Sue Gray Report

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Wednesday 25th May 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am going to move on with the Government’s agenda, and that is exactly what we are going to do.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

I appreciate that the Prime Minister struggles with the truth, but can he vouch to me and to this House that he will do everything he possibly can to stave off his Back Benchers and instead lead the campaign to protect his precious Union?

Easter Recess: Government Update

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Tuesday 19th April 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I have spoken in good faith and, of course, continue to raise the case of his constituent.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

Does the Prime Minister believe that a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who openly treats the public like they are mugs is a help or a hindrance to the cause of Scottish independence?

Living with Covid-19

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Monday 21st February 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We have to be humble in the face of this disease. It remains a dangerous disease and we must continue to be cautious, but we also have to take balanced decisions that are right for the country. It is clear now that the 19 July decision and the decision on Christmas and the new year were correct.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

Is it not the case that the decision being taken here today has nothing to do with protecting public health and everything to do with protecting this Prime Minister from his own Back Benchers?

[The Prime Minister]

No, the hon. Gentleman is completely wrong.

Sue Gray Report

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Monday 31st January 2022 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

This morning, the Conservative party in Scotland issued a press release that stated:

“The pandemic sees rise in criminals getting away with crimes”.

Was it talking about the Prime Minister?

[The Prime Minister]

What we are actually doing is cutting crime by 14% and putting 20,000 more police on the streets.

Covid-19 Update

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Wednesday 19th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is totally right. I believe the No. 1 priority for the British people is not just to keep our economy moving forward, as we are, but to make sure we clear those covid backlogs. We cannot do that without the steps the Government have taken. I thought it was amazing that the party opposite voted against them.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

Can I have confirmation from the Prime Minister? Is he getting rid of the covid rules simply because he does not understand them?

[The Prime Minister]

We are able to make progress on the covid rules, and to get rid of them, because of our deep understanding of the pandemic. I thank the hon. Gentleman and all our Scottish colleagues for helping to communicate what we are doing in such a way that British people across the whole UK have been able to move forward more or less together. The differences between us are far, far smaller than the similarities, about which I am very proud.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Wednesday 15th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, but I also want to say that I understand completely the massive opportunity and the potential that exists in those coastal communities. That is why we are already investing £120 million in five new town deals, including for Lowestoft. I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Levelling Up will want to be taking my hon. Friend’s points on board as we bring forward the levelling up White Paper in the new year.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

Q2. Does the Prime Minister believe that it is the damage being caused by Brexit, his litany of broken promises, his condoning of Conservative party corruption, or just simply his complicity in lockdown-busting Christmas parties and quizzes that has caused the public to so dramatically, so rapidly, lose faith in his leadership?

[The Prime Minister]

What I observe is that actually it was our freedom from the rules of the European Union that enabled us to deliver the fastest vaccine roll-out in Europe and that has enabled us to have the fastest economic growth in the G7. That is of massive benefit to each and every one of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents, and I think he should acknowledge that point.

COP26

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Monday 15th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I congratulate the Humber and the whole region on what they are doing in green technology and carbon capture and storage. We will ensure that this country builds on their lead with clean, green technology around the whole country.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

In the run-up to COP, the Prime Minister spoke about Kermit the Frog. On the first day of COP, he spoke about cows belching before disappearing up a closie for the next two weeks, instead focusing his time on trying to cover up Conservative party corruption. So can I ask the Prime Minister: when the world needed climate leadership, does he believe that he was a help or a hindrance?

[The Prime Minister]

As I say, the Opposition have struggled all afternoon with the appalling fact that COP26 has been a success. In all humility, they should recognise that, congratulate the negotiators and thank all the countries of the UN that came together to do something very difficult and very remarkable. I am grateful to all the parties involved.

Health and Social Care

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Tuesday 7th September 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, and I thank my right hon. Friend for his support; he knows a great deal about this subject from many points of view. It is certainly right to bring in the measures that will help to create a private sector market for support in the way I have described, but also more fundamentally from our point of view—my right hon. Friend’s and my point of view—these are measures that support thrift, that support people who save, and that support people who do the right thing: who pay off their mortgage and work hard all their lives to build up something for their families and descendants. So I think these measures are profoundly in the interests of the people of this country.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

Let us be clear: Scottish taxpayers are being asked to bail out England’s failing social care system from a mess created by the UK Government. I ask the Prime Minister, in all good sincerity: does he believe that his new poll tax will help or hinder the cause of Scottish independence?

[The Prime Minister]

Good luck with that one. That is all I can say to the hon. Gentleman. What the people of Scotland and the whole of the UK are getting is £2.2 billion more across the whole of the devolved Administrations and a £300 million Union dividend. If they do not want to spend it on health and social care, or if they do not want to spend it at all—if he is handing the money back—then let us hear it from the Scottish nationalist party. Do they want it or do they not?

Transport Infrastructure

Debate between Boris Johnson and Stephen Flynn

Tuesday 11th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend. He has lobbied me personally several times on that issue, and I can assure him that the plant and the jobs in question will be uppermost in our minds.

[Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) (SNP)]

At the last count, HS2 was projected to cost the city of Aberdeen £220 million. Based on that figure, does the Prime Minister agree that HS2 will be an economic disaster for my city?

[The Prime Minister]

On the contrary, HS2 will shorten journey times across the whole United Kingdom, in particular Scotland. Indeed, as I said earlier, there will be Barnett consequentials following the fantastic announcements that we have made today about buses and other modes of transport.