Lords
Committee Stage
17 March 2026
3 contributions
Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2026
My Lords, this draft order was laid before the House on 2 February and is needed following the passage of the Senedd’s Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022. The Act provides a new statutory framework for what is now known as tertiary education and research in Wales, which encompasses hig…
My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak in the debate on this SI, which I hope is the final stage of the formation of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research in Wales. As the draft Explanatory Memorandum to this SI explains, this consequential amendment order is made under Section 150 of the …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
16 March 2026
5 contributions
Pension Schemes Bill
My Lords, I am grateful for our discussion on this first group. I am indebted to the noble Lord, Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, for reminding me too that I should declare my membership, as a former Camden councillor, of its members’ pension scheme—although I defer to him in terms of seniority in years …
I say simply that if we took that approach to all legislation, we would end up with Bills hundreds or thousands of pages long, because we might pile on more amendments simply because they are well-intentioned. It is important that we are clear about the legislation that we are drafting, so that peop…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
12 March 2026
8 contributions
Peatland Restoration
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for his reply. My understanding is that so far we have restored a quarter of a million hectares, against a target of 2 million hectares by 2040. That is only 10%. As the noble Lord says, it is crucial that we do this, to keep water higher up in the catchment…
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his reply to the right reverend Prelate and to the right reverend Prelate for referencing his diocese’s historic interests in the Norfolk Broads. I had the privilege of serving on the original Standing Committee to set up the Broads Authority. That was tak…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
11 March 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, for these amendments, which bring us back to the important issue of police training.
Amendment 398 would require the Home Secretary to commission an independent review of police training. As your Lordships’ House will be aware, the College of Polic…
I thank all noble Lords who have spoken in this wide-ranging debate on a wide-ranging group of amendments.
I begin with Amendment 400, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey. I fully agree—indeed, we have cross-party consensus here—with the importance of transparency in the use of algorithmic to…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
11 March 2026
5 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I join all the speakers in the debate on this small but important issue in praising the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, who, after almost 34 years of service in this House, retired just a few days ago. It would be remiss of me not to join in paying tribute to him, his work and the tenacity with w…
I would need to go back and check on the correspondence for the noble Lord, but this is about making sure that this is covering costs, rather than anything else.
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
9 March 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who took part in this short but important debate, and I am grateful to the noble Lords, Lord Faulks and Lord Davies of Gower, for tabling these amendments which seek to narrow the existing lawful or reasonable excuse defences that may be used for public ord…
I was simply saying that, as the noble Baroness has already indicated that she is going to divide the House and given the hour, it would probably be quite useful just to go to that stage.
Lords
Debate
9 March 2026
10 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lords, Lord Marks, Lord Strasburger and Lord Davies of Gower, and the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, for affording us this further opportunity to debate the right to protest and public order measures in the Bill. I am grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed…
In that example, I revert to what I said about the locality being designated only if the police suspect that criminality is likely to occur or has occurred on previous occasions. I put it to the noble Lord, Lord Pannick, that a largely peaceful protest outside an embassy and at an appropriate distan…
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
4 March 2026
4 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for returning to this important matter. As I set out previously, although digital identity theft is not a stand-alone offence, the behaviour the noble Lord highlights is already captured by existing legislation. Indeed, the noble Lord, L…
While I understand the point the noble Baroness is making, I do not want to presage the content of the fraud strategy, which will be upon us really quite soon, or indeed what is in the legislation that will introduce national digital ID. I absolutely take the point that some people want to encourage…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
4 March 2026
7 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
The noble Lord, Lord Lucas, has been called to move his amendment. The debate will proceed from there.
My Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Russell of Liverpool, so aptly put it, cycling is one of the issues that your Lordships’ House likes to debate at length. It is an important issue and I thank everyone who has taken part in this debate: the noble Lords, Lord Lucas, Lord Hogan-Howe, Lord Blencathra, …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
2 March 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, following consideration of amendments tabled by my noble friend Lady Royall and the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, in Committee, the Government have brought forward amendments to the stalking provisions in Part 6.
Amendments 308 to 313, 314 and 315 explicitly provide for the civil standard…
I thank everyone who has taken part in this short but important debate. As my noble friend Lady Royall of Blaisdon set out, Amendment 313A would introduce a stalking protection notice, which could be imposed by an officer of at least the rank of superintendent. I am grateful to my noble friend for c…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
2 March 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, the amendments in this group are all minor and technical in nature. Amendments 238 and 251 modify provisions in Clause 75 and Schedule 10, which provide for the new grooming aggravating factor and relate to the duty to report child sexual abuse respectively. In each case, the provisions re…
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for the Official Opposition’s support for these amendments.
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)
My Lords, I am delighted to lead this debate on the report from the European Affairs Committee, which it was my privilege to chair until last month, when I handed the baton to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup. I am glad to see such a distinguished group of people in the Chamber to debate thi…
I am finishing—and it is an advisory speaking time.
On defence, we face huge challenges. The transatlantic alliance now hangs by a very insecure thread, in my view. We have to be much closer to our European allies and partners and we have to get closer to Europe. We need to explain why to the Briti…
Lords
Debate
25 February 2026
5 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Brady of Altrincham, will recall that he tabled an amendment in Committee which sought to deregulate devices known as sound moderators and flash suppressors. These items are subject to control by virtue of the fact that they are included in the statutory definition of …
My Lords, it is very rare to have both unanimity and common sense break out across the Chamber. I thank all noble Lords for their comments, including those among townies—I associate myself with the comments from the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, as a fellow townie. It was an education and I have l…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
25 February 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, the Government’s amendments in this group all relate to certain of the delegated powers in the Bill. In the main, they respond to recommendations made by the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee and the Constitution Committee in their reports on the Bill. I am very grateful to …
My Lords, I am grateful, to an extent, for the comments from the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Gower. The vast majority of the Government amendments that have been laid before your Lordships’ House are either in response to issues raised through discussion in Committee, or subsequent to that discussion…
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
Debate
6 February 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I am not entirely clear whether this is an intervention or a speech. If it is an intervention, it should be clearer and briefer than that, and have an actual question. Please come to the point.
Lords
Debate
5 February 2026
7 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, it is a pleasure to kick off what I very much hope will be the last day in Committee—not to jinx it. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for setting out the case for these amendments, which relate to the provisions in Clauses 192 to 194.
International law enforcement info…
My Lords, I apologise, but the noble Baroness has just said that she was not in her place at the start of the group. Really, she should not be speaking to the group if she was not in her place. That is the usual convention and courtesy of the House and is set out in the Companion as well.
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
9 contributions
Jobs Market
I make no apology for holding the Government to account on the issue of employment. Having been brought up in Liverpool and been a Merseyside MP for 21 years, I have seen the damage that can be done by depriving people of the dignity of work. Now we have unemployment rising towards 2 million. In my …
Can the noble Lord elaborate on what assessment has been made of the number and the type of jobs most impacted by AI-driven automation?
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
3 February 2026
Pension Schemes Bill
My Lords, before the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, introduces the next amendment, I remind the Committee that, although we have made fantastic progress today, we have a hard stop. We can probably stretch to about 8 pm. I do not want to constrain the debate but it would be preferable to finish this la…
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
9 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
Order—that was an intervention.
My Lords, it is Committee. Everyone can have a turn, as long as they stick to the speaking limits, so perhaps we could just take it around the Committee.
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
29 January 2026
5 contributions
UK-EU Customs Union
I finish with an appeal to the other side to open their minds and maybe open their hearts a little bit, recognise the situation we are now in, not the situation we were in, and take the country forward on that basis.
I am just finishing—is now pleading for exclusion from any steps towards alignment. The Liberals claim a customs union would boost government revenues. They have suddenly become followers of Donald Trump, believing that “tariff” is the most beautiful word in the English language, but a customs union…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
Apologies, I did not mean to put the noble Baroness off, I was just trying to recall whether she was here for the start of the group.
Apologies: please continue.
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Cash, for her amendment, which seeks to mandate the collection of ethnicity data in respect of the perpetrators of crime. I also thank all those who contributed to this debate: my noble friend Lady Chakrabarti and the noble Baroness, Lady Fox of Buckley, an…
My Lords, I wholeheartedly agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, that we owe our emergency service workers a massive debt of thanks for the work they do to keep us safe and for always answering the call when we need help. When dedicated public servants suffer serious injuries in the course of …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
The noble Lord has the right to speak in Committee, of course. Conventionally, we tend not to hear from Back-Benchers after the Front Benches have started winding, but of course he has the right.
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Cash, for her Amendment 438B and the subsequent Amendment 438EF, which seek to mandate the collection of sex data on perpetrators of crime. I thank everybody who spoke with some force and passion on a debate that certainly was not dry and simply about data.…
+1 more contribution in this session