Early Parliamentary General Election Bill

rose—

No; I said no, and I say no twice. Mr Speaker made a ruling on this earlier on, so the answer is ...

rose—

I will take my hon. Friend’s intervention before I get to that point.

I thank my hon. Friend very much for allowing me to intervene on her fantastic speech. She is mak...

I absolutely accept my hon. Friend’s point. I accept that there are people in my constituency, as...

Will the hon. Lady give way on that point?

On the point about honouring contracts, I shall take the hon. Gentleman’s intervention.

Honouring contracts: an excellent input. I should like to draw the hon. Lady slightly back toward...

Yes, we are discussing a Bill about having a general election. My point is that we need a general...

rose—

rose—

Can I just answer the previous intervention before I take any more?

If it is somehow politi...

I apologise for interrupting my hon. Friend’s articulate flow once again. I could not help but he...

My hon. Friend knows the minutiae of the 600-page White Paper produced by the Scots Nats. I am su...

On the sclerotic nature of this Parliament and whether a general election will somehow change tha...

I do not blame you at all for unleashing a vial across anybody, Mr Speaker. I understand the hon....

Does my hon. Friend agree that this is also about ending uncertainty? Only with a general electio...

I agree, but we also need to get on and discuss all the other issues. For example—this is not the...

It is dangerous to continue this “people versus Parliament” narrative, saying that Parliament is ...

I have, and the worst impact is the absolute uncertainty surrounding investment in our jobs and b...

To return to the Second Reading of this Bill, my hon. Friend faces a challenge from the Liberal D...

Order. I say very gently to the hon. Gentleman that there is a difference between a brief interve...

You are absolutely right, Mr Speaker. My inquiry was reaching its climax. I finish by asking my h...

It is always a pleasure to oblige the hon. Gentleman because his naughtiness is mitigated by his ...

I take your instruction, Mr Speaker, and I will not be diverted.

A general election allows ...

I have enjoyed every second of my hon. Friend’s 29-minute speech, and I am grateful to get in jus...

The right hon. Gentleman tempts me, because the culture and heritage goes back to the Romans in S...

On that point—

On Brenda of Bristol, I shall give way.

Has the hon. Lady completed her oration?

indicated dissent.

No, she is taking an intervention from none other than the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland ...

Mr Speaker, I rise as the unrecognised Liberal Democrat in this place and I apologise to the Cham...

I am not sure how that related to Brenda of Bristol, but the point I wish to make, before I start...

Right honourable.

He has risen to right. hon—I am so sorry and I apologise. He wishes to speak. When we are going o...

I wonder why on earth we need a four-hour debate, because we have a very simple choice: we either...

Does the hon. Lady agree that people outside might think it a little disingenuous of some Members...

A lot of people who have seen how Parliament works over the past few months will have seen that w...

I am very grateful to the hon. Lady for allowing me to intervene. As she and I both serve on Nort...

I take it that the hon. Lady will be voting against the general election.

indicated assent.

I do think that that is a hugely important issue, which has unity across this House. If the Leade...

I thought that I heard the Leader of the House say that one reason for keeping the House going un...

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman. I hope that those whose business it is can sort out w...

I am most grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way. Under the previous Labour Government when Gor...

I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will be able to make a contribution in Committee, when we...

The question before us today is: do we want a general election? Do the public want a general elec...

What the hon. Lady is saying is not exactly true, is it? It took her party two years and eight mo...

The point I was trying to make is that the Government have tried every avenue to deliver Brexit, ...

The argument that the proper thing to have done was to extend the time available is undermined by...

My right hon. Friend is exactly right.

The Prime Minister was told that he could not reopen...

rose—

I have given way to the hon. Gentleman already.

This is a question of trust. The British pe...

Order. I just say very gently to the hon. Lady that a copy of prospective amendments has been mad...

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for that guidance. I did notice that many other speakers mentioned the ame...

Order. I am not sure whether that was done in an arch way. It was advertised, and it has attracte...

Absolutely, Mr Speaker

I would like to discuss the issue of European citizens, which has al...

I put forward a private Member’s Bill to try to extend the franchise. Does the hon. Lady not agre...

I am reminded of the fact that when people start to get personal towards the Prime Minister or ot...

Order. I ask the hon. Lady to resume her seat. Either entirely of her own initiative—which is per...

Thank you, Mr Speaker; I appreciate your guidance on this matter. I hope you will not mind my res...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful case. I think she is saying that the Bill should be left as i...

I thank my right hon. Friend for his intervention; he is right.

We need to deliver Brexit a...

I am most grateful to the hon. Lady. May I politely suggest that colleagues have care and concern...

I agree. I plan to say a number of things, but I want to follow up on some of the things that hav...

Does my hon. Friend agree with me that it is even worse than that because Parliament was excluded...

I entirely agree with my right hon. Friend. It is ridiculous.

I represent a leave seat, and...

I thank the hon. Lady for making a passionate and amusing speech. I believe that she is making th...

The honest answer—I have truck with honesty—is that I am not entirely sure, but does the hon. Lad...

What is the hon. Lady’s view of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 in such a situation, where hu...

I do not speak for the Labour Front Bench or those who make policy, but the Act seems to have cau...

I am grateful to have been called when I was not able to be present for the whole debate. I will ...

Order. May I just very gently say, because the right hon. Gentleman implied that he would be brie...

I have to say, Mr Speaker, that the minute you rose I realised the error I had made in speaking i...

rose—

I hope you do not mind if I take a small intervention, Mr Speaker.

It will be a small intervention, Mr Speaker. I do not wholly agree with my right hon. Friend, but...

I am very grateful; my hon. Friend has been a wonderful colleague to me over many years. This pla...

I appreciate the right hon. Gentleman’s very kind and gracious remarks, and I will not forget the...

I will not be supporting a general election because I do not think that a general election will r...

As I made clear earlier, there are issues relating to the franchise, conduct and security of any ...

rose—

I will not give way because of the time.

I know, but I am conscious of other colleagues.

I pay tribute to all the organisations, par...

My constituents and constituents across Scotland will have their say in a general election on the...

I do not think that I will take my three minutes, Mr Speaker.

I do not fear an election, be...

A Government under siege from its own side, ignoring the advice of its more thoughtful friends an...

I am in favour of a general election: a general election on 7 May, when the sun is shining, when ...

This Government are in complete disarray. After yesterday’s vote, we now have a Prime Minister wh...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I will not give way; time is very limited.

The purpose of a general election is to let the ...

I should like to begin by paying tribute to all right hon. and hon. Members who have contributed ...

I presume that as part of the Prime Minister’s general election campaign, he will make a grand to...

I thank the hon. Lady for her contribution. I do not know exactly where the Prime Minister will g...

I wonder whether the Minister can tell me how we will stop the paralysis if what is returned to t...

I heard the hon. Lady make that point repeatedly throughout the debate. The very simple answer is...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I think that I have dealt with the hon. Lady’s point.

Thanks to the Prime Minister’s effort...

Now that the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill has had its Second Reading, we should be ...

The problem with the argument advanced by the hon. Gentleman is that when we had the opportunity ...

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Many excellent speeches species were curtailed at three minutes ...

The Minister has two and a half minutes in which to develop his peroration, but the hon. Gentlema...

Thank you for that opportunity, Mr Speaker, but I think I will be able to do so in slightly short...

Under the Order of the House of today, we shall now—for which I may have to substitute “shortly”—...

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

I am deeply grateful to the hon. Lady, who may be indulged at slightly greater length than would ...

This has been a fractious, challenging, controversial and difficult debate at times. Do you agree...

I agree. On the matter of exemplary behaviour, we can all learn from the hon. Lady. I know she di...