May 2026

In my 20 years’ experience in the courts, I have watched young people’s attitude change: there is no respect for the courts when they walk into the courtroom, and no fear of the police. Prison—or young offenders institution—sentences are no longer a deterrent, because they are simply not given out. We rarely see parents in court in support, for lots of different reasons: these children are neglected because their parents are battling alcohol or drugs, have financial issues or are out of work; or

Parliamentary appearance by Andrew Rosindell

Parliamentary appearance by Susan Murray

Parliamentary appearance by Lee Pitcher

Parliamentary appearance by Gregory Stafford

Parliamentary appearance by Harriet Cross

Parliamentary appearance by Gregory Stafford

Parliamentary appearance by Sir Mel Stride

Parliamentary appearance by Steve Race

I warmly welcome the measures in the Gracious Speech, which will enhance the lives and prospects of the people of Exeter. The starting point for the King’s Speech was “an increasingly dangerous and volatile world”. Few Governments have had to simultaneously tackle a decade and a half of under-investment and a dire fiscal situation, alongside the shock waves of trade tariffs, terrible wars and a cost of living crisis—not to mention the rapacious pace of technological change, and a fast-changing c

I am sure the Minister on the Front Bench will answer in more detail at the end of the debate, but I absolutely agree. We can all do more to support small businesses, and measures in the King’s Speech will help such businesses across the country. I welcome the regulating for growth Bill, which will embed the presumption of growth in the work of regulators. Too often the framework of regulators has failed to balance the need to deliver with the duty to regulate. I look forward to seeing the detai

Hon. Members across the House have already referred to the fundamental and structural challenges we face as a society and an economy. One that has been mentioned is the challenge around the rapid rate of technological change. That brings opportunity and benefits for many, but it also brings uncertainty and exclusion for others. It is a challenge that highlights the more general need for Government intervention to nurture and protect, for regulation that does not hinder but encourages growth, and

Interest rate reductions.

It is a pleasure to close today’s King’s Speech debate on behalf of the Government. I am grateful to Members for their contributions, including the Business Secretary for his excellent opening speech and the shadow Business Minister, the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Dame Harriett Baldwin), for her kind words—although I note that I did not qualify as a “beam of light”, nor others on the Government side. I speak on behalf of the whole House when I say that whichever part of that £5 million

The right hon. Gentleman’s wife, and potentially he himself, will be pleased to know that those two things are entirely compatible. We will have to cancel absolutely nothing at all. The key point is that where it is in our national interest to align with EU regulation, the Bill will enable us to do so. I want to address some specific points that were raised about Northern Ireland. The Government have worked closely with devolved Governments to design the Bill. The application of the agreements w

As I said, the Government have worked closely with devolved Governments in the design of the Bill and we will continue to do that. To conclude, the pro-growth legislation set out in the Gracious Speech will drive this country forwards. The Conservatives had 14 years to deliver their legacy, which left our economy weaker, left people poorer and, most of all, left our country smaller in stature. This Government are undoing that legacy and our pro-growth legislation will allow us to accelerate the

The Secretary of State was kind enough to mention Harland & Wolff. Successive Governments have introduced a number of support measures, and have ensured that that company can thrive by itself. However, in taking at face value what the Secretary of State has said, does he recognise that if this Government continue to refuse to designate Programme Euston a defence project and open it to international tender, not only will they not support British business and yards like Harland & Wolff, but the pr

It is mildly eccentric that this is now the third day of a five-day debate on the King’s Speech when this Government are in crisis, but it is absurd to believe that this Government will be able to back business to create economic growth at all if their intention is to build on the legislative achievements—the stranglehold on our British economy—over the past two years. We were told just last week that incrementalism will not cut it, yet time after time, we have heard contributions from Labour Me

The agricultural sector does need help, as do many other sectors besides. Just this day, I had a conversation with a lovely young gentleman—a 14-year-old student from Broxbourne in England. He is a secondary school student, and he told me about his school and his classmates. They live in a Conservative constituency, but last year in a mock election, the majority of pupils his age were not interested in this Government; they were putting their store in the Greens. I wonder just how often Members

I do not have time to give to the hon. Gentleman; as I do not get an extra minute, I am not giving way. I am too close to the end of my speech. In three months’ time, we will see customs duties on parcels from one part of our United Kingdom to another; by the end of this year, general product and safety regulations that were dealt with last year will be back on the agenda again. Do we hear anything about it? Is there concern? No, sadly not. I said earlier that it is mildly eccentric, but in fact