Lords
Proceedings
2 July 2026
Live Music
My Lords, I start by drawing the House’s attention to my declaration in the register of interests, including my membership of the Musicians’ Union and the Ivors Academy. It will not surprise a number of colleagues here that I will take this opportunity of a debate about live music to talk and plug m…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
Sovereign AI Fund
My Lords, my noble friend Lady Berger listed a number of countries that have decided to go down another path in terms of developing sovereign AI. Can the Minister outline to us why the UK is not choosing to take that path and rather may be relying, as some of us fear, far too much on the powerful te…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
Devolved Public Services: Funding
My Lords, as a former chief adviser to the previous First Minister, I encourage Ministers to take a positive attitude towards the new Government in Wales, even if it is not of the colour I would have wanted, and to continue those talks. While endorsing everything the Minister has said about the effo…
Lords
Proceedings
19 May 2026
King’s Speech
I thought I was just getting old.
Lords
Debate
27 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, there have been four very powerful speeches on the agent of change principle. I support the Motion in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering. If she decides to test the opinion of the House, she will have the support of these Benches.
Not a lot has changed as a result …
Lords
Debate
23 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I want briefly to speak in favour of my noble friend Lord Shipley’s amendment. I listened very carefully to what the Minister said about how the committee system does not necessarily work.
I want to share the Sheffield experience with the noble Baroness. In Sheffield, when we had a strong…
Lords
Proceedings
3 March 2026
Gibraltar Treaty
My Lords, I have recently joined the European Affairs Committee. Does the Minister agree that it might be better, when we consider all this, to take on board what the Government of Gibraltar think its impact will be on business in Gibraltar, rather than, with all due respect to him, what the noble L…
Lords
Oral Questions
2 March 2026
UK Streaming and Cinema Sector
I have heard that loud and clear, and I will convey the sentiment of the House back to colleagues in DCMS.
Lords
Oral Questions
27 January 2026
Hospitality Businesses
I share the noble Lord’s optimism for the positive steps taken today and generally, in the last five months of being in government, for the way that the economy is shaping up after the last couple of decades. The announcements made today were on the back of the £4.3 billion for rate revaluation and …
Lords
Oral Questions
26 January 2026
Grass-roots Music Venues
I am very grateful to my noble friend for the work he is doing in the review he mentions. I do not think it is for me to commit the Government to that specific point, but I will of course take it back and discuss it with colleagues in other departments as well.
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
Public Inquiries: Costs
I think I thank my noble friend for that question. A Statement will be made in the other place this afternoon that will update us. I reassure your Lordships’ House that this Government are completely committed to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill. Obviously, there are ongoing discussions with …
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
2 contributions
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Brennan, for successfully steering this Private Member’s Bill through the House. As we have discussed, following Second Reading I did not table amendments in Committee since the Bill had the support of the Commons, is an important step in its own right in addre…
My Lords, I thank everyone for their contributions this morning. This will be a very brief debate, I hope, which will soon come to a conclusion. As has been said, this Bill emerged from the review of the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, of the events at the Euros final on 11 July 2021, as referred to by …
Lords
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Ministry of Defence: Budget Shortfall
My noble friend will know the importance of his question. That is why reform has taken place within the Ministry of Defence with the establishment of the National Armaments Director Group. The new National Armaments Director is in post and is addressing the very real problems and concerns my noble f…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
Buses: Safety and Security
The noble Lord is quite correct: Covid had an effect on all public transport demand. The Government have taken a series of actions, including the Bus Services Act 2025, which changes the landscape to enable local transport authorities to provide services designed for the people who live and work in …
Lords
Debate
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
My Lords, I understand that no amendments to this Bill have been set down, and that no noble Lord has indicated a wish to move a manuscript amendment or speak in Committee. Therefore, unless any noble Lord objects, I beg to move that the order of commitment be discharged.
My Lords, I understand that no amendments to this Bill have been set down, and that no noble Lord has indicated a wish to move a manuscript amendment or speak in Committee. Therefore, unless any noble Lord objects, I beg to move that the order of commitment be discharged.
Lords
Oral Questions
17 November 2025
2 contributions
Artificial Intelligence Legislation
We will hear from the Cross Benches next, then we will go to the Labour Benches.
My noble friend highlights one of the important points made during the passage of the Bill. The whole swathe of those discussions, both at technical level and with parliamentary colleagues, is intended to have the views of rights holders and other actors on the table, so that we can work through the…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 November 2025
Cryptocurrencies: US Regulation
Possibly, but I do not at all share the characterisation made by my noble friend of a regulatory race to the bottom. As I have said, we will regulate in the UK’s national interest. The Government will bring forward the final legislation to create a financial services regulator regime for crypto asse…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 November 2025
Barnett Formula: Wales
I thank my noble friend for that question. I like to think that all the avenues of approach he has mentioned will be looked at and discussed at the ministerial meeting at the beginning of next year. It is also important to point out that there is direct funding to Wales, which includes 160,000 worke…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
3 contributions
Overseas Musicians Touring in the UK
My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, I draw your Lordships’ attention to my entry in the register.
The United Kingdom has a thriving creative industries sector that the Government are committed to supporting. The UK has one of the most generous offers in Europe for workers in the creative industries, including for touring musicians, many of whom already benefit from the very streamlined immigrati…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
28 October 2025
Built Environment Sector
My noble friend is absolutely right on that point. We need to have the right standards, skills and funding. Among the programmes the Government have in front of them, the affordable homes programme, for example, commits £39 billion over 10 years to build social and affordable housing, which will inc…
Lords
Oral Questions
27 October 2025
Non-crime Hate Incidents
It is important that we condemn the comments that were made about adverts on television. We are a multicultural society. It is quite right and proper that individuals from all parts of our society appear on television, because they are both consumers and producers of goods and contributors to societ…
Lords
Debate
24 October 2025
4 contributions
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
My Lords, I confess to your Lordships that I have blatantly plagiarised this speech, if copying oneself can be categorised as plagiarism. I kicked off this Bill in the House of Commons in 2024, albeit with one slight tweak from its current incarnation. It is not unique for someone to introduce a Bil…
My Lords, I support the Bill. I congratulate Linsey Farnsworth in another place on the initiative she has taken and, particularly, the work that the noble Lord, Lord Brennan, has done on the Bill, both in another place and indeed here today. I wish him well—all my comments will be in that context, b…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
20 October 2025
Musical Instrument Certificates
As my noble friend rightly pointed out, this is an ongoing consultation. As I said in response to other questions, we will take all views into account. The consultation does not close for another few days, so if anyone has concerns and they have not taken part, I urge them to respond.
Lords
Oral Questions
16 October 2025
Stablecoin Ownership
I wish my noble friend a very happy birthday— his question allows me to give him a good present. It is fair to say that, right now, he cannot receive his state pension in stablecoin, but the fact that there is potential for that to evolve highlights the importance of the issues raised in this Questi…