Lords
Oral Questions
20 April 2026
Civil Preparedness for War
My Lords, I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, for securing this timely debate.
The United Kingdom faces serious and growing security threats—Russia, Iran, China and North Korea—alongside non-state actors, criminal networks and terrorist organisations. Last year’s strategic def…
Lords
Debate
26 March 2026
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, in moving Amendment 97, I will speak also to the many others in my name in this group. I apologise for that, although they fall into four distinct subject areas, so that partly explains the number of them. My noble friend Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb moved and spoke to related amendments in C…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for a typically thoughtful and comprehensive response to a very large and complex group of amendments, and I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in debating this group. I also join other noble Lords in celebrating government Amendments 245 and 265. I have been in…
Lords
Debate
24 March 2026
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, it is a pleasure to take part in the debate on this very important group, having attached my name to Amendment 5 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Bakewell, and Amendment 310, which was just very ably introduced by the noble Baroness, Lady Royall.
All these amendments constitute a g…
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Shipley, having attached my name to this crucial amendment. I declare my position as vice president of the Local Government Association and the National Association of Local Councils.
What we are trying to do here is to save the Govern…
Lords
Proceedings
23 March 2026
2 contributions
UK Steel Strategy
My Lords, the Statement says:
“Britain can recycle more steel. Making better use of scrap steel is fundamental to the sector’s future growth”.
However, I am sure the Minister is aware that, currently, four-fifths of the UK’s scrap steel is exported, primarily to non-OECD countries with far lower e…
My Lords, since there is time, I note that the Statement talks, I am happy to say, about the shift to “greener, decarbonised steel production”. However, will the Minister acknowledge that there is a rather great irony that when the Statement comes to consider the potential markets for this British-m…
Lords
Debate
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Pension Schemes Bill
My Lords, I rise with some trepidation; I am not going to get into that particular discussion, although I entirely agree with the intention of the noble Lord, Lord Hendy, without getting into the legal details.
I rise briefly to express Green support for Amendment 167 from the noble Baroness, Lady …
My Lords, it is a pleasure to join a distinguished cross-party group, signing and speaking to Amendment 170. Like the noble Lord, Lord Sharkey, I want to reflect back to what was said in Committee, when the Minister said that she shared the cross-party concern about pension scheme investment in ther…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
2 contributions
UK Energy Sources and Cost of Energy
My Lords—
The first issue is, as the noble Baroness suggests, the efficient use of energy by more intelligent means and planning how that energy is deployed on a highly intelligent basis. That is activity that the Government are advanced on as far as the management of our energy system is concerned. The secon…
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
The noble Baroness refers to 1,000 doctors writing, but is she aware that the British Medical Association has sent briefings to Members in support of the Bill as it now stands and that it alone represents more than 200,000 doctors?
My Lords, even at 1.17 am, noble Lords will notice that I am not the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, but I shall speak on this since my noble friend signed these amendments, so ably introduced by the noble Earl, Lord Russell.
The reality is that the public are sick—they are fed up and th…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
18 March 2026
Digital ID: Public Consultation
My Lords, I join the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, in applauding the Government’s commitment in this Statement to deliberative democracy. That is an innovative step forward, but I am sure the Minister will want this Statement to be accurate, so I point out that it says:
“This will not be a new exper…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
17 March 2026
National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I declare an interest. My colleague behind me was a member of the Low Pay Commission. I served 11 years on the Low Pay Commission. In fact, I remember its introduction and the howls of despair, sometimes from people who should have known better. Today the Low Pay Commission is in existence…
Lords
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
NHS: In-house Software Capabilities
I would first look at delivery: the federated data platform has enabled nearly 100,000 extra operations, removed over 600,000 patients from waiting lists and reduced unnecessary bed days by 15%, as well as driving a 10% improvement in cancer diagnosis—so people are being diagnosed sooner because the…
Lords
Debate
12 March 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
My Lords, I look forward to hearing the remaining maiden speech, from my fellow newcomer and noble friend Lord Walker of Broxton. I congratulate the noble Baronesses who have delivered excellent maiden speeches already. Before I get to the substance of my contribution, I declare an interest as the e…
Lords
Proceedings
11 March 2026
Middle East: Defence
My Lords, in reflecting on what the Minister and the Statement said, that Iran has lashed out with
“dangerous, indiscriminate and reckless strikes”,
which is clearly an accurate description, I join the Front Benches and others in offering thanks to the British service personnel who are seeking to …
Lords
Committee Stage
11 March 2026
2 contributions
Secondary International Competitiveness and Growth Objective (FSR Committee Report)
As I was saying, only 6.6% of bank lending last year went towards productive industries in the real economy— I am basing this on Positive Money. The group used the Bank of England’s annual money and credit statistics to find that net lending to productive industries increased by just £9 billion last…
I thank the Minister and my noble friend Lady Noakes for hosting this debate. I also thank the committee for the quite long inquiry it has done for us and for its report. The creation of the committee was an important outcome of the Financial Services and Markets Act, and this might be a moment to r…
Lords
Proceedings
9 March 2026
Energy Markets
My Lords, an investigation today by the Guardian finds that a series of government announcements to
“mainline AI into the veins”
of the UK economy are riddled with “phantom investments” and what the Guardian describes as “shaky accounting”. In the light of this Statement on energy markets, is this…
Lords
Committee Stage
9 March 2026
2 contributions
Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing these regulations. Vaccination remains one of the most effective public health interventions available to us all. The flexibilities introduced during the pandemic enabled the rapid deployment of both Covid-19 and influenza vaccines at scale. It is under…
I can certainly assure the noble Baroness that effectiveness is kept under review. I know that she was not questioning this, but I also re-emphasise that typhoid vaccinations are available free on the NHS from GP surgeries. It is important to give that reassurance.
The noble Earl, Lord Effingham, a…
Lords
Committee Stage
9 March 2026
Industrial Training Levy (Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2026
My Lords, I join the noble Lord, Lord Jones, and the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, in thanking the Minister for introducing this order and setting out its purpose so clearly. I confirm at the outset that the Opposition support it.
As the Minister outlined, the order enables the Cons…
Lords
Proceedings
6 March 2026
International Women’s Day
My Lords, I draw attention to my entries in the register of interests, but I start by congratulating my noble friends on their outstanding maiden speeches. If I may say so, I am particularly looking forward to the contribution that the noble Baroness, Lady MacLeod, will make to this House in remindi…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
PFAS
As I said, this is very much the starting point. We are in negotiations with the EU. The EU is looking at what it wants to do in this space. We wanted to lay out a plan that demonstrated that government was serious about doing something in this area, because it is important. It is also important tha…
Lords
Committee Stage
4 March 2026
UK-India: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
My Lords, I entirely join noble Lords in thanking the International Agreements Committee for such a thorough and insightful report. I also thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Goldsmith, for securing this debate and setting out the committee’s conclusions with such clarity.
His Majesty’s Governme…
Lords
Oral Questions
2 March 2026
Forest-Risk Commodities
As I have already mentioned, we are absolutely committed to delivering this and ensuring that any regulatory framework we bring in that will affect any kind of product, such as palm oil and the UK trade in it, is going to be robust and effective, because there is no point in doing it if it is not go…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Transnational Repression in the UK (JCHR Report)
I extend my congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Isaac, on an excellent and very informative maiden speech. I also congratulate my noble friend Lord Alton, as well as the members of the JCHR, on producing this excellent report and securing the debate. It will not come as a surprise to noble Lords…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)
My Lords, I express my sympathy to the noble Baroness, Lady Finn, who has to wind up and present a coherent, responsible and constructive opposition position on this for the Conservative Party after hearing several speeches from behind her that would have done very well for members of Reform. I want…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Electronic Travel Authorisation: Dual Nationals
My Lords, the rules say that the personal details on the two passports must match, but Britons in Greece are among the those highlighting the fact that this is extraordinarily discriminatory against women, given that, for example, in Greece—and this applies to a number of other countries—there are r…