Lords
Proceedings
1 July 2026
Numeracy for Life Committee
My Lords, I beg to move the three Motions standing in my name on the Order Paper en bloc.
Lords
Debate
9 June 2026
2 contributions
Malvern Hills Bill [HL]
My Lords, I beg to move.
My Lords, should Members wish to debate or object to this Bill, the appropriate time to do so is at Third Reading and on the Motion that this Bill do now pass, rather than on this Motion. The noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, gave notice earlier today that she wished to speak on this Motion. I will there…
Lords
Debate
3 June 2026
2 contributions
House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Bill [HL]
The Question is that this Bill be now read a first time. As many as are of that opinion will say content, and the contrary not content.
My Lords, the Companion is clear that First Readings are agreed without dissent. Therefore, I say the contents have it.
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Conduct Committee
My Lords, under Standing Order 68, no debate is allowed on this Motion. I must therefore now put the Question that this Motion be agreed to.
Lords
Proceedings
14 May 2026
Built Environment Committee
My Lords, these Motions appoint the Select Committees and Joint Select Committees, and noble Lords to be members of these committees, in the new Session. I beg to move.
Lords
Proceedings
27 April 2026
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, if there is a Division in the Chamber while we are sitting, the Grand Committee will adjourn as soon as the Division Bells are rung and resume after 10 minutes.
Lords
Debate
5 February 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, for introducing this matter so fully. He started by saying that this was a troubling aspect of the law. I want to talk about how troubling it is and to reflect on the academic research which underpins many of the comments he made. I was a y…
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
Prisoners for Palestine: Hunger Strikes
I thank my noble friend. It is vital that, because so many people leave prison with drug, alcohol and mental health issues, we carry on that care with our health partners when they leave. I am really pleased that we are rolling out four new NHS neighbourhood hubs working with the probation team. The…
Lords
Debate
20 January 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I open by thanking the noble Lord, Lord Marks, for so fully setting out his and the other amendments in this group. I agreed with his opening points, and I support all the amendments—I suspect all the speakers in this short debate will support them too. In a sense, they offer a range of po…
Lords
Debate
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, in my time as a family magistrate, I have dealt with the issue of contact centres a number of times. I want to make a point that the noble Lord, Lord Meston, did not make: the problem with unregistered contact centres. When you are in court, it is not always obvious to the court making the…
Before my noble friend sits down, I just want to be clear about one aspect. She talked about mediators recommending only contact centres that are registered. Of course, very often in court, particularly in private cases, there are no mediators; there are people self-representing, very often men. The…
Lords
Debate
6 January 2026
Sentencing Bill
My Lords, I am very pleased to support my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Sater. We sat together as youth magistrates for many years at the old Hammersmith youth court. She has fully set out what must be an anomaly. I have not heard any explanation in defence of the current situation. She gave the …
Lords
Debate
16 December 2025
Victims and Courts Bill
My Lords, I always find it slightly daunting, when speaking towards the end of a debate, to follow so many eminent noble Lords. In my short time in this place, I have learned that your Lordships do not like needless repetition, so I will absolutely attempt to abide by that stricture.
The first obse…
Lords
Proceedings
13 November 2025
Prisoner Releases in Error
My Lords, we have had a great deal of expertise demonstrated in the questions we have heard today, from the MoJ and from people dealing with offenders. I want to pass on my own experience as a sentencing magistrate. When I started 20 years ago as a sentencing magistrate, when I sent someone to jail …
Lords
Oral Questions
10 November 2025
Accidental Prison Releases
My noble friend is absolutely right that the independent monitoring boards in our prisons do a really vital job. In every prison I go to, I try to meet the IMB leaders—the chair—and last week I met the national chair of the IMBs, Elisabeth Davies, to talk through how their plans were going. I know t…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 September 2025
Child Houses for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse
I first take this opportunity to pay tribute to my noble friend for his service in the Ministry of Justice, both in opposition and in government, and his service both to government and to our party. I also thank him for being an office buddy for the past 13 months. There are four of us in a very sma…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 July 2025
9 contributions
“Hillsborough Law”
My Lords, the tragic events at Hillsborough will always be etched on our minds, as will the appalling establishment cover-up that followed. The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, when he came to Liverpool, promised that his Government would introduce draft legislation, including a duty of candour wit…
I am grateful to my noble friend, as always, for repeating the Government’s commitment to introduce the Hillsborough law, but I am afraid that the families and their representatives feel a little less positive about the engagement that they have had so far. Some worry that they have been briefed aga…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
17 July 2025
9 contributions
European Convention on Human Rights
I am grateful to my noble friend. Will he confirm that a Labour Government will never withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights? Will he say that, instead, we will discuss with our partners how it can evolve, through new protocols, new rights and new interpretations—not to weaken rights …
Does the Minister accept that the Government’s proposal, spelled out in its immigration White Paper, to legislate to tell the courts how to interpret the European Convention on Human Rights as it affects immigrants destroys the whole rationale for the ECHR? That rationale is based on the belief that…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
14 July 2025
7 contributions
Trial by Jury: Proposed Restrictions
My Lords, the Government already have more sitting days than any previous Government. The central observation of both Sir Brian Leveson’s review and the earlier view of David Gauke is that one cannot sit oneself out of this crisis or build oneself out of it by building more prison places. There need…
I thank the noble Lord for those questions. He is absolutely right that we are not short of jurors. We are also not short of magistrates and there is no shortage of applicants to become magistrates. Sir Brian’s suite of recommendations included increasing the role of the magistrates’ court, as well …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
30 June 2025
8 contributions
Humanist Weddings
I thank my noble friend for that and I apologise to the House for the fact that I have persistently been asking this question for the last few years. I am channelling my noble friend Lord Rooker on folic acid, and I just hope it is not going to take me quite as long as it took him to win that argume…
My Lords—
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
2 June 2025
11 contributions
European Convention on Human Rights: Protocol 12
My Lords, that is a disappointing response. I am not surprised by it, sadly, but I will persevere and try to convince the Government otherwise, along with my friend, the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, who cannot be in his place today, and Professor Paul Johnson of the University of Leeds. I wish to ask a …
My Lords, if the Government are not yet prepared to sign up to Protocol 12, will they give a commitment to address the rights and protections afforded by the Equality Act—all the rights and protections—ensuring that all the protected characteristics are equally enforced and protected, especially in …
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2025
Legal Aid Agency: Cybersecurity Incident
I thank both the noble and learned Lord and the noble Lord for their questions. I will endeavour to answer them as fully as I can. I say at the outset that I share their sense of concern about this breach. It is undoubtedly very serious—one of the more serious ones that have happened to Governments …
Lords
Oral Questions
20 May 2025
9 contributions
Criminal Cases Review Commission
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that answer. Of course, Peter Sullivan’s case is even more extreme than Andrew Malkinson’s—38 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. The issues arising include the CCRC’s refusal to review the case in 2008, the delay in re-examining DNA samples until 202…
My Lords, the CCRC currently has 10 cases before it of postmasters who used the Capture system, a forerunner of the Horizon software system at the Post Office. Those cases date back to the early 1990s; those individuals are often now in ill health and have been waiting for justice for too long. What…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
15 May 2025
9 contributions
Ex-offenders: Reintegration
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his Answer. Although most prisoners will of course be looking forward to their release, there will be those also for whom release will be difficult or even traumatic, particularly some of those who have served many years in prison and who may miss the settled routi…
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the problems highlighted by the right reverend Prelate’s Question are compounded by the prison overcrowding crisis? The need to use whatever space is available on the estate, wherever it may be, hampers access to suitable training courses, disrupts family and c…
+7 more contributions in this session