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Changing the function of ARIA is the wrong way to protest development aid


UPDATE: I have now written to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab: “In the meantime however, I would ask you to please examine again whether these cuts to aid spending could be done more sympathetically with respect to those most in need.” 3 June 2021: In order to protest cuts to Overseas Development Aid (ODA) taking spending below the legally-required 0.7% of GDP, rebels have tabled an amendment to the Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill. This is the text of […]

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Vaccine passports


Following today’s news about vaccine passports: In recent months, the Government has repeatedly denied it is looking at vaccine passports, despite The Telegraph reporting lots of evidence to the contrary. Now James Cleverly appears to have confirmed @elliotttimes piece that they are indeed happening. Go figure… — Harry Yorke (@HarryYorke1) February 5, 2021 Steve Baker MP said, I’m alarmed by the present lack of clarity about vaccine passports as well as the poor level of communication by Government on what […]

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Axing the Tampon Tax – I am glad to set the record straight


My letter to constituents on my role in axing the Tampon Tax follows below. Thank you for writing to me about the abolition of the “Tampon Tax”.  Having fought for it, I am very pleased a zero rate of VAT now applies to women’s sanitary products.  This is part of wider action by this Conservative Government to end period poverty, which includes free sanitary products in schools, colleges and hospitals.  You can find the Government’s announcement here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tampon-tax-abolished-from-today In particular, “The Chancellor […]

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MPs should not make a tricky situation worse: they should back the UK Internal Market Bill


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I am sorry that once again we are seeing so much concern and division during a time of pressure in our negotiations with the European Union. Much of what is being said, as so often, is alarmist. There is no question of the UK acting lawlessly. Of course, it is highly undesirable there is the possibility of the UK legislating in a way incompatible with another party’s interpretation of our treaty obligations. We are a rule of law nation: we […]

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Believe me, nothing except a battle lost is half so melancholy as a battle won


I want to send a huge thank you to all the members of the public who – in the street, on the trains and elsewhere as I travelled yesterday – took the time to say they appreciated the spirit of my speech in Parliament on Thursday and the related Today programme interview yesterday. They showed me there is appetite for reconciliation and progress in this country: we can hope to come together and move on. Find the full speech on […]

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Written Parliamentary Question to the Treasury on a new global platform agreement for financial services.


I recently wrote to the Treasury to ask what steps they will take steps to establish a new global platform agreement for financial services. The Minister, John Glen MP, replied: The UK has extensive global financial services ties with both leading advanced markets and emerging markets. When we leave the EU, we will have new tools at our disposal, which we will take advantage of to enhance our key financial services relationships. These include the chance to forge deep bilateral […]

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15 Brexit negotiating errors Boris must fix


The following is an extract from an article which first appeared in full in the Telegraph online on 27 July 2019 under the headline, “Why I rejected the offer of a Ministerial post in Boris Johnson’s glittering new government”: bit.ly/NoJobBetterThanABadJob. We urgently need to correct some vital structural problems in our negotiations. The restoration of Cabinet collective responsibility is the first step. Long may it last. Of course, Boris has fixed the problem of our restrictive over-interpretation of the duty of sincere […]

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We must stand firm and reject Theresa May’s Brexit deal or we will live to regret it


The following article first appeared in the Telegraph on 20 March 2019. It may be accessed here: bit.ly/WAStandFirm. The one advantage of the Cabinet’s Withdrawal Agreement is that it would allow us to claim Brexit on March 29. Of course, some colleagues are attracted to it – but the British people have already spotted a dud deal. According to ComRes polling yesterday, 54 per cent say it does not deliver. Just 14 per cent approve. If we put this agreement through and Theresa May […]

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Conservative achievements in 2018


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In 2018, Conservatives in government cut taxes, invested in our public services and continued to back working people. We have done this by: 1. Setting out how we will provide an extra £20.5 billion for the NHS by 2023-24 as part of our long- term plan for the NHS. We are providing £394 million extra a week for the NHS as part of a historic five-year budget settlement. This is an average real terms increase of 3.4 per cent a […]

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My position on the Prime Minister’s EU exit deal


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Thank you to everyone who has written to me about the Prime Minister’s proposed Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future relationship of the UK with the EU. I have received a wide range of correspondence, covering the full spectrum of opinion from remaining in the EU after all, whether with or without a further referendum, through accepting the Prime Minister’s deal to leaving without a Withdrawal Agreement and trading on WTO terms.  I remain convinced that only two […]

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