I agree that we need to protect natural environment and wildlife, as well as tackling carbon emissions. I welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment to rewilding and protecting 30% of the UK and the Environment Bill will help with this pledge.
We need to make sure pubs are treated fairly and I believe they should be able to sell alcohol to takeaway. Supermarkets are able to do this so pubs should be able to as well. They have had an incredibly tough year and this should help them bring in a little more income.
I did not support any of the amendments to the Trade Bill, as I did not feel they were necessary additions to the Bill. As members of the EU we were party to around 40 trade deals with more than 70 countries.
Our manifesto is clear that in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. We remain firmly committed to upholding our high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards outside the EU.
I have read the Treaty negotiated with the EU and voted for it earlier this week. I supported it because it will protect our trading relationship with the EU while also allowing us to strike deals with the rest of the world.
Fire and rescue services have done a truly fantastic job during the pandemic, tackling on not only their normal duties but delivering food and PPE to those in need. All our emergency services and also our armed forces have done a huge amount to help the national effort to beat Covid-19.
I am full of admiration for the courage and perseverance of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori, who are facing prolonged detention in Iran on trumped-up convictions.
First and foremost, I believe animals are sentient beings who can feel pain and suffering, and I would like to reassure you that strong action is being taken to reduce their risk of harm.
In Meon Valley we are lucky to have some of the best pubs in the UK and I am proud to support them. During the lockdown, my team and I called as many of the pubs in Meon Valley as possible to discuss their concerns during this difficult time.
I am proud that the UK has some of the highest standards of animal welfare in the world and the Government has made it clear that it places great importance on the welfare of farmed animals.
I am pleased that the Government is committed to improving the welfare of cats and has a manifesto commitment to introduce compulsory microchipping of cats. Last year, Defra published a call for evidence on compulsory microchipping for cats, which attracted over 3,000 responses.