Levelling Up Rural Britain

Might I urge on my hon. Friend and Devon colleagues what we did in Dorset? Creating two unitaries...

I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, and I hope that such discussions might be forthcomin...

I am a little more optimistic about the time limit. It does not have to be six minutes. We will b...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for North Devon (Selaine Saxby)...

Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker for the opportunity to make a contribution to this vital debate. I...

North Shropshire is a lovely place to live, with beautiful countryside, historic market towns and...

I very much hope that the hon. Lady will talk about the three cases in Shropshire up for assessme...

I supported a levelling-up bid in my own constituency as well, but I will come on to the nature o...

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Selaine Saxby) on securing the debate.<...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I was on my last couple of words before finishing, but I would be delighted to give way.

Does my hon. Friend agree that light rail also has a part to play in many rural areas? In Hertfor...

My right hon. and learned Friend makes a very good point. Rail of all kinds can have real importa...

It is a great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Robert Courts). He has bee...

The size of Shropshire’s elderly population is disproportionate, and our social care costs are go...

The pressures of social care costs in areas whose demographics make them particularly acute are r...

As a Member of Parliament for a very rural constituency, albeit one in the home counties, I see a...

There’s a Whip there, look!

I think this counts as an intervention, Madam Deputy Speaker. It should be added to my time. I ho...

That is precisely why the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is starting a report on t...

I am delighted, and I will recommend that a friend of mine submits evidence to the Committee. I w...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this point. The area Mr Geldard farms in the Lyth valley i...

I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman.

The policing initiative is being led by a retired...

As the Member with the largest rural constituency outside the highlands—it is larger than any in ...

I now have to reduce the time limit to seven minutes.

5.37 pm

On the Conservative Benches at least, there has been some competition over who has the biggest co...

It is a genuine pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Miri...

It is a pleasure to follow my friend and neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for South Dorset (R...

It is a pleasure to follow my constituency neighbours, my hon. Friends the Members for North Dors...

Does my hon. Friend agree that we also have hanging over us the spectre of negative revenue suppo...

I wholly agree with my hon. Friend and want to relay that message to the Minister as well: I hope...

Order. Wind-ups will start no later than 26 minutes to 7, so the time limit for speeches is now s...

It is a great pleasure to follow the jazz odyssey that is three Dorset contributions on the bounc...

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Selaine Saxby) on securing this debate....

I commend my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Selaine Saxby) on successfully bringing the ...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Sally-Ann Hart). I con...

It is always very good to be called last in debates because it means that I get to listen to ever...

We now come to the wind-ups.

6.33 pm

It is a real pleasure to sum up for the Scottish National party. It has been a fine debate and an...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I cannot; I have no time.

Let us look at where this largesse is going. I do not know whethe...

It is a pleasure to wind up this important debate on behalf of the Opposition. I congratulate the...

I thank the hon. Member for his kind words about the speeches made by many of my colleagues. He m...

I have news for the hon. Lady. If we add all these funds together—high street funds and brownfiel...

I happened to be shadow Transport Secretary when the great John Prescott was Secretary of State f...

We have a point of difference on that. Yes, those models and that creativity in local communities...

It did not work before.

The hon. Gentleman makes a strong case for the status quo, but frankly the status quo does not wo...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech from what I have heard.

We are losing pubs and...

Order. That is a long intervention. The hon. Gentleman may have been here earlier in the debate, ...

I agree with much of what my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Matt Western) sai...

It is a pleasure to contribute to this important debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member...

Will the Minister also confirm that nobody on our side of the House urged that we should be robbi...

I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. What he said demonstrates the level of nuance and dep...

I hope the Minister will also agree that the real problem with the Scottish nationalist party is ...

My hon. Friend makes a strong point.

I have only three and a half minutes left, so I will t...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Sadly, I will not as I have further points to cover.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Lu...

I call Selaine Saxby for her final words.

6.57 pm

I thank all hon. and right hon. Members for their contributions this afternoon, the Minister for ...