Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
7 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I would be grateful for clarification—
My Lords—
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
26 January 2026
Holocaust Memorial Day
My Lords, for some of us, every day is Holocaust remembrance day. It is a pain we carry within our bodies, like a physical pain. It would be alleviated if only my parents had lived to see me in the House of Lords at an event like today, marking the grievous effect that the Holocaust had on them and,…
Lords
Debate
22 January 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I want to make a very brief contribution—cheekily, because I have not taken any role in this Bill. My noble friend’s amendment, what she said in support of it and the words of the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Rolfe, are highly pertinent to the debate on the Government’s proposal to restric…
Lords
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Digital ID
My Lords, this saga, and particularly reading about the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, in the Times on Saturday, reminds me very much of 20 years ago, when Tony Blair and colleagues tried to introduce an ID card system. The way it was put by Mr Jones was that it is going to off…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
2 contributions
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Code of Practice
My Lords, the Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations provides guidance on all protected characteristics, not solely sex and gender reassignment. The Government are considering the draft updated code, and if the decision is made to approve it, the Secretary of State will lay…
My Lords, the Secretary of State for Education and the current Minister for Women has a proud and lifelong record of representing women. She also understands that in order to be able to do that, we need a code of practice that is both clear and legally defensible. I would have thought that anybody w…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
Meat Labelling
Obviously, it is important that any labelling is completely accurate; it has to be transparent, and any discriminatory matters have to be carefully thought through, as the noble Baroness rightly said. She mentioned CO 2 gas stunning, which is used in around 90% of pig slaughters and is incredibly cr…
Lords
Debate
6 January 2026
Sentencing Bill
My Lords, we have heard three excellent speeches in support of this amendment, which was again introduced most powerfully by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, as it was in Committee when he said, if I recall correctly,
“we will have … blood on our hands ”.—[ Official Report , 3/12/25; cols. …
Lords
Proceedings
6 January 2026
Venezuela
My Lords, first, could the Minister tell us how she thinks that democracy can be introduced in Venezuela? Clearly, the agenda of President Trump is not about liberating Venezuela or bringing in democracy, so how do our Government see that happening? Repression and banditry are continuing on the stre…
Lords
Proceedings
26 November 2025
G20 and Ukraine
My Lords, I thank the Leader of the House for answering questions on the Statement. I fully agree with everything that has been said, especially by my noble friend Lord Purvis. Although I am in an opposition party, I also agree with the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, that the Prime Minister has been doing a…
Lords
Debate
25 November 2025
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
Does the noble Lord accept that perhaps a closer analogy is where a party has one position when it is in government but a completely different one when it is in opposition, which is true of His Majesty’s Opposition towards this treaty with Mauritius?
Lords
Proceedings
25 November 2025
Migration: Settlement Pathway
My Lords, my noble friend Lord German raised many of the puzzling issues in this consultation, and the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, pointed out the divisive and unsettling elements. With all the love I have of France, we have historically done better than France in building a multicultural, multi-ethnic s…
Lords
Debate
11 November 2025
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I second what the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, has said, in the same way as I supported her in Committee. I was pleased to join her in one meeting with the Minister the noble Lord, Lord Katz, and I apologise that I was unable to do so again yesterday. He has been very helpful in making h…
Lords
Debate
11 November 2025
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
My Lords, this is the bit of unfinished business from last week—it is a little more temperate too, so far. I note the agreement between the Conservative Opposition and the Labour Government to advance the Bill to its next stages in implementing the treaty. These Benches hold our committees in this H…
Lords
Debate
11 November 2025
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I do not know whether the Opposition want to come in on this, but I may as well jump in. I support the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti. Her amendment is simplified from her one in Committee. She is quite right that this Government ought to wish to stick to Article 31 of the refugee conven…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 November 2025
Office for National Statistics
My Lords, the Sullivan review has been published and has been shared with all relevant government departments to ensure that it informs their thinking.
Lords
Debate
5 November 2025
3 contributions
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, Amendment 36 is in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Oates. My noble friend expertly presented in Committee on 8 September our several amendments to Clause 42, explaining that, overall, we welcome this clause because of its intention to end the distinction that was created between t…
My Lords, I was remiss not to welcome Amendments 81 and 83. I thank the Minister for those, but I am afraid I am disappointed with what he said. To be clear, my noble friend Lord Oates’s intervention was surely right: I think the Minister made a slip of the tongue and suggested that there was an app…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
4 November 2025
Huntingdon Train Attack
My Lords, I agree with everything that has been said about the courage and skill of the staff and the efficiency of response in the emergency services and the police. I also take the point about the signallers. It would be fascinating and would make a good drama—sorry, it is in a tragic context, but…
Lords
Debate
4 November 2025
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
My Lords, the people of Northern Ireland have a particular interest in the Chagos islands, because the United Kingdom took on responsibility for the islands and, crucially, a duty of care for the Chagossian people in 1814, when the UK was represented by one of the most successful Foreign Secretaries…
Lords
Debate
3 November 2025
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I enthusiastically support the amendment led by the noble Lord, Lord Bach, which I was pleased to co-sign. The noble Lord rightly spoke about the rule of law and the fundamental right of access to justice. He referred to the UK-France deal. I understand that, at Brook House, a large number…
Lords
Proceedings
3 November 2025
Gaza and Hamas
My Lords, the West Bank was mentioned. I speak as a friend of Israel who wants to see a secure and recognised Israel, but in the West Bank we are seeing appalling settler violence and an erratic and inconsistent approach by the IDF. Palestinians are unable, inter alia, to harvest their olives. Are t…
Lords
Debate
28 October 2025
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I wish to speak to Amendment 26 in this group, in my name and that of my noble friend Lord German, on co-operation with Europol. I think the reason it has been grouped here is that it would help boost the effectiveness of the Border Security Commander.
The Government recently published th…
Lords
Proceedings
22 October 2025
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban
My Lords, it seems clear that the main motivation locally was in fact to boycott Israel. None the less, it is necessary to get clear the degree of blame that has been attributed to the fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv. There is an account in the Guardian today which seems seriously distorted. Have the Gover…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 October 2025
2 contributions
Equality Act 2010: Meaning of “Sex”
My Lords, the Government are considering the draft updated code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Minister will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have 40 sitting days to consider the code when it is laid. It is important that the correct process for laying the code is fol…
The code is absolutely important. That is why it needs to be dealt with properly and appropriately. The draft code, which is over 300 pages long, was submitted on 4 September and it is really important that the Government consider this across Whitehall. We also have a duty, as specified in the Equal…
Lords
Debate
13 October 2025
2 contributions
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I apologise for not being here right at the beginning. I hope no one will object if I none the less intervene, as I was here for the previous discussion. I think I understand the motivation behind Amendment 184, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti. It would not perhaps be r…
Before the noble Lord sits down, I think that he is misrepresenting me, but I will not linger too long over that. I have absolutely nothing at all against, for instance, this Government wanting to go to Strasbourg to seek to change the wording of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights …
Lords
Debate
13 October 2025
2 contributions
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I support the amendments led by my noble friend Lady Hamwee and the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, which have been signed by others. We have debated refugee family reunion at numerous points over the past five years or so. My friend, the noble Lord, Lord Paddick, recalls that at one point I picked…
My Lords, without any prior liaison with the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, I must admit, I strongly support her amendment. I do not have experience of translation or interpretation in the asylum system, but 15 years ago I was the lead Member of the European Parliament on a directive on translation …