Lords
Debate
9 March 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I have added my name to Amendment 419 in support of the noble Lord, Lord Goodman, and the other signatories. It calls for a counterextremism strategy to be published annually. I am also in support of the gist of all the amendments in this group, which are trying to plug the gap in the law …
Lords
Oral Questions
2 March 2026
Child Poverty Strategy
My Lords, the Government are using two metrics. We are using relative low income after housing costs, which is the international standard measure, but we are also using deep material poverty. That is a new measure that has been devised based on material deprivation, which reflects our commitment to …
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
Student Loans: Review
I am afraid that I do not agree with the noble Baroness that reducing the numbers of people who can benefit from higher education is the most effective way to address this issue, although I agree that we need to address the cost of living crisis that current students face. That is why we are increas…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Better Start Longitudinal Programmes
My recollection from debating that point previously is that we are looking at the evidence and the best way to tackle the issue that the noble Baroness raises: in other words, what best supports children to have that healthy and best start in life? We are looking at this in the round and I am sure t…
Lords
Oral Questions
29 January 2026
Battery Shortage for NHS Hearing Aids
I am sure that the Prime Minister will be checking Hansard and will hear what the noble Baroness has said. The important point she made was about expanding our domestic manufacturing capability. These particular batteries are very specific in their manufacture—the noble Baroness is quite right—and t…
Lords
Proceedings
26 January 2026
Holocaust Memorial Day
My Lords, it is my privilege to make my maiden speech in this debate on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day. First, I express my gratitude for the kindness that I have received from your Lordships on entering this House, and especially for the support, patience and care of the staff across the departm…
Lords
Debate
21 January 2026
3 contributions
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Collins of Highbury, for his patient and constructive engagement on this matter, and the noble Lord, Lord Khan of Burnley, who before him was dealing with this Bill and tried to work things through with equal dedication. As the Minister knows, my preference wou…
My Lords, in supporting my noble friend Lady Deech’s amendment, I of course recognise the very considerable and determined efforts of my noble friend Lord Verdirame, who sought to persuade the Government to accept the amendment made by your Lordships’ House when the Bill was before us previously.
I…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
21 January 2026
Local Elections: Cancellation
My Lords, this Government have, rightly, condemned some of the ethical standards of the previous Government. They have prided themselves on setting up an Ethics and Integrity Commission, whose work includes, inter alia, ministerial standards, the Electoral Commission, and, above all, the Nolan princ…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 December 2025
West Midlands Police: Maccabi Tel Aviv Match
Let me, in the nicest possible way, refute exactly what the noble Baroness said. This Prime Minister is committed to rooting out and tackling antisemitism and to making sure that we do not have racism in our society. He is doing so in a way that also allows for people who take a view on Israel and t…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 December 2025
Universal Credit: Two-child Limit
My Lords, the great advantage is not an either/or. The wonderful thing about child maintenance is that it does not impact on somebody’s social security, so if someone is working and getting some universal credit, maintenance tops that up further. The Child Maintenance Service does an astonishing job…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 November 2025
Schools: Funding
I am not sure that is unusual. It has always been the case that in order to benefit from a private education, you need to be able to afford it. The vast majority of children in this country attend state schools. That is why this Government are focusing our investment and our reform on those schools.…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
2 contributions
Palestinian Refugees
The status of Palestinian refugees is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Recognition of the State of Palestine does not in any way alter the status of Palestinian refugees. The UK continues to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency…
I thank the noble Baroness for that question. As I have said, the UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine does not alter the status of Palestinian refugees, and the question of refugee status remains a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. We ar…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 November 2025
3 contributions
Financial Provision on Divorce
My Lords, for nearly 50 years I have been calling for reform of the way assets are distributed on divorce, a law now contained in the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. In that time, divorce law itself has undergone profound changes and is now entirely no fault and administrative. In 1973, the financial p…
I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, on securing this debate, and her excellent and compelling speech. She and the noble Baroness, Lady Shackleton, deserve great credit for their campaign and persistence in pressing for action on this matter.
The Law Commission report strongly supports th…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
4 November 2025
Sudan: Protection of Civilians
My Lords, it is very welcome that we are discussing Sudan in this Chamber. However, I have to say, following the reference to Tom Fletcher, that he is hardly a reliable source. He is the UN official who said that 14,000 babies were going to die of famine in Gaza within days, and he had to retract th…
Lords
Oral Questions
4 November 2025
Artificial Intelligence: Safeguarding
The noble Baroness makes a helpful challenge about how to regard AI services. Generative AI can indeed offer opportunities to enhance mental health support, and the National Health Service is looking at how we can, particularly through the NHS app, assist and support people. But such technologies mu…
Lords
Proceedings
3 November 2025
Gaza and Hamas
My Lords, is the Minister aware that Hamas is looting humanitarian aid and executing its enemies in the streets of Gaza? These are both contrary to international humanitarian law. The Government have recognised the state of Palestine, which was welcomed by Hamas and has deprived them of any lever to…
Lords
Proceedings
22 October 2025
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban
My Lords, does the Minister agree that this incident has increased the perception of the UK, here and abroad, as an unpleasant, indeed hostile, place for the Jewish community? The obsession of some politicians with banning the attendance by Maccabi has increased it. Does the Minister agree that it i…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 September 2025
Labour Market
My Lords, as I am sure the noble Baroness knows, transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and Transport for London.
Lords
Oral Questions
17 July 2025
2 contributions
Commission on Antisemitism Report
My Lords, before I answer the Question asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, I start by wishing the extraordinary survivor from the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a very happy 100th birthday today. I repeat her advice to young people, which was broadcast this morning. She…
My Lords, the evidence that my noble friend Lord Mann and Dame Penny Mordaunt quoted in the report and in the subsequent article published by my noble friend relating to the specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism within the NHS was shocking. They made two recommendations: a summit for NHS leader…
Lords
Debate
17 June 2025
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his enormous courtesy and patience, and for being willing to go that extra mile to ensure that everybody gets a fair chance to get their view across. I am very encouraged by his remarks with regard to the noble Lord’s amendment. It is a sensible one, and we need so…
Lords
Debate
11 June 2025
11 contributions
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, the promoters of this project have said over and over again that they interpret our objections as being, “You can’t build a Holocaust memorial anywhere”, but that is not what it is about. The point is that you build it but you have to take into account the consequences on the immediate sur…
I think the discussion so far indicates just how ambiguous the point of this learning centre is. Still no one knows exactly what it is going to teach and what will be in it. I heard the presentation from Martin Winstone. I recall from that that he did not know what lesson was to be learned and that …
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
11 June 2025
5 contributions
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, bearing in mind the instructions that have come, it is the aim of all of us who oppose this project to be constructive; we want to improve it. It is not about nimbyism, or even the location, but delivering something worthy of the cause: worthy, as I say to myself, of the losses in my own f…
My Lords—
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
20 May 2025
Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Government are actively looking into the concerns raised about the compensation cap and will provide an update on that matter in due course. We would encourage Mr Sullivan to make an application to the miscarriage of justice application service, and we will prioritise his application because of …
Lords
Debate
19 May 2025
2 contributions
Employment Rights Bill
I rise to support the noble Lord, Lord Young of Acton. It is great to have another champion of free speech in this House. I put my name to two amendments, Amendments 84 and 88, but I would happily have supported all the amendments in this group.
May I raise this to a slightly higher level? Earlier …
Can I ask the Minister about one very troubling case, which I am sure is known to everybody? Professor Kathleen Stock of the University of Sussex faced three years of undoubted bullying and harassment because she held and still holds gender-critical views. She was bullied and harassed by students an…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 May 2025
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
I hope that the noble Baroness heard one of my first comments, which was about the priority of getting the hostages out and released. Recently, Eli Sharabi was released; he was a shadow of his former self. There is a lot of suffering—by the hostages who have been kidnapped, the families of those who…