Lords
Proceedings
4 June 2026
10 contributions
Temporary Skilled Worker Visas: Creative Occupations
The United Kingdom has one of the most generous visa offers in Europe for workers in the creative industries. A large number of people, including nationals of EU member states, do not require visas if coming for less than six months. The Government have identified separately the creative industries …
I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question. Musicians, entertainers, artists and technical staff from non-visa national countries can perform in the UK for up to six months, as she knows. They require only an ETA, which costs just £20 and lasts two years. If she will let me, I will look at…
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
10 contributions
Murder of Henry Nowak
I begin by saying that this murder was appalling. The murder is the responsibility of Vickrum Digwa, who is now facing a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in jail. It was all the more despicable because of the lies the perpetrator told about the dying boy, Henry. That was a life snuffed out a…
I am grateful to the noble Lord. He will know that the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, which was passed under the previous Government, clarified and strengthened existing legal protections in relation to kirpans, and long kirpans as well. This included extended defences so that kirpans can be lawfully p…
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
2 June 2026
10 contributions
Windrush Compensation Scheme
My Lords, up to March 2026 more than £127 million has been paid out by the Government following claims. All claims are considered individually against the published rules. Caseworkers receive comprehensive training and decisions are subject to robust quality assurance. Anybody who is unhappy about t…
I am grateful to the noble Baroness. First, the Windrush commissioner is in regular engagement and discussion with Ministers around issues of concern, and since January 2026 we have made some significant changes to the scheme as a result of representations from the commissioner. The noble Baroness m…
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
9 contributions
Unite the Kingdom March
No one should ever be a victim of hatred or live in fear because of their religion, beliefs or the way in which they choose to live their lives. In preparation for the 16 May marches, the Metropolitan Police Service publicly outlined the robust approach it would take to criminality, including hate s…
No, of course it does not, and I will defend and support the right of people to enjoy and cherish their religion. That is what freedom of speech allows us to do. The noble Lord will also know that, on the day in question, there were 13 arrests for hate crime-related offences; 10 of those arrested we…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
It is a pleasure to be able to wind up this aspect of the gracious Speech and to listen to the contributions that have been made over the six or so hours that we have had of this discussion to date. I want to begin, if I may, by just paying tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, for…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
8 contributions
Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025
I thank my noble friend for his Answer. I very much welcome the progress that has been made on the protection of premises Act and the recently published guidance but, sadly, as we know all too well, the threat picture is changing all the time, especially around changing attack methodologies and the …
My Lords, the Minister will know that this law is known as Martyn’s law—that is Martyn with a “y”—in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was one of the victims of the terrible Manchester Arena attack in 2017. When this legislation was enacted, the Government announced that it would take two years before its…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
27 April 2026
13 contributions
Antisemitic Attacks
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lords, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar and Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, for their comments, and for their general support for the action the Government are taking.
I begin by condemning antisemitic actions by those who are undertaking them. There is no place for antisem…
I condemn those people who have a perverted view of the faith of Islam and undertake this action against the Jewish community. I grew up in the 1970s, when the National Front and the British National Party, right-wing organisations, had a hatred of the Jewish community and undertook activities again…
+11 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 April 2026
7 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, in moving Motion A, I will speak also to Motion B. We have had just over 18 months in both Houses on this Bill. I very much hope that we are now debating the Crime and Policing Bill for the very last time. Your Lordships’ House has quite properly discharged its role as a revising Chamber o…
My Lords, I rise to respond to the Government’s Motion A regarding the issuing of fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour. I thank the Minister for all his efforts. Throughout this process, he has demonstrated good will but, without making any great classical allusions, this has felt very mu…
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
10 contributions
Student Visas
My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply. The universities agree that the changes to thresholds in the compliance assessment metrics should help to further reduce the scope for abuse and non-compliance, but I understand that some real problems have arisen. These relate to the re…
My Lords, the Government are about to introduce a new independent appeals body for asylum cases. Would it not be better to focus on raising the quality of initial decisions, improving efficiency in the current tribunal system and funding legal aid adequately?
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
22 April 2026
10 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, in moving Motion A, I will speak to Motions B, C and D.
Before I begin my main remarks, today marks Stephen Lawrence Day, 33 years to the day since the loss of Stephen. My noble friend Lady Lawrence of Clarendon is in the Chamber today, and I pay tribute to her for her campaigning activit…
My Lords, before I speak to the Motion, I thank the Minister for reminding us of the anniversary of the tragic death of Stephen Lawrence. I join him in his tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Lawrence, and join these Benches with his commitment to combating racism in all its forms.
While I welcome …
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
21 April 2026
4 contributions
Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, these instruments—the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and the Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026—were laid before the House on 5 March 2026. They relate to the Government’s stance that…
My Lords, I see some of the same noble Lords in their places for this debate that were here for the debate last Tuesday. I trust that the Minister is feeling much better.
As with last week, these SIs on asylum support leave much unclear and have been tabled before the accompanying impact assessment…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
21 April 2026
3 contributions
Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990 (Amendment) Order 2026
My Lords, in moving this instrument I will speak also to the Controlled Drugs (Drug Precursors) (Amendment and Revocation) Regulations 2026, both of which were laid before the House on 26 February. For ease of discussion, if the House will allow me, I will refer to the first of these two instruments…
My Lords, the basic idea that the list of controlled drug precursor chemicals should be in sync across the UK and with international agreements that we have signed up to is a clear and reasonable one. More complicated is the process by which we have got here. It is also less straightforward whether …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
16 April 2026
36 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, in speaking to Motion A, I will speak also to Motions B, F and P in this group.
Amendment 2 is intended to ensure that accredited or authorised persons or their employers may not profit financially from fixed penalty notices issued for breaches of community protection notices or public sp…
My Lords, while I welcome that the Government have acknowledged the widespread concern over how these powers are being enforced, I must express my profound disappointment that they have chosen to strip out the robust amendment from the Bill which would have banned fining for profit in primary legisl…
+34 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
9 contributions
Southport Inquiry: Prevent Programme
One lesson that we could take from the Southport tragedy is that the focus on terrorism and ideology by Prevent actually distracts the police, schools and social services from dealing with a group of young adults who have different needs. Does the Minister perhaps agree that it is time to stop arres…
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, is taking part remotely. I invite her to speak.
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
15 April 2026
6 contributions
Knife Crime
I am grateful for the broad support from the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, for the Government’s approach. This was a manifesto commitment to ensure that we tackle knife crime and halve it in the period of the action plan that we have brought forward today.
I just want to say to the House as an opene…
I gave that figure to the House because it is accurate and it shows the value of stop and search as a policing exercise for prevention. I do not have to hand the figures on age distribution but I can probably find those for my noble friend. If I can, I will write to him accordingly and place a copy …
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
15 April 2026
8 contributions
Southport Inquiry
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Statement that my right honourable friend the Home Secretary made in the House of Commons yesterday. My thoughts and, I know, those of the whole House will be with the families of the three girls who were killed and with the victims who are …
That is an absolutely fair point. Again I put to the House that Sir Adrian’s recommendations are clear. There are five areas of failing. We are looking at those recommendations and will report on them in the summer. The second phase is looking at the wider picture. We will look at those recommendati…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
14 April 2026
Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules
My Lords, I first thank the Minister for his remarks—not that I agree with them, as your Lordships would expect, but to persevere through a croaky voice is not easy at the best of times. All I can say to him is that the Chief Whip has arrived; I think he has something special in his cupboard which h…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
8 contributions
Child Poverty and Homelessness: Asylum and Settlement Policies
My Lords, the child poverty and homelessness strategies have been widely welcomed, but there is growing concern that the asylum and settlement policies will, as a recent Home Affairs Committee report warned, lead to more child poverty, thereby undermining these strategies. The Home Affairs Committee…
My Lords, as a former director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, I am concerned that the changes to the duration of refugee protection may create a state of permanent vulnerability and instability for refugee households. What assessment has the Minister made of the likely impact of these changes on the…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
6 contributions
Nitrous Oxide
I am grateful for the Minister’s reply. As he knows, it is illegal for anybody under 18 to purchase nitrous oxide, but there is a growing trend in our cities and towns where drug pushers buy dozens and dozens of cannisters of nitrous oxide and fill balloons with them to market and sell to young peop…
My Lords, there are limited legitimate uses for nitrous oxide, yet the lawful supply of these cannisters has created an unlawful, harmful supply down stream. Will the Minister today commit to a review to establish the volume of nitrous oxide being sold and whether the benefits of the legitimate trad…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
7 contributions
Golders Green Ambulance Attack
I thank the Minister, but as we celebrate Passover next week, the ancient festival of freedom, it is shocking that the Jewish community needs help to enjoy that freedom in 2026. Over the past weeks, I have stood in this place and spoken of the Golders Green ambulance attack, antisemitism on campus, …
My Lords, I must first declare an interest in that Hatzola, which runs the ambulances, came to my home when my wife broke her leg, and it came to my home when I fell down and was unconscious, and took me to hospital. It is a Jewish organisation but it does not help only Jews. I have been in Golders …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
25 March 2026
8 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I would like to make a short statement on the position regarding the legislative consent Motion on this Bill. While the majority of the provisions in the Bill apply to England and Wales only, certain provisions apply also to Scotland and Northern Ireland. The provisions relate to a mix of …
My Lords, government Amendments 1, 14 and 18 deliver on the Government’s commitment to ensure that the strongest protections possible on violence against women and girls online are in place. They seek to create a reporting mechanism for non-consensual intimate images and a requirement that processes…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
6 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
I am tempted to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, by saying that I hope to keep the clause in and I have signed a compatibility with the Human Rights Act agreement, but I suspect that the noble Lord, Lord Carter of Haslemere, will want me to say something more than that. I will try to answer …
Well, let me first relate to the question of the letter. We had a discussion in Committee and a meeting in person. I promised to write a letter and that letter has been received. There are lots of letters going around for this Bill, and there is a lot of background and lots of amendments. I am tryin…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
6 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
I am grateful to the noble Baronesses, Lady Doocey and Lady Jones, for their amendments on youth diversion orders. Amendment 409G, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, would require the courts to be provided with details of previous interventions, both considered and imposed, and set out …
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Foster, for returning to the issue of the glorification of terrorism, our exchange of letters and her movement and reflections on what we said in Committee. I note the support from the noble Lords, Lord Rogan, Lord Empey, Lord Weir, Lord Marks, fro…
+4 more contributions in this session