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Julian Lewis
Current MP
Julian Lewis
· 1997–present
4,214 speeches on record Last active 2 Mar 2026
CON · Conservative
Middle East2 Mar 2026
JL
Julian Lewis
If a missile battery in Iran was continuing to target British bases, would an airstrike against it be offensive or defensive?
Hansard · 2 Mar 2026 · parliament.uk
Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory25 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Will the Government pause any steps in this matter until the judicial review proceedings that are being brought on behalf of the Chagossian people have been resolved one way or another in the High Court?
Hansard · 25 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Grenfell Tower Annual Report25 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
It is very surprising to those of us who are not experts on this matter to hear the Secretary of State say that the police are undertaking such a vast and complex investigation, because the circumstances of this uniquely terrible tragedy do not seem terribly complicated at all. Why is the police inquiry taking so…
Hansard · 25 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Post Office Green Paper25 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Following an exemplary local campaign and petition, it is a relief to record that the Post Office has just reversed its decision not to reopen the post office in Lyndhurst, often referred to as the capital of the New Forest. Can the Minister explain whether there is any overall Government plan to co-ordinate the disappearance…
Hansard · 25 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Ukraine25 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
The hon. Member for Stevenage (Kevin Bonavia) mentioning Storm Shadow reminds me of the fact that, particularly in the early days of the conflict, there was resistance, often from the other side of the Atlantic, to supplying Ukraine with some of the longer-range missile systems that are necessary to inflict pain on Russia in its…
Hansard · 25 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Access to Mental Health Services24 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Has the Minister had any opportunity to form conclusions about whether excessive involvement with social media and other online potential harms has contributed to an apparent significant increase in the levels of mental health disorders?
Hansard · 24 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Labour Together and APCO Worldwide: Cabinet Office Review23 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Is it not likely that, with the awards ceremony last night, the Government would have won the BAFTA for “One Scandal After Another” had they entered? The facts in this matter are not in dispute: the organisation Labour Together did not declare massive donations and was fined as a result; and in response, its head,…
Hansard · 23 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address23 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
In response to an earlier question about the role of the Intelligence and Security Committee in relation to the Cabinet Office, the Minister rightly said that the ISC is concerned about its independence. As its former chairman, I can vouch for the fact that it was particularly concerned about the dominant role that the Cabinet…
Hansard · 23 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving23 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
May I invite the Secretary of State to expand a bit on her vision of what happens at the end of a SEND child’s education? She mentioned the idea of independence—and, presumably, socialisation—to advance in society. In what way will her Department try to shape the course to enable children born with a disadvantage to…
Hansard · 23 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Local Government Reorganisation23 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
I realise now that it was simply fresh legal advice that led to this change of policy, rather than anything to do with the court case brought by the Secretary of State’s least favourite political party. Does he agree that the Government, in handling local government reform, should give at least an appearance of being…
Hansard · 23 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts10 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Does the Minister know whether or not minutes were taken at the key Washington meeting in February last year? If they were not taken, why not? Why was Lord Mandelson, a political appointee, not required to sever any links with his former activities and business that could have given rise to a conflict of interest…
Hansard · 10 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Court Reporting Data10 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
It is certainly a cause of great concern if an AI machine now has access to people’s private home addresses. What investigations have the Government carried out to establish how much personal information that should not have been released is now out there for anyone, no matter how ill-intentioned, to dial up at will?
Hansard · 10 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Local Power Plan10 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Does the Secretary of State agree that the Mandelson scandal illustrates the reputational risk and damage that can be done by ignoring aspects of criminal exploitation? Does he know whether there is a difference in the cost of solar panels that are imported from China compared with other possible sources? What sort of safeguards do…
Hansard · 10 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps9 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Does the Minister accept that the IRGC is responsible for many acts of terrorism? While we appreciate the difficulty that arises from its being a state organisation and the reluctance to proscribe a state organisation, is it not a fact that Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has come up with a formula…
Hansard · 9 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence9 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
I am sorry, but this is really hopeless. I mean no disrespect to this particular Minister, but I am sure that you, Mr Speaker, have noticed, as I have, that whenever something indefensible comes up, the Government always put middle-ranking or junior Ministers on the frontline. Perhaps the Foreign Secretary is abroad or perhaps she…
Hansard · 9 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Standards in Public Life9 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
It is notable that despite the Government’s huge majority, they have run out of people to stand up and defend their position. The Minister is—I am not being patronising—a very intelligent man. I therefore ask that he does not insult the intelligence of the rest of us by talking about the Prime Minister having believed…
Hansard · 9 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Procedure committee9 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
It is very rare—in fact, I cannot think of a previous occasion over what is approaching 29 or 30 years in this House—that I have heard a statement from a Select Committee, every word of which I entirely agree with. This is one of those occasions, and I congratulate the Committee and the Members who…
Hansard · 9 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
UK-India Free Trade Agreement9 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
I hope I am not stretching the boundaries of the debate excessively, but I would be interested to know whether the agreement has any implications for defence exports to India and, if it does, what safeguards would be in place, given the unhealthily close relationship between India and Russia.
Hansard · 9 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Lord Mandelson4 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
It has been for years a matter of mystery and speculation where Epstein acquired his vast wealth. Does my hon. Friend think that the Russian connection may provide the definitive answer to that mystery?
Hansard · 4 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Iran3 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Will the Minister please get on with doing that? The fact is that the independent reviewer of terrorism has signalled a way in which something analogous to proscription can be done to the IRGC, even though it is a state body. Does the Minister accept that there is an analogy between the IRGC and the…
Hansard · 3 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
Separation Centres Review3 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
I entirely agree with what the Justice Secretary says about the dangers of deception. It is also concerning to note that people are now trying to use a mental health argument to get out of separation centres, given that anyone who holds a fanatical Islamist, Nazi or revolutionary view from some other doctrine has, by…
Hansard · 3 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
China and Japan2 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
The Prime Minister’s position seems to be that if a bully is big enough, rich enough and powerful enough, the pragmatic thing to do is to pay into his protection racket. Can he at least show some sign of moral compass by accepting the fact that China is a repressive, brutal, communist, totalitarian state that…
Hansard · 2 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
US Department of Justice Release of Files2 Feb 2026
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Julian Lewis
Can the Minister not see that it is in the Labour party’s interest, as much as it is in the national interest, that this issue of stripping Mandelson of his peerage should be resolved as soon as possible and that wider legislation is brought in subsequently? The Minister may be a little young to remember…
Hansard · 2 Feb 2026 · parliament.uk
British Indian Ocean Territory28 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I am a little worried that the Minister is confusing Ministers coming to the Dispatch Box and not answering questions with proper scrutiny of what is going on, so here is a very specific question for her. She has heard previously about the Pelindaba treaty. Mauritius is a signatory, and all signatories have to declare…
Hansard · 28 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill26 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
The Minister is keeping up a brave face in public, but when he goes back to his colleagues he will have to tell them that the only contribution from his own Back Benches was to disagree with the Government’s position, and to do so bravely and articulately. Does the Minister accept that the reason that…
Hansard · 26 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Police Reform White Paper26 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I congratulate the Home Secretary on having attracted dozens of her Back Benchers to support her, when the Foreign Affairs Minister responding to the urgent question just before could not find a single one to support him on the dreadful Chagos deal. Can the Home Secretary tell us a bit more about how the new…
Hansard · 26 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Armed Forces Bill26 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
May I take the Secretary of State back to the earlier exchange about Northern Ireland veterans? I have some good news and some bad news for him. The good news is that I strongly suspect that, at the end of all the raked-up trials held against Northern Ireland veterans, none will be convicted. The bad…
Hansard · 26 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation21 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
May I remind the Secretary of State—I know that he knows it, as he has heard it from me and others many times before—that there is nothing about creating a false equivalence between the two? Everybody is equal before the law. If anything created a false equivalence, it was the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998,…
Hansard · 21 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Support for Ukraine20 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I am sure the entire House endorses what the Foreign Secretary has just said. In a week when the Government are sadly letting down Hongkongers in London, Chagossians in exile and Northern Ireland veterans in retirement, can we absolutely rely upon continued support for Ukraine’s gallant resistance to atrocious Russian imperialism?
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Mobile Phones and Social Media: Use by Children20 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
Last week, as the Secretary of State will recall, some of us were loudly heckled for suggesting that X was beginning to give way on Grok. Now we know that that was true, so events are moving fast. Can the Secretary of State at least assure us that she will immediately—during the consultation and anything…
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Chinese Embassy20 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I do not think I am breaking the Official Secrets Act if I gently point out that when I used to chair the Intelligence and Security Committee, I repeatedly deprecated the use of the word “mitigation”, because it covers such a wide range of sins, but leaving aside security considerations just this once, does the…
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
After Clause 2 - Learning Centre purpose20 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I declare a sort of interest, in that many members of my family were murdered in the Holocaust. I understand the meaning of the term “Holocaust” to be the Nazis’ mass extermination of the Jews during their period in power, both in their own country and in the countries they occupied. I have not followed…
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Clause 1 - Commencement of Treaty and main provisions of this Act20 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
The Minister seems to be putting an awful lot of faith in the good intent and reliability of the Mauritian Government. They are a close ally of China, which, he might remember, gave us cast-iron guarantees about the future of the Hongkongers once the lease on Hong Kong was given up. I gently remind him…
Hansard · 20 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Iran: Protests19 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
Last Tuesday afternoon, President Trump took a short break from attacking America’s NATO allies to write on Truth Social the following: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING—TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” He added: “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” Have the Government the faintest idea of what he was talking about?
Hansard · 19 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Local Elections: Cancellation19 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
If a future political researcher decides to write a thesis about the influence of adverse opinion polls on the cancellation of local elections in Britain, will the Minister, amiable as she always is, make herself available?
Hansard · 19 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Proposed Chinese Embassy19 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
The Intelligence and Security Committee was set up specifically to fill a gap in oversight whereby this House could not directly look at highly classified and sensitive information. Having chaired that Committee throughout the previous Parliament, when we undertook our very detailed and sensitive inquiry into China—the published version of which was quite well received,…
Hansard · 19 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
West Midlands Police14 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
If I understand correctly the presentation of Sir Andy’s independent report by the Home Secretary, it says that the police knew that the visiting fans were not likely to attack the home community. Does it make clear whether they thought that the home community were likely to attack the visiting fans, because if they thought…
Hansard · 14 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Ukraine14 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I have previously suggested that to have an occupied eastern part of Ukraine under Russian control while the western part of unoccupied Ukraine was left as a military vacuum would be a recipe for disaster. However, it is of concern that the alliance that stood firm at the end of world war two to ensure…
Hansard · 14 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Chinese Embassy13 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
Has the Intelligence and Security Committee had an opportunity to question the National Security Adviser—not the deputy—about this matter? If the Minister says that he does not know, then he is the wrong Minister to be answering this urgent question. If he says that he does know, but he cannot say because that information is…
Hansard · 13 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Iran13 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
In March, it will be the fifth anniversary of the signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Iran and China, an unholy alliance between religious fanatics and communist totalitarians, to whom we are regrettably about to award a super-embassy, complete with secret dungeons, in London. Will the Foreign Secretary tell me what estimate the Government…
Hansard · 13 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
New Medium Helicopter Contract12 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
The Minister knows that I have a high regard for his commitment and integrity, and that I have pressed successive Governments for more defence investment, so leaving aside the party politics, will he confirm whether or not the Government accept what the hon. Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) has estimated, which is that, if this…
Hansard · 12 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes12 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
Does the Secretary of State agree that, in responding to a threat of this magnitude, a graduated response is required, and is she tentatively encouraged by the fact that X has decided to say that users cannot be anonymous in doing that sort of mischief? [Interruption.] Wait for it. I do not think X is…
Hansard · 12 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Clause 1 - Income tax charge for tax year 2026-2712 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I am very impressed by the Minister’s opening speech and his lightness of touch, but can he explain to the Committee how he reconciles the litany of good effects with the number of U-turns carried out since the Budget was put forward?
Hansard · 12 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy8 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I congratulate the Committee on its report, and I know that it took evidence from authoritative experts, such as the excellent Elisabeth Braw. Can the Chair explain to the House whether his findings were compatible with the alarming headline in today’s Daily Mail about another report from the Council on Geostrategy think-tank, which claims that…
Hansard · 8 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Human Rights Abuses: Magnitsky Sanctions8 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
Will my right hon. Friend explain to the House who actually does the research that leads to people being identified for sanctioning, whether there is resistance in such places as the City of London, which no doubt could make enormous financial profits from having illicit money deposited there, and whether such places are incentivised to…
Hansard · 8 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Jury Trials7 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I would like to say, in support of what the hon. Lady has been saying, that surely a distinction of which we need to be aware is that, whereas the judge is a specialist in deciding what the law says and how it should be applied, he or she is not a specialist in deciding…
Hansard · 7 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Ukraine and Wider Operational Update7 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
Do the Government accept that if you will the ends, you must will the means? The end of the cold war has been mentioned a number of times. It is a fact that at the end of the cold war, we were spending 4.3% of GDP on defence—that was 3.5% under the old way of…
Hansard · 7 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill6 Jan 2026
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Julian Lewis
I am extremely grateful to the Minister for giving way. On the point about regulators, the industry has issued a brief, which points out, quite sensibly, that these regulators are going to have a lot of extra duties to perform and they will therefore need extra resources to be able to perform those duties, but…
Hansard · 6 Jan 2026 · parliament.uk
Ukraine18 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
May I endorse what the hon. Member for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin) and the Minister have said about Lance Corporal George Hooley, who sounds as if he was a fine individual and a great soldier? On 29 December , it will be the 85th anniversary of President Roosevelt’s famous fireside chat radio broadcast, in which…
Hansard · 18 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Local Government Reorganisation18 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Can I explain to the Minister why this U-turn is worrying? She said that there would have to be strong reasons for elections to be cancelled, and then cancelled them on the basis of not very strong reasons. Her predecessor said that there would have to be very strong reasons why boundary changes might happen…
Hansard · 18 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Backbench Business Committee18 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Has my hon. Friend and his Committee considered whether anything can be done to encourage more media interest in the subject of the debates that his Committee grants? I have in mind a particularly outstanding debate on Ukraine, which was initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich and North Essex (Sir Bernard Jenkin)…
Hansard · 18 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation17 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
May I ask the Secretary of State to clarify whether his earlier remarks mean what I think they do, which is that even if it had not been for the guidance of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the Government would have wanted anyway to have repealed the legislation of the legacy Act? It is…
Hansard · 17 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Puberty Suppressants Trial17 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
The Secretary of State deserves our sympathy for having to negotiate such an ethical minefield. Will he tell us whether the data exists from all the people who had puberty blockers under the old regime? He mentioned having met one person for whom they had worked well and one person for whom they were a…
Hansard · 17 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations17 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
May I thank the Minister for the work he did in another capacity on behalf of the victims, and the relatives of the victims, of the infected blood scandal? He did a very good job, and he reached out to us in a much-appreciated, non-partisan way. This statement is entitled “UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations”. Is…
Hansard · 17 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Chagossians: Trust Fund and Resettlement16 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Is, in the Government’s opinion, Mauritius a free society, and what is the Government’s assessment of the nature of its relationship with communist China?
Hansard · 16 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Africa: New Approach16 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Following on directly from that, what can the Minister tell us about any military advice or assistance that our experts in counter-insurgency are giving to the Governments of friendly Commonwealth countries like Nigeria that face vicious jihadist extremist attack from organisations such as Boko Haram?
Hansard · 16 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Electoral Resilience16 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I hope that the Rycroft review will take account of the fact that the giving of money is by no means the worst aspect, or the main aspect, of treacherous behaviour, because very often these people do what they do out of a genuine belief in a potential enemy’s point of view. It would be…
Hansard · 16 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
NATO: European Security15 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Having sat through the debate on Ukraine on 4 December , has the Minister taken on board the important message for our NATO colleagues that if there is a forced division of Ukraine, just as there was of occupied Germany at the end of the war, it will be essential that unoccupied western Ukraine is…
Hansard · 15 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions15 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I welcome the Government’s commitment ultimately to spend 5% of GDP on defence—as we used to do in the cold war years of the 1980s—but not the target date of 2035. Do the Government really believe that there is no threat of attack from Russia on a NATO country for the next 10 years?
Hansard · 15 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
NHS: Winter Preparedness15 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I hope that the Secretary of State will give a little more consideration to the rather important point raised by the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy) about 16 and 17-year-olds not being able to be vaccinated. If any junior doctor—whether or not a member of the BMA, but particularly if a member of the…
Hansard · 15 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy15 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Is the strategy going to emphasise in any way the role of parents in trying to protect their sons from a torrent of online violent abuse of women, which inevitably is going to distort their attitude to relationships? Schools can do some things, but some things, surely, have to be done within the family?
Hansard · 15 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Jimmy Lai Conviction15 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Like every other communist regime that has ever existed, the Chinese Government behave with ruthlessness, impunity and unmitigated mendacity. I therefore welcome the strong words in the statement from the Foreign Secretary, but what Members on both sides of the House wish to see is stronger actions. It is not so much a case of…
Hansard · 15 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Resident Doctors: Industrial Action10 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I find it rather shocking that when the Secretary of State for Health has offered the BMA leadership an opportunity to strike a few weeks later, they have turned it down, presumably because they prefer to strike at Christmas, when, frankly, lives will be lost as a result. Am I missing something here? Why is…
Hansard · 10 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Troubles: Operation Kenova9 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I am sure the Secretary of State will agree that running any double agent inside a murderous organisation is bound to be a moral nightmare. The justification for such action is always—as it should be—that many more lives will be saved as a result, even if the agent is implicated in illegal and, indeed, murderous…
Hansard · 9 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Grooming Gangs: Independent Inquiry9 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Few of us here today were present in 2003 when the then MP for Keighley, Mrs Ann Cryer—a courageous Labour Member on the left of her party—spoke out about the grooming gangs. For her troubles, she was smeared as a racist, she was shunned and she was threatened to the point at which she had…
Hansard · 9 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Restriction of Jury Trials8 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I am afraid that the Minister’s treatment of the 60% figure only tends to confirm my belief that one is better off with the common sense of 12 ordinary people than with one legal professional. [Laughter.] Even she is smiling—good for her. Can she look again at this point? Yes, it is disastrous if 60%…
Hansard · 8 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban8 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
It is fairly clear that my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy) is right that this was a predetermined decision, and that the evidence was something for which West Midlands police scrabbled about later, but whatever the outcome of the Minister’s inquiries, whether it turns out, heaven forbid, that there was an…
Hansard · 8 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Ajax Armoured Vehicle8 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
It is hard to think of a comparable disaster without going back to perhaps the early 1960s and the cancellation successively of Blue Streak and Skybolt. I worry that if and when the decision has to be taken that this platform is not fit to be issued to our armed forces, there will be a…
Hansard · 8 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Dawn Sturgess Inquiry4 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Have the Government formed a view as to why President Putin—the killer in the Kremlin—chose to target Sergei Skripal after he had been pardoned and exchanged? Nothing that I am saying now derives from my time chairing the Intelligence and Security Committee, but I recall speculation in the press that it was because Mr Skripal…
Hansard · 4 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Affairs Committee4 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
I agree entirely with the Chairman of the Committee that reconciliation depends upon uncovering the truth. Does her Committee’s report go into the incompatibility of that aim with the reinstatement of trials that the previous legacy Act would have prevented, given that when people face the prospect of being put on trial, they are less…
Hansard · 4 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
War in Ukraine4 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
One of the advantages of being called at a late stage of the debate is that I can put my hand on my heart and truthfully say that every single speech in this debate so far has been outstandingly good. I have agreed with virtually every word of every one of them, and looking at…
Hansard · 4 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
OBR: Resignation of Chair3 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
The Government seem to be keen to maximise the gravity of the OBR’s accidental leak while minimising the gravity of the Chancellor’s deliberate leaks. The Minister has twice frankly admitted not being aware of the case of Labour Chancellor Hugh Dalton, who resigned for inadvertently leaking to a journalist a single sentence of his 1947…
Hansard · 3 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Official Secrets Act and Espionage3 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Having previously read out in this Chamber the relevant section of the Official Secrets Act 1911, I am pleased that the report concludes that the decision not to prosecute under the terms of that Act flies in the face of common sense. What also flies in the face of common sense is the Government’s previous…
Hansard · 3 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Venezuela: US Military3 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
President Trump would no doubt argue that there is a parallel between this situation and George Bush senior’s invasion of Panama in late 1989, but does the Minister agree with me that it will be interesting to see, if something like this goes ahead, what sort of outcry there is from either Russia or China?…
Hansard · 3 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
New Clause 30 - Funding of the Ombudsman for the Board of the Pension Protection Fund3 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
The Minister has indeed been most accessible, and I am extremely grateful to him for the meeting he held with members of the ExxonMobil pensioners group. I am still being lobbied very hard by ExxonMobil pensioners who are concerned that whereas changes introduced in the Budget will benefit members of the FAS and PPF schemes,…
Hansard · 3 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Angiolini Inquiry2 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
The House is rightly united in horror at what happened to Sarah Everard and in sympathy for her family. Returning to an earlier exchange about vetting, which I understand will be coming up in the next stage of the Angiolini process, can the Minister tell us whether it will examine the effect of extreme pornography…
Hansard · 2 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions1 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
Despite the Secretary of State’s robust answer on Chinese influence on academia, dare I set her a little homework? If she would like to take a look at the relevant section of the non-partisan Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on China, published in July 2023, she would find a lot of interesting and worrying information…
Hansard · 1 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
Office for Budget Responsibility Forecasts1 Dec 2025
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Julian Lewis
The Government will not apologise for this sorry and tangled affair, but will they at least learn a couple of lessons, such as the fact that there have always been very good reasons for observing total secrecy until Budget day and, secondly, when not in a financial black hole, do not start digging oneself into…
Hansard · 1 Dec 2025 · parliament.uk
G20 and Ukraine25 Nov 2025
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Julian Lewis
May I ask the Prime Minister to focus on the question of effective security guarantees? Security guarantees deter aggression only if there is no doubt that the guarantor will act in accordance with the guarantee that he has given. Therefore, if there is a security guarantee to unoccupied Ukraine, it is absolutely essential that the…
Hansard · 25 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban24 Nov 2025
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Julian Lewis
It sounds as though the Minister is getting to grips with this, and I am very grateful for that. Will she accept that the counterpart or corollary of operational independence for the police is their political impartiality, and does she agree with me that the last thing we want is a poisonous cocktail of football…
Hansard · 24 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Critical Minerals Strategy24 Nov 2025
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Julian Lewis
Will the Minister tell the House what is so special about the year 2035? It is the year by which the Government say they will achieve expenditure of 3.5% of GDP on defence—compared with the 4.5% to 5% we used to spend in the cold war years of the 1980s—and it is now the year…
Hansard · 24 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
New Clause 43 - Charges payable by undertakers executing works in maintainable highways24 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
My hon. Friend will be aware that the District Councils’ Network has been briefing Members on both sides of the House that if the Government go ahead and force these changes through, the very least they can do is to have district councils represented on the strategic authorities until all the changes have come to…
Hansard · 24 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
HMP Downview: Female Prisoners24 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I know the Minister is a reasonable person, and I am trying to find some common ground here. I could understand it, if the transgender males held in this particular unit had at least undergone reassignment surgery. They would definitely be vulnerable in a male prison. The argument for them to be held in a…
Hansard · 24 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Russian Ship Yantar20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Responding to that directly, if the Government are trying to map the capabilities of the vessel, can they tell us whether they knew in advance that it had this laser capability, and if they did, whether steps are being taken to find methods of protecting our personnel against such laser attacks? Will the Minister and…
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Ukraine: Forcible Removal of Children20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
By putting forward proposals that could have been drafted by the killer in the Kremlin himself, it seems that President Trump has finally given up on the Nobel peace prize, and is content to settle for the Lenin peace prize instead. Do the Government share my concern at the remarks, admittedly aspirational, by the US…
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Separation Centres: Terrorist Offenders20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Normally, I like the Minister’s can-do attitude. Is she really telling the House that this Government would rather make payouts to terrorists than disapply the ECHR?
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Business of the House20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Last Thursday, there was a heavily subscribed Westminster Hall debate about the terrible problem of rogue and conmen builders who fleece people of thousands upon thousands of pounds for work that is never completed and is often not started at all. May we have a statement from an appropriate Minister on the need to consider…
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Migration: Settlement Pathway20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
As the descendant of immigrant grandparents, I have a high degree of empathy with the Home Secretary’s opening remarks about her own family. Does she agree that the reason that both main parties are facing the possibility of an electoral bloodbath is not so much the overall level of immigration, but the fraction of it—still…
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Justice Committee20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
In the light of the urgent question earlier today, does the Chairman of the Committee believe that it is essential for the purpose of rehabilitation that prisoners should be protected against indoctrination by convicted terrorists?
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Injury in Service Award20 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I have listened carefully to the whole debate, and I thoroughly support the proposal. From the Minister’s summing up, it sounds as if the decision is more in the hands of civil servants than in those of Ministers. May I gently point out to him that civil servants are never remiss when it comes to…
Hansard · 20 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Flooding: Monmouthshire19 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
May I appeal to the Minister to help us in one way? Although this is a devolved matter, it is possible in the internet age very easily to make charitable donations, so could she investigate whether there is a reliable local charity to which people across the country can make donations? Could she perhaps circulate…
Hansard · 19 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
China Espionage: Government Security Response18 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Do the Government accept that China is a bad faith actor whose basic technique can be summed up by a single phrase: buy influence and build dependency? Is that not exactly what has happened in our universities?
Hansard · 18 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Gaza and Sudan18 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
On Gaza, will the Government consider making representations to the Israelis about the fact that it does Israel’s reputation no good, and does not help the BBC World Service to report accurately, if external journalists are not allowed into the Gaza strip? Now that the fighting has diminished, the excuse for not allowing that access…
Hansard · 18 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill18 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
On what I hope is a non-contentious point, will the Secretary of State explain to Members in all parts of the House something that not everybody realises, which is that the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 means that no matter how heinous the crime, and no matter whether it was committed by a member of…
Hansard · 18 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill (Money)18 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Hansard · 18 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions17 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
It is often reported that a high proportion of people who enter the country illegally do so without any reliable identifying documentation. Can any Minister say, in percentage terms, roughly what the proportions are of illegal immigrants who do and do not have documentation?
Hansard · 17 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Budget: Press Briefings17 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I am disappointed that the Minister does not know of the example of the Chancellor who resigned from Attlee’s Government for inadvertently or otherwise leaking details of the Budget. Does he at least appreciate that there is a difference between speculating about the contents of a Budget and leaking a Budget, and does he think…
Hansard · 17 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Power Station: Wylfa17 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
No one likes to consider the prospect of international conflict, but we have seen from that between Ukraine and Russia how dangerous a situation can be when fuel supply installations are targeted. What thought have the Government given to affording the same level of protection against either sabotage or external attack for these new smaller…
Hansard · 17 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy13 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
May I take this opportunity to point out something that the Defence Committee discovered in its investigation of these matters in 2016 to 2017? The maximum of two years actually spent in jail, no matter how horrendous or multiple the murders, also applies to British service personnel. The argument is put forward that victims wish…
Hansard · 13 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Taxes12 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
As somebody who has been around a long time and remembers when Chancellors used to have to resign for leaking things about the Budget in advance, may I ask the Minister to explain how it has been possible for the present Chancellor to make speeches about what may or may not be in her Budget…
Hansard · 12 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Energy12 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Can my hon. Friend throw any light on the apparent contradiction whereby the Government seem prepared to import fossil fuels—thus exporting our carbon footprint—but not to allow us to develop our own fossil fuel resources? Is it because they are afraid that, once we develop them, we will not want to stop using them, or…
Hansard · 12 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions11 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
What does the Deputy Prime Minister have to say about the unprecedented letter in The Times today from nine recent former heads of the armed forces, stating that the Government’s Northern Ireland troubles and legacy legislation breaks the compact between service personnel who do their duty and the Government, who should stand up for them,…
Hansard · 11 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Prisoner Releases in Error11 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
May I try to make a constructive suggestion to the Deputy Prime Minister? Has he considered that when somebody is due for release, they should be read a short statement saying that if they think they are being wrongly released, they should say so now, and if they do not do so, a further penalty…
Hansard · 11 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
BBC Leadership11 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I would fight in the last ditch to prevent the BBC from ceasing to be a public service broadcaster and from being broken up. Any large organisation can have bad actors who behave unethically, and that has happened on this occasion, but it does the BBC no service when people parrot the line that the…
Hansard · 11 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Remembrance Day: Armed Forces11 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I congratulate everyone who has contributed to the debate so far. Of all the fine contributions, I want to start where the hon. Member for Stirling and Strathallan (Chris Kane) left off. He spoke about the mother attending the memorial where her husband and two sons’ names were all inscribed. On Saturday I had the…
Hansard · 11 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Blood Transfusions during the Falklands War11 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
As an officer of the all-party parliamentary group on haemophilia and contaminated blood, I would like to confirm, in support of what the Minister is saying and the advice she is giving, that the contact I have had with IBCA has been very positive. It seems to want to engage on a personal basis with…
Hansard · 11 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Conflict in Sudan5 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
May I repeat the question that I asked the Minister’s colleague last week: are there no other regional powers that could intervene physically to separate the warring parties? May I put it to the Minister that, while it is fortunate that we have been granted successive urgent questions on this subject in successive weeks—thanks to…
Hansard · 5 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Curriculum and Assessment Review5 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
It is welcome news that the Government plan that children should be taught critical thinking and how to guard against fake news and misinformation, but the Secretary of State will be aware that some teachers, like some politicians, regard “fake news” differently from the rest of society. Will she ensure that teachers who teach that…
Hansard · 5 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Ukraine: Military Support3 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
As we build up towards Remembrance Sunday, does the Secretary of State agree that it is appropriate for us to remember the circumstances in which two world wars began, when democracies were relatively weak in the face of armed autocracies? Therefore, does he agree that the help we give to Ukraine is the best possible…
Hansard · 3 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
“Soldier F” Trial Verdict3 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Does the Secretary of State envisage any circumstances in which an IRA terrorist could be prosecuted after he had received a letter of comfort, and if so, what are those circumstances?
Hansard · 3 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Huntingdon Train Attack3 Nov 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I will be very brief. When the Home Secretary undertakes lessons learned and recommendations for the future, will she look into the question of whether there is any protective equipment, or even disabling equipment of a non-lethal nature, that could be issued to staff for use in such an emergency?
Hansard · 3 Nov 2025 · parliament.uk
Sudan: Protection of Civilians30 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
Can the Minister explain to the House what is the attitude of other states in the region towards this conflict? Is there any prospect that they could unite and possibly make some form of physical intervention to separate the warring sides in Sudan?
Hansard · 30 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Business of the House30 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
May we have a statement from a local government Minister about calculated abuse of the planning system—cases in which people knowingly proceed with projects without planning permission, and then apply for retrospective permission? Cash-strapped councils feel, on the advice of their officers, that they should grant that permission, as otherwise they might have to fight…
Hansard · 30 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme30 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
The Minister is clearly totally committed to this subject, and I thank him for the way in which he reaches out to the MPs he knows have an interest in it. Will he join me in commending IBCA for the quality of its communications? Both the website and the MPs’ toolkit recently sent out could…
Hansard · 30 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Foreign Affairs Committee30 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I congratulate the right hon. Lady on her Committee’s report. In response to the seventh recommendation about a Palestinian state, the Government state: “Our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged and unequivocal. They must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part…
Hansard · 30 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Ageing and End-of-life Care30 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way; I know he is pressed for time. The charity Together for Short Lives points out that where children’s palliative care is concerned, there is wide variation across different regions in the country. Is he afraid that this applies to the ageing population as well—that there…
Hansard · 30 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Topical Questions28 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
The Government’s position seems to be that communist China can and does pose a wide range of serious threats to the United Kingdom but is not a threat itself. How can that possibly make sense?
Hansard · 28 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
China Spying Case28 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
I was interested to see that the National Security Adviser was listed as being involved in that meeting. The National Security Adviser is a political appointee—he is a special adviser—and that is usually the reason why the deputy National Security Adviser is put forward to take all the flak. If the NSA himself is participating…
Hansard · 28 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Employment: People with Health Conditions27 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
When severe mental illness strikes, it can be devastating and totally debilitating, but the problem from the Department’s point of view is that its symptoms are invisible. There have been reports of people faking mental illness in order to gain benefits. Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that his Department has appropriate checks in place?
Hansard · 27 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
North Sea Oil and Gas Industry27 Oct 2025
JL
Julian Lewis
For how many years, in the Government’s estimation, will we have to keep importing foreign oil and gas, as a result of not being allowed fully to exploit our own supplies?
Hansard · 27 Oct 2025 · parliament.uk
Julian Lewis — Hansard Social