Points of Order

(Limited Text - Ministerial Extracts only)

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Wednesday 3rd April 2019

(5 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I think the spontaneous reaction on both sides of the Chamber, joined in by the Leader of the House and other colleagues, speaks volumes. I hope that I speak on behalf of the House in saying that we have the most enormous respect and admiration for the hon. Lady. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] She has displayed courage and fortitude of which many people, and probably most of us, can only dream. In the most harrowing of circumstances, faced with an explicit and very real threat to her life from neo-Nazis, she has not wilted for a second. She has defended her own rights, she has defended the rights of her constituents, she has defended the rights of all her colleagues, and she has defended the rights of Parliament as an institution.

By this sort of poisonous, fascistic bile we will not be cowed, and the sooner the purveyors of hate, of fascism, of Nazism, of a death cult realise that, the better. I salute the hon. Lady, and I know that others will do so too—

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Led, I think, by the Leader of the House.

Andrea Leadsom Portrait Andrea Leadsom
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Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. On behalf of those on the Government Benches, I pay tribute to the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) for her courage in facing this down. We all absolutely stand with her.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I warmly thank the Leader of the House for what she has said. I think that she speaks for us all.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The Home Secretary is indicating a willingness to take part.

Sajid Javid Portrait Sajid Javid
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Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. May I take this opportunity to thank the hon. Member for West Lancashire for what she has said? She has the support of the whole House and beyond, and we all absolutely stand with every word that she has just shared with the House.