Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill

May I initially seek your guidance, Chairman? Would you like me to cover all the clause stand par...

That is a perfectly reasonable question from the Minister. As all matters are grouped in one grou...

Thank you very much indeed, Dame Eleanor. I shall endeavour to do that, and I hope you will bear ...

Will my hon. Friend help the House in respect of whether the Government acknowledge the existence...

Of course the Government and I acknowledge the existence of those principles; they are a historic...

Does not the fact that the Prime Minister requests that the monarch take steps so that an electio...

Yes, we believe that that is the case; that is the flexibility inherent within the constitutional...

Does my hon. Friend agree that one benefit of clause 3, as well as highlighting all the issues th...

Yes, that is right. I am grateful to my hon. Friend and to all hon. and right hon. Members who se...

On clause 3, may I take the Minister back to the inclusion of the word “purported” and, in partic...

This is a good opportunity for me to be absolutely clear about the reference to the word “purport...

In the interests of clarity, is the Minister telling the House that the Government are asking Par...

I am proposing that the House understands the use of the phrase “purported”, which, clearly, the ...

But it is not actually five years; it is five years and a bit, is it not? As the Septennial Act 1...

The hon. Gentleman pre-empts my remarks in respect of his amendment, which I will endeavour to co...

indicated assent.

In that case, Mr Evans, I am going to carry on until you tell me otherwise. There is an amount to...

If a Prime Minister were to request a Dissolution that was proper but was perceived to be for pol...

Yes, that is precisely the point, and that underlies a number of our considerations. In the place...

If the largest party was trying to get a coalition, that might take more than 14 days. Is there p...

The hon. Gentleman makes precisely the point that goes to the new clause, which is that a Governm...

All right then, if it is the simplest way of doing it, what is the last date that the next genera...

With respect, that is not the right quiz question—the right quiz question is whether, under the h...

My hon. Friend is of course making an excellent speech. The intent behind the new clause, which I...

Absolutely. This is a good opportunity to remind ourselves that we have not necessarily observed ...

Does my hon. Friend feel that the debate on this presents the opportunity for a further piece of ...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend. Some of what he refers to is not necessarily within a stat...

Just for clarification on those comments, are the electoral services referring to the 25 working ...

I believe that to be the case, although of course I would not wish to speak for the AEA. I really...

We would all wish to maximise participation in elections, and the practicalities of overseas vote...

I am always sympathetic to that point. There is always a risk when any of us have to bang on too ...

On the wider point about how quickly an election takes place, can I take it as read from the Mini...

If only I had the ability to give the hon. Gentleman that promise, I think I would have promoted ...

I want to take my hon. Friend back to the point about 2013 and why the period became 25 working d...

Again, some incredibly thoughtful points are being put. My hon. Friend is right to observe that t...

rose—

rose—

I will not give way to my right hon. Friend the Member for Elmet and Rothwell (Alec Shelbrooke) a...

My hon. Friend said a moment ago that she could not speak exactly for the AEA, but she will know ...

I am happy to confirm from this Dispatch Box that the Government’s position is to maintain the el...

Will the Minister give way?

I am afraid I have not got time to give way; I need to draw my remarks to a close. I look forward...

The Bill does two things: it repeals the Fixed-term Parliaments Act; and reinstates—or attempts t...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the new clause is a much more effective way of keeping the courts ...

I agree. In fact, it is probably like dealing with a toddler: if we tell them not to do something...

I will not debate the points of politics with the hon. Lady. On her comments about using Parliame...

They should do it today.

I agree with the heckling from my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda. I think the right hon. Memb...

I rise to speak in particular to new clause 1 in the name of my right hon. Friend the Member for ...

Will the right hon. Member give way?

If I could finish this point, I will then allow the hon. Member to intervene.

Another of th...

I think, therefore, that if the Bill goes through as the Government intend and we do not have the...

Oh, the hon. Gentleman is getting me into the maths quiz with which he tried to tempt the Ministe...

Is not the essence of what my right hon. Friend is saying that it is exceptionally difficult to g...

My right hon. Friend makes a really important point. New clause 1 deals with the particular issue...

I was a new candidate at the last election, and I can absolutely attest that it was a wearying ex...

Of course, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. He has a wealth of knowledge on these issues, as I...

My right hon. Friend has given an excellent list of some of the reasons why a long campaign is no...

My hon. Friend has put his finger on something that is probably more inequitable than he has real...

Does this point not really get to the heart of the matter of the performance, whether of local go...

That is a very important point. If one of the pillars of our democracy is elections, we should be...

That is the nub of these issues. Instead of extending elections because of their complexity, sure...

My hon. Friend makes points that I am sure those listening to that debate will be pondering. In a...

I will hopefully delight the Committee by trying to speed things up a little, and I will not deta...

I wanted to make this point to the Minister. Not only will the Prime Minister have full power, bu...

Was that the hon. Gentleman’s speech? Shall I cross him off the list?

I do not believe it was my hon. Friend’s speech, Mr Evans, but if it was, it was a perfectly good...

I guess that, like me, my hon. Friend finds it a bit perplexing, when sitting in this debate and ...

I am sure I am not the only person in this House who can see the irony of how taking back control...

It is a great pleasure to follow so erudite and intelligible a speech from the hon. Member for Ar...

Order. Sir Geoffrey, I have given a bit of latitude, but do you intend to speak to the clauses, n...

It is stand part that I am addressing, Mr Evans.

This Bill should warmly commend itself to ...

It is a delight to follow that Third Reading speech.

I have enjoyed today, not least becaus...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant)—the right hon. Member, I sh...

Just hon.

Not yet. I am sure it will come in time.

I will not repeat my Second Reading speech—this is...

Diolch yn fawr, Dame Rosie; it is a pleasure to contribute to this debate, to serve under your ch...

The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent point in his speech and with his amendment. It is not e...

I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s intervention and his point about the pre-eminence that Wes...

I wish to speak against new clause 2, Dame Rosie, and it is a pleasure to be called to speak afte...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Peter Gibson), who captured ...

The hon. Member says that there is election fatigue and that people are worried about when electi...

The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point, but I fundamentally disagree. In countries with fi...

I apologise, Dame Rosie, that I have been bobbing up and down this afternoon wanting to speak and...

As I was advised by the Chairman of Ways and Means at the time, I endeavoured to respond to all a...

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.

I thank hon. and right hon. Member...

This Bill would have benefited from being amended in Committee. Although it is right and proper t...

I bid this Bill well as it passes to the other place. On behalf of other members of the Joint Com...

Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank you and your colleagues, the Clerks and all hon. and right hon. Mem...