Lord Murray of Blidworth — Hansard

Lords Proceedings 29 June 2026 2 contributions

My Lords—

We have a backlog of 151,000 cases. Will the Minister tell us whether it is the plan to transfer the backlog from the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber to the new independent authority that is being set up under the Bill? If it is not the proposal to transfer the backlog to the new …

Lords Proceedings 22 June 2026

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office

My Lords, I sit on the Joint Committee on Human Rights with the noble Lord, Lord Alton. In our report on transnational repression, published some 10 months ago, one of the recommendations was that those perceiving themselves to be the victims of transnational repression should have access to a dedic…

Lords Proceedings 18 May 2026

King’s Speech

My Lords, in the gracious Speech His Majesty said only this about the thorny topic of immigration and asylum: “Legislation will be introduced to increase confidence in the security of the immigration and asylum systems”— nothing else. That is perhaps unsurprising, given the likely choppy reception…

Lords Statutory Instrument 21 April 2026

Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

My Lords, I congratulate the Home Office on its direction of travel, but I have a few points I think it needs to consider to get this right. It would be helpful if the Home Office were to publish more regularly the gender breakdown of asylum seekers so that we can be clear that it is a representativ…

Lords Proceedings 14 April 2026

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules

This is an important debate on an important issue. The case has been made by every speaker so far making detailed points on the policies and the problems that they create. I want to put on record my concern and my support for the comments that have been made by my noble friends and other Members of …

Lords Debate 14 April 2026

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

My Lords—

Lords Debate 13 March 2026

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, I thank everyone who has spoken on this adjourned group. I propose to adopt the enviable style of my noble friend Lord Effingham and not refer to everybody’s speeches. I would, however, pick up just one point from our discussion on 27 February, which was in the speech of the noble Baroness…

Lords Debate 10 March 2026

Victims and Courts Bill

My Lords, it gives me great pleasure to say that I agree entirely with the noble Lord, Lord Marks—not something I perhaps say terribly frequently in this Chamber. There is one material distinction between the proposed new clause the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, brought forward in Committee…

Lords Debate 27 February 2026

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, it is a long time since I last spoke on this Bill, at about 3.20 pm on Friday 12 September, the first day of Second Reading. In that speech I outlined my concerns about the panels proposed in Clause 17. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the group of amendments to those panels. I will…

Lords Debate 24 February 2026 2 contributions

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

My Lords, I will speak to all my amendments in this group, which is all of them barring Amendment 203. I thank my noble friend Lord Naseby, who has signed all my amendments. The amendments all do the same thing: they would remove from the necessary places in the Bill the generational smoking ban—th…

My Lords, what an excellent debate showing your Lordships’ House at its best, with superb speeches on both sides of the argument. It would be invidious to list them, so I will not. I thank the Minister for her reply and her tolerance of my points throughout Committee and Report on the Bill. Three t…

Lords Debate 9 February 2026 2 contributions

Victims and Courts Bill

My Lords, my Amendments 16, 25 28 and 33 arise from the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, of which I am a member. The Joint Committee has written to the Ministry of Justice on a number of occasions regarding these issues and has so far not met with a satisfactory response. I sh…

My Lords, I thank the noble Lords who have spoken in the debate. I am particularly grateful for the comments about Amendments 16 and 28 from the noble Lord, Lord Meston, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, and the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton. Of course, I hear the criticisms of the amendments…

Lords Debate 26 January 2026

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

My Lords, we are told by the media that four-star generals and admirals have written to President Trump saying: “A base held under lease, subject to international arbitration, political pressure, or third party treaty obligations, is inherently less secure than one held under sovereign authority”. …

Lords Debate 13 January 2026

Crime and Policing Bill

My Lords, I find myself in complete agreement with the noble Lord, Lord Walney, and in particular I draw attention to the excellent work of Professor Ekins and Policy Exchange in this area. As the noble Lord, Lord Faulks, observed in his opening remarks in respect of Amendment 382H, it is plain tha…

Lords Debate 12 January 2026

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

My Lords, this Government are doing the tough and vital work necessary to protect our national security. We were in opposition for a long time, 14 years, so I understand the temptation to play political games whenever you get the chance—I completely get that. However, one thing that we never did was…

Lords Proceedings 20 November 2025

Asylum Policy

My Lords, I say to the Minister and the Home Secretary that this set of measures is to be welcomed, but I am afraid that it does not quite go far enough. I have one specific question for the Minister on the Statement. The Home Secretary said this in the other place: “We will never return anyone to …

Lords Oral Questions 20 November 2025

Litter on Canal Towpaths

My Lords, I will speak very briefly in the gap. First, I should mention that I, too, make regular use of canal tow-paths: I often walk along the Grand Union Canal, either through Camden and Islington or, mainly, from Boston Manor, through Osterley and down to the Thames in Brentford. My experience m…

Lords Debate 18 November 2025 3 contributions

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

My Lords, for fear of treading on the toes of my noble friend Lord Hannan, I want to add to the debate that took place a moment ago concerning the intervention by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis of Tweed, on my noble friend Lord Callanan’s amendment. I invite noble Lords to look at Clause 1. Clause 1(1)…

The noble Lord seeks to justify his intervention but fails to do so. Because of the way the treaty is drafted and the way Article 18 operates, the treaty can come into force only when this legislation is implemented. That is unusual, but it has the effect of not allowing the noble Lord to make the p…

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Lords Proceedings 18 November 2025

Budget: Press Briefings

Mr Sam Coates on Sky News said that this Budget had “unravelled” before it had been given. Does the Minister agree?

Lords Committee Stage 17 November 2025 2 contributions

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

My Lords, I obviously support my noble friend Lord Howe’s amendment. However, I would like to make some remarks in opposition to Amendment 180; the principal points have already been covered by my noble friends Lord Strathcarron and Lord Johnson, as well as the noble Baroness, Lady Fox of Buckley. …

As the noble Baroness will agree, the sales-people who run these sampling rooms are entitled to market their goods. What she just read out is clearly marketing puff—to coin a phrase. I do not think it suggests any abuse of the regulation and it certainly does not amount to evidence justifying the am…

Lords Committee Stage 13 November 2025

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

My Lords, I will speak in support of my Amendment 216, which proposes a new clause that would provide accountability and oversight. In my submission, it would balance flexibility with constraint and ensure the approval of the next Parliament for this policy. It would also provide a check on minister…

Lords Committee Stage 11 November 2025

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

I thank the Minister for giving way. One point that was made was that the immediacy of the impact on retailers of cigars would come not from the generational nature of the ban but from the risk that there may be regulations requiring the packaging of handmade cigars to be altered, which would be imp…

Lords Debate 5 November 2025 5 contributions

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

My Lords, I wish to address Amendment 79A, in my name, on the disapplication of the Human Rights Act for immigration legislation. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Faulks, for his support for this amendment and for the support expressed for the principle by the noble and learned Baroness, Lady B…

No, Amendment 79A seeks to disapply the Human Rights Act. It would revert the situation to that which pertained prior to the passage of that Act. Of course, we were a member of the European Convention on Human Rights from 1951 until 1998, when the Human Rights Act was passed, and, as the noble Lord …

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Lords Debate 4 November 2025 4 contributions

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill

I am following the noble Lord very closely, and I do not disagree with some of the points is making. Could he, however, clarify why it was that James Cleverly on 3 November said that the Government were to “begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory ”?…

My Lords—

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Lords Proceedings 30 October 2025

Asylum Seekers: MoD Housing

My Lords, when I was standing in the shoes of the Minister, answering questions about our plans to put asylum seekers in military accommodation, noble Lords will recall the waves of opprobrium received from the Labour Benches, and in particular the Labour Front Bench. I welcome the Government’s chan…

Lords Committee Stage 27 October 2025 3 contributions

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

My Lords, it is an honour to open Committee on this significant Bill. I have Amendments 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 126, which relates to Northern Ireland, 127, 128, 130, 131 and 217. These amendments seek to remove, from every place in the Bill, th…

May I ask one question? The Minister has not yet touched on the issue of Northern Ireland. Is it right that the Windsor Framework precludes the generational smoking ban coming into effect in Northern Ireland?

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