25/06/2026 | 10:49:27 Thank you. I wanted to address some comments in response to what we heard from our colleague from Belgium, but I see he's no longer here. But I was shocked by the way that he demonised migrants in a way that I've not heard in this continent for 80 years. I thought we defeated that ideology. My country has a warm tradition of welcoming migrants. They serve in our armed forces, they treat us in our National Health Service, they build our buildings, they set up shops. My own wife is a migrant to... 24/06/2026 | 17:53:03 "Sorry" [spoken in French]. I'd like to commend the rapporteurs for this strong and important report. The most important conclusion, I think, is paragraph 5, that the conditions for holding genuinely democratic elections do not exist in Georgia. That is an extraordinary finding, reflecting the gravity of the situation facing opposition politicians, independent media and civil society. Earlier this month, I met with Georgian opposition leaders, as I often do, to hear again their lived... 24/04/2026 | 10:10:57 Thank you. And I wish to address the same topic. In the village of Witton Park, which is on the banks of the River Wear, where I represent, there's a statue to four brothers, George, James, Thomas and Roland Bradford, who fought in the First World War. Only one of them returned home, while two won the Victoria Cross. Just a few decades later, the Durham Light Infantry, in which the Bradfords had served, fought in almost every major campaign of the Second World War, including Dunkirk. These... 22/04/2026 | 11:40:38 Thank you. Can I also thank the Minister for Spain for an excellent speech earlier that I think really showed the progress that can be made in 50 years. I thank my friend Ms Zita GURMAI for these two excellent reports. I know that she's engaged so well in putting them together. Violence against women and girls is a stain on all of our societies. It is a legislative and a justice challenge when we see that, for example, in the UK, fewer than 2% of reported rapes ever make it to a conviction... 21/04/2026 | 17:58:45 –Thank you. I welcome this report and the recommendations it makes around education, political leadership, and combating hate speech to protect people’s freedom of religion or belief across Europe. Earlier, on the other side, Sir Christopher CHOPE argued against curbing hate speech in the name of free speech, saying "people shouldn’t be wimps." I disagree. People are free to criticise, blaspheme, and mock religious beliefs and practices. That is not hate speech. Hate speech is when language... 30/01/2026 | 10:25:52 Thank you. It's quiet here this morning, but I stayed behind to speak in this debate because I believe that this session of the Parliamentary Assembly has some unfinished business. And I hope that what I'm about to say does not come across as whataboutism. But over the last five days, this Assembly has addressed many important issues; from safeguarding the system of international justice, to ensuring accountability and humanitarian protection in Gaza and the West Bank, to peace in Ukraine and... 29/01/2026 | 11:12:31 Thank you. And thank you to those who've given excellent speeches so far. I represent a constituency in the north-east of England where even some of our place names have Danish roots. Our histories are intertwined, going back as far as King Canute. So I want to start by expressing both personally and on behalf of the people I represent our absolute solidarity with our neighbours across the seas, both Denmark and Greenland. We, a community of friendly European nations, stand together. We have... 28/01/2026 | 13:21:48 Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2. There is no point in extolling the virtues of "respecting" or "listening" to young people, as some have in this debate, if we will not trust them with even one morsel of power, a single vote in the ocean of votes that decides who governs us. Too much of what passes for "youth engagement" or "youth dialogue" amounts to little more than youth-washing: the co-option of young people as symbols of vulnerability, vitality, or hope, without allowing... 26/01/2026 | 17:56:21 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I grew up believing that progress was linear: that the great institutions built after the world wars to protect human rights and uphold the international rules-based order were permanent, immovable, and destined to carry ever more countries toward freedom and democracy. I was wrong. Civilisations rise and fall. The rules-based order that has delivered unprecedented peace, freedom, and human flourishing exists only because people believe in... 01/10/2025 | 20:01:08 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I welcome this report, not only because it recognises the need to amplify youth voices in our democracies, but because it calls on us to do so in ways that are meaningful and inclusive. Youth participation only works when all young people can take part, not just the few with confidence, resources, or connections, and when they are not only listened to but have the power to change outcomes. We sometimes talk about "the youth" perspective, as...