Lords
Proceedings
4 June 2026
Temporary Skilled Worker Visas: Creative Occupations
My Lords, I shall ask about another class of skilled and creative workers in need of temporary visas—namely, sheep-shearers during the sheep-shearing season. They are fundamental to animal welfare. There is a serious issue about the grant of visas. I do not imagine that the Minister knows the answer…
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
Murder of Henry Nowak
My Lords, the guidelines are being reviewed. May I suggest that part of the review should address the use of handcuffs? In this case, it is not at all clear to me that it was right, or indeed seemly or appropriate, to apply handcuffs to Mr Nowak.
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Youth Justice
My Lords, the Statement refers to the Southport murders and the lack of co-ordination between the appropriate authorities. Does the Minister accept that, when a review or inquiry is commissioned, the terms of reference should provide for the explicit incorporation of a mechanism for reviewing and mo…
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Unite the Kingdom March
My Lords, can I ask the Minister to confirm that the police will be very robust in tackling antisemitic remarks and actions at pro-Palestinian marches?
Lords
Proceedings
19 May 2026
Supreme Court Dillon Judgment
My Lords, I commend to the Minister the Amnesty Act 1924, which she will know was passed by the Irish Government at the conclusion of the civil war. It was a very useful precedent, and I commend it to the House as a very sensible way forward.
Lords
Debate
16 April 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
The noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, is taking part remotely. I invite the noble Baroness to speak.
On Motion R1, I agree with the Minister, not with my noble friend Lord Davies. It is important to remember—
Lords
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
UK Homeland Defence
As the noble Viscount will know, discussions continue around that. As the British public consider the threats that they face and the turmoil in certain parts of the world, there will be an interesting debate about that. From talking to many people who, frankly, do not share the noble Viscount’s opin…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
Companies: Online AGMs
What we are doing through the consultation on modernising corporate reporting is delivering on our commitment to provide legal clarity on the grey area of whether companies can hold fully virtual AGMs. It would be up to shareholders and businesses to decide whether to take that forward. The proposal…
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 423 which is in my name. The purpose of my amendment is to see if it is possible to effect a compromise between strongly held opinions. If a compromise is not possible, then subject to pre-emption, I could certainly support Amendments 422E, and I could also suppor…
I am not sure that I accept that. It is certainly true that when I started practising at the Bar, which was a very long time ago, investigations were not conducted with great sensitivity, but the police service has advanced a long way from that. So I do not think—I hope the noble Lord will forgive m…
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, in the circumstances I shall confine my observations to Amendments 422A and 422B. Before I do so, I say that I strongly support the amendment just moved by the noble Baroness. Were she to divide the House on it, I would support it, but I gather that, perhaps because of the press of busines…
I am very grateful for the support of the Liberal Democrat Benches, but for a similar reason to that advanced by the noble Baroness, I am not going to trouble the House by seeking to divide.
Lords
Debate
11 March 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I have real reservations about Amendment 385, which I am afraid I cannot support. I am glad that my noble friend is not thinking of testing the opinion of the House.
I speak as a cyclist and I fear, for the reason touched on by the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, that what is proposed in Ame…
My Lords, I cannot support this amendment, for two reasons. First, it imposes a regime which is wholly different from the regulatory practices in every other regulatory authority. For the last 15 years, I have practised exclusively as a legal adviser to regulatory panels, including for doctors, nurs…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
25 February 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I do not think it inappropriate that, although Amendment 14 was not moved, it should be spoken to.
I do not want to intrude unnecessarily, but I did have a brief word to say about Amendments 14 and 21, both of which I welcome very much. This arises from a particular problem I had in my own area. We had a very efficiently run waste disposal area, which was closed—and the consequence was that we ha…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Cyclists: Safety
The noble Viscount is certainly right that the segregation of cyclists, where it can occur, is a good thing. The Government recommend the use of helmets and high-visibility clothing. He is absolutely right to emphasise those things, but I think the noble Lord, Lord Krebs, was asking particularly abo…
Lords
Oral Questions
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Shamima Begum
We have plenty of time. We will hear from the Cross Benches first and then from the noble Viscount.
The original decision was made by the previous Administration, and it happens to be one that this Government upheld and support. I say again to the House that there are ongoing proceedings about her status, and the decisions were very clear. Under legislation which the previous Government took, we h…
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
Is it not the problem that in criminal cases where the reasonable doubt test applies, you often have external evidence, such as witnesses or documents? What my noble friend is talking about here is really an oral conversation, and the only material available to the service provider will be what the …
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
5 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I speak to Amendment 456C, but I support Amendment 456, which was spoken to by the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame. The purpose of tabling Amendment 456C is to see if a compromise can be achieved between those who favour Clause 191 in its present form and those who are strongly opposed to it.
…
My Lords, I agree that all investigations in this matter should be conducted with great sensitivity. I take the noble Lord’s points, but at the end of the day you have to establish a principle. May I complete my point before the noble Lord intervenes further? If there is powerful evidence that the m…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Prisoners for Palestine: Hunger Strikes
It is the turn of the Cross Benches.
The noble Viscount is correct. This is a clinical decision, and that is why the work with our prison staff and health partners is so vital.
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, in moving Amendment 449, I will speak briefly to Amendment 454. I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, for her support for Amendment 449. I have a nasty feeling that I may be uniting my noble friend Lord Cameron and the Minister in opposition to my amendments; I will f…
I am grateful to the Minister. That is indeed a good step forward but it falls slightly short, in that I do not think he is telling your Lordships’ Committee that the committee will be making a report to Parliament.
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I shall also speak to Amendment 448. In respect of Amendment 447, I am glad to have the support of the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, who I am happy to say is in her place.
The purpose of these two amendments is to ensure that individuals can be prosecuted under Section 12 of the Terrorism A…
My Lords, this has been a very interesting debate, not least because I seem to have had the effect of uniting the two Front Benches in a common position so far as my two amendments are concerned. There is a huge difference between the glorification of terrorism, which is deeply offensive, and those …
Lords
Debate
6 January 2026
Sentencing Bill
My Lords, I express my support for the new clause which has been so ably advocated for by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, and to which I and the noble Lord, Lord Marks, have added our names. The purpose behind the new clause achieved very considerable support at Second Reading and in Commit…
Lords
Debate
6 January 2026
Sentencing Bill
My Lords, I rise very briefly to support what my noble friend has said, and, indeed, to support the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester’s amendment. I come, as it were, from a prison background, in the sense that I was Prisons Minister, God help me, 40 years ago. Also, until relatively r…
Lords
Proceedings
18 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
My Lords, as a long-standing opponent of Brexit, I welcome the Statement. I hope it is the first of a number of steps which will improve our relations with the European Union, especially in the trading aspects of that relationship. Without this, the prospects of sustained significant growth are goin…
Lords
Debate
17 December 2025
5 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I have a lot of sympathy with Amendments 346C and 481. I start from the premise of not seeking further reviews, but I am a bicyclist. I bicycle very regularly in London; I did so this very morning from King’s Cross to here on an electric bike, and that is my new usual means of transport wh…
On that point, does the noble Lord accept that there is an essential distinction between vicarious liability in civil law, which is to pay compensation for people injured by employers or whoever, and vicarious liability for criminal actions, which is something quite different and very rarely imposed…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
26 November 2025
5 contributions
Sentencing Bill
My Lords, if I might, I will make a brief comment. I have a lot of sympathy with what the noble Baroness has just said. I share many of the reservations expressed by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen, but I wonder whether trying to identify a whole range of offences that fall outside the suspend…
Is this not a case for the Sentencing Council to express some guidance on these matters rather than go down the route of the list system in a statutory form?
+3 more contributions in this session