Lords
Proceedings
13 July 2026
Civil Service Pensions
My Lords, I apologise to the House and to the Minister for having to wear these glasses today. I am doing so on medical advice.
Before turning to the questions raised by the Statement, I want to express my deepest sympathy with the civil servants and families caught up in this failure. Many of thos…
Lords
Debate
3 July 2026
Lobbying Transparency (In-house Lobbyists) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter of Kentish Town, on her success in the Private Members’ Bill ballot. Although the Official Opposition cannot support the Bill in its current form, it is a very interesting Bill which seeks to address one of the most important issues in any fre…
Lords
Proceedings
30 June 2026
Civil Service Pension Scheme
My Lords, Capita’s failures are unacceptable, but this also raises serious questions about the Cabinet Office’s own contract management. Given the warnings before handover, what further interventions are Ministers prepared to make if service levels are not restored? What lessons have been learned to…
Lords
Proceedings
23 June 2026
Social Media: Use of X by Government Departments
My Lords, in October last year, the Government indicated their intention to relax the rules on civil servants speaking publicly, including to the media and stakeholders. Can the Minister confirm when the formal guidance will be published? Will it include guidance on social media use?
Lords
Proceedings
17 June 2026
Foreign Interference in UK Democratic Processes
My Lords, the news of Russian state actors behind the arson attacks at sites linked to the Prime Minister is, as other noble Lords have pointed out, extremely concerning. Yesterday’s incident with the frigate “Admiral Grigorovich” shows that Russia has become increasingly reckless. Have similar tren…
Lords
Proceedings
9 June 2026
Lord Mandelson Humble Address
My Lords, given the miraculous emergence of the Darren Jones texts, can the Minister give assurances that there are no other withheld ministerial communications that will emerge? Also, given that confidence in this process has been shaken, as my noble friend Lord Harper said, can she now commit to p…
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
Cabinet Manual: Guidelines for Government Formation
My Lords, the Cabinet Manual, or possibly more correctly, the Cabinet Office manual, is not a written constitution, nor is it binding on Ministers. The Government intend to update this source of guidance and information. Can the Minister confirm whether this update will be simply to reflect changes …
Lords
Proceedings
2 June 2026
Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response
My Lords, this scandal began with the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as His Majesty’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson is a man whose relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was already known to be a profound reputational risk and whose later published record included cash payment…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
Devolved Public Services: Funding
My Lords, the outcome of the recent Welsh elections should worry unionists across this House, but the Government’s much-vaunted Council of the Nations and Regions last met over a year ago, despite a commitment to meet twice a year. What role will the council play in strengthening the union, if indee…
Lords
Proceedings
19 May 2026
Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address
My Lords, what the ISC has said today is profoundly troubling. Materials must not be redacted and withheld from Parliament in contravention of the humble Address. The ISC has a specific role in this process and the humble Address does not allow for redaction of documents sent to the ISC. Indeed, the…
Lords
Proceedings
14 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer made her first speech in that office on 8 July 2024, she said that, by growing the economy, the Government could
“rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off”.
That was not a modest claim; it was the central economic wager of this Go…
Lords
Proceedings
28 April 2026
Pension Schemes
My Lords, I declare my interest as a former special adviser and future recipient— I hope in the long-distant future—of a civil service pension. At the heart of this issue are former public servants who are entitled to expect that the Civil Service Pension Scheme would be administered with competence…
Lords
Proceedings
28 April 2026
Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response Update
My Lords, I thank the Minister for agreeing to take questions on yesterday’s Statement.
The Falklands War was won in less than 12 weeks. This Government, however, cannot piece together a paper audit in that time. We have today simply been given a holding statement that more documents will be forthc…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
21 April 2026
Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 (Amendment) Order 2026
I thank the noble Lord and the noble Baroness. Like magic, I have just received the answer to one of the noble Baroness’s questions. I will address the questions as they came and start with the noble Lord, Lord Redwood.
The Bill we discussed last week is currently awaiting Royal Assent and is not y…
Lords
Proceedings
21 April 2026
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
My Lords, I begin, as I have previously, by welcoming the progress made by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority and the Government in delivering payments. I commend the diligent work of Sir Brian Langstaff and his team, and all those who contributed to the inquiry and its additional report, whi…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Single-sex Spaces: Equality and Human Rights Commission Guidance
I understand why the noble Baroness is asking that question, but it has been very important that we listen and respond. The EHRC has done the same. We now have the draft code, as the Written Ministerial Statement says. The Civil Service has been very clear—the noble Baroness knows this better than a…
Lords
Debate
17 March 2026
Lord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address Motion
My Lords, in discussing this matter we must, as always, keep Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and their families at the forefront of our minds. I pay tribute to the brave women and girls who were abused by him who have spoken out and called for justice.
The Prime Minister told the House of Commons on 4 Fe…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Fujitsu: Post Office Horizon Case
My Lords, the Government’s expectation is clear: Fujitsu should bear the cost of redress resulting from the Horizon scandal. We are engaging constructively with the company and have communicated our position at the highest level. I cannot go further than that. However, it is not appropriate for the …
Lords
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
UK Public Servants: International Secondments
The noble Baroness has asked four questions, so I will answer as many as I can. For all of them, the answer is the same, which is that chapter 4 of the Civil Service management code outlines what conduct we expect, the disciplinary process and how civil servants should apply it. I would expect every…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Iranian State-sponsored Cyber Attacks: Mitigation and Preparation
The noble Baroness will be aware that the cyber security and resilience Bill is in the other place, which is a starting point. I am aware of what she has highlighted and we are working across Government to fix it. There is also the cyber action plan, which will be published this spring.
Lords
Committee Stage
9 March 2026
Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, the problem when there are only two of us, as we are getting used to, is that I do not necessarily have time to answer all the questions, but I will give it a go. As ever, I thank my opposite number, the noble Baroness, Lady Finn, for the points that she has raised. Unless something is abo…
Lords
Proceedings
4 March 2026
Security Update
My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating this important statement, and I congratulate her very much on her recent and well-deserved promotion. I look forward to continuing our spirited and enthusiastic discourse over many months ahead, and I shall try not to try her patience too far. We are also…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords on the European Affairs Committee for their wide-ranging and considered report. I take this opportunity on behalf of the Government, and, I believe, the whole House, to especially thank the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for securing the debate and for his skilled chair…
Lords
Proceedings
24 February 2026
Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address
My Lords, I thank the Leader of the House and Lord Privy Seal for the opportunity to respond to this Statement.
We are three weeks on from the Motion passed in the other place for this humble Address to be presented to His Majesty, and not a single document has yet been published. We often hear tha…