Lords
Debate
13 July 2026
Clean Water Bill: Chalk Streams
My Lords, we have a unique responsibility to protect our chalk streams, given that we possess 85% of the world’s total stock. These chalk streams have suffered mistreatment, given that they are located in some of the most densely populated areas of our country. They suffer from creaking sewage treat…
Lords
Proceedings
13 July 2026
Farming Practices: Sustainable Farming Incentive
My Lords, the introduction of sustainable farming incentives under ELMS remains something we on these Benches are particularly proud of. They were intended to be part of a transitional scheme preparing farmers for greater private finance involvement in restoring nature through sustainable farming pr…
Lords
Proceedings
10 June 2026
Farming and Food Production
My Lords, the Government announced this 25-year road map for farming in November 2024. That is 18 months ago. The noble Baroness has said it is going to happen this year, so when exactly might we see it in 2026? Will Defra now stand up for British agriculture against Treasury and government attacks …
Lords
Committee Stage
10 June 2026
Marine Licensing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment etc.) Order 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for bringing forward this important SI. Two-thirds of the world’s oceans lies beyond any nation’s jurisdiction, so it is crucial that we support international co-operation and that we take our own responsibilities and opportunities for action seriously. That is why the…
Lords
Proceedings
9 June 2026
Water Companies
My Lords, delivery of strategic water infrastructure is crucial to tackling wider systemic issues. What assessment have the Government made of the benefits of smaller farm reservoir networks alongside large-scale water storage? That is the shortest question of the day, I dare to suggest.
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
EU-UK SPS Agreement: Food-related Standards
My Lords, the freedom to break out of the ridiculous EU ban on gene editing was one of the greatest successes of Brexit. We passed the law fully supported by the Labour Party, and the Food Standards Agency has developed all the necessary guidelines. Our industry is geared up and raring to go, with p…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, I welcome the rhetoric of the Chişinău Declaration and the wonderfully sensible words in the No. 10 briefing on the immigration Bill that bogus illegals will not be able to use every excuse under the sun to prevent them being sent back. Will it happen? I doubt it since we have two major pr…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, I welcome the rhetoric of the Chişinău Declaration and the wonderfully sensible words in the No. 10 briefing on the immigration Bill that bogus illegals will not be able to use every excuse under the sun to prevent them being sent back. Will it happen? I doubt it since we have two major pr…
Lords
Debate
20 March 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I rise to support the amendments in this group but first, if the Committee will permit me, I turn to face my noble friend Lady Nicholson of Winterbourne. She is absolutely right to criticise the lack of facilities for deaf people in this Chamber. Older parliamentarians may remember the won…
My Lords, I had an amendment in this group but I withdrew it when I saw that other noble Lords had tabled an amendment that was superior to mine. So I rise to support some of their amendments and to express my concern about the new clauses proposed by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer. I agr…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Flood Detection and Prevention: Technological Assistance
The noble Lord is right to quote what we said in our funding strategy from last autumn to assist with flood prevention. To be clear, the new funding policy is designed expressly to unlock additional investment from public, private and charitable sources. The new rules simplify eligibility and priori…
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I shall speak to the two amendments in my name. Like many noble Lords, I was surprised by the decision of the High Court that the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was unlawful, in view of her detailed description of its terrorist activities in her House of Commons St…
I have no objection to the court pronouncing on a point of law. However, on this occasion, it was not pronouncing on a point of law but making a judgment on the facts of the case and disagreeing with the Home Secretary on the facts.
Lords
Oral Questions
12 March 2026
Peatland Restoration
The noble Lord is absolutely right in drawing our attention to the Peatland Code and the work of other organisations and he is right in saying that private finance will be vital if we are to meet our peatland restoration objectives. It is important that peatland projects are able to make the most of…
Lords
Debate
4 March 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I shall speak to my Amendment 344 on tackling the growing danger posed by food delivery couriers. There are moments in public policy when the evidence becomes so overwhelming, and so consistent across press reporting, academic research and lived experience, that Parliament has a duty to ac…
Lords
Debate
2 March 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, we should at least be grateful that we are dealing with this matter well after the dinner break. I support my noble friend’s amendment. I also support government Amendment 301. It is a big improvement on the current law, but I am very disappointed that it omits some of the essential featur…
The Minister says that the accused could be charged. Charged and prosecuted by whom?
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
27 February 2026
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, we all agree with the Chief Whip, and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, that everything in this House should be treated with kindness, courtesy and respect. Will he therefore condemn in no uncertain terms the articles in the last couple of days suggesting that there ar…
Lords
Debate
27 February 2026
Rare Cancers Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Elliott of Whitburn Bay, for the skill and care with which she has steered this Bill through your Lordships’ House. This is a measured and important piece of legislation that has attracted cross-party support. It addresses an area of clear and long-standing…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Transnational Repression in the UK (JCHR Report)
My Lords, I am delighted to congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Isaac, on his maiden contribution.
I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing this debate and highlighting the work of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on transnational repression. For the purpose of declaring my interest, I sho…
We have to work with China. We will challenge it at all times and trade with it when we need to. It is important that we hold standards of democracy to account across the world.
I am conscious of time—
Lords
Oral Questions
26 February 2026
2 contributions
New Housing: Flood Risk
My Lords, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that inappropriate development in flood risk areas should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk. If necessary in such areas, development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewher…
I am pleased to tell the noble Lord that 96% of all planning decisions and 99% of all new homes proposed in planning applications comply with Environment Agency advice, so we are making progress with this. I accept his point that it is very important, as we continue to work towards our target of 1.5…
Lords
Debate
24 February 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, unlike the noble Lord, Lord Rennard, I rise to support my noble friends’ amendments in group 1, not to defend tobacco, but to defend common sense, public safety and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of small shopkeepers who would be most harmed by a policy that looks simple on paper but…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Changing Weather Patterns and Floods
In my response earlier to my noble friend I talked about ELMS, the environmental land management scheme, and I will provide a bit more detail about that. The Countryside Stewardship higher-tier scheme provides a number of ongoing actions to help create water storage and prevent flooding, including a…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Animal Welfare Strategy: Rural Communities
I may have to disagree with the noble Lord around some of our opinions on hunting. However, on the issues that he raised about trade, which are really important, the UK’s trade strategy has set out that we will not lower food standards and that we will uphold our high animal welfare standards. All a…
Lords
Debate
6 February 2026
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I am another Peer who sat here for many hours last Friday, desperately keen to speak to this group of amendments. Towards the end, at nearly 5.30 pm, I heard the magnificent speech of the noble Lord, Lord Rook, who is not currently in his place. It really was an incredible speech. I suppos…
My Lords, I will speak to my Amendment 110A, which seeks to insert into Clause 3 a requirement that, where a person is ordinarily resident in a registered care home or nursing home, a registered medical practitioner must not certify capacity for the purposes of the future Act unless a specialist cli…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Construction Industry: Timber
My Lords, the Timber in Construction Roadmap was updated and relaunched in February 2025. It sets out how we can increase the use of timber in construction. We are working in partnership with timber industries, government bodies and stakeholders to address the barriers to greater timber use. Our col…
The noble Lord is right that we import the vast majority of our timber and wood products, and this makes us the second largest net importer in the world after China. The Government believe that this needs to change. We want to increase the domestic timber market, and we are investing £1 billion in t…
Lords
Debate
30 January 2026
5 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak to my Amendment 320B and three others in my name in this group. The first clinical gateway in this Bill is the most important moment any of us will ever legislate for: the moment a doctor begins the process that can lead to a life being ended. That gateway must be treated with…
I am grateful to the noble and learned Lord. I acknowledge that he has accepted that something else needs to be added to the Bill, possibly along the lines that I was suggesting. That comes on top of the dozen new clauses that he is already planning to add to the Bill, so I ask him to help me unders…
+3 more contributions in this session