VerbatimParliament, as it happens
Peter Bedford

Peter Bedford

ConservativeMP for Mid Leicestershire

What Peter said recently

Debate

Opposition Day: Summer Jobs

“thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. As an accountant, it will come as no surprise to members from across the House that I take a keen interest in numbers. Unfortunately for this government, the numbers do not make for pleasant reading. While m…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →4× at the despatch box
Questions

Oral questions: Business and Trade

“The Government’s impact assessment puts the costs of the Employment Rights Act at up to £5 billion, which will hit small and medium-sized businesses since they lack the human resources teams and the expertise to absorb the additional burden…”

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Questions

Oral questions: Work and Pensions

“Over 700,000 young people are now out of work. That figure is up 100,000 year on year, and the youth unemployment rate is now at over 16%—higher than at any point during the pandemic. As this is likely to be the ministerial team’s final que…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Debate

Getting Britain Working Again

“They say that a week is a long time in politics, yet during this short debate we have seen the Health Secretary leave the Government. Amid the open revolt and factional infighting, one thing remains abundantly clear: whoever will be steerin…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Questions

Oral questions: Work and Pensions

“With the number of young people not in education, employment or training hovering at the 1 million mark, apprenticeships now more than ever are key to supporting opportunity and aspiration for so many of our young people. Conservative Membe…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Legislation

Pension Schemes Bill

“Is not the hallmark of every Labour Government that they end up running out of other people’s money? When they do that, they end up borrowing. When that runs dry, they end up eyeing up our pensions, as Gordon Brown did. My constituents and …”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Questions

Oral questions: Justice

“People should have the right to protest, but that needs to be coupled with responsibilities. As my honourable Friend the Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) mentioned, it is outrageous that fringe groups feel emboldened to protest in supp…”

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Questions

Oral questions: Work and Pensions

“When this Government came into office, unemployment stood at 4.2%. After a brutal 18 months of job-destroying, anti-business, anti-growth policies, it now stands at 5.2%, with young people bearing the brunt—1 million of them are not in empl…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Legislation

Representation of the People Bill

“It is quite frankly absurd to grant children the right to vote, and even place 14 and 15-year-olds on the electoral register, all while maintaining the plethora of age-based rights elsewhere. Just look at the contradictions. A 16-year-old w…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →2× at the despatch box
Debate

Youth Unemployment

“I turn 40 next week. I hope that does not render me too old to highlight the realities faced by some of our young people. They feel let down and some even speak of intergenerational unfairness. The facts are stark: youth unemployment is ris…”

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Questions

Oral questions: Treasury

“A new report by the Prosperity Institute is highly critical of the Government’s net zero policies and their adverse impact on the broader economy, and my constituents’ fuel bills continue to soar because of the Government’s reluctance to us…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Questions

Oral questions: Work and Pensions

“As a result of this Government’s economic vandalism, unemployment continues to rise, particularly among young people and those with disabilities. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we support people back into work, but the Access to Wor…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Questions

Prime Minister's Question Time

“Q3. Unlike many of his parliamentary colleagues, I actually do not think that the Prime Minister should resign. But at the start of a new year, it is time to reflect—reset, detox, if you will—on his Government’s appalling economic policies …”

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Urgent question

Urgent question: Budget: Press Briefings

“In the past year, a record £70 billion has been withdrawn from pension schemes through the tax-free lump sum as a result of the fear driven by the uncertainty of recent months. Does the Minister understand that the constant leaks and policy…”

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Debate

Welfare Spending

“The welfare bill is out of control. A system with laudable aims that was designed to act as a safety net for those who fall on hard times now threatens not only the nation’s finances but the spirt of hard work and self-reliance. That is why…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →7× at the despatch box
Questions

Oral questions: Treasury

“Pension scheme trustees have an obligation to make decisions that they believe are in the best interests of savers, which is otherwise known as their fiduciary duty. The reserve powers in the Pension Schemes Bill could force investment in G…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Debate

Stamp Duty Land Tax

“This debate captures the key difference between Conservatives and the Labour party, because we on the Conservative Benches believe in people. We believe in their talent, their drive, their hopes and their aspirations. By contrast, the Labou…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →6× at the despatch box
Questions

Oral questions: Education

“Too many young people are being saddled with huge debts from universities with little to show by way of career prospects. There is a clear case for the Government to slash poor-value degrees and redirect the savings to the apprenticeship bu…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box
Questions

Prime Minister's Question Time

“Q3. Business confidence has fallen for five consecutive quarters, and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has said that there are significant concerns in the housing market. The Prime Minister could inject some confidence back into…”

Read Peter’s full contribution →1× at the despatch box

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