"T9. The Vyrnwy Frankton project, which aims to connect onshore wind to the grid, would cut across my constituency and affect local communities and cherished countryside, posing a threat to businesses and tourism. Will the Minister assure me that the impact of the project and its associated lifetime costs will …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"In my constituency—one of the most rural parts of the UK—whole areas are without mobile phone coverage. People are forced to cope with unreliable phone lines and, most worryingly, are sometimes unable to call 999. Can the Minister assure me that after the withdrawal of the public switched telephone network, …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"The Government have announced £37 million for the first round of schools to expand nursery provision, supporting the roll-out of the extended 30 hours childcare offer in England, but the Public Childcare Now campaign points out that nearly two thirds of the funded schools are part of multi-academy trusts. While …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"I rise to speak about British arms and military cargo export controls—specifically, our exports to Israel amid one of the most devastating conflicts in modern memory. “It’s horrific. Gaza has become a slaughterhouse. That’s what it is: a slaughterhouse.” Those are the words of Tom Potokar, a British doctor working …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, which is easy for me to respond to—yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Since October 2023 there have been at least 14 shipments of military goods from the UK to Israel. Those include over 8,500 munitions, bombs, grenades, missiles, and 146 armoured vehicle parts. …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"That is something I will touch on later in my speech, but I also hope that we will be getting some answers on those exact points in due course. Between October and December 2024 this Labour Government approved £127.6 million in single-issue arms licences to Israel, which is more than …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I am very glad that the al-Mawasi attack has been mentioned and I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments he expressed.
Freedom of information data reveals that the F-35 open general export licence was used 14 times to export to Israel in 2023—three …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"The hon. Member raises some really important points and I am in agreement with her intervention.
When reviewing arms export licences to Israel, the UK must also consider violations across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the west bank, where Palestinians face home demolitions, forcible displacement and settler violence—actions breaching the …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech
"I am in especial agreement on the importance of preventing those things. I am very eager, as I am sure the hon. Member is, to hear from the Minister in relation to those comments.
Let us turn to the Government’s own assessments. In the same hearing, it was revealed that …..." Steve Witherden - View Speech