeat to the House what I said upon your election all those years ago: all those constituents are equal and they all deserve respect. We begin the work of representing and championing our constituents, and I have every confidence, Mr Speaker-Elect, that you will continue to ensure that representatives here are treated fairly, because our constituents should be treated fairly, too. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

  • Nigel Farage – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Nigel Farage – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Nigel Farage, the Leader of Reform UK, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Mr Speaker-Elect, thank you very much. We are the new kids on the block. We have no experience in this Parliament whatsoever, even though some of us have tried many times over the years to get here, so we cannot judge you from working in this place, but we can judge you from how the outside world sees you. I mean not just the United Kingdom but the world, because Prime Minister’s question time is global, box office politics. It is pretty clear to everyone that you act with great neutrality and that you have brought tremendous dignity to the role as Speaker, so we absolutely endorse you entirely for this job. That is, I must say, in marked contrast to the little man who was there before you, who besmirched the office so dreadfully in doing his best to overturn the biggest democratic result in the history of the country. We support you fully, Sir.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Gavin Robinson – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Gavin Robinson, the Leader of the DUP, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Congratulations, Mr Speaker-Elect. We are thrilled to see you back in the Chair. Some new Members of Parliament who have yet to understand just how this place works will learn through time that my hon. Friend the Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) needed no further encouragement. While the reference was appreciated, no doubt, by his mother and others, Members will see the consequences.

    We have all survived, and some of us even enjoyed an energetic election campaign. All of us will have experienced the odd one who approached us and said, “I’m not voting for you.” I had my fair share, and there is no surprise in that. But in the Guildhall Square in Londonderry— somewhere I would not expect to get too many votes—this man came up and said, “I’m not voting for you; I’m voting for Lindsay Hoyle.” He was a Chorley man, and he impressed upon me the constituency grounding you have, your commitment to the community, and the length of service you have given him, his neighbours and your neighbours. He impressed upon me how fondly you are thought of within your home constituency.

    I, in turn, was able to reflect to him how you have risen within the office you hold; how over the last number of years we have seen just how important it is to have a true champion of Back-Bench representatives in Parliament. You have given us that. It was a pleasure for me to reflect to him, and to you and the House today, just how fond we are of you. You bring solemnity to the office you hold, but you never lose the steadfast and chirpy nature of your Lancashire roots. Thank you for putting yourself forward and for being prepared to serve us—this House and democracy—in this way. On behalf of my party colleagues and, I trust, those others representing Northern Ireland constituents, I wish you well and thank you for it.

  • Stephen Flynn – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    Stephen Flynn – 2024 Speech in the House of Commons at Start of New Parliament

    The speech made by Stephen Flynn, the SNP MP for Aberdeen South, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker-Elect. I wish to begin by welcoming all new Members to the Chamber, in particular those from Scottish constituencies. There are probably a few more new Members from Scottish constituencies than I would have liked, but I look forward to working constructively with them to deliver in the best interests of the people we are all so fortunate to represent.

    To you, Mr Speaker-Elect, I think it is safe to say that you and I did not always see eye to eye during the course of the last Parliament. But in politics, and in life, it is important to let bygones be bygones and to focus on the future. Events of that time showed us that we have quite a lot in common, both then and at the general election, because despite the best efforts, and indeed the best intentions, of certain people, we both managed to hang on to the seats that we hold so dear. I look forward to working constructively with you over the coming weeks, months and years, to allow us to best represent the people we respect and the finest traditions of this House.

  • Lord McFall of Alcluith – Retirements of House of Lords Members and Cessation of Membership

    Lord McFall of Alcluith – Retirements of House of Lords Members and Cessation of Membership

    The statement made by Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Lord Speaker, in the House of Lords on 10 July 2024.

    My Lords, it is my duty to notify the House of the retirements of several noble Lords and of the fact that a number of other noble Lords have ceased to be Members of the House by virtue of non-attendance in the last Session of Parliament. In so doing, I should like to thank all the noble Lords and noble Baronesses for their many years of service to the House and Parliament.

    The following noble Lords have retired from the House, pursuant to Section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014: the noble and learned Lord, Lord Saville of Newdigate, with effect from 20 June; the noble Baroness, Lady Fritchie, with effect from 1 July; the noble Lord, Lord Rana, with effect from 2 July; the noble Lord, Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare, with effect from 4 July; the noble Lord, Lord MacKenzie of Culkein, with effect from 8 July; and the noble Baroness, Lady King of Bow, with effect from 9 July.

    In addition, the following noble Lords ceased to be Members of the House on 9 July, pursuant to Section 2 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, by virtue of non-attendance in the last Session: the noble Lords, Lord Black of Crossharbour, Lord Davies of Oldham, Lord Kalms, Lord Prescott and Lord Willoughby de Broke, and the noble Baroness, Lady Corston.