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Paul Kohler

Paul Kohler

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Northern Ireland)

Liberal DemocratMP for Wimbledon

What Paul said recently

Questions

Urgent question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures will be put in place to ensure that holiday travel and business freight will not be delayed at UK ports. International rail terminals and airports as a result of the imposition of the European Entry System (EES)

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I say to the minister, despite the unholy alliance between him and the Tory frontbench, this is clearly, clearly a product of Brexit. I visited Dover with the Homeland Security Committee on last week. They've inv…”

Questions

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

“Back in March, the right honourable Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) travelled to Belfast to address the Alliance party conference. In his speech, he warned that “it is too easy for the powers-that-be to write their own rules and cover …”

Debate

Northern Ireland Office

“The 2026-27 main estimate for the Northern Ireland Office asks the House to approve spending plans for this politically sensitive region of the United Kingdom. In cash terms, the 2026-27 block grant has barely increased from 2025-26 levels.…”

Questions

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

“The May review of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery describes a “toxic”, “divided” and “disrespectful” senior culture, along with structural weaknesses in the governing legislation. It also raises concer…”

Debate

Defence Readiness

“I congratulate the honourable Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward) on her passionate and compassionate speech. There is much in the King’s Speech that I can support in principle, and the Liberal Democrats will engage construc…”

Statement

Ministerial statement: Security Vetting

“The Foreign Office raised severe concerns regarding Peter Mandelson’s links with Epstein, Russia and China in the due diligence report that the Prime Minister received before the appointment was announced. The Prime Minister, however, brush…”

Questions

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

“On a recent visit to Northern Ireland, I met with numerous stakeholders, including veterans, victims and survivors, all of whom are seeking justice. Yet I fear that both the former legacy Act and the current troubles Bill conceive of justic…”

Debate

Business of the House

“Criterion Capital has recently embarked on a series of mass no-fault evictions in my borough of Merton, including Emerald House in my constituency. It is a shameless attempt to do so before the practice becomes illegal under the Renters’ Ri…”

Statement

Ministerial statement: Protest Policing

“Notwithstanding my liberal instincts, I too agree with the Home Secretary’s decision to prohibit this march given Iran’s targeting of UK nationals abroad and our allies overseas. That targeting also occurs here in the UK. It occurred in my …”

Statement

Ministerial statement: Middle East

“I applaud the Prime Minister’s judgment in this matter. I am in contact with British nationals trapped in a hotel in Qatar who are seeing missiles passing overhead, with more than 30 explosions just today. They texted me a few minutes ago t…”

Questions

Prime Minister's Question Time

“Q6. The Prime Minister recently stated:“we will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional.” He was talking about Epstein’s enablers, but one of my constituents, who uses the pseudonym “Isabella”, has asked me to ask the Prime Mini…”

Questions

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

“The Windsor framework was meant to give Northern Ireland the best of both worlds: unfettered access to the UK internal market and barrier-free access to the EU. Not so, according to a recent survey conducted by the Federation of Small Busin…”

Debate

Covid-19: Financial Support

“I congratulate my honourable Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Manuela Perteghella) on securing this important debate. During the pandemic, the state quite rightly intervened on an unprecedented scale. Hospitality businesses received…”

Legislation

Finance (No. 2) Bill

“The line about alcohol duty in clause 86 may look technical, and even innocuous, but outside the Chamber, in places such as my constituency of Wimbledon, it lands with a thud. Before I go further, I should declare an interest: I am the chai…”

Urgent question

Urgent question: Chinese Embassy

“The Minister has asked for a question about planning, so I will give him one. I am struggling to think of an innocent reason why important details would be redacted from the original application. Can he tell me what explanation has been giv…”

Questions

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

“Happy new year, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State was sitting alongside the Minister for the Armed Forces on Monday, when I asked him whether he was listening to the concerns of veterans regarding the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. The Mi…”

Questions

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

“As I hope that the Secretary of State knows, my party and I are hugely supportive of his efforts to move beyond the Tories’ failed legacy Act, provided the legitimate concerns of our veterans are fully met. Will he detail specifically, eith…”

Legislation

Northern Ireland Troubles Bill

“Although I have not held this spokesperson role for long, I have met veterans, victims and survivors, academics and Members from across this House and the other place. Those conversations have been humbling and instructive, reminding me of …”

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