Lords
Debate
24 February 2026
5 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I will briefly sum up for the Front Bench on this interesting group of amendments. Our position is that we support this generational change and welcome the Government bringing it forward. This is not party-political; these ideas come from across the House, and we welcome them.
From our po…
With the greatest of respect, there are degrees of risk. There is no electric bike or motor vehicle that we have allowed that kills 50% of people who get on a bike or in a car. The noble Lord is comparing apples with pears. The dangers of smoking are known and proven, and are far greater than anythi…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Quantum Technology
My Lords—
There are two important parts to that question. First, it is necessary to make sure that all existing data go through into post-quantum cryptography—in other words, into things that cannot be broken by quantum computers. That process is being led by the National Cyber Security Centre, which is worki…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 February 2026
2 contributions
Global Biodiversity Loss and National Security
My Lords, nature underpins our security, prosperity and resilience, and understanding the threats we face from biodiversity loss is essential to address them effectively. This important assessment provides strategic analysis that is designed to help government plan for future risks that may arise. T…
It is important to note that this is a strategic tool and not a prediction of future possibilities. The idea behind it is to help government plan for future shocks that are credible enough to warrant preparation. The way it has been managed reflects standard national security planning for preparedne…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Changing Weather Patterns and Floods
As someone who spent four hours baling to try to stop her house being flooded last November, I am completely in support of much of what the noble Earl is talking about. We have to take climate change seriously. We know, as I mentioned in the Answer to the first Question, that the report has indicate…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Environment Agency: Waste Crime
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Sheehan, for tabling this important Question for Short Debate and for her work as chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee.
Waste crime costs our economy approximately £1 billion every year, but, as the noble Lords, Lord Beamish and Lord Krebs…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Animal Welfare Strategy: Rural Communities
On the issues the noble Earl raised, I point him to two parts of the animal welfare strategy. First, we reference labelling. It is something that we will be looking at, not just on the issue he talked about but more broadly. There is a section on labelling. Secondly, we have a section on internation…
Lords
Proceedings
11 February 2026
Local Power Plan
My Lords, on these Benches we very much welcome the publication of the local power plan. This is a landmark moment: up to £1 billion of funding from Great British Energy for local community energy. This is the largest public investment to date. Our communities stand ready to generate their own power…
Lords
Debate
10 February 2026
5 contributions
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
My Lords, I am pleased to see the noble Lord, Lord Grayling, back in his place. On behalf of these Benches, I also thank the Minister and the Government for bringing forward these amendments. These important issues were raised in Committee. The Government have listened to the concerns that were rais…
My Lords, this second group concerns different aspects of the operation and scope of the revenue certainty contracts. We appreciate the good intentions to influence the mix of technologies and feedstocks supported by this scheme, but we cannot support these amendments, each of which in a different w…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
5 February 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I will speak in support of the amendment in the name of my noble friend Lady Miller, to which I have added my name. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Cromwell, for his support, and those who have spoken already.
The amendment addresses an issue that has for too long been treated as peripheral:…
My Lords, in moving Amendment 484 on behalf of my noble friend Lady Bakewell, who is unable to be here, I shall also speak to Amendment 485 in this group on pollution. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, for her support for both. The amendments address the critical, environmental and public trus…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
3 February 2026
Police Reform White Paper
Serious organised waste crime is a national disgrace that is costing the UK economy over £1 billion a year. The Environment Agency, as a regulatory body, appears to be ill-equipped and fundamentally unable to control it. These police reforms offer a co-ordinated approach to serious organised crime, …
Lords
Committee Stage
28 January 2026
2 contributions
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing this statutory instrument. He generously banked the good will between the noble Earl, Lord Russell, myself and himself yesterday, and I assure him that he will have no need to draw down on that, because I am sure he will disassociate himself from his co…
I commend this instrument to the Committee.
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I rise briefly to support this amendment. It offers a small change to an historic Act of Parliament, but it relates to the very lifeblood of modern society: the data on which we all depend. The UK is a crucial junction box, with 64 submarine cables; 75% of transatlantic capacity goes throu…
Lords
Proceedings
27 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
My Lords, I welcome this Statement. Promised nearly two years ago as a “flagship response” to soaring energy bills and poor home efficiency, it has taken some time. Delays have consequences, particularly for the millions of families living in homes that are cold. They are paying the price.
That sai…
Lords
Oral Questions
22 January 2026
Artificial Intelligence: UK Preparedness
The noble Earl makes an interesting point. Progress has never been risk-free. Every major leap forward has come with doubts, critics and problems to solve. If it had not, we would never have heard,
“one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”,
and Henry Ford would not have been making cars…
Lords
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Offshore Wind
My Lords, I start by welcoming the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, to his position, and I look forward to working with him.
On these Benches, we welcome the results of allocation round 7, which has secured a record 8.4 gigawatts of future offshore wind capacity, including 192.5 megawatts of innovative, …
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
The point raised about the heat production of HTGRs is very important. This is not just about the electricity; it is about the heat and what can be done with it. It is why we are keen to encourage advanced modular reactors in the UK. There is also an opportunity to make them much smaller and to site…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Large-scale Waste Crime
My Lords, the Government are committed to tackling waste crime. The Environment Agency assesses all reports of waste crime and deploys its resources against the offending that poses the greatest threat, risk and harm. The Environment Agency recorded 176 active, high-risk, illegal waste sites at the …
The Government are committed to the introduction of digital waste tracking, and the analysis of data that this brings will enable us to provide a significant asset for regulators and enforcement bodies in the fight that we have against waste crime. Additionally, the Environment Agency is looking at …
Lords
Oral Questions
14 January 2026
COP Climate Negotiations: Cities
The question of the role of cities in climate change generally is fundamental; by 2050, 80% of people in the world will live in cities. The cities in the C40 group are largely ahead of their respective sovereign Governments on emission reductions. Cities can and should play a central role in that ma…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
Net Zero: Civil Society and Faith-based Organisations
The noble Earl will be aware of the many actions that the Government are undertaking to ensure that young people are committed, involved and energised as far as climate change and net zero are concerned. That is among the reasons why we have developed the Youth for Climate and Nature panel, which is…
Lords
Committee Stage
15 December 2025
Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
My Lords, I thank the Minister for setting out the purposes of these regulations. We welcome them, so I shall not overburden him with questions beyond those already asked by previous speakers. It is somewhat frustrating that I did not spot the error in the amendments to Regulation 56 in the current …
Lords
Debate
10 December 2025
5 contributions
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
My Lords, I welcome the noble Baroness’s support. I am sorry to hear that the noble Lord, Lord Grayling, cannot be here, and I wish him and his family well. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Harper, for speaking to his amendment.
My Amendment 18 in this group is on UK SAF production. I thank my noble fr…
My Lords, my Amendment 10 and my consequential Amendment 12 are in this group. This amendment to Clause 6 would replace subsection (3) with a requirement for a standardised levy on aviation fuel, uniform across suppliers, publicly displayed on invoices and expressed in pence per litre.
At the outse…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
10 December 2025
Drax
We did that because the conclusion of a contract for 2027-31 ensures that Drax continues to produce a very large amount of energy, which is very important for the country; that it does so under enhanced sustainability requirements; and that it moves from being a baseline producer to a dispatchable p…
Lords
Debate
20 November 2025
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
My Lords, I declare my interests as a chief engineer working for AtkinsRéalis and co-chair of Legislators for Nuclear. I look forward to the maiden speech of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chester. I support the Bill, with the caveat that costs to consumers of these measures must always be…