The All Party Parliament Group on Portugal met the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, Augusto Santos Silva on Wednesday, 12 July 2023. Other members of the delegation were  His Excellency Nuno Brito Portuguese Ambassador to the UK; Sérgio Sousa Pinto MP President of the Parliamentary Foreign
Affairs Committee, and President of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with the United Kingdom (Socialist Party); Joaquim Miranda Sarmento MP Member of Parliament (Social Democratic Party, leader of the bench) João Dias MP Member of Parliament, Isabel Pires Member of Parliament (Left Bloc). 

President Santos Silva is a hugely experienced Socialist Party MP and former Foreign Minister. Born in Porto in 1956, both his parents were nurses. After graduating in history, he became a secondary school teacher and then a professor of economics at Porto University. In the early 1990s, he gained a PhD in sociology, focusing on popular culture. Santos Silva has been an MP since 2002, first for Porto and subsequently representing Portuguese expatriates outside Europe. He has served in many ministerial roles, including three times before becoming an MP: State Secretary (junior minister) of Educational Administration (1999-2000); Minister of Education (2000-2001); Minister of Culture (2001-2002); Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (2005-2009); and Defence Minister (2009-2011). He was Foreign Minister from 2015 until his appointment as Assembly President in 2022. As Foreign Minister, Santos Silva was one of the most influential and heavyweight members of Antonio Costa’s first two governments (2015-2022). He sees Brexit in principally geostrategic terms, fearing the EU will become more continental. He firmly believes Portugal should maintain its Atlanticist outlook, and that the post-Brexit relationship with the UK should be strong and close. 

Meeting delegations such as with Portugal's President of the Assembly and  Members of Parliament enable us to discuss issues that are important to both countries.  

On Tuesday 11 July 2023  there were 18 votes in the Commons on the amendments passed by the Lords which returned for the Commons to debate. It tokk over 5 hours to vote on the ammendments. The Government disagreed with every amendment and/or made amendments in lieu of those made by the House of Lords. The 18 divisions were as follows:

303-228 Lords amendment 1 disagreed to.

303-227 Lords amendment 6 disagreed to. Lords amendment 7 disagreed to.





299-228 Lords amendment 8 disagreed to.

304-228 Lords amendment 9 disagreed to. Lords amendment 12 disagreed to. Lords amendments 20 and 22 disagreed to. Government amendments (a) to (o) made in lieu of Lords amendments 2, 12, 20 and 22.


297-231 Lords amendment 23 disagreed to. Clause 10: Powers of detention -Lords amendment 30 disagreed to.

290-242 Lords amendment 31 disagreed to. Lords amendment 32 disagreed to.


299-227 Lords amendment 33 disagreed to. Lords amendments 34 to 36 disagreed to. Amendments (a) and (b) proposed in lieu of Lords amendments 31, 35 and 36.—(Robert Jenrick.)

284-242 Amendments (a) and (b) made in lieu of Lords amendments 31, 35 and 36. Lords amendments 37 and 38 disagreed to. Government amendments (a) to (e) made in lieu of Lords amendments 37 and 38.

300-229 Lords amendment 39 disagreed to. Lords amendments 40 to 49 disagreed to.

294-228 Lords amendment 50 disagreed to. Lords amendments 51 to 55 disagreed to.

285-243 Lords amendment 56 disagreed to. Lords amendments 57 to 67 disagreed to.

297-227 Lords amendment 73 disagreed to. Lords amendment 74 disagreed to. Government amendment (a) made in lieu of Lords amendments 73 and 74.

295-228 Lords amendment 90 disagreed to. Government amendments (a) to (c) made to the words so restored to the Bill.

296-220 Lords amendment 93 disagreed to.

295-220  Lords amendment 95 disagreed to. Government amendments (a) and (b) made in lieu of Lords amendment 95.

282-234 Lords amendment 102 disagreed to.

291-222 Lords amendment 103 disagreed to.

290-222 Lords amendment 104 disagreed to. Lords amendment 107 disagreed to. Lords amendments 3 to 5, 10, 11, 13 to 19, 21, 24 to 29, 68 to 72, 75 to 89, 91, 92, 94, 96 to 101, 105, 106, and 108 to 114 agreed to.

The Bill returned to the Lords and will return to the Commons. 

On Friday 7 July 2023 I visited Delves Junior School and spoke to the school about my work as their Member of parliament. I explained how we have to bob when we want to catch Mr Speaker's eye during question time. At that point, everyone jumped up and bobbed. There are many ways we can raise issues through questions, and adjournment debates which MPs can apply for to raise a topic of importance. The Pupils are hoping to set up a pupil Parliament and also a select committee. 

I took the mini chamber into the school and showed them how parliament is set up with Mr Speaker in the Chair, the clerks' table and where the Mace sits when the House is in Session. Our day starts with the Mace being brought in by the Serjeant At Arms followed by Prayers and then the Business starts. The Mace is taken away at the end of each day and as Mr Speaker leaves the Chamber the next sitting is announced.  The Pupils had a session with Baroness Jill Pitkeathley and asked us both the same question about which House was more important, the House of Commons or the House of Lords. I said the Commons are elected so they are closer to the people and that only the House of Commons can deal with any aspects of finance in a Bill. 

I also presented a sticker album for the FIFA Women's World Cup and a book for the Summer Reading Challenge, which this year is about games and sports. I visited the "Hobbit House Library" . It is great place to get the children interested in reading and is a unique place.  

I then visited each class and answered their questions on Parliament. There were many great questions. It was an eventful day organised by Ms Bains. I wish Ms Bains well in her new post.  Well done Delves. 

I met the FAB Michael Rosen at the Great School Library drop in hosted by Margaret Greenwood, MP for Wirral West.  Michael is a well known author of books for children such as Chocolate Cake, We're Going on a Bear Hunt; Sad Book; Little Rabbit Foo Foo; No breathing in Class. Michael was there to promote Great School Libraries who campaign to bring Libraries and access to Librarians back to every school in the UK.To find out more : www.greatschoollibraries.org.uk Michael Rosen is the former Children's Laureate. I pledge my support for this campaign. 

The Institute of Physics held a  drop in at parliament on Wednesday 5 July 2023 to highlight their campaign for a manifesto  for change  the 'Limit Less' campaign and how it supports young people from underrepresented groups to enjoy physics. 

I spoke to teachers and students about their experiences of diversity and inclusion in their schools. The Limit Less campaign is aimed at unrepresented groups who might otherwise not pursue physics owing to misconceived ideas about physics and stereotypes about who can study it.

Too often girls are told that physics is better suited for boys, and young people hear physics is not for them owing to their ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or social background. The Institute for Physics' Limit Less campaign aims to change this and make physics a more diverse and inclusive subject. To find out more visit www.iop.org/strategy/limit-less

Those responsible for school governance play an active role in ensuring that equity and equality are promoted in their schools and that in equalities are addressed including appointing a member with specific responsibilities for equality.  IOP are calling for more underserved groups to benefit from learning outside the classroom such as in science or STEM clubs. visit : campaign.iop.org/manifesto