{"id":84425,"date":"2017-09-14T17:36:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T17:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=6ddadbcf3ba6830f87f1b02141ceb964"},"modified":"2017-09-14T17:36:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T17:36:00","slug":"speech-leader-of-the-commons-addresses-institute-for-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=84425","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Leader of the Commons addresses Institute for Government"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<h3 id=\"introduction\">Introduction<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s a great pleasure to be here this evening, to share with you my belief that this will be a cooperative and collegiate Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>In spite of the, at times, very heated exchanges in the Chamber, which can oddly extend to my choice of clothing(!) &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>I get on very well with Valerie Vaz, the Shadow Leader of the House.<\/p>\n<p>And, the same is true for many front benchers, on all sides of the House.<\/p>\n<p>The cut and thrust of debate in the chamber does not always reflect the efficient work going on \u2018behind the scenes\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Where in fact, Val and I work closely on a number of House projects, and are both driven by a shared desire for a functioning parliament.<\/p>\n<p>This gets to the very heart of what I would dearly like to see.<\/p>\n<p>And that is a parliament that can work together for the good of the country.<\/p>\n<p>Our late colleague, Jo Cox, was so right when she said, \u2018we have far more in common than that which divides us.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The need to work together means that the Government will be listening, and taking into account all views right across the House.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s often said that the Leader of the House of Commons has two jobs &#8211; that of Parliament\u2019s representative in Government, and Government\u2019s representative in Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>So in the last two weeks, at the request of many different Members across the House:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We got the Select Committees up and running early;<\/li>\n<li>I extended the second reading of the EU Withdrawal Bill;<\/li>\n<li>And provided government time for a debate on illegal traveller encampments, which again, is a topic of concern across the House.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are all examples of where Members share common ground, and where my role helps to bridge Government and Parliament.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"this-is-a-historical-time\">This is a historical time<\/h3>\n<p>Now, it won\u2019t have escaped anyone\u2019s notice that we, in parliament, will be incredibly busy over the coming years.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect that the period between 2016 and 2022 will be the stuff of future PHDs and political textbooks &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>And will no doubt shape the next phase in the history of our great country.<\/p>\n<p>Very rarely does the opportunity come along to build on our longstanding principles of tolerance, democracy, and the rule of law &#8211; to seize fresh opportunities and forge partnerships with new and old friends alike.<\/p>\n<p>These are exciting and challenging times, in a parliament of great opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>And the job of this Parliament will be to deliver on the vision set out by Theresa May, of a country that works for everyone.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"the-governments-legislative-agenda\">The Government\u2019s legislative agenda<\/h3>\n<p>So what does that mean for our legislative agenda?<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, crucially, legislation that allows us to deliver a successful Brexit &#8211; providing continuity and paving the way for a prosperous future.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, tackling social injustice and discrimination, to improve life opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Thirdly, building an economy of higher skills, greater productivity and more rewarding jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Fourthly, to strengthen the precious ties of our union.<\/p>\n<p>And vitally, the fifth challenge is to continue tackling the threat of terrorism, and to keep our country safe.<\/p>\n<p>The Queen\u2019s Speech set out an ambitious programme of 27 bills and draft bills.<\/p>\n<p>And so to accommodate the workload of parliament, we have agreed an extended session, that takes us beyond the point at which we leave the European Union.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"brexit\">Brexit<\/h3>\n<p>Despite the different views expressed in the referendum, we all share a desire for the United Kingdom to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>In leaving the EU, we will have:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Control of our own money<\/li>\n<li>Control of our own laws<\/li>\n<li>Control of our borders<\/li>\n<li>And, as the Prime Minister has said, we will be a global leader in promoting free trade<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And we have a very positive story to tell:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The UK is the fifth largest economy in the world;<\/li>\n<li>Three of our Universities are in the World\u2019s Top 10;<\/li>\n<li>The UK\u2019s contract law is world-class, something that is critical for international business;<\/li>\n<li>The UK is the world\u2019s leading financial centre;<\/li>\n<li>And whilst we all know London is the best capital city in the world, it\u2019s been confirmed for several years in a row by the Global Power City Index.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There have been lots of unhelpful metaphors created in the wake of the referendum &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>But I prefer to look at the evidence &#8211; and the evidence is encouraging.<\/p>\n<p>Since June last year:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Deutsche Bank have signed a 25 year commitment to a new London headquarters;<\/li>\n<li>Nissan and Toyota are all investing millions in production;<\/li>\n<li>Amazon and Google are both expanding their UK operations;<\/li>\n<li>And Apple, Dyson and ARM are just a few tech companies that have recommitted to their UK HQ\u2019s.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Business confidence is critical to our economy, and a strong economy is the only way to keep the excellent public services we all rely on.<\/p>\n<p>So, passing Brexit legislation is a key step towards this new phase in our country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>And, I was delighted that this week, we made significant progress &#8211; both in passing the 2nd reading of the EU Withdrawal Bill &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>And enabling the smooth functioning of parliamentary committees.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"domestic\">Domestic<\/h3>\n<p>But as the Prime Minister has made clear, this parliament is about so much more than just leaving the EU.<\/p>\n<p>A strong economy and a fair society is at the heart of a country that works for everyone.<\/p>\n<p>And we are bringing forward wide-ranging legislation to reflect this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Such as, new opportunities in emerging technologies;<\/li>\n<li>Better services for those struggling with mental health conditions;<\/li>\n<li>And greater support for our armed forces families.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As Chairman of the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee, which is known as PBL, it\u2019s my job to make sure legislation like this is ready.<\/p>\n<p>You could call it the parliamentary Dragon\u2019s Den -giving the business managers and key cabinet colleagues the chance to stress test and scrutinise all the legislation my colleagues plan to bring forward for introduction.<\/p>\n<p>The level of scrutiny on the legislative programme is greater now than at any time in the last four decades.<\/p>\n<p>My role isn\u2019t only to ensure Bills are shipshape &#8211; but to make sure they reflect the views of backbenchers, Select Committees, and that MPs know exactly what the legislation will achieve.<\/p>\n<p>As a respected former Leader of the House Lord Young said in an interview with the IfG a couple of years ago &#8211; \u2018one of the lessons, if you are coming to PBL, is \u201cdon\u2019t wing it.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>Now, before I conclude my remarks, I want to come back to where I started.<\/p>\n<p>The result of the general election is a parliament that quite simply must work together.<\/p>\n<p>We have a huge task of delivering Brexit, and the opportunity to shape the kind of country we want to be after we leave the EU.<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, the public do expect us to conduct our debates in a grown-up fashion.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not suggesting for a moment that political disagreement will somehow fade away &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>but I do hope Parliament can achieve proper debate, that reflects the seriousness of the task ahead.<\/p>\n<p>So my message at this historic time is a very simple one:<\/p>\n<p>The Government stands ready to listen and engage with all parties, to work in the best interests of the country.<\/p>\n<p>There will be challenges ahead.<\/p>\n<p>But we can all come together to work towards a stronger economy, a fairer society, and taking a central place on the world stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andrea Leadsom MP addresses the Institute for Government on Brexit and the legislative landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}