Matt Western MP: speeches 2025

96 published records · newest first.

Speeches

4 Sept 2025 · Climate Change: Food Security · Hansard source
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Three of the UK’s five worst harvests have been in the last five years, and this year is looking particularly concerning, with yields likely to be down and margins for farmers on the brink. Just last month, the Bank of England said that extreme weather is now one of the key factors in driving food price inflation. Could the Minister elaborate on what other steps the Government are taking to mitigate food price inflation for consumers?
4 Sept 2025 · Climate Change: Food Security · Hansard source
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1. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of climate change on food security.
17 Jul 2025 · Strategy for Elections · Hansard source
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The Minister will be aware that the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which I chair, has been doing a lot of work on defending democracy. I am sure we will welcome the proposals, particularly on illicit finance and cracking down on unincorporated associations. I gently urge her to look closely at cryptocurrencies, which are clearly the currency of choice for criminals and rogue states. For example, one individual has routed £13 million into political organisations in this country through such a currency.
17 Jul 2025 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source
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In my constituency, Lydia and Frankie both run businesses that employ around 50 individuals. They both have covid loans and energy loans on top of the usual business pressures they suffer. Beyond maintaining the current discount on business rates, may I urge the Government urgently to review business rates reform, which is so desperately needed?
10 Jul 2025 · London’s National Economic Contribution · Hansard source
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I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. Just a gentle reminder please to speak through the Chair —so “you” is me, as Members will appreciate. At this juncture, I do not think that we need to put a time limit on speeches.
10 Jul 2025 · London’s National Economic Contribution · Hansard source
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Order. I remind hon. Members to keep interventions short.
8 Jul 2025 · Government Resilience Action Plan · Hansard source
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I welcome this statement. The point about Exercise Pegasus reminds me of Exercise Cygnus, the findings of which, I am saddened to say, the previous Government ignored in advance of what then became the pandemic we faced. In recent weeks we have seen attacks on Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and others, and the fire at Heathrow, so this action plan is incredibly welcome. It states that the Government will develop a “consolidated, data-driven picture of our resilience baseline” to show how resilient the UK is at any moment, and a new cyber-resilience index that highlights the critical national infrastructure at greatest risk. Will my right hon. Friend give the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, which I chair, access to those indices, and may I suggest that we help him in developing them?
7 Jul 2025 · Neighbourhood Policing · Hansard source
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We need good community policing, but we also need good senior leadership teams in our forces. A recent review of Warwickshire police showed the leadership and the force management need improvement, and that its response times were inadequate. Would the Home Secretary look into Warwickshire police?
24 Jun 2025 · China Audit · Hansard source
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I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement. I am the first to recognise, along with him, the need for pragmatism on this issue. He speaks of our closest allies. In Washington a couple of weeks ago, I heard about the Americans’ real concerns about the super-embassy in London. They are banning Chinese electric vehicles because of their autonomous and connected nature, which is an extraordinary move to consider making. I recognise that there is an economic need, but there is obviously political pressure as well. Can members of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which I chair, have access to the confidential documents, so that we can be clear-eyed about what we face?
24 Jun 2025 · National Security Strategy · Hansard source
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I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement. I totally agree that defence and security have to begin at home, in the home and in the workplace. This is a very welcome comprehensive national security strategy, given its wide-ranging assessment of all the threats we face, in defence, security, critical national infrastructure and so on. An impressive number of workstreams have fed into it—AUKUS, the SDR, the resilience review and so on—but there was no mention of the National Security Council. Can my right hon. Friend tell me what he is doing to ensure that there is a coherence across the strategy that will herald a cultural change in how this country faces security?
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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Order. I am afraid you are out of time.
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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I call Llinos Medi.
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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It is good to see so many Members bobbing; I remind Members that they should bob throughout if they wish to be called in the debate. I am going to set a two-minute time limit, but we may have to reduce that at some point, given the amount of interventions that have been taken—I am not criticising that but, when speaking, please bear in mind that should you take an intervention you will prevent others from speaking later.
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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Last, but certainly not least, I call Jim Shannon.
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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I am pleased to see so many Members here. It is a warm afternoon, so if you wish to remove your jackets, you may do so. I do not necessarily expect a hot debate on this subject; however, a great many of you are expecting to speak, so we will start with a time limit of two minutes—and I am already anticipating that it could be reduced—and you may wish to prepare your speeches accordingly. I remind you all to speak through the Chair.
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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Order. I remind Members to keep an eye on the clock. The time limit is two minutes.
18 Jun 2025 · Businesses in Rural Areas · Hansard source
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Before I call the Minister, I gently remind him to allow a couple of minutes for the mover of the motion at the end.
18 Jun 2025 · Asbestos Removal: Non-domestic Buildings · Hansard source
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I will call Emma Lewell to move the motion and then call the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make a speech only with prior permission from the Member in charge of the debate and the Minister. As is the convention for a 30-minute debate, there will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up.
18 Jun 2025 · Political Prisoners · Hansard source
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Order. I would like to get everyone in with about equal amounts of time. Hopefully, we can do so with four minutes each.
18 Jun 2025 · Political Prisoners · Hansard source
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Order. We will now formally make speeches four minutes long.
18 Jun 2025 · Political Prisoners · Hansard source
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Order. I am afraid I am going to have to reduce speeches to three minutes.
12 Jun 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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At the height of the pandemic, Mr Speaker, you may recall the establishment of the Rosalind Franklin laboratory and national testing facility, which we were promised would be retained after the pandemic for more general testing. Sadly, it was unceremoniously put up for sale on Rightmove a couple of years ago. May we have a debate on, or a review into, the provision of diagnostic testing more generally in this country?
12 Jun 2025 · Industrial Strategy · Hansard source
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I thank my right hon. Friend for his excellent chairship of the Committee. He spoke about the grand challenges we face. We heard in the evidence sessions how we have such structural challenges—we have just heard about energy, and we could say the same about skills particularly —so could he say a bit more about some of the work being done and the need for a whole-of-Government approach?
2 Jun 2025 · Strategic Defence Review · Hansard source
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Anyone who heard Carsten Breuer, Germany’s Chief of Defence, speak at the weekend will have found his words deeply sobering, so I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the SDR, which is modernising our defence, from Atlantic Bastion to the transformation of our defence and a tech-driven approach. I particularly welcome the cyber and electromagnetic command. He spoke of a stronger deterrence. Will he confirm that there is a need now for stronger offensive cyber-work by our forces?
2 Jun 2025 · Neighbourhood Policing · Hansard source
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7. What recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing.

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