Lords
Debate
20 March 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, before I speak to the substance of the amendments in this group, I pay tribute to the noble Baronesses, Lady Nicholson, Lady Berridge, Lady Fraser of Craigmaddie, Lady Grey-Thompson, Lady Hollins and Lady O’Loan, and the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Newcastle. They have all stood u…
My Lords, it is a hallmark of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, to make valuable contributions to debates in your Lordships’ House, and today is no different. The noble Lord is living proof that an average, median or mean life expectancy is incredibly difficult to predict, as is the third standard deviat…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
2 contributions
UK Energy Sources and Cost of Energy
I thank the noble Earl for his Question. The UK benefits from a strong and diverse range of energy supplies. The physical supply of fuel to the UK is stable. The only way to protect ourselves from these and future potential price spikes in the longer term is to get off international fossil fuel mark…
The noble Earl will be aware that the present crisis is essentially a price crisis rather than a supply crisis. I emphasise again that the UK has a strong and diverse range of energy supplies and that the physical supply of fuel to the UK is stable. However, the Government have not been idle in this…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
17 March 2026
National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I will be relatively brief. We do not regret the minimum wage going up. We support it. What we do regret is the lack of government support for hard-working families and businesses. I have some sympathy with the views of the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, on some of this. Clearly, increa…
Lords
Committee Stage
17 March 2026
Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the noble Lords and noble Baroness for their contributions to this important discussion. I personally had the benefit of attending an FE college and, from a very early age, I recognised the extremely important contribution that FE makes to our rich landscape of educational provisio…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Plan 2 Student Loans: Repayment Terms
I think it is well above my pay grade to interfere in the ongoing negotiations with the EU. It is imperative that we let those negotiations take their full course, and then we will report back at the appropriate time.
Lords
Debate
13 March 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, debate on this group, as with every group thus far in the Bill, has been extensive and in depth. We have heard from around 19 noble Lords on over 70 amendments. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition do not believe that it would be an effective use of your Lordships’ time for us to summarise the e…
My Lords, these amendments make fundamental changes to the process by which a person is able to access assistance with ending their life under the Bill. It is clear that the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, has put great care and thought into these proposals, drawing on her decades-long, extensive exper…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 March 2026
Children in Care: Illegal Accommodation
The noble Earl is preaching to the converted. My experience, going back over 16 years now, has all been about enabling the kinship care model to grow, thrive and be recognised. It has not been recognised before, and I am delighted that in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, for the first time…
Lords
Debate
11 March 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I wish to speak incredibly briefly, purely because the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, and the noble Lord, Lord Strasburger, mentioned the noble Baroness, Lady Cash. She personally spoke to the noble Lords, Lord Hanson and Lord Katz, and she apologises. She was otherwise detained and sen…
Lords
Committee Stage
9 March 2026
Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I am most grateful to noble Lords for participating in this debate. I appreciate the welcome for these measures and the acknowledgement of their importance from the Opposition Front Bench and the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett. I will turn to some of the questions. I will, of course, be very…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
Stamp Duty: Periodic Tenancies
I am currently working across the sector on a wide range of support to provide the framework that first-time buyers will need in order to take the practical steps to access the market and to build up confidence. That work is going very well. First-time buyers benefit from paying no stamp duty up to …
Lords
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
Small Businesses: VAT Threshold
Well, that was a most enjoyable question from the noble Earl. I am grateful for the opportunity to talk about the last Government’s 14 years in power. We had austerity, followed by Brexit, followed by Liz Truss. The growth record of the previous Government was an absolute catastrophe. He will know f…
Lords
Oral Questions
2 March 2026
UK Streaming and Cinema Sector
It would be a bit pre-emptive of me to rule out any exception before the reports I have mentioned are published. I would be very happy to return to your Lordships’ House to discuss this matter further once that has taken place.
Lords
Debate
27 February 2026
Rare Cancers Bill
My Lords, I am delighted to reaffirm government support for this important Bill. It will make a real difference for rare cancer patients and, as my noble friend Lady Elliott said, it stands as a real tribute and an amount of change to the memory of those we have lost, including our noble friends Bar…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Transnational Repression in the UK (JCHR Report)
I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for securing this important debate and for the work of his committee on understanding the issues of transnational repression. I note that he has been sanctioned by a number of regimes; I have been sanctioned by Russia, and I take that as a ba…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
Student Loans: Review
I wonder whether the noble Earl has had the opportunity to discuss with some of his colleagues whether they believe that the system that they introduced is a scam. This is a system that was introduced by the previous Government. Plan 2 is no longer in operation for students starting today. Finally, …
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper
Although the noble Earl did not revert to the language that some of his colleagues have used about university degrees, I share the view that, if we are expecting both young people and the state to invest in higher education, it needs to be of high quality. That is why I support the Office for Studen…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 February 2026
LGBT Veterans Independent Review
My Lords, there is a reverse burden of proof, so anybody applying to the scheme is believed; it is up to the MoD to show that their service records do not match what they put forward. Everybody asked for that, and everybody accepted that it was really important. It is not in anybody’s interest to de…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Environment Agency: Waste Crime
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to address this important question on what assessment His Majesty’s Government have made of the performance of the Environment Agency in addressing waste crime. In doing so, I am pleased to thank the noble Baroness, Lady Sheehan, and all members of her com…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Flour Milling Sector
My Lords, I am very grateful for the opportunity to respond to this debate. I thank my noble friend Lord Rooker for securing it, as well as the noble Lord, Lord Vaizey, and the noble Earl, Lord Effingham, for their contributions. I pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Rooker for all his invaluable wo…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Counter-Extremism Strategy
I am grateful for the contributions from noble Lords today. I particularly thank the noble Lord, Lord Goodman of Wycombe, who is persistent in raising this issue—rightly so, dare I say? He framed the debate, if I may say so, in terms of government action on examining non-violent extremism, but in th…
Lords
Debate
4 February 2026
Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill
My Lords, I am most grateful to all noble Lords who contributed to this debate for the support given, including just now by the noble Earl, Lord Effingham, to working with us, because I think there is general recognition that we have a problem that needs to be dealt with. I am very glad, as I said a…
Lords
Oral Questions
4 February 2026
Baby Milk Powder: Cereulide
The noble Earl has moved from food safety to what is in food. Food standards applicable to school meals are both monitored and in place. As he knows, the general advice from the NHS on processed foods is that we would all benefit from eating less of the foods that are high-fat, high-salt and high-su…