UK Parliament / Open data

No Confidence in Her Majesty’s Government

Proceeding contribution from Chris Philp (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 16 January 2019. It occurred during Debate on No Confidence in Her Majesty’s Government.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for clarifying the multiplicity of policies that the Leader of the Opposition adopts at different times when he finds it convenient to do so.

I would say to the Government, though, that they should listen after the vote last night. Clearly the margin of defeat was not a small one. If one thing needs to be changed in order to give this proposal a chance of passing, it is obviously the backstop. My advice to the Government is that we need to speak to the European Union about introducing legally binding changes to the backstop in order to render the withdrawal agreement acceptable to this House. I ask the Government to speak to the European Union on that topic in the coming days.

We have also heard a great deal from Labour Members about the Government’s record more generally—particularly from the hon. Members for Ilford North (Wes Streeting) and for North West Durham (Laura Pidcock). I am proud to defend this Government’s record over the last nine years. I heard education mentioned. It was of course my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), who I see in his place, who, as Education Secretary, introduced reforms that mean that now more children than ever before are attending good and outstanding schools. That is not my judgment or the Government’s judgment—it is the judgment of Ofsted. It is the quality of the education that our children receive that really matters.

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
652 c1234 
Session
2017-19
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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