Lord Verdirame

21 parliamentary sessions on record in this archive

21 sessions
Lords Proceedings 11 March 2026
Middle East: Defence
My Lords, as the Minister said earlier, the legal basis for this intervention is the collective self-defence of our allies in the Gulf. The Government’s position is that under collective self-defence, we may only target missiles and drones launched by Iran and the missile facilities. However, the la…
Lords Debate 5 February 2026 4 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I also offer my support but express some concerns that I believe could be addressed. I do not think I need to say very much as to the reasons I support the amendments, because the speakers before me have all done such a stellar job. The one point that I would perhaps clarify is that a num…
I appreciate that it is about only those who are within the jurisdiction, but a lot of foreign officials come within the jurisdiction at different points in time and for different reasons. There was another case a few years ago in which I was also instructed, concerning the visit of the Egyptian hea…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords Debate 2 February 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, my Amendment 456 has the support of the noble Baronesses, Lady Wolf and Lady Falkner, and the noble Viscount, Lord Hailsham. I am especially grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Wolf, who unfortunately cannot be here due to a prior commitment overseas. This is a simple amendment: it would…
Lords Proceedings 29 January 2026
UK-EU Customs Union
My Lords, Brexit was a traumatic episode for our Liberal Democrat friends, but it happened in 2016. British people voted to take back control of our economy, our laws and our borders. A way forward was defined by British sovereignty and British interests: a belief in British exceptionalism, and not …
Lords Debate 27 January 2026 2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I have added my name to both amendments in this group for the reasons that have been so eloquently set out by the noble Viscount, Lord Hailsham, and the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti. The first point is that proscription is a very significant power for the Executive. The consequences a…
Maybe the Minister can take all the questions in one go. The threshold may be the same, but there are three separate decisions and each decision is based on different evidence. We are dealing analytically with three distinct decisions, and that is the reason why there should be three different order…
Lords Debate 21 January 2026
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, I commend the very wise words of the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, and support the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, in this important amendment. I should say first that I respect 150% the honesty and integrity of the Minister; I trust him 100%, but I do not entirely trust the Government to deliver…
Lords Oral Questions 14 January 2026
Boarding of Sanctioned Vessels
I shall not stray into that territory, because I am sure that other people are more legally qualified to answer than I am. However, the action that was taken was on the legal basis that it was a stateless, sanctioned vessel. It sailed on one flag when it was in the eastern Caribbean and, when it fle…
Lords Proceedings 26 November 2025
G20 and Ukraine
My Lords, I refer to my interest in the register as pro bono counsel for Ukraine in international legal proceedings. I too pay tribute to the Government for their work and support for Ukraine. I would like some clarity on point 9 of the European counterproposal, which states: “NATO fighter jets wil…
Lords Oral Questions 12 November 2025 2 contributions
Caribbean: US Military Action
My Lords, recent US military action in the Caribbean and the Pacific, including strikes against boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking, is a matter for the United States. The depth of our defence relationship with the US remains an essential pillar of our security and we jointly recognise the …
I thank the noble Lord for raising an important question. The position of the Government has not changed. We continue to state that the lawfulness of the strikes is a matter for the United States. That is our position and what we believe. The United Kingdom, as far as the Government are concerned, w…
Lords Debate 21 October 2025 2 contributions
Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill
My Lords, this amendment follows on from a previous amendment tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, in Committee. It also has support from the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leicester and the noble Baroness, Lady Finn. I am very grateful to both of them. Since Committee, the noble Barones…
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have spoken. I will not press this to a vote, so the Whips do not need to worry. Instead, I would like to make a few points. My first point is about the complexity of setting out to claimants the deduction rate. I hear what the Minister said, but it does not en…
Lords Debate 21 October 2025 2 contributions
Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill
My Lords, I have tabled this amendment, which has the support of the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, to whom I am extremely grateful. There were other noble Lords who would have wished to support the amendment but missed the rather brief moment that we had to table amendments to the Bill. The amendmen…
My Lords, I am grateful to everyone who has spoken. I know there is considerable concern around the House, beyond the noble Lords and Baronesses who have spoken today, about this issue. I will make three brief points. The first is to echo the point that the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, made. I, too…
Lords Debate 14 October 2025
Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill
My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow my noble friends who have just spoken, though I do not agree with them altogether. I had prepared a much longer speech, but I do not think it is necessary, so I will make just a few points. First of all, my noble friends are much too pessimistic and are n…
Lords Committee Stage 17 September 2025
Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025
My Lords, the Minister should not be too upset about his late appearance on the Front Bench, with trumpets blaring outside. It is surprising, given the nature of this building and with the conditions outside that we are seeing today, that it does not happen more often. From these Benches, I will no…
Lords Debate 9 July 2025
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
My Lords, I will briefly respond to a point made by the noble Lord, Lord Newby. If we voted for this amendment now, it would probably apply from this Session, because of Section 2(6). We would probably have to amend that to ensure that it applied from the next Session. Has the Leader of the House c…
Lords Debate 2 July 2025
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
My Lords, I added my name in support of this amendment, which has been so admirably introduced by the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay. I agree that the opportunity to adopt this solution should have been seized earlier. Those who tried but failed are right to be frustrated, and the Conserv…
Lords Proceedings 1 July 2025
G7 and NATO Summits
My Lords, I am grateful to the Leader of the House for that statement. The Statement says that we need to “ensure a complete, verifiable and irreversible end to Iran’s nuclear programme”. Israel identified two existential threats arising from Iran. One was the nuclear programme; the other was the …
Lords Committee Stage 25 June 2025 2 contributions
Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill
My Lords, I will speak in support of the amendment because it raises, as the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, pointed out, a question of principle. Should a person who received payments in error always be required to make restitution in full? We are dealing with the application of this principle in the…
My Lords, I was not planning to speak, but I thought I would say a couple of words. This is an important amendment and I support the objective that it is pursuing, although I also agree with the comments by the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, on being careful about using criminal law to deal with much big…
Lords Committee Stage 16 June 2025 2 contributions
Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill
My Lords, I agree with many of the concerns that have been expressed in connection with this group, but I will say a few words specifically in support of Amendment 79B in the names of the noble Lord, Lord Vaux, and the noble Baroness, Lady Kramer. As it stands, paragraph 1(1) in new Schedule 3B affo…
My Lords, I will be very brief. I very strongly support everything that the noble Lord, Lord Vaux, has said on these two amendments. They are some of the most important amendments that have been debated today because they go to a very fundamental principle. The power in Clause 72, with the new Secti…
Lords Debate 11 June 2025 3 contributions
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, I have two amendments in this group. The first is Amendment 4, and then I have an amendment to that amendment. I have been advised that in these cases it is best first to move the amendment and then to give my main speech on the amendment to the amendment. I beg to move. Amendment 4A (to …
My Lords, Amendment 4, as amended by Amendment 4A, is a limited but important amendment. It clarifies the purpose of the learning centre. At present the Bill says only that there should be “a centre for learning relating to the memorial”. The Explanatory Notes add: “The Learning Centre’s exhibiti…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords Committee Stage 9 June 2025 2 contributions
Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill
My Lords, I did not speak at Second Reading, but the Bill has attracted my interest for the reasons a number of noble Lords have pointed out about procedure and due process. I share the concern about the risk of debanking en masse a group of individuals whom banks will view as not particularly good …
My Lords, I, too, have a few comments to make on these amendments. I very much support the intention behind them. I would like to understand a bit more about Clause 34 and how it will operate. Paragraph 219 of the Explanatory Notes says: “This clause introduces a process for review of deduction ord…
Lords Debate 7 May 2025
Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill
My Lords, what a pleasure it was to listen to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Nichols of Selby. I am so glad that she took such trouble to explain the complicated background that brought her to this House; it greatly adds to our understanding of the way in which she will approach the w…

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