Intelligence and Security Committee Report on Russia Debate

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Department: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Intelligence and Security Committee Report on Russia

Stella Creasy Excerpts
Tuesday 5th November 2019

(5 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call Stella Creasy.

Stella Creasy Portrait Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) (Lab/Co-op)
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Thank you, Mr Speaker—it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

We all in the House will know from our email inboxes that one of the challenges facing our current politics is that people watch too much Netflix and so are convinced that there are many conspiracies. That said, given that, as ISC members have said, many foxes have been set loose—reports about Sergey Nalobin, about Dominic Cumming’s security clearance, about Alexander Temerko’s friendship with the Prime Minister, about the use of the Lycamobile offices; given that the security agencies say they are happy to see the report, which the Government have had since March, published; given the cross-party support for it to be published; and given that Earl Howe in the House of Lords yesterday said it is the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister alone who needs to publish it, does the Minister recognise that the best way to kill the conspiracy theories is to put it out in the open? Former Prime Ministers have told us that sunlight is the best disinfectant. Why has this Prime Minister closed the blinds?

Christopher Pincher Portrait Christopher Pincher
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The best way to avoid conspiracy theories is for people not to peddle them, and the hon. Lady just made a valiant effort in so doing. I have explained why it is taking some time to consider the report. We will consider it carefully and make sure it is a robust report, and then it will be published in due course.