Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
Foreign Interference in UK Politics
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Pack, is too nice to have gone through everything that the Tories did without involving us, but one of the things they did was to bring in the requirement for ID for people casting a vote. However, those people living abroad, although they extended the vote to them, do…
Lords
Proceedings
6 July 2026
Fracture Liaison Services
My Lords, unfortunately, at the moment, progress has almost flatlined—I think it will take 38 years to get to the 2030 target. My noble friend said to me on 9 June that the Government have not set milestones. If there are not such milestones as those just referred to, how is the department monitorin…
Lords
Debate
3 July 2026
Lobbying Transparency (In-house Lobbyists) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I should make it clear at the outset that I am pro-lobbying—how could I not be, given how much I have done in my time? It has been particularly helpful in the Lords. We do not have constituents to inform us of what needs doing, or not doing, by a Government, so it is good that those with a…
Lords
Proceedings
2 July 2026
Political Party Finance and the Electoral Commission
My Lords, Labour’s 2024 manifesto promised to
“protect democracy by strengthening the rules around donations to political parties”—
an aim shared, I am sure, by all of us from whichever party or none. Trust in politics, Parliament, our system of government and lawmaking is crucial for the maintena…
Lords
Proceedings
1 July 2026
Drink-Driving
I thank my noble friend for his response. He will know that unless an alcolock—which is, in effect, a breathalyser in a car—gets a negative response, the engine will not start. Alcolocks have been introduced in many counties, where they have halved repeat offending and therefore reduced deaths. Migh…
Lords
Debate
30 June 2026
National Security (State Threats) Bill
My Lords, this amendment is in my name and those of the noble Baronesses, Lady Ludford and Lady Foster, and the noble Lord, Lord Alton, who has other relevant amendments in this group. Amendment 1 is a probing amendment that enables the Minister to clarify the exact breadth of the intention in the B…
Lords
Proceedings
25 June 2026
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
As my noble friend said, this is important before people become pregnant. Many people who become pregnant are of course young women, but so much of the advertising by the alcohol industry is aimed at exactly those youngsters. Although I take the point from the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, about not …
Lords
Proceedings
22 June 2026
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
I thank my noble friend for that Answer, but given that one of those convicted under the National Security Act for spying on pro-democracy activists was an immigration officer and special constable, himself sentenced to 10 years, can my noble friend assure me that his Government will take greater st…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
Donations to Political Parties
My Lords, I am in favour of the legislation that we will be planning. Does the Minister think that it would be a good idea to look at the PPERA and ensure that the rules are strict enough that every party’s accounts are properly audited and are accurate?
Lords
Proceedings
21 May 2026
2 contributions
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda: Ebola Outbreak
My Lords—
My Lords, the support from this country for Ukraine has been steadfast and bipartisan, and I regret very much what we are seeing. I think Mr Putin will be delighted to see the attacks on what is going on now. We have been steadfast in our support for Ukraine, and I think we have had a bipartisan app…
Lords
Proceedings
21 May 2026
2 contributions
Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions
My Lords—
My Lords, the support from this country for Ukraine has been steadfast and bipartisan, and I regret very much what we are seeing. I think Mr Putin will be delighted to see the attacks on what is going on now. We have been steadfast in our support for Ukraine, and I think we have had a bipartisan app…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy. Yes, he was my PhD supervisor, though I heard on the way in that he thought that the PhD of the noble Lord, Lord Case, was the best he had ever seen. However, I am happy to follow his interest by talking about just two aspects of the urgent tas…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy. Yes, he was my PhD supervisor, though I heard on the way in that he thought that the PhD of the noble Lord, Lord Case, was the best he had ever seen. However, I am happy to follow his interest by talking about just two aspects of the urgent tas…
Lords
Debate
24 April 2026
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords—
My Lords, I recognise that this is a day of disappointment. I am keenly aware of those who viewed this law as the solution to their plight, but also of those for whom the clear failure of proper provision of palliative services will not be solved any time soon and for those living with disabilities …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
20 March 2026
4 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, following that, I am concerned about whether I have read Amendment 553 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, correctly. She did say at the end that maybe not all her amendments were perfectly drafted, so I may have misunderstood it.
As I read the amendment—following after…
I therefore understand that the noble Baroness does not mean this for everybody, but only for people in a restricted category.
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 February 2026
5 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I am quite shocked at what I have just heard. However, before I respond to that—I am sorry, I really am quite shocked— the noble Lord, Lord Murray, has said again, and it was objected to last time I raised this, that this is a life-or-death matter. These people are dying anyway and, theref…
It is Committee; the noble Baroness can come in later.
As I say, the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, will be able to speak to Amendment 459 afterwards. One consideration has to be that the person has informed their children of their decision for an assisted death. I cannot be the only person who knows…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)
My Lords, as I follow the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, noble Lords will get an encapsulation of the difficulties that the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, had in chairing our committee. He had a very difficult task, and the disagreements were very strong. As he noted, I could not endorse the report in the…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 February 2026
LGBT Veterans Independent Review
Let me talk to FCDO colleagues about that and come back to the noble Baroness with a letter, rather than make something up, because I am not sure of the answer. I will go back to the FCDO, write to the noble Baroness and put a copy in the Library.
Lords
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
My Lords, the UK condemns the prosecution of British citizen Jimmy Lai. As the Foreign Secretary said, 20 years is tantamount to a life sentence for a 78 year-old man. The Prime Minister raised this case with President Xi on his recent visit to Beijing. Following the sentencing, we will rapidly enga…
Yes. I thank my noble friend for putting it in that way, and I agree with her. The UK will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong. That is why the Home Secretary today announced an expansion of eligibility for the Hong Kong BNO route. Jimmy Lai should never have been imprisoned in the firs…
Lords
Debate
6 February 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I was not able to be here this morning; many noble Lords will know that I spend much of the mornings, most days, in a care home—very often two or three times a day. My husband is being brilliantly looked after in one of the most brilliant care homes. I should have got their names this morn…
Would the noble Baroness accept that could have been even more so than if her father, or my husband, were at home all day without any medical or nursing staff around them? These people are more likely to pick up those infections than equivalent people who are living at home.
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
3 contributions
China: Jimmy Lai
I am delighted to be the first to be called by the new Lord Speaker to beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
My Lords, the UK condemns in the strongest terms the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai. Mr Lai has been targeted for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, and that is why we summoned the Chinese ambassador following his verdict and why we raise his c…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
29 January 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Tope, and my noble friend Lord Pitkeathley, I have added my name to Amendment 72 and the others already spoken to by my noble friend Lord Harris.
I have to say only two things. These amendments would provide the appropriate vehicle, as some of the tasks that fall…
Lords
Debate
23 January 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Does the noble Baroness agree that, if we do not pass the Bill, people will continue to self-administer drugs that they obtain from who knows where or, as some of us know, hang themselves or take themselves into a car and use the exhaust pipe? Am I right that the noble Baroness seems to want to add …
Can I put it on record that I am not shaking my head? I think it was made clear that the power of attorney could not be used for this purpose.
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak, given that we are going to continue until 5.30 pm and the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, has mentioned me. The problem with removing the word “dying” is that it does not give to the public the absolutely key bit of information, which is that these people are dying anyway. We are t…
While that is absolutely a legitimate thing to discuss, and I would always defer to doctors on that, it makes no difference to this part of the argument of whether we call it dying. The noble Lord may well want to raise the question of whether we can ever be sure that someone is dying, although I ha…
+1 more contribution in this session