Barry was in the Commons for Labour’s Urgent Question; To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the status of the investigation into Downing Street parties following the statement from the commissioner of the Met police.
Barry used the opportunity to suggest a possible future Metropolitan Police Chief…
Barry was in the Chamber during the Minister’s winding up of the Third Reading of the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill.
Barry asked whether the announced far reaching review would look at abolishing leasehold and allow leaseholders the full ability to take on the franchise and the freehold of their building.
Today (Thursday 14th) the Parliamentary Security Director issued a Security Service Interference Alert in relation to Christine Lee and her attempts to engage in political interference on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
I have been liaising with our Security Services for a number of years about Christine Lee and they have always known, and been made fully aware by me, of her engagement with my office and the donations she made to fund researchers in my office in the past. Steps were taken to ensure Christine Lee had no role in either the appointment or management of those researchers. They are also aware that I have not benefitted personally from those donations in any way. She ceased funding any workers in my office in June 2020.
All the donations were properly reported in the register of members’ interests and their source verified at the time. I have been assured by the Security Services that whilst they have definitively identified improper funding channelled through Christine Lee, this does not relate to any funding received by my office.
Christine Lee’s son volunteered in my office many years ago and was subsequently employed by me as a diary manager. He resigned from my employment earlier today. The Security Services have advised me that they have no intelligence that shows he was aware of, or complicit in, his mother’s illegal activity.
I will continue to work closely with our security services in this and all other matters that relate to the security of our country.
Barry Gardiner
Member of Parliament for Brent North
Please find below links to media Barry did on the issue.
Sky News - link to Sky interview
LBC - link to LBC interview
Barry joined former Labour colleague Glorio De Piero on The Daily Brief to discuss the continuing revelations of parties in Downing Street during the pandemic as well as Labour’s plans for the cost of living crisis.
Barry outlined what he would like to see including a windfall tax.
The full interview can be viewed below.
Barry asked a question to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Housing, in his statement on Building Safety.
In his question, Barry said that the Secretary of State’s statement focused on cladding, when the vast majority of leaseholders in unsafe homes are suffering from other insulation and fire stopping defects.
Barry also noted that many of the companies who will be asked to ‘pay up’ have gone into voluntary liquidation. Barry asked the Secretary of State whether he will implement a windfall tax on the whole industry now.
Many leaseholders in Brent North and around the country have been waiting 3 years in purdah and need some urgent clarity and leadership from the government on this issue.
You can watch his question in full below.
Barry was interviewed by BBC News on why Michael Gove’s statement doesn’t go far enough when it comes to protecting leaseholders and went into great detail of the real issues not addressed by the Secretary of State.
The full interview can be viewed below.
Barry was back at the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee today grilling witnesses on plastic waste.
Barry asked why we export so much of our plastic waste around the world as opposed to recycling it in this country domestically and to which country we send it to. The exchanges can be viewed in full below.
Barry was with the Environmental Audit Committee today grilling experts on Technological Innovations and Climate Change and Negative Emissions Technologies.
It got a little testy at times and the fascinating exchange can be viewed below.
Barry was back at the Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee this week and quizzed Lord Goldsmith, Minister for the Pacific and the Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Barry pressed Lord Goldsmith on how the government intend to ensure trees are planted in the right place to benefit our natural environment and why the current tools are inadequate to do so.
Barry pressed both the Minister and the witness very hard and the full exchanges can be viewed below.
Barry was proud to attend Downing Street this morning and join with NHS workers in handing in a petition against the pernicious Health and Care Bill.
The Bill would allow big businesses to be at the heart of NHS decision making and embed into the Health Service a postcode lottery leaving people with the choice of either suffering in pain unable to get care or being forced to pay for private care.
The petition was signed by 304,761 people and continues to grow
