Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Self-employed: Paternity Leave
My Lords, during the passage of the Bill that became the Employment Rights Act, the Minister talked a lot about consultation with small businesses—for example, the FSB, the union of independent businesses and the NFU. Can she tell the House how much support from small businesses there was for this m…
Lords
Proceedings
19 May 2026
VAT Relief: Business Donations
My Lords, will the Minister say something about the role of supermarkets in helping food banks?
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
EU-UK SPS Agreement: Food-related Standards
My Lords, when answering the question asked by my noble friend Lord Redwood, the Minister mentioned sovereignty and Britain being a sovereign nation. Parliament is also sovereign, so can she confirm that, if major changes are brought in, they will not be through SIs, which cannot be properly debated…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
National Emergency Plan for Fuel
The noble Lord will know that those two fields have exploration licences but do not yet have production licences. The general point about those fields, and indeed new fields, particularly in the UK, was made just recently by the director of the International Energy Agency, who said that those and ot…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
Sustainable Farming Incentive: Flood Prevention and Drought Resilience
I am sure that the noble Lord is aware that the Government made some changes to the inheritance tax policy. We are continuing to listen to farms and farm businesses. I am sure noble Lords know that we have a small holding; I am very aware of the challenges for small farms and know a number of small …
Lords
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Farming Road Map
Discussions with the EU are ongoing, so I cannot say whether they will include some of the issues that the noble Lord talked about. I am sure he is aware that the Government are intending to introduce legislation to enable the EU reset to go ahead, once we have finished negotiations. There will be o…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 March 2026
Small Boat Deaths: Cranston Inquiry Report
I am not going to comment on the actions of our near neighbour. There is more collaboration now than there was. The number of boats that arrived last year, in 2025, was half that in 2022. We need to get on with them sufficiently for both sides to deal with this problem together.
Lords
Oral Questions
18 March 2026
High Streets and Towns: Regeneration
We do have an agenda for growth, but we are having to tidy up the mess that was left behind before we can achieve it. We are introducing the hospitality support fund, which has been more than doubled to £10 million over three years, helping over 1,000 pubs to diversify, boost productivity and suppor…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 March 2026
Peatland Restoration
The noble Lord is right to single out the importance of the broads and the wider lowland agricultural peatlands. They are responsible for 88% of all emissions from England’s peatlands. We are working with all our partner organisations, including the Broads Authority, to support the restoration of pe…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
Small Businesses: VAT Threshold
It is a little rich for the party opposite to ask anyone else to take responsibility after the 14 years they inflicted on this country. Last week’s labour market statistics show that there are 381,000 more people in work since the start of 2025. Of course there is more to do. However, the updated fo…
Lords
Proceedings
4 March 2026
Security Update
My Lords, a few months ago the CPS dropped the charges involving spying on Parliament against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. At the time, most legal experts took the view that this was a staggering decision. Does this not send a signal to China and other foreign actors that they can try it …
Lords
Oral Questions
4 March 2026
Taiwan
Lords
Proceedings
3 March 2026
Gibraltar Treaty
My Lords, in the other place the Foreign Secretary stated that uniformed Spanish officials will be stationed at checkpoints only at the borders. However, various commentators have since warned that these same uniformed officials will be able to operate within the territory away from the border. Can …
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory
My Lords, on that very point, the Minister said on 12 occasions—and I have a list of them—that the treaty can only go ahead with US support. Well, the US President said last week that this is a “blight on our great ally” and the UK should not give up Diego Garcia. The following day, the President’s …
Lords
Proceedings
25 February 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
My Lords, Conservative county councillors in Norfolk have no fear of democracy, and in fact are very much looking forward to these elections in 74 days’ time. It is worth pointing out that the elections will be conducted by the district and borough councils. Certainly, the Borough Council of King’s …
Lords
Proceedings
11 February 2026
Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts
My Lords, when the Prime Minister and Lord Mandelson visited the HQ of Palantir, met the chief executive, toured the offices and obviously had meetings with many other representatives there, were minutes taken of that meeting?
Lords
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Ambassadors: Vetting Process
I think what I said—I hope it is what I said; if it is not, I will clarify it—was that it was an announcement. The changes announced yesterday by the Cabinet Office were around making sure that that does not happen in future. Although it does not affect the vetting in substance, clearly it creates a…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Life Sciences: Beagles
Again, the noble Lord goes a long way wide of the Question, but he is entitled to do so. When the Government make a decision on the issue of trail hunting—which they will—they will factor the consequences into their consideration and will work with colleagues to do so. That is what the Government di…
Lords
Oral Questions
3 February 2026
Shamima Begum
Again, with due respect to the noble Lord, I am not going to comment on individual cases, which the Government are currently actively considering, in terms of both the original decision and the court case to date. The noble Lord has said what he said and the House will have heard it; I cannot commen…
Lords
Proceedings
26 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
My Lords, I certainly support the noble Baroness our Front-Bench spokesperson and the noble Lord the Lib Dem spokesman. This is a regrettable decision but we now have to move on. I am being pragmatic; I accept that it is going to happen, and we have to make the best of it. China wanted this embassy …
Lords
Debate
26 January 2026
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
My Lords, the Minister appears to be in a parallel universe. Can she comment on what the President of the United States, Scott Bessent and Marco Rubio said last week? Is it not perfectly obvious that they are not going to agree to amend the 1966 treaty?
Lords
Oral Questions
22 January 2026
Diego Garcia: Comments by the President of the United States
I do not know what I have done that is not statesmanlike, but our intention is to have those conversations with the United States and come to an agreed position, and that has consistently been our view. I encourage the noble Lord to consider the words of the Prime Minister yesterday, when he made ou…
Lords
Debate
19 January 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, my Amendment 51 seeks to highlight the need to include health agencies in the RCC arrangement.
As I mentioned in my speech in Committee back in June, integrated care boards now have a pivotal role to play in the NHS. The main argument advanced when they were proposed that they should repl…
My Lords, I listened very carefully to what the Minister said. Although she went some way to satisfying me and others who support this amendment, I do not think she went far enough. I would like to test the opinion of the House.
Lords
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
United States: Withdrawal from International Organisations
There is a lot more involved in this than peacekeeping, but it is a very important element of what the United Nations and other multilateral organisations involve themselves in. The point about value and efficiency is critical. We are being quite forward-leaning, as they would say in the Foreign Off…
Lords
Oral Questions
7 January 2026
Venezuela
It is not for me to say whether it is or not. My point is that it is for the United States to explain its actions and where it feels they sit within the context of international law. That is the position of our Government and of many of our allies in the European Union.