Retirement of the Clerk of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Before I invite the Leader of the House to move the motion of congratulations to Tom Goldsmith, I would like to record my own brief tribute.

Having joined the House in 1996, Tom has now served this place for 30 years. He has been a distinguished and authoritative presence at the Table over the past decade, including as Clerk of the House for the last three years, a role that has been the culmination of an illustrious career in the service of this House.

Members may not know this, but Tom is from a proud east end family and was the first in his family to go to university. Throughout his career, he retained his connection with those roots, welcoming children from his former state school regularly to Parliament. On his appointment, he notably became the youngest Clerk of the House since John Hatsell in the 18th century.

Tom joined the House as an assistant Clerk via the civil service fast stream. In the years that followed, he held numerous roles across Select Committees and procedural offices, supporting the work of the Chamber. Tom has also been secretary to the House of Commons Commission and was the first head of governance in the Office of Governance. Those roles no doubt gave him a valuable insight into the way in which an at times unorthodox organisation runs; thankfully, that did not put him off applying for the role of Clerk of the House in the years that followed.

In fact, Tom hit the ground running as Clerk of the House, leading the House through the 2024 general election, with the largest turnover of MPs in living memory, prioritising safety on the estate and working alongside the director general to champion the bicameral procurement function and develop a more efficient model for the management of our estate.

On a more personal note, it was immediately before Tom’s appointment as Clerk of the House when he led the Table Office that I first had the privilege of working closely alongside him. Prior to that, he had led the Committee Office and driven the setting up of the groundbreaking hybrid and virtual Committees during the covid pandemic.

Tom has the procedural expertise, political nous and authority that are essential for a successful Clerk. He combines them with an exceptionally clear style of communication, which I value greatly. I am not the only one who has benefited from that: he has put those skills to good use as co-author of the most widely used popular textbook about Parliament, “How Parliament Works”.

I will always be grateful for the clear and authoritative advice Tom has provided, even on those rare occasions when we have disagreed with one another.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

Shame!

[Mr Speaker]

Absolutely—he said he learned about that in his Foreign Affairs Committee job. [Laughter.]

It is not just parliamentary procedure that keeps Tom busy in this place. He has also generously shared his talent for playing jazz piano at many an event in Parliament over the years, including in the Speaker’s House, which I will sorely miss.

I know that the House will join me in thanking Tom for contributing 30 years of outstanding public service. I wish him well and the very best in his future endeavours, as Tom goes on to write books about jazz. He is available to play, and—who knows?—this could be his new life: Tom now sings the blues.

Saudi Arabia: RAF Support

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Tom Tugendhat]

Thank you for granting this UQ, Mr Speaker. I am sorry that it was necessary, as there is a long-standing convention in this place that shadow Ministers—and, in fact, spokespeople from other parties—are briefed on a Privy Council basis in order to understand what is going on before there are military deployments overseas, but that seems to have fallen out of practice. Those of us—including my friend, the hon. and gallant Minister sitting across the Dispatch Box from me—who have served in uniform and have briefed members of the Opposition should remember that we may find ourselves on the opposite Benches in a few years’ time, and it is good to get back into these habits.

I will just say briefly why this is so important, and why I am asking this question and not my hon. Friend the Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), sitting beside me. This is a political decision and a political judgment. This is not purely a military deployment; it is a judgment on how to use the defensive arm of His Majesty’s Government and where it should go. It is a question that the Foreign Office is best placed to co-ordinate.

The reality is that what we are getting is a parcelled-off process, and not a strategy for success. Where is, for example, the action in the United Nations? Where are the sanctions on the Houthis, who should be designated as a terrorist group? Where are the co-ordinating actions with others in the region? We have the state visit of the Sultan of Oman—one of Britain’s most important regional partners—but where are the voices co-ordinating our actions around not just Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, but the whole of the Arabian peninsula in response to Iran’s hostility?

We have seen the regime in Tehran killing hundreds of thousands—perhaps even millions—of Sunni Muslims over the past half century since the poisonous creed of Khomeinism infected Tehran. This recent incident is not an isolated one; it is part of a pattern of violence. We have seen it pushing up energy prices in the United Kingdom, leaving us with our energy low and our storage short as winter approaches. Although the Jackdaw decision is the right one, it is a bit late, and it will not make a huge difference this winter, making Rosebank all the more urgent.

Let me just ask a few direct questions. First, what actions have the Minister or his Cabinet colleagues taken to co-ordinate actions with allies in the region? Secondly, what support has been given to the defence of Cyprus, given Iran’s proxy Hezbollah’s attack on our bases recently? Thirdly, what plans are there to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organisation? Fourthly, what actions are planned at the UN to call out Iranian aggression, alongside its Russian and Chinese neighbours? Fifthly—[Interruption.] Last one, Mr Speaker. Fifthly, will the Secretary of State commit to giving briefings before deployments? Finally, will the Secretary of State confirm that despite his predecessor saying—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The right hon. Member had two minutes—he is now on three. I think the Minister will have grasped what the right hon. Member needs.

--- Later in debate ---

[Tom Tugendhat]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. May I seek your guidance and advice on ensuring that the Government inform this House before military operations, and that they do not have to be dragged here with your indulgence for an urgent question when there is a clear need for this House to be able to debate the actions of His Majesty’s Government in order to support our forces? We all support our forces. I respect the Minister’s service and I am sure that he respects all those on the Opposition Benches as well.

[Mr Speaker]

I did not really want to be dragged into this, but obviously I am going to be. Previous Governments have stated that a convention has developed whereby, before troops are committed, the House of Commons should have an opportunity to debate the matter. Personally, I think that an oral ministerial statement on this would have been helpful, but ultimately it is a decision for the Government. I will leave it at that and do not want to be dragged any further.

China and Japan

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Monday 2nd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

They went on their feet, not on their knees. [Laughter.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order! Mr Tugendhat, you will withdraw that remark.

[Tom Tugendhat]

I am sorry, Mr Speaker. I withdraw it.

[Mr Speaker]

Thank you. Can we calm it down? I am sure you will want to catch my eye and I would like to hear what you have to say, so let us not ruin the opportunity.

Seasonal Work

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Wednesday 10th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

As my hon. Friend will remember, it was wonderful to see the King and the President of the United States sit down at Windsor recently. What was particularly striking was that, on the British side, only the King had run a business—he ran the Duchy of Cornwall. Nobody else had run a business. On the American side, everybody had run a business. Is that not quite a stark contrast?

[Mr Speaker]

I was there, and I have run a business!

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Tuesday 9th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Let’s try another ticket: Tom Tugendhat.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

I very much welcome the statement that the Chancellor has just made. Can I take that as an assurance that she will speak to her right hon. Friend the Transport Secretary and make sure that rail fares in Tonbridge do not increase when a second peak-time service is introduced when contactless is rolled out as far as Tonbridge? That, of course, would be a sleight of hand, and she would never want to do that.

Official Secrets Act Case: Witness Statements

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Thursday 16th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

May I apologise for earlier outbursts, Mr Speaker? [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am not in the position of needing any advice or help. I have had enough from the Opposition Benches; I do not want it starting on the Government Benches, too. I think we will take it that there was, in fairness, an apology to those on the Front Bench.

[Tom Tugendhat]

May I start by saying briefly quite how this feels, Mr Speaker? My home has been broken into, my files have been ransacked, somebody was put into my office by a hostile state, and the two parties are playing politics with it. This is the national security of the United Kingdom. The people of Tonbridge elected me; they may have chosen wrong, but they did. The people of other parts of the United Kingdom chose everybody else in this House—it is up to them to choose who represents them. Yet here we have two individuals seeking to extract information from us, and the Government’s response is not as mine was: do everything you can to make sure the prosecution works. No, no, it was “process, process”. Well, who the hell’s side are you on? This is not about bureaucracy; this is about leadership. We are not sent here to be civil servants. We are sent here to lead the country and to make decisions.

I feel nothing but fondness for the Minister in his place, and I am very sorry that he has been sent out on what is not quite his first outing, but pretty close—[Interruption.] Oh, it is his first outing! He has been sent out on his first outing to defend the indefensible. He now has the position in which he effectively has to say that he is not a politician, but a bureaucrat, that there is nothing he can do, and that frankly he should not even be here in the first place, because that seems to be the Prime Minister’s line. Former Attorneys General have got up and prosecuted on the state’s behalf. This Attorney General and this Prime Minister have said, “Not on my watch—not worth the effort.”

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I cannot prolong the UQ. I know the hon. Lady well, and I know she will not leave it at that point of order. She will go and use all the options that are open to her, and I am sure that she will be coming back in not too distant a time.

[Tom Tugendhat]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I call Tom Tugendhat, who will not keep this debate going.

[Tom Tugendhat]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I will not; I am going to raise a different argument, if I may. Given that the Government’s position is that the bureaucrats run the Government and are in charge of everything, may we dissolve this House and save the taxpayer the money, because clearly this is not a democracy any more?

[Mr Speaker]

I am sure the right hon. Member would not want to give up his seat quite so quickly.

School Teachers’ Review Body: Recommendations

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

One of the things I think we should be proudest of in England is the success of English schools over the last 10 to 14 years. Frankly, the differences in outcomes in England from those in Labour-run Wales or SNP-run Scotland have been very striking, demonstrating that, while for sure there are brilliant teachers across the United Kingdom, the different system in England has enabled its schools to flourish.

While I welcome the fact that the Minister is bringing the statement out early and I appreciate the work the Government have done on it, I am afraid that I do share the frustration of my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott) and my hon. Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson), who is no longer in her place. The Minister must appreciate that frustration, given that she was sitting on the Opposition Benches only a few months ago, as no doubt she will be again in only a few years’ time.

The reality is that it is very difficult to represent those who send us here if we are not given information. I was sent a letter by Simon Beamish, who runs the Leigh Academies Trust, and he told me that schools in my area of west Kent are already going to have redundancies or are going to make choices based on the unfunded pledges that have been given. Will the Minister make a commitment that the next pledges will be funded?

[Mr Speaker]

That was a very long question.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Monday 10th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We have stretched that answer out well, haven’t we? Let us go on to Tom Tugendhat.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

5. If he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of removing taxation from death-in-service payments.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Monday 7th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lammy]

On Thursday 3 October, my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister and Mauritian Prime Minister Jugnauth made an historic announcement: after two years of negotiations and decades of disagreement, the United Kingdom and Mauritius have reached a political agreement on the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The treaty is neither signed nor ratified, but I wanted to update the House on the conclusion of formal negotiations at the earliest opportunity.

Members will appreciate the context. Since its creation, the territory and the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia have had a contested existence. [Interruption.] In recent years, the threat has risen significantly. When we came into office, the status quo was clearly not sustainable. [Interruption.] A binding judgment against the UK seemed inevitable, and it was just a matter of time before our only choices would have been abandoning the base altogether or breaking international law.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

Not true.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. You will all be able to question the Secretary of State, so please just wait for that moment.

[Tom Tugendhat]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tom Tugendhat

Monday 29th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

May I start by extending my support to the Home Secretary for whatever incident is going on in Southport, and to Merseyside police, given the incidents we are sadly seeing in Merseyside today?

Earlier this month, the right hon. Lady refused to rule out the UK accepting migrants from European countries in exchange for a returns deal with Europe. Does she accept that under any deal she does, some of those sent to the United Kingdom from the European Union could harbour extremist ideologies or pose a security threat? Will she commit to ensuring strong safeguards, including a right of refusal on a case-by-case basis, to stop anyone who could put Britain’s security at risk from entering this country?