Did my hon. Friend note that the Opposition spokesperson’s principal reason for opting for 9 December and not 12 December was that they felt that students would somehow miss out? Students are perfectly able to apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote, and three days will make absolutely no difference to that process.
It is important that we have a general election. When the question about Brexit was asked in 2016, it was a matter of which side of the argument people supported. The hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), the leader of the Liberal Democrats, who looks as if she is about to leave her seat, says she looks forward to being in my constituency more often. I say to her: thank you—we...
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is important that we go back and look at how we got to where we are in order to understand where we are going next. I am sorry about the history lesson, but it was in 2008 that the campaign started gathering momentum, simply because the Liberal Democrats were saying, “Only we will give you the choice.” I do not remember then or any time in between,...
I assume that the word “you” was directed not at you, Mr Speaker, but at me, so I do not expect you to answer the hon. Gentleman’s question and tell us why you are not changing the date to the 9th, but I will answer it and say that I do not think the public will care one way or another. We have a tradition in this country of holding elections on Thursdays, but as for the guff and...
My right hon. Friend tempts me, and since there are no time limits, I may well wax lyrical on that point. However, it is important for us to get to the nub of the matter, which is that we have moved this away from being a choice for the people. I knocked on doors, and people said, “I am for leave” or “I am for remain”—
May I finish this point first? Otherwise I could be speaking for hours, and I am sure the House would rather I did not detain it for that long. People came up to that market stall and said that they were for leave or for remain. I did not ask them, “Do you vote Liberal Democrat, do you vote Green, do you vote Labour?” Indeed, members of the Labour party have suggested that they agree with...
On political tribes, I shall give way.
Perhaps the arithmetic in the hon. Gentleman’s particular tribe is not as good as it might be. The Conservatives have not had a working majority for three years; there have been difficulties. However, the hon. Gentleman has fallen into the trap of seeing Brexit as a “political tribe” decision.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will suspend the 2019 Loan Charge while the review of that charge is ongoing.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department provides to pubs in high value property areas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Myanmar and (b) Bangladeshi counterpart on the safe repatriation of the Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure water companies responsibly manage their water abstraction activities from chalk streams.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce the number of recyclable cups and bottles sent to landfill.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of funding for special education needs pupils in schools.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to lifelong learning.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tailor medical assessments for benefits to take account of the needs of ME sufferers.
