Loan Charge 2019: Sir Amyas Morse Review

Nigel Evans Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am sorry to have delayed my point of order, but it is pertinent particularly to this business. May I ask why the Financial Secretary’s excellent biography of Adam Smith has not been laid on the Table as one of the papers pertinent to this debate?

You will appreciate that Adam Smith was absolutely categoric in his view of taxation—that it should be fair, proportionate, not retrospective and not arbitrary, which is clearly the subject matter of this afternoon’s debate.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

It is as if the right hon. Gentleman read my mind. I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench will have heard his comments.

--- Later in debate ---

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

Order. Thirteen other hon. Members—in fact, more than that—want to get in, so I plead for short contributions of the length that we have just heard from Christian Matheson, otherwise we will simply not do justice to the next debate. I call Julian Lewis.