Stephen Gethins MP: speeches

Speeches

• 2 Sept 2025 · Georgia: Democracy · Hansard source

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  I join others in congratulating the Minister on his nuptials—that is happy news for everybody. The Minister will be aware of the fantastic work that UK-based non-governmental organisations have done about civil society stability, which is crucial in these darker times. With the cuts to the international development budget, will the Minister assure me that work in that space in Georgia and elsewhere will not be undermined as a result of those cuts?

• 1 Sept 2025 · Ukraine · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Norwegian investment in Glasgow’s shipyards. The Norwegians understand the importance of European security. The Norwegians understand the importance of territorial integrity. The Norwegians understand the importance of the high north. I pay credit to those at RM Condor, in my constituency, for their work in that particular area. They know that Donetsk is Ukrainian, that Luhansk is Ukrainian, and that Crimea is Ukrainian. The United States ambassador to NATO said recently that no “chunks” that had not been “earned on the battlefield” should be given over to Russia. When the Secretary of State meets his US counterpart in a couple of weeks, will he make it clear that no chunks of Ukraine are earned by aggressors on the battlefield, and that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is testament regardless of our political allegiance here?

• 9 Jul 2025 · Spending Review 2025: Scottish Public Services · Hansard source

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  I am not sure the Secretary of State quite caught the question there. We voted against the two-child cap. If there is cash to go around and UK Departments are getting bigger spending increases than the Scottish Government, why will he not prioritise child poverty? The Child Poverty Action Group described getting rid of the two-child cap as “the most cost-effective way” to cut child poverty. It was described by the Pensions Minister as “immoral”. The Cabinet Office’s recent report “Tackling Child Poverty” stated: “There is a lot we can learn from action already being taken in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”. Will the Secretary of State make scrapping the two-child poverty cap a priority, or will he insist on failed Tory policies?

• 9 Jul 2025 · Spending Review 2025: Scottish Public Services · Hansard source

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  During the spending review period, the Scottish Government will have to continue to mitigate some of the cruellest Westminster policies. They had to do that under the Tories, and it continues under Labour, not least with the two-child cap. Can the Secretary of State tell us whether there are any plans to scrap it?