Greg Smith
Main Page: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)Department Debates - View all Greg Smith's debates with the Leader of the House
(4 days, 18 hours ago)
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Lucy Powell
I certainly congratulate my hon. Friend’s constituents on the work they are doing to save this local service. She is absolutely right to say that the Scottish National party Government of Scotland have overseen huge mismanagement when it comes to the long-awaited ferry services. They are late and over budget, and they just add to the £5 billion of taxpayers’ money that the Scottish Government have wasted on pet projects.
Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
Further to the questions from my hon. Friends the Members for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns), and for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans), yesterday’s Budget was a full-frontal financial attack on our farmers. The Leader of the House has declined to ensure a statement on the subject, but we have four more days of debate on the Budget. That means that there are eight opportunities for the Environment Secretary or the Minister with responsibility for farming to open or close debate on one of those days, so that MPs on both sides of the House can fully hold the Government to account on their plans for farming. Will the Leader of the House ensure that the Environment Secretary or Minister for farming opens or closes debate on one of those days?
Lucy Powell
As the hon. Gentleman knows, he can raise any matter relating to the Budget in any of those debates, and a Cabinet Minister will respond. Just as I took issue with his colleagues, I take issue with him for his characterisation of the issue. We are committed to supporting farming, and farming communities. We have a settlement that provides £5 billion over two years for farming, and we are prioritising the farm recovery fund. I am afraid that this stands in stark contrast to what the Conservatives did for farmers with their botched Brexit deal, the phasing out of farming payments and so on. It is no wonder that Labour won so many rural constituencies at the last election, and we will continue to support those constituencies going forward.