Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, in my response to the gracious Speech, I shall focus on what is missing. Soon, the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy, will be missing. The noble Lord joined your Lordships’ House shortly before I did and was so gracious as I enthusiastically presented myself in front of him, grateful that I had us…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, in my response to the gracious Speech, I shall focus on what is missing. Soon, the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy, will be missing. The noble Lord joined your Lordships’ House shortly before I did and was so gracious as I enthusiastically presented myself in front of him, grateful that I had us…
Lords
Debate
24 April 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Will the noble Baroness confirm that while I have said very clearly that I oppose the Bill and that I would bring it to a vote on principle at Third Reading, I have not in fact tabled any amendments?
My Lords, we have had over four and a half hours of debate, and I want to begin to close as soon as we can after 3 pm. I will call three more speakers from the Back Benches and then move to the Opposition Front Bench. We will have three more brief contributions: the noble Lord, Lord Cashman, the nob…
Lords
Debate
13 April 2026
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, Amendment 317 seeks to amend the Lieutenancies Act 1997 to ensure the continuation of Rutland as a ceremonial county with its own lord-lieutenant. I am grateful to the Minister for her email today relating to this matter, and for acknowledging
“the unique circumstances, given that Rutland…
I am grateful to the Minister for that assurance of continuity. I would have been grateful for clarity that there cannot be the possibility of two sets of statutory instruments, because that is where the possibility of a gap exists, but I am grateful for those reassurances. I hope that that is the s…
Lords
Debate
27 March 2026
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I have added my name to Amendments 359, 660, 665 and 681, as I believe they would ensure the widest possible protection for those people who, due to issues of conscience, are not able to participate in assisted dying. I specifically use “not able”, which is a different concept from that of…
My Lords, I am grateful for the clarity, but I draw attention to the fact that this is a position that could have been put, and still could be put, in a meeting with the various royal colleges to assure them that the Bill does what the noble and learned Lord and the noble Lord, Lord Pannick, say it …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
20 March 2026
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, Amendment 174 is in my name, and I am grateful to the noble and learned Lord for the meeting on this issue. This amendment states:
“Any interpreter provided under subsection (4) must be aged 18 … or over” .
It is a probing amendment.
If you put two lawyers in a room and give them wordin…
The noble and learned Lord has not covered my point.
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
4 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords—
My Lords—
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
13 March 2026
4 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
The noble and learned Lord is correct that the amendment refers to the wrong person at the local authority. However, the substance of what I said two weeks ago about Amendment 462A is this: does not the panel need a power to ensure it can ask a local authority to meet unmet needs of the person in fr…
Am I right in understanding that the noble Baroness’s amendments are designed to achieve a situation where someone experiences and receives the best palliative care before the discussion takes place? Otherwise, as the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury has said, any choice that you e…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 February 2026
6 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I am grateful to the noble and learned Lord for his realistic acceptance of the difficulty of judicial review as a remedy for many people. I would be grateful if he could also reflect on the situation with family members: if the panel approves assisted dying, their remedy to challenge that is judici…
For the accuracy of the record, I am grateful that my noble friend referred to a story that I presented to him at lunchtime because it was relevant to Suffolk. Marie Curie’s overnight nursing service—the part of the service that offers palliative care in Ipswich and Suffolk—will end after the NHS wi…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
6 February 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I would be grateful to hear from my noble friend further evidence that Professor Sir Chris Whitty has drawn on expertise from other specialties in addition to epidemiology. Could he perhaps contact him and ask who he drew on before he gave his evidence in the other place, as he then had to write a l…
My Lords, I support Amendment 107 and just wish to ask a few questions regarding the amendment. Along with my noble friend Lady Coffey, I note that when the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, brought forth his “bring back the judge” amendments, the MCA exited the Bill under that requirement. In relation to t…
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
I shall speak very briefly to Amendments 456 and 460. I have been saddened by the lack of appreciation of the protective role that the criminal law brings, and I appreciated the comments of the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss. But it is important to consider some of the cases that have…
I am aware of the time, but can the noble Baroness, in the information she provides, please comment on the November 2023 government review, which says that the complication rate is higher when you are over 20 weeks’ gestation?
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
The noble Lord says that there is a profound difference. However, there are circumstances—maybe others are aware—where parents lose a very young child in the home to sudden infant death syndrome. In certain of those circumstances, the police have to come through the door. There is no profound differ…
Lords
Debate
30 January 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for laying such a broad amendment, and obviously I agree with much of what the right reverend Prelate said. It is interesting that this is coming straight after the debate on face-to-face conversations. We are all used to ticking the “I am not a robot” box,…
Is there a guarantee that we will see those amendments in Committee rather than on Report? That is important, because there is a very different procedure in Committee, in which we can go back and forth and query amendments.
Lords
Proceedings
30 January 2026
Arrangement of Business
I am sad to add to the list of requests to the Chief Whip. I was saddened to hear the allegation on the “Today” programme that those opposing the Bill are just a random group of religiously motivated people. It is not how I have ever been treated as a Christian in this House.
That came on the back …
Lords
Debate
23 January 2026
9 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords—
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Moore, for answering much of what would have been in my intervention to the noble Lord, Lord Winston. In my 15 years in your Lordships’ House, it has been the usual practice to give way, but I recognise that noble Lords have the prerogative not to acce…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
21 January 2026
Age of Criminal Responsibility
I reiterate that we are moving in the right direction. Not only is the number of children sentenced aged between 10 and 14 going down, but in 2024, of the 1,687 sentences passed on 10 to 14 year-olds, only 23 resulted in custody—again, a consistent trend reduction. I am, of course, always delighted …
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I support Amendment 38, which raises for the first time in your Lordships’ House the complex issue of those who may be physically terminally ill but also have long-standing mental illnesses. While the legislation cannot be used only for mental illness, under Clause 2(4), cases where there …
I believe that the noble Lord answered that intervention, so this is separate.
The noble Lord served on the Select Committee with other noble Lords. We heard clear evidence from Alex Ruck Keene and others that this is not about flexibility: you need to know which piece of legislation you, as a clin…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
9 January 2026
4 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak briefly to two of the amendments in this group. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, for meeting me in relation to his proposals under Amendment 120.
This group also contains related Amendment 116, which would introduce the capacity test that the noble Lord expects …
The noble Baroness used the phrase “moral pressure”. I mentioned in my speech that this is a fundamental change. If Clause 3 has gone, not by way of clause stand part, then actually, “pressure” has now gone from the test here. We now have “undue influence or coercion”, not “dishonesty, coercion and …
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
8 January 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
May I ask noble Lords to focus more clearly on the Motion in front of us and not get into discussing the Bill? What is before us is very narrow and could be disposed of quite quickly if we focus on that.
Lords
Debate
12 December 2025
4 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak to the amendments in this group. I did not table one in my name about a group of people who are also subject to deprivation of liberty safeguards. I am pleased to hear the noble and learned Lord repeat his offer of a meeting, which was made last Friday. I was disappointed not …
I have heard this outline of the Government’s position. Am I correct in understanding that the Government have no position on ensuring that the Bill is safe for vulnerable groups of people?
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
24 November 2025
3 contributions
Mental Health Bill [HL]
My Lords, first, I am very grateful to the Minister and her officials for the interaction and the many discussions we have had on the matters posed in the amendments I originally put down to the Bill on the powers of the police and the possible extension of some of those to authorised professionals,…
In Amendment 19B in lieu, as closing words after subsection (3)(c), insert—
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
21 November 2025
5 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 48, to which I have added my name, and to my Amendment 846. I added my name to Amendment 48 to explore whether pressure can emanate from a non-human and non-corporate source. As I mentioned at Second Reading, so much pressure nowadays, particularly for young peopl…
We covered that matter on the first day in Committee.
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
14 November 2025
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I remind your Lordships of the conventions of the House. An intervention on an intervention is not ideal. If we can follow normal conventions, that will be helpful.
My Lords, I declare an interest as chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. I have followed what the different royal colleges are saying and it is not true to say that they are opposed to the Bill in general. Most of them are neutral, one or two are in favour and one or two ar…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
13 October 2025
Asylum Claims: Religious Conversion
There is full training, not just for those in existing positions. We are now including an extra 1,000 or so individuals to support speeding up the asylum claim decisions, and they are receiving full training. As the noble Baroness will know, there is published guidance around which the criteria for …
Lords
Debate
19 September 2025
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I oppose the Bill, largely for the reasons so eloquently articulated by my noble friend Lady May of Maidenhead, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London and my noble and learned friend Lady Prentis of Banbury, whose own personal, harrowing experience—following her diagnosis of cance…