Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
My Lords, I will follow on from the question of the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, about our diplomatic capabilities and technical capabilities, which we have always contributed strongly to this process. The FCDO is in some degree of institutional turmoil, seeing significant regular changes in leaders…
Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
The Space Economy (UK Engagement with Space Committee Report)
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton of Upholland, and the whole committee for this extremely enthusiastic report. I suspect I will be taking a different perspective from every other speaker in this debate because I am going to start from down here on solid earth—a planet that we have c…
Lords
Debate
9 July 2026
Defence Readiness Bill
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Wheatcroft. I was listening to her speaking about the 89 lines of the risk register. I am perhaps inspired by the fact that I was yesterday with the campaign group More Than a Score doing SATs exams. Perhaps we could set an exam for…
Lords
Proceedings
7 July 2026
Historical Forced Adoption
I declare something of an interest here. Back in 2012, as a volunteer, I designed the Movement for an Adoption Apology website and its logo. That was when campaigners came to the Green Party asking for the apology that we have finally secured. It spoke to me particularly because I believe that, as a…
Lords
Proceedings
7 July 2026
Drugging and Sexual Assault of Women
My Lords, returning to the issue raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Hazarika, about the National Crime Agency findings, I draw on a statement today from the CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales, which notes that many women will be wondering whether they were affected and, quite rightly, directs th…
Lords
Debate
3 July 2026
Nature’s Rights Bill [HL]
My Lords, I begin by quoting the Government’s own words from a biodiversity strategy published jointly with the devolved Governments in February 2025:
“Biodiversity is key to all the processes that support life on Earth. We rely on it for our essential needs, like food, shelter, energy and medicine…
Lords
Proceedings
1 July 2026
Farming Road Map and Profitability Review
My Lords, under the heading “Government actions and commitments”, the road map says that the Government will work with industries to
“co-develop horticulture and poultry Sector Growth Plans”.
Given that we are only 17% self-sufficient in fruit and 55% in vegetables, I hope that no one in your Lord…
Lords
Proceedings
1 July 2026
Defence Investment Plan
My Lords, with the honourable exception of the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, much of our debate today, as in the many months leading up to the defence investment plan, has focused on the bottom line and where the money is coming from; we have, unfortunately, had far less debate about how the money is being…
Lords
Proceedings
29 June 2026
Palantir: Public Service Contracts
My Lords, have His Majesty’s Government considered applying a fit and proper person test to owners and managers for public sector IT contracts, particularly those involving Britons’ private data, with particular attention to their respect for human rights and the rule of law? If they do not have tha…
Lords
Committee Stage
29 June 2026
Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]
My Lords, I rise to speak to Amendments 83B and 86A, which appear in my name. It is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, and to agree with a great deal of what she said. It is almost as if in the past week or so, the planet itself has been speaking to us and sending us a message …
Lords
Proceedings
25 June 2026
Democratic Institutions: Threats
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, for securing this debate—there could hardly be a more important one. It might surprise noble Lords to hear me say that. In this unprecedented heatwave, with the people and infrastructure of these islands melting around us, noble Lords might expect me t…
Lords
Proceedings
24 June 2026
Darfur: Atrocities
My Lords, it was recently reported that hundreds of Colombian private military contractors, apparently hired by a UAE-based company, transited through UAE military facilities before being deployed to Sudan to support the RSF. Are the Government aware of this case, and have they made representations …
Lords
Proceedings
24 June 2026
Scottish Government: Social Security Benefits
My Lords, the Scottish Government are using this social security spending to deliver a more humane system that treats people with dignity. We have recently had the family finances project from the University of Glasgow and the University of Manchester, which shows that the Scottish child payment has…
Lords
Debate
15 June 2026
3 contributions
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, I begin with an apology for not taking part at Second Reading. My fellow Green Peer, my noble friend Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, took part but is unable to be here today so we are doing a little tag team effort. I am afraid that I will not be here on Wednesday, but I expect that she will be…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her response and everyone who contributed to this short but passionate Committee debate. I join others in welcoming the noble Baronesses, Lady Curran and Lady O’Neill, to the Front Benches.
I think the Minister agreed with me that right to buy and the way it has b…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
8 June 2026
South East Water: Disruption of Supply
My Lords, 84% of proposed UK data centres are in areas already in water stress or projected to be so by 2040, and water bills for households are expected to rise because of the construction of data centres. Does the Minister agree that we should not be building data centres where there is not enough…
Lords
Proceedings
8 June 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Social Care: Enduring Relationships Strategy
My Lords, I am sure that we will not hear any objection from your Lordships’ House to the strategy’s aim of putting enduring relationships at the heart of the children’s care system, but there is no mention in the Statement or strategy of the substantial barriers to that. They do not talk about the …
My Lords, since there is time, my question relates to the ongoing monitoring of progress underneath this strategy, particularly whether the Government will be setting up a regular programme of listening to children in the care system and those emerging from it to see how fast progress is being made,…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
2 contributions
Donations to Political Parties
My Lords—
My Lords, in 2011 the Committee on Standards in Public Life recommended that the amount that any organisation, individual or institution can give in political donations should be limited. It is now 15 years later. A few years ago, the noble Earl, Lord Howe, said from the Front Bench that, hypothetic…
Lords
Committee Stage
18 May 2026
Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his expansive introduction to this SI. I wish to express concern about two elements of it: the change in the transactions and the change in the rules on trusts.
This all comes at a moment when the OECD and the Financial Action Task Force are pushing every major ju…
Lords
Debate
27 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I am pleased to see that the Government have conceded, first, to add rural affairs and coastal communities to the list of competences for mayors. I extend my thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville, for pressing ahead with this issue and for getting what she qu…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
27 April 2026
4 contributions
Chemicals (Health and Safety) (Amendment, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
The noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, is making some very serious points. However, in respect of the responsibilities of the HSE, surely she recognises that it is not just restricted to workplace activities? Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act explicitly mandates the HSE to take account …
I thank the noble Baroness for raising what is essentially my next point. Yes, the HSE has these responsibilities included, but its whole raison d’être is workplace safety. There have been many concerns that it does not have the regulatory or conceptual framework to truly consider environmental safe…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
23 April 2026
Women’s Health Strategy
My Lords, in responding to the Front-Bench questions, the Minister referred to holding providers’ feet to the financial fire. I believe that she was referring to the part of the strategy that says it will empower women to have a stronger say by asking them to say whether, based on their experience, …
Lords
Proceedings
23 April 2026
Procedure and Privileges Committee
Mr Lords, those were two interesting comments. I would obviously also want to take this opportunity to thank the noble Lord, Lord Watson of Invergowrie, and his committee for undertaking a very key part of our committee work. I say to the noble Lord and the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Cast…