Business of the House

Rupa Huq Excerpts

Thursday 26th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising that very sad case. Obviously, it is important that we have clean air. The Government have an ambitious policy to improve the quality of the air in this country, and we are pushing forward on that.

[Dr Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton) (Lab)]

I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your words last night acknowledging that it is ethnic minority women who often bear the brunt of words not only by Members in this House, but in columns denigrating them as letterboxes and bank robbers. I want to put to the Leader of the House this point made to me by Matt from Ealing. He says that he was watching the debate last night with despair—I, too, was watching the debate at home very late, as we do not all have a nanny for our childcare—as there was a continual refusal on the part of the Prime Minister to answer any of the questions put to him. He said, “Is it not within the remit for them to answer the questions put to them?” Does the Leader of the House agree that, if the quality of the exchanges were better, there would be more respect outside for us, and we would be able do our jobs better.

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I do share the hon. Lady’s concern about the quality of exchanges and the embarrassment of those on the Opposition Benches who saw their leader having his Neil Kinnock moment yesterday.