Christmas Adjournment

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Madam Deputy Speaker, may I start by wishing you and your team a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year? I feel as if we have had a whistlestop tour of the United Kingdom today, and we have heard from hon. and right hon. Members from all corners of our great nation, but we are yet to hear from the best part of our United Kingdom—the Scottish Borders.

Let me take a moment to reflect on a hugely busy year in my constituency, before mentioning some of the excellent contributions we heard today. Local legend Douglas Heatley from Selkirk has just retired after 40 years of working at the Scottish Borders council. Douglas is truly a fantastic man, and we always chat whenever we bump into each other. He is responsible for keeping streets and public toilets clean, and he makes our area an even better place to live. I take this opportunity to thank him for his incredible service to the Scottish Borders, and wish him a long and happy retirement.

It has been a busy time of the year for me as the MP for the Borders; I have been supporting constituents with their issues, campaigning to protect our natural environment from new mega-pylons, fighting for better rail services and much, much more. I know that a highlight for many hon. Members—we heard much about this in business questions earlier today—is the annual Christmas card competition that many of us conduct. I had a bumper year this year, with hundreds of entries coming in from across the Scottish Borders. The eventual winner, decided by public vote, was Rowan from Coldstream primary school; we presented her with her prize last week. Her design will be landing on doormats across the Scottish Borders over the next few days.

In the time available, I will mention a couple of the excellent contributions that we have heard. We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), who underlined the great work that the Conservatives are doing on Harrow council. Along with my hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell), he highlighted the failures of the Labour Mayor of London. We heard from the hon. Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden); I do not know much about her city, but she is undoubtedly a great advocate for it. I enjoyed listening to her talk about some of the important work going on there. We heard from the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who is sadly no longer in his place; hopefully he is on a plane heading back home.

We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Immingham (Martin Vickers), who, like the hon. Member for Strangford, reminded us of the importance of Christmas, what it is all about and the birth of Christ. We heard from my fantastic constituency neighbour, my right hon. Friend the Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), who represents a constituency covering a huge area; it is even bigger than mine. He is a very powerful voice for all the 100 or so communities that he represents. We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) about the energetic campaign for his communities and the important investment that he secured for his constituency, particularly under the last Conservative Government. While much divides us in this Chamber, this debate shows what we all have in common: the honour of representing our constituents, and a belief that our constituency is the best in the country.

As Christmas approaches, my thoughts are especially with those who will spend the next few weeks serving others. I express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who will be working or volunteering over Christmas and the new year to support our communities. Our armed forces, both at home and overseas, deserve our deepest appreciation for their ongoing commitment to keeping us safe. I thank the NHS, social care staff, firefighters, police officers, and all the emergency service workers for their dedication. I am also grateful to the small business owners and workers in hospitality, retail and transport who put their plans on hold in order to help us celebrate.

Please take time to remember those who face loneliness, loss and financial problems at this time. Those things can be a particularly heavy weight on people at Christmas. If you can, consider reaching out—supporting a food bank, volunteering with a local group, or even just checking in with a neighbour who you worry may be lonely.

I wish everyone in the Scottish Borders, as well as every Member of this House—and you again, Madam Deputy Speaker—a very merry Christmas. I look forward to seeing everyone, hopefully well rested, in 2026.