Tag Archives: edward morello

Ministerial hand-wringing over Palestine continues

This week, Lib Dem MPs raised some very good questions in Parliament.

Andrew George: The Secretary of State says she is looking at options and that she wishes to work in partnership in the international sphere. She must accept that the UK has significant history and responsibility in this region. Does she not listen to the words of her Back Benchers? It is incumbent on her to take action now—not simply to look at things and to seek partnership—to have real effect on this appalling, continuing outrage.

Calum Miller: The prospect of a two-state solution rests on at least two essential conditions: the protection of Palestine’s territorial integrity, and political reform within the Palestinian state. This weekend in London, we saw the selling of properties in illegal settlements. The expansion of such settlements must instead be reversed by cutting off their finance at source. Will the Foreign Secretary commit to withdrawing the licence to operate of any UK financial institution facilitating credit or services for illegal settlement activity? Given that President Abbas has now announced that legislative and presidential elections will be held in early 2027, what measures are the Government taking to ensure that those elections will be free and fair?

Caroline Voaden: A UN report from March last year laid bare the evidence of Israel’s systematic use of rape and sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Israeli settlers are committing sexual violence in sight of Israeli forces, according to a recent report by the West Bank Protection Consortium. Given the Government’s commitment to the safety of women and girls, will the Secretary of State commit to publishing a response to both of those reports?

Edward Morello: On 28 May, Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to seize control of 70% of the Gaza strip, in breach of the ceasefire agreement. Some 90% of the homes have now been destroyed, and an estimated $53 billion is required to rebuild the strip. Meanwhile, settlement expansion in the west bank has increased by 80%, with Israeli settlers now comprising one in six of the population. What is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office doing with European allies to help the Palestinian people?

I won’t bore readers with the responses but as usual we had the usual hand-wringing from ministers which I fear will continue until Keir Starmer is replaced as PM. Just one example was the Foreign Secretary’s response to Caroline Voaden:

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Maiden speeches: Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset

The next stop on our maiden speeches tour is West Dorset MP Edward Morello, who made his debut on 12 September in an adjournment debate held to remember the MP David Amess who was murdered during a constituency surgery in 2021.

The text is below:

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Our new MPs: Steve Darling, Tessa Munt, Edward Morello, Adam Dance

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here

Steve Darling MP:  Torbay

Steve was brought up in a B&B on Lymington Road and has raised his family with wife Mandy in Torquay. They have 2 sons both of whom attended local schools. Steve’s eldest is now a medic in Torbay Hospital and the youngest is a university student in Bath. Steve’s wife Mandy spent more than 30 years working for the NHS, so the NHS challenges are well known to Steve.

Steve is registered blind and has lived experience and an understanding of equality and diversity, particularly around disability. Steve has a guide dog called Jennie who helps him enormously and is constantly by his side.

Steve Darling has served the people of Torbay for 30 years as a local councillor, 4 years of which was as Leader of the Council. Under his leadership, Torbay Council achieved most improved council of the year in April 2023. Steve spent 18 years working for the former Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders helping people with local problems and trying to tackle the big issues for the area.

Steve’s is particularly campaigning on improvements to our NHS services, tackling sewage dumping in Torbay and supporting local people through the cost-of-living crisis.

Steve wants to champion his home community in Westminster as he knows its people and their aspirations. Torbay is his home and the community he knows and loves. Steve knows he can hit the ground running as the next MP pulling together all sides of the community putting political differences aside and emphasising all that makes Torbay great and tackling the challenges that the bay faces. To be Torbay’s MP is a job, in a sense, for which Steve has been training all his life.

Twitter: @cllrsdarling

Tessa Munt MP: Wells and Mendip Hills

Tessa was the Member of Parliament for Wells from 2010 – 2015, winning the seat from the Conservatives and ending their 87-year rule. Tessa is passionate about representing residents and organisations in our community once again.

A prolific community campaigner, Tessa is known for listening actively to locals and has an outstanding reputation and proven track record from strong opposition to MPs holding second jobs to campaigning to keep our rivers, streams and sea clean.

Tessa has a long-standing commitment to openness and transparency, demonstrated by being the first MP to publish her tax returns and record every gift received while serving as MP.

Tessa has held regular surgeries in the constituency’s city, towns, villages and hamlets and her record of 704 MP’s surgeries remains the highest of all MPs.

As MP for Wells, Tessa co-ordinated the campaign to keep the Bishop of Bath & Wells in the Bishop’s Palace and secured £51m in funding for cancer equipment for local hospitals. Tessa stuck by her principles and resigned from her ministerial post in Government after voting against fracking.

Twitter: @tessamunt

Edward Morello MP: West Dorset

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