Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Lisa Cameron

Tuesday 19th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Dr Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) (Con)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Jeremy Hunt)]

Today is the funeral of Lord Darling, who will be greatly missed by many in this House, as well as by Maggie and his family. Civil servants are known for being good at concealing their private feelings about more challenging Ministers, but that was never necessary with Alistair Darling. He was Chief Secretary to the Treasury and then Chancellor during the global financial crisis, and despite the many stresses and strains of that period, he was uniformly admired and much loved for his kindness, decency and dry sense of humour. He took decisions in that period that have stood the test of time and put him on the small list of Chancellors whom history will remember for wise decision making in an unprecedented crisis. We will always remember him.

Finally, Mr Speaker, may I wish you and all the staff in the House a merry and peaceful Christmas?

[Dr Cameron]

I, too, send my full sympathy. I also wish everyone across the House a merry Christmas.

Industry has fully supported the Prime Minister’s vision of the UK becoming a cryptocurrency hub, but many licensed companies are still finding it difficult to open bank accounts here. So will the Chancellor meet the all-party group on crypto and digital assets to discuss what progress can be made on digital Britain?

[Jeremy Hunt]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for asking that question, because the UK, and London in particular, has become the global crypto hub. To make sure that the market can really take off in the way that was intended—in a responsible way—we need to regulate it, which is why we have introduced regulations on stablecoins and on the promotion of crypto services. My hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury would be more than happy to meet her.

Economic Update

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Lisa Cameron

Monday 17th October 2022 Commons Chamber

[Jeremy Hunt]

I absolutely am very happy to confirm that I agree with that in principle.

[Dr Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) (SNP)]

Two very important conferences are taking place in the UK this week that support the Government’s aim for a UK cryptocurrency hub: the digital assets summit and the bitcoin collective summit. The crypto and digital assets all-party parliamentary group, which I chair, is keen to meet the Treasury to hear about the Chancellor’s commitments to regulation and consumer protection and to take forward the area’s vast potential in job creation, innovation and growth.

[Jeremy Hunt]

I know that the hon. Lady has been in discussions with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and I know that he would be delighted to communicate with her further, because she obviously has a lot of expertise in this area.