The government’s lifting of the ban on fracking cannot be justified on environmental or economic grounds, Barry insisted.
He challenged the business secretary as to why taxpayers, who are covering 9/10ths of the investment in the incentives being given to oil and gas companies – who stand to make vast sums as a result – should not receive that amount of the profit?
Barry challenged the business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg in the House of Commons on the government’s six-month cap on the unit price of gas and electricity for businesses and how the government would pay for it in the long term.
Barry asked: “Given that the domestic rate cap is to be based on a loan, to be paid out of future bills, if the business scheme is the same, why would businesses not regard this as a tax rise deferred?”
“If not, is the business secretary really expecting it to be repaid out of general taxation by the rest of the taxpayers?”
Plans to help businesses, schools and other organisations with spiralling energy costs this winter have been announced.
Watch the business secretary’s breathtaking response 🔽
“Integrity is not commonly found in the public sphere these days. But her life was one of real integrity. We should thank God that she brought together all these virtues in her life. It was a life that was selfless. It was a life that was whole. And now it is complete.
“May her soul rest in peace.”
WATCH Barry’s tribute to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 🔽
“Given that the Prime Minister has been careful to frame her guarantee on tackling energy prices in terms of her refusal to tax, how will she going to explain to the British public how a levy on their bills in the future to repay the borrowing is not actually a tax?”
WATCH Barry’s interventions in today’s parliamentary debate on UK energy costs 🔽
Barry intervened in Parliament today to call on the new Leader of the House, Penny Mordaunt, to pledge a debate on the government’s failure to meet seven of the nine urgent referral cancer targets.
WATCH 🔽
Children of service personnel in Cyprus are being taught by supply teachers brought out there on employment contracts with the Ministry of Defence. Barry has today (21 July) raised the urgent issue of the MoD’s threat to sack these teachers unless they sign new contracts that abolish their pension rights and lower their terms and conditions.
He called for an urgent government statement, given that ministers profess to be against Fire and Rehire.
WATCH his question here 🔽
Barry has asked Greg Hands MP, the minister of state for business, energy and clean growth, to look at the fiscal regime around offshore oil and gas and to abolish the “obscene subsidy” which is distorting investment into outdated fossil fuels instead of renewables, which do not qualify for the investment allowance.
WATCH 🔽
Barry intervened in COP26 questions in the House of Commons to ask what Alok Sharma, the COP president, is doing to engage with the heads of financial sectors across the world about how they are dealing with the issue over $1 trillion in projected “stranded assets” due to low-carbon transition.
Driven by technological, societal and political change, renewable energy technologies are progressively replacing fossil fuels. A recent report found that, under an expectation that governments will fulfill their net-zero emissions pledges, these changes will accelerate, with the consequence that current oil and gas assets may be overvalued by more than $1 trillion.
WATCH Barry’s question 🔽
Thousands of Tamils in Brent North are deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka, Barry told the House of Commons when he intervened on 13 July during an Urgent Question on the state of emergency declared there.
He pointed out that the Parliamentary Labour Party had long warned that the country’s government was “no more than a kleptocracy”, which had now been proven to be the case, and called on the minister to set out what measures the UK government was taking to support a new, strong, inclusive and democratic Sri Lanka.
Barry intervened in yesterday’s debate (18 July) in the House of Commons on the confidence vote in Boris Johnson’s government, describing the so-called caretaker prime minister as a “reckless narcissist”.
“Are there any two words in the entire English language that describe this PM less than ‘care’ and ‘taker’?” Barry asked.
He said it was clear that the neither Johnson’s cabinet colleagues or the public had any confidence in him, yet Tory MPs had left him in place because they refuse to call a general election as they have no confidence they would win it.
WATCH Barry’s speech 🔽
“We have only been on this planet for 0.13% of the time that biodiversity has existed. We have no right to destroy the world around us.”
Watch Barry’s speech in today’s House of Commons debate on protecting and restoring nature at COP15 and beyond 🔽
Barry called on the minister to report the St Monica Trust to the Health and Safety Executive, during the debate on the government's intention to allow agency workers to be used to break strikes, on Monday 11 July.
That morning, Barry had visited striking Unison members on their picket lines at the Bristol Cote Lane and the Sandford sites. These low paid workers are being subjected to fire and rehire, but their biggest concerns, which they shared with Barry, are about the use of agency staff who are not skilled or experienced.
The striking staff were deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of the elderly people in their care.
WATCH Barry’s intervention 🔽
Barry gave a passionate speech during yesterday’s Queens Speech debate in which he touched on much of what the Government could have included with particular reference to his tabled amendment.
Barry touched on the backlog to the NHS, the right to food, land reform and stronger workers rights to stop fire and rehire
Barry challenged the Leader of the House with regards to trade relations with Northern Ireland, specifically Article 16. The Leader of the House’s response left much to be desired.
The full exchange can be viewed below;
Barry challenged Home Office Minister, Tom Pursglove with regards to the ridiculous length of delays to people receiving passports and reminded him that it isn’t just those going on holiday who have been affected.
Barry brought some reality to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement today by raising the case of a single mother who turned down potatoes at a food bank as she didn’t have enough money to be able to heat them. Rishi Sunak’s answer was predictably weak.
The exchange can be viewed below
Barry spoke up for P&O workers, many of whom were present in the public gallery and made the point of guidelines not being enough and reminding the government that if they had voted for the proposals in his Private Members Bill, DP World would not have been able to do this to P&O workers.
Barry challenged the government on the treatment of the 800 workers sacked by P&O over Zoom. He highlighted how if the Government had backed the measures in his Private Members Bill this would have stopped companies acting in this way.
Full exchange can be viewed below
Barry was in the Chamber for the Urgent Question on the treatment by the Metropolitan Police of Child Q. He also raised the issue of institutional racism in the Met including cases in his own constituency.
Full exchange can be viewed below
Barry intervened during Labour’s Opposition Day debate today to powerfully raise an incredibly concerning case of a constituent he met over the weekend.
The young woman had gone to the police to report violence from her partner, against her. She was concerned that the officer hadn’t taken the issue seriously and raised a complaint against the officer.
She was then subsequently charged with stalking the person that had committed violence against her.
During his contribution Barry said; “This is the way in which our police I am afraid in London have got things entirely wrong”
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that she would like to meet with Barry discuss with him further to discuss the individual case.