Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Civil Service Pensions: Capita
My Lords, I think many of us have had different experiences with Capita in different contracts over time. I fear that I may be on the record not calling it “Capita” in other parts of Parliament. Specifically, noble Lords may be aware that the Public Accounts Committee in the other place raised conce…
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
China: Human Rights and UK National Security
Of course, we keep a whole range of factors in mind. These are complex situations and negotiations, and we do not underestimate that. But it would be very wrong for us to deny ourselves the opportunity to have these conversations, because you do not get a chance to secure the trade that I have menti…
Lords
Oral Questions
22 January 2026
Artificial Intelligence: UK Preparedness
The noble and gallant Lord is absolutely right. That is why, last year, the Government set up the Sovereign AI Unit to strengthen the UK’s domestic AI capability and ensure that British firms can compete and lead globally. We supported it with £500 million. It backs high-potential UK start-ups and s…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Ministry of Defence: Budget Shortfall
The Government explain it by using the figures I have just outlined. There is billions of pounds of additional money. You cannot alter the fact that it is going from the figure I just gave to the noble Lord, Lord Young, to the figure it will be. The noble and gallant Lord knows far better than me th…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Exercise Pegasus 2025
The noble and gallant Lord makes an incredibly important point about making sure that every part of our society is involved and prepared for whatever crisis may come before us. There is no more important role for this Government than keeping our people safe, by ensuring that we have a strong Armed F…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 January 2026
Boarding of Sanctioned Vessels
The noble and gallant Lord will know that we await the defence investment plan, which will lay out the capabilities that the Government believe that we need for war-fighting readiness. The noble and gallant Lord will also know that we have taken action in the Baltic to protect underwater critical in…
Lords
Oral Questions
6 January 2026
Defence Spending
The noble and gallant Lord will know the Government’s position, as laid out by the noble Lord, Lord Livermore. We have a plan for the achievement of 2.6%; we have the ambition of 3%. It was remarkable for the Prime Minister to say at The Hague that we will have a commitment of 3.5%, with an overall …
Lords
Proceedings
16 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
My Lords, one of the biggest winter pressures on the NHS is the forthcoming strike, which will have an impact on patients, of course, but it will also have a further extremely damaging impact on the crucial consultant cohort which has to cover throughout these periods, many of whom are now simply lo…
Lords
Proceedings
16 December 2025
US National Security Strategy
My Lords, does the Minister agree that, while we might strongly contest some of the claims made in this strategy, it would be wrong to dismiss it totally out of hand, not least because it reflects deeper shifts in American opinion, not just an aberration of a single presidency, and that it clearly d…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 December 2025
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference 2026
I thank the noble and gallant Lord for his comments, and I should have thanked the noble Baroness for associating herself with the remarks that I made about the tragic death of our serviceman. The lesson I think we should learn as a country is that it is important for us to reassert and re-establish…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 November 2025
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Democratic Resilience
We talk with very many of our allies and partners, I suppose most notably the United States, France, Germany and Italy, and through the EU and NATO. We have some programming in the region specifically aimed at countering Russian activities and misinformation, and we need to continue to do that. We w…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 November 2025
Ukraine: UK-USA Discussions
I am sure the noble and gallant Lord will know that the United States is shifting its position and is allowing Ukraine to purchase NATO weapons. We continue to talk to our friends and allies, especially in the United States, to make sure that Ukraine, as he says, has what it needs in order to defend…
Lords
Proceedings
5 November 2025
“Soldier F” Trial Verdict
My Lords, language matters. In taking forward the new legislation, will the Minister and Government reflect on the fact that, although this is often presented as an issue of veterans versus victims, in a great many instances the veterans and their families were victims too? Will the Government ensur…
Lords
Proceedings
31 October 2025
Ukraine
My Lords, like other noble Lords, I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Barrow, to this House. He clearly brings with him a great degree of expertise, and I am looking forward to his maiden speech later. The noble Lord, Lord Coaker, in his excellent opening remarks, said that Ukraine’s security was basical…
Lords
Oral Questions
30 October 2025
El Fasher
I thank the noble and gallant Lord for that important question. The Government’s view is clear: external support to the SAF and the RSF only fuels the conflict. We continue to emphasise to all parties the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. We ask all those with influenc…
Lords
Oral Questions
27 October 2025
Undersea Cables: National Security Threat
The noble and gallant Lord raises an important point. I wish to limit my answer, for obvious reasons, but suffice it to say that we talk with our Irish colleagues about some of these threats. Wherever a threat may come from, we take measures to defend our homeland from it. That includes surveillance…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 October 2025
3 contributions
Chinese Embassy
My Lords—
We just reached an agreement that it was to be the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, and then the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson.
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Middle East
My Lords, disarming Hamas will be extraordinarily difficult, but the task will be much harder if, in the meantime, Iran is surreptitiously seeking to rearm it. I would not expect the noble Baroness the Leader to go into detail, but can she reassure the House that sufficient attention will be paid to…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
UK and EU Trade: Arts and Creative Industries
Our priority remains keeping arrangements as straightforward and supportive as possible for musicians and the creative industries. I recognise how important musical instrument certificates are for touring musicians in the wider creative sector. There are no plans, however, to make St Pancras Interna…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 September 2025
Suicide Reduction
The noble and gallant Lord raises an important point. I have been in discussion about a whole range of matters around veterans’ health with the Veterans Minister, and I would be very pleased to discuss this further with him in the way that the noble and gallant Lord described.
Lords
Oral Questions
1 September 2025
2 contributions
Palestinian Territories: Development Support
My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross Benches.
I might suggest that the noble and gallant Lord defines “near term”. Clearly, there is a great deal of work to do, but that should not put us off. If it is our position, which it is, that we want to see a two-state solution and that the Palestinian Authority is the only viable leadership for the sta…
Lords
Proceedings
18 July 2025
Strategic Defence Review 2025
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Robertson, for bringing the SDR to debate to this House, and I look forward to continuing to hear this House’s wide-ranging expertise. I also look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord McCabe.
George Bell, formerly the Bishop of Chiches…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 July 2025
Syria: Druze Community
That is a very good question, and it is very important. We are deeply concerned at the attempts of external actors to exploit instability, spread misinformation and destabilise the situation in Syria. It is something that we need to be mindful of. We need to take steps as and when we can, and we do.…
Lords
Proceedings
16 July 2025
2 contributions
Afghanistan
My Lords—
My Lords, it has been stated again and again that the person responsible for the loss of data thought that the spreadsheet contained a small number of names, whereas it actually contained a very large number of names. Surely this is irrelevant. It is the fact that it was used on a non-departmental s…
Lords
Debate
15 July 2025
Renters’ Rights Bill
My Lords, I rise to support Amendment 106, to which I have attached my name. For decades now, I have seen at close hand the deficiencies in service families’ accommodation. They range from an inability to get things fixed to serious problems with damp and mould. They are always irritating, and too o…