23/04/2026 | 10:37:01 Thank you, Madam President, As President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY said in 2023 in The Hague, “there can be no peace without justice”. Over a quarter of a million crimes due to the aggression of Russia and its various agents have been recorded, of which over 220 000 are war crimes. We must maintain our determination to hold Russia to account for its illegal and barbaric actions in Ukraine, and to ensure that justice prevails. I am very proud that the British government has been a leader on... 21/04/2026 | 20:39:29 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I am particularly concerned about people in our Jewish communities right now. Attacks on synagogues. People feeling intimidated walking down the street. Can people wear the Star of David openly? Anti-semitism is rife and I know that we, together, condemn that. I fear for Christians in various countries around the world. I think now of the hundreds of girls and women abducted in Nigeria just a few months ago. Many are still missing. That was... 21/04/2026 | 19:55:05 Judges at every level should be respected by default. And the role of appointing judges to the European Court of Human Rights is actually the most important role that this Parliamentary Assembly undertakes. But in addition to the qualities highlighted in the report, I strongly believe it is essential that candidates for European Court of Human Rights should be practising judges. Not people who've just done it in theory, done academic studies, but people who've actually been in courts and... 21/04/2026 | 10:33:40 Violence or threat of violence risks politicians acting freely, going about their business freely in both their professional and private lives. I recall that within just a few months of becoming an elected member, another MP was stabbed in their surgery while meeting constituents. That significantly changed how I acted as an MP in regards to managing open contact with constituents, which brought criticism locally, but the challenge is, you never know. That was reinforced by the murder of two... 28/01/2026 | 10:45:37 There is much in this resolution and recommendations to support, including the participation of youth in the Council of Europe and the Assembly, and to recognise youth civil society, volunteering and community engagement. We should consider further activity even in this Assembly. For example, when committees form, instead of the oldest member chairing at the start, why not make it the youngest member? In the UK, uniformed services, whether the Scouts, Girls’ Brigade or Army Cadet Force, are...