Business of the House

Oliver Colvile Excerpts

Thursday 2nd March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lidington]

The hon. Gentleman made his point well. I think we will all be searching YouTube to see whether a video of that dance routine survives.

[Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Con)]

I, too, add my commiserations to the family of Sir Gerald. He was not only a legend in this place, but had a formidable career before he arrived here, working for the BBC on satirical programmes such as “That Was the Week That Was”. I must say I was a bit too young to watch them, but I have seen some of the stuff that went on.

As my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House knows, in 2020, Plymouth and the UK will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower ship leaving Plymouth to found the American colonies—

[Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)]

With hedgehogs on board?

[Oliver Colvile]

Sadly, I do not think there were any hedgehogs. May we have a debate on the possibility of a Mayflower national walking trail through the concordat places through which the pilgrims travelled?

[Mr Lidington]

That sounds like an excellent idea, and I hope there might be an opportunity for an Adjournment debate in which my hon. Friend can pursue the matter further. It strikes me that it is something to which the Government would be sympathetic, but that it would also need a great deal of local work to try to make it happen.