Andrew Murrison
Main Page: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)Department Debates - View all Andrew Murrison's debates with the Cabinet Office
Belfast: Violent Disorder
Andrew Murrison Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Dan Jarvis
I absolutely can provide those assurances, and my hon. Friend is right to make her points in the way that she does. It is at moments like this that we are collectively tested. The test is whether we are prepared to stand together against the kind of horrific violence we have seen—in both the initial attack and the response to it—and reject extremism. That is not about seeking in any way to minimise the horror of the scenes we have seen, but the job of the Government is to provide a grown-up, balanced response that seeks to bring communities together, not drive them apart. That will always be the response of this Government.
Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)
Happy birthday to you, Mr Speaker.
The Minister said to criminals—who are criminals, Minister, not thugs—“Do not do it.” With respect, that will not cut it. It suggests that the Government are simply a passive, pearl-clutching observer rather than an active participant. I accept that operational matters are for the PSNI, not the Minister, but will he say what the Government are doing to try to fix the fundamentals that underpin the dreadful situation in Belfast?
Dan Jarvis
I have a huge amount of respect for the right hon. Gentleman, but his characterisation of the words I used in my opening remarks is unfair, not least because I was seeking to provide a degree of clarity to those in Northern Ireland who might find themselves swept along by some of the violence we have seen in recent times. It is entirely reasonable that there is clarity about the message that I, as a Government Minister, send to those people, which is that they should not do it, and that if they decide they want to do it, they have to be prepared to face the full consequences of their criminality. With great respect to the right hon. Gentleman, I do not think that is an unreasonable point to make.
The right hon. Gentleman’s second point was a wider, systemic one. He will understand that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is an extraordinarily seasoned political operator who dedicates his service in this House to serving the people of Northern Ireland as the Secretary of State, and Members right across the House will understand how seriously he takes these matters. But the right hon. Gentleman is also right to infer that this is a shared endeavour across Government, which is why we will look carefully at what has happened in Northern Ireland and ensure that our collective response is proportionate.