Business of the House Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Business of the House

Keith Vaz Excerpts
Thursday 13th September 2012

(11 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Lansley Portrait Mr Lansley
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I am in favour of marriage and I do not think we need to debate bigotry because in the House we seek to engage with all our affairs in a way that respects good language. If my hon. Friend is referring to the draft of a speech for the Deputy Prime Minister, I reassure him that the Deputy Prime Minister did not make the remarks and nor did he intend to.

Keith Vaz Portrait Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab)
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May we have an urgent debate on the situation in Yemen? On Tuesday, the Yemeni Defence Minister narrowly escaped assassination and today 5,000 Yemenis have stormed the American embassy in Sana’a. The country is sliding into civil war. Please may we have an urgent statement?

Lord Lansley Portrait Mr Lansley
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The right hon. Gentleman has raised an issue that we all recognise is both urgent and increasingly difficult. I will, of course, talk to my colleagues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about it. I do not have knowledge of any immediate opportunity for debate, but I will talk to them about how they might further report to the House.