Graham Leadbitter MP: speeches

Speeches

• 23 Jun 2025 · UK Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  While the UK Government announced a strategy that, as usual, barely gives Scotland any news, the Scottish Government under the SNP have just secured Scotland’s position as the highest ranking destination for foreign investment outside of London and the south-east for the 10th year in a row. While the UK Government refuse to see Scotland’s potential, the rest of the world are lining up to invest in us—think of what we will achieve when we are independent. Does the Minister accept that the only obstacle to Scotland’s success is the continuing devastation of a Brexit that we did not vote for and a UK Government that stubbornly refuse to see Scotland’s potential?

• 2 Apr 2025 · Digital Landlines: Rural Communities · Hansard source

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  In the relatively recent example of Storm Arwen, which had a huge impact on the north and north-east of Scotland, some communities were without power for in excess of a week because of the sheer number of trees that were down over power lines. The back-up generators for the mobile networks ran out of fuel because no one could get to them to refuel them. In most communities, there were at least some houses that still had a working landline, but there is a real fear among those communities about that happening again. Does the right hon. Member agree that that needs to be addressed?

• 1 Apr 2025 · Foreign Influence Registration Scheme · Hansard source

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  I welcome the statement from the Minister, but if the Government are so concerned, and rightly so, about malign foreign interference with national security, what does he make of the statement from the Trump Administration that tariff decisions will be contingent on judicial decisions in the UK, or of the letter sent from the White House to US embassies in Europe last week ordering foreign companies with US contracts to obey Trump’s Executive orders not to promote diversity, equality and inclusion, and would those companies require FIRS registration?

• 12 Mar 2025 · Strength of the Union · Hansard source

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  Today the Senedd will vote on a motion to redesignate High Speed 2 as an England-only project. Previous calculations suggest that Wales missed out on around £4 billion from the project. Welsh Ministers have now claimed that the amount is £431 million—quite the difference. With the Welsh Government abandoning their ambitions and the UK Government refusing to budge on full consequential funding, is the Labour party now waving the white flag on Wales’s missing billions?

• 12 Mar 2025 · Strength of the Union · Hansard source

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  7. What recent assessment she has made of the strength of the Union.

• 11 Mar 2025 · North Sea Vessel Collision · Hansard source

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  Has the Minister been in contact with the Scottish Government, notably about the Solong’s port of origin? Clearly, it is in significant danger of sinking, and has containers on board. If any of those containers break loose and get washed up on shore, widespread and firm public information about the dangers of approaching any containers will be vital, given the hazardous substances in some of them.

• 26 Feb 2025 · High Street Bank Closures · Hansard source

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  On that point, will the Minister give way?

• 13 Feb 2025 · Rolling Stock: Purchasing Models · Hansard source

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  6. What assessment she has made of the potential merits of using alternative funding models to purchase rolling stock.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Outsourcing: Government Departments · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

• 9 Jan 2025 · European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service · Hansard source

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  2. If she will review the UK’s participation in the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service programme.

• 9 Sept 2024 · Post Office Horizon: Redress · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for the statement. It is welcome that the appeals process has been set out. I pay tribute to my SNP colleague and former MP, Marion Fellows, who, as many Members will know, put considerable effort into the issue. She has provided me with wise counsel on it. How satisfied is the Secretary of State with take-up so far—there is obviously some helpful detail in the statement—and what awareness campaigns are planned? There may still be people out there who are not aware that they can claim compensation. It is important that as many methods as possible are used to get to them. There have recently been complaints, even from legal experts, that the application form for redress is overly complex, and that even experts would struggle to fill it in. Can the Secretary of State look to simplify it, obviously without our getting away from the key points, and bearing in mind the data that need to be collected? Finally, I associate myself with the comments made about the wider impact. It is only a week since the Grenfell report’s publication, and mention was made during the previous statement about the covid contracts. These issues go right to the heart of trust in the Government, which is a really important point to address.

• 4 Sept 2024 · Space Sector: Government Support · Hansard source

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  My constituency has close links to Shetland when it comes to space, with the SaxaVord spaceport company headquartered in Grantown-on-Spey. I also have Orbex, with 130-plus employees in Forres, which is manufacturing rockets and will soon conduct launches in Sutherland. We know that for those companies, developing launch and manufacturing capability there is a significant capital expenditure in research and development. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that it is vital that private investment is underpinned by easily accessible and, importantly, repayable state support, which needs to be reasonably substantial to get the venture to the point of commercial viability?