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Stephen Flynn MP: speeches 2025

67 published records · newest first.

Speeches

  • 21 Jul 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source
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    On the Foreign Secretary’s watch and in his statement today, he has refused to call it a genocide, he has refused to end all arms sales to Israel and, of course, he continues to refuse to recognise a state of Palestine, so here is something he could do. On his watch, just two wee kids who have been bombed or shot by the Israeli forces have been evacuated to the UK for medical treatment. The First Minister of Scotland wrote to the Prime Minister saying that we stand ready to provide hospital treatment to such children. Shamefully, the Prime Minister has not even bothered to respond. Will the Foreign Secretary do what his boss will not, and commit the UK to making sure that children who have been bombed by Israel are treated—

  • 21 Jul 2025 · Independent Water Commission · Hansard source
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    In expressing his opposition to the nationalisation of water just yesterday, the Secretary of State did not mention the fact that, under Scottish Water, bills in Scotland are £113 cheaper, or the fact that 97% of Scotland’s bathing waters meet the quality standards expected. No—what he said of Scottish Water was that “pollution in rivers in Scotland is worse than in England.” I have consulted the House of Commons Library and just 14% of rivers in England meet the quality standards expected, whereas 58.2% of Scotland’s do. Trust in politics matters, so he will correct the record today, won’t he?

  • 15 Jul 2025 · Welfare Spending · Hansard source
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    rose—

  • 15 Jul 2025 · Welfare Spending · Hansard source
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    If I recall correctly, from the get-go, the Labour party suspended seven Members of its parliamentary party for voting to scrap the two-child cap. The Minister’s colleague, the hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh), asked her very clearly whether she believes that the two-child cap should be scrapped, but she did not answer. Perhaps now she will. Does she believe that the cap should be scrapped—yes or no?

  • 3 Jul 2025 · Women’s State Pension Age: Financial Redress · Hansard source
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    I thank the hon. Lady for giving way and congratulate her on securing this debate today. She has been a very powerful advocate for the WASPI campaigners not just in England and Wales, but in Scotland, too, and that is recognised by them. Does she agree that over recent weeks we have seen that where there is a will, there is way? If her colleagues on the Labour Benches were to use their new-found power, perhaps we could find a way of getting the Government to right this historic and grievous wrong.

  • 2 Jul 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
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    In his victory speech last year, the Prime Minister promised to “end the chaos”. Does he think that the public still believe him?

  • 26 Jun 2025 · G7 and NATO Summits · Hansard source
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    It will not have escaped anyone’s notice that while the Prime Minister was rightly away at the G7 and NATO summits, he made tens of billions of pounds of unfunded spending commitments, yet next week he expects Members of Parliament to vote with him to remove money from disabled people who need help to go to the toilet. How can he justify making a moral argument for security abroad while removing security from disabled people at home?

  • 23 Jun 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source
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    A lot of people watching and worrying over the weekend will have seen many of the hallmarks of Iraq. Despite that, the Foreign Secretary cannot tell us whether or not he believes that the strikes were the right thing to do, or whether or not he believes that the strikes were legal, and he has failed to outline today whether this House would be given a vote on any potential military action in this conflict. Is he purposely treating the public as fools?

  • 10 Jun 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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    May I extend an invite to the Secretary of State to come to Aberdeen and meet the highly skilled energy workforce, whose jobs are being put at risk as a result of his policies?

  • 4 Jun 2025 · Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories · Hansard source
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    I cannot help but feel that the Minister is treating Members with a significant level of contempt by telling us that something will happen, but not telling us what that will be or when it will happen. On a more acute point, can he perhaps clarify for the House why he believes it is consistent for his Government to condemn the Israeli Government for starving a civilian population while at the same time providing them with the component parts to bomb a civilian population?

  • 4 Jun 2025 · Town Centre Regeneration · Hansard source
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    I will tell the Secretary of State what is bad for town centres, and that is job losses. On this Government’s watch, Robert Gordon University has been forced to publish a report that outlines that there could be 400 job losses in the North sea every two weeks. That is a Grangemouth-type shutdown every two weeks. How many jobs have to be lost in my constituency for his Government to act?

  • 22 May 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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    May I begin by echoing the revulsion of the Leader of the House in respect of the antisemitic murders in the United States of America in recent hours? “Cruel” and a policy that sees a third child treated “as almost a second-class citizen”. That is not my phrasing, but that of Gordon Brown in describing the Labour party’s two-child benefit cap—and it is the Labour party’s two-child benefit cap, because its Members went through the Division Lobbies to retain it just last year. In Scotland, we know that the SNP will scrap the two-child benefit cap. Based on the Prime Minister’s U-turn yesterday in respect of the winter fuel allowance, will the Leader of the House advise us on whether another one is likely in respect of this heinous policy?

  • 20 May 2025 · Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories · Hansard source
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    Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—no pressure. To see the Foreign Secretary finally find some fire in his belly on this issue was certainly most appreciated, but it was long overdue. Ultimately, as has been mentioned, the Government are still a block to action. Would he support this House being given votes on whether we support the work of the ICJ and the ICC, on whether we recognise the state of Palestine, and on ending all arms sales to Israel?

  • 20 May 2025 · UK-EU Summit · Hansard source
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    I think the Front Benches need to calm the jets a wee bit. This is obviously not a surrender, just as it is obviously no substitute for membership of the European Union; nor, indeed, is it, as the Prime Minister has said repeatedly today, providing “unprecedented access” to the EU market—that is simply absurd. The deal does provide for co-operation on carbon storage, so will the Prime Minister build on that good work by committing his Government to providing the financial support that is necessary to take forward the Acorn project in the north-east of Scotland?

  • 7 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source
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    Prior to the election, the Prime Minister promised that energy bills would come down; they continue to rise. He promised that he would save the refinery at Grangemouth; it is shut. He promised that he would unleash a generation of secure energy jobs in my city of Aberdeen. Today, Harbour Energy—the largest independent player in the North sea—has announced that it is about to shed 25% of its workforce. That is 250 jobs in my constituency gone in the blink of his eye. Do you know who they blame, Mr Speaker? They blame the policies of theLabour party. May I ask the Prime Minister—in fact, may I invite him to come to Aberdeen and explain to my constituents why he is willing to move heaven and earth to save jobs in Scunthorpe, while destroying jobs in Scotland?

  • 6 May 2025 · Middle East Update · Hansard source
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    The hon. Member will forgive me, but there are few things more infuriating in this House than listening to Ministers—whether they are of the blue persuasion, or of the red persuasion, as now—fail to call out collective punishment for what it is, fail to call out war crimes for what they are, continue to justify the sale of arms to Israel, and find every excuse possible not to recognise the state of Palestine. Perhaps he will be the one who surprises me, gets to his feet, and says that the plan as laid out by Benjamin Netanyahu is tantamount to ethnic cleansing. Will he do that, yes or no?

  • 30 Apr 2025 · Energy Grid Resilience · Hansard source
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    The Minister will be aware that Peterhead gas station is Scotland’s only high-power, high-inertia facility and that it has an independent black-start facility. Key to the future of that site is the Acorn project, another thing he will be very familiar with. Can he confirm his Government’s intention to fully fund and license that project as a track 2 project as part of the comprehensive spending review in June?

  • 25 Apr 2025 · Devolution (Immigration) (Scotland) Bill · Hansard source
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    On that point, does my hon. Friend agree that it is that strength of cross-sector agreement in Scotland that leaves so many people disappointed? Their expectations and hopes were raised that a change of Government in this place would lead to a change in migration policy, so does that not make it essential that Scotland’s interests in relation to this issue are served by powers resting in Holyrood, rather than the Government here?

  • 12 Apr 2025 · Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill · Hansard source
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    The right hon. Member from Plaid Cymru corrects me to clarify the fact that the Bill applies only to England. The important consideration is: why is this not being extended to Scotland? Why is Grangemouth not being included, why is the smelter up at Lochaber not being included and why are the Dalzell steelworks not being included? The answer to why they are not being included is that Westminster is only interested in Westminster; it is not interested in Scotland. [ Interruption. ] I will not be shouted down by Labour Members, because they need to hear the truth. Scotland’s interests matter, and the people of Scotland are watching.

  • 12 Apr 2025 · Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill · Hansard source
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    The Secretary of State has said this is “unique” and “exceptional” and made reference to energy transitions and thousands of jobs. In the Scottish context, many minds right now will be focused on the situation in Grangemouth, where we know that hundreds of jobs will be lost directly, as well as thousands in the supply chain. Were I, or perhaps even the local Member, the hon. Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman), to bring forward a similar Bill to save Scotland’s only oil refinery and give the Secretary of State the executive power to do as he pleases—as he is doing with British Steel—would the Labour party back it as it is backing this Bill today?

  • 12 Apr 2025 · Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill · Hansard source
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    It is a privilege to follow such an impressive speech from the hon. Member for Stockton North (Chris McDonald). I am sure his constituents will be incredibly impressed at his knowledge of this issue. I want to be kind not just to him but to the Secretary of State, once again. That is becoming a habit that I want to break, but certainly his sincerity today cannot be doubted. If there is one person who could be afforded the executive powers in this Bill with an element of trust, it is probably him. There are some topics that have not been touched on in a huge amount of detail today and I will touch on them briefly now. Whether it is tariffs, competition or energy prices, we must not forget the fundamentals of why the steel industry faces such a challenging position. There is one other hugely important issue that has not been discussed at any length in the Chamber today, notwithstanding the future contribution that I imagine will be made by the hon. Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman)—it will not pass the lips of any other Members—which is the situation in Grangemouth. I say “the situation in Grangemouth” with an element of despair, because we all know that there are hundreds of people who are on the brink of losing their jobs. The similarities are astounding. We have PetroChina on the one hand and a Chinese company in Scunthorpe on the other. We have a Chinese company in Scunthorpe saying that there are losses of around £700,000 and we have a Chinese company at Grangemouth saying that there are losses of around £500,000. We have a cracker in Grangemouth that has been deemed not useful anymore and we have blast furnaces in Scunthorpe that are categorised in the same manner. We all need to be conscious of those comparisons. I say that on the basis that while the Secretary of State is right to say that this is important for jobs in Scunthorpe, this is right for the communities in Scunthorpe and this is right for Westminster’s national, UK-wide interest, is it not the case that it is important to the workers in Grangemouth? Is it not the case that it is important to the communities in Grangemouth? And is it not the case that it is in Scotland’s national interest that Grangemouth is protected?

  • 12 Apr 2025 · Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill · Hansard source
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    I am afraid that I will not give way because we are all constrained by time, in the same way that Labour Members will not take interventions either. The Secretary of State’s answer to me earlier was that £200 million has been put forward through the National Wealth Fund. Each and every one of us knows that that is not in the gift of the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State to dictate. It ultimately relies on the private sector coming forward with a proposal. Indeed, in evidence given to the Scottish Affairs Committee just last week by EY, which has done the Project Willow report, it was quite clear in its observations that there will be no progress until 2030 at the earliest. That is simply not good enough, because while the Government mobilise every effort to save British Steel, they allow Grangemouth to fall on the back burner. The hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Alan Gemmell) referred to industrial strategies. He seems to forget in that context that energy is a reserved matter for this United Kingdom Government—something the Secretary of State is all too familiar with, given our previous roles in this here House. The final thought I will leave with Labour Members is that they should remember the fact that the Bill they are supporting extends solely to England and Wales.

  • 3 Apr 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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    Much to my surprise, but perhaps to the relief of the Prime Minister, at Prime Minister’s questions yesterday not a single Member of this House raised the fact that energy bills have once again increased. In fact, on the Labour party’s watch, they have gone up by £281, despite its pre-election promise to reduce them by £300. Will the Leader of the House afford us all a debate on Government time as to that latest broken promise from the Labour party?

  • 3 Apr 2025 · UK-US Trade and Tariffs · Hansard source
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    Despite there being a trade deficit and despite the best efforts of this Government, including the Secretary of State, for whom I have a great deal of personal respect, the reality is that we have still been hit by significant tariffs from the States. People at home right now will be worried about jobs, inflation and the global headwinds, which will undoubtedly hit us irrespective of our own tariff situation. One industry in particular, back home in Scotland, that will be watching with eager eyes is the Scotch whisky industry, given the billions of pounds of exports that go to the United States. I do not want the Secretary of State to try and control—nor could he—Trump’s tariffs policy. What he can do, however, is control his domestic taxation regime. Will he take this opportunity to re-engage with the Chancellor in and around the Scotch whisky taxation status?

  • 31 Mar 2025 · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Hansard source
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    I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Last November, I visited the Srebrenica memorial centre, and I am sure the Minister will share my revulsion at the fact that it had to close its doors for a short period just a few weeks ago due to the political situation there. Before he does so, can he elaborate on the position that the United States of America has adopted in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina and whether he views the US as a stable ally that recognises that the western Balkans are crucial to the security of Europe as a whole?

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