Lords
Oral Questions
15 April 2026
Masculinity and Misogyny in Schools
The noble Lord makes an important point. This needs to be tackled outside school, as well as inside. That is why the DfE has worked jointly with DSIT to design, test and launch a website for parents of all-age children to help them keep their children safe online. We are currently developing misogyn…
Lords
Proceedings
14 April 2026
Middle East
My Lords, I wholeheartedly support the comments of my noble friend Lord Purvis, particularly on the West Bank. To follow up on the point made on Pakistan by the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, since the Prime Minister’s Statement yesterday there is news now that Donald Trump is hopeful that, potentially in …
Lords
Debate
13 April 2026
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I will speak briefly, particularly given my noble friend Lord Shipley’s comments on Sheffield. I found it ironic that in Committee we were talking about not allowing others to have a committee when we in your Lordships’ House have Committee stages.
As we heard from the noble Baroness, Lad…
Not my noble friend Lord Scriven; it was the leader at the time. They basically rammed through decisions to fell healthy street trees. It took thousands upon thousands of signatures for an inquiry to ultimately find that they went wrong.
It was said that there was scrutiny, but the problem was, as …
Lords
Debate
27 March 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
On a point of clarity, having sat and listened and wondered whether I should intervene, the noble Baroness mentioned a number of faiths and the fact that people from those faiths do not believe in assisted dying. But people from those faiths also do not believe in childbirth before marriage. Is ther…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan
My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lady Alexander of Cleveden for securing this important debate. I never had the honour of meeting Imran Khan but, like millions of other cricket fans, I am grateful for the pleasure that he has given us over so many years.
Ever since independence, Pakistan has sough…
Lords
Debate
25 March 2026
4 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, I will speak briefly to Motion K1 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Barran. I thank the Bill team and the Minister for our very useful meeting yesterday, and, as ever, I must declare my interest as a state school teacher.
When we talked to the Bill team yesterday, I thought that the…
My Lords, my noble friend has already spoken to Motion J. I beg to move.
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
25 March 2026
Equality: Break Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission
I will get back to the noble Lord with that detail. A lot of local authorities are repurposing existing provision. Some local authorities did better at keeping previous Sure Start centres than others, so the introduction will be a bit patchy. However, the ambition is clear, and we are determined to …
Lords
Proceedings
23 March 2026
2 contributions
UK Steel Strategy
My Lords, I add my voice to the comments that were made by the right reverend Prelate, the former Bishop of Sheffield—I remember him well and his commitment to the city—particularly on the issues around the Company of Cutlers. Its members are a tough bunch but they are fair—sometimes they speak trut…
My Lords, given the extra time, can I just pose another question? Given that defence supply chains already receive special treatment in procurement and export controls, I wonder whether the Government would consider also extending that to energy policy.
I will give some examples: the right reverend…
Lords
Proceedings
19 March 2026
Middle East
My Lords, I echo the words of the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, particularly around how conflicts abroad should not result in hate on our streets. I fully back his call for a cross-party meeting of senior Members of your Lordships’ House to look at how we can work together to ensure that antisemitism and…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
UK Energy Sources and Cost of Energy
The Government are open to all eventualities as far as this crisis is concerned and are keeping the position under review on a very regular basis. The noble Lord will know that immediate support has been for heating oil, particularly for those customers who are off grid in the UK. The Government rec…
Lords
Oral Questions
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Strait of Hormuz
We will hear from the Liberal Democrats.
They are very close allies and partners, and they played no role in instigating what has happened. They have found themselves directly under attack, and we have all seen the impact that that is having. The Foreign Secretary, the Prime Minister and I have spoken to our counterparts to express our sup…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Plan 2 Student Loans: Repayment Terms
The noble Lord refers to a complex situation, and it would be completely wrong of me to make any suggestion about changing interest rates or methods of repayment. But of course, all these matters are under consideration in such an important subject.
Lords
Oral Questions
10 March 2026
Student Loan System
I feel as though I should declare an interest in having four kids who have all gone at different times and have been on different plans. It is incredibly complicated. To reassure the noble Lord, I can only say that this subject will be constantly looked at and we will be looking forward to the best …
Lords
Debate
25 February 2026
Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill
My Lords, I start by thanking Adam in the Lib Dem office for his help and support, and my good and noble friend Lord Clement-Jones for his support in guiding and helping me navigate around this Bill. As we have heard, this is emergency legislation and there are question marks on whether it should ha…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Imran Khan: Imprisonment
I am not able to answer that question today. That, obviously, would be a question that the Home Office would want to consider according to our immigration policy. But I just remind noble Lords, in case anybody gets the idea that Pakistan is the only country in respect of which we have concerns about…
Lords
Proceedings
24 February 2026
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
My Lords, I echo the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, that these changes are desperately needed. The system is currently broken and we need to see change. I press the Minister on the issue of the pupil premium, a scheme designed for funding to follow disadvantaged young people. If any r…
Lords
Debate
23 February 2026
5 contributions
Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill
My Lords, both amendments in this group are in my name. I start by saying that, despite the fact that we have had a short break since we discussed this previously, we have all had a lot of emails and commentary on the Bill as it has been going through your Lordships’ House. One point that people hav…
My Lords, I thank everyone in your Lordships’ House for their contributions on this group. I also place on record my thanks to the Minister, not only for speaking to me earlier today but for her letter, which she referred to earlier, and for speaking to us before this legislation was debated in your…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
23 February 2026
V-levels
I have had the chance to talk to students in colleges that are delivering successful T-level provision in the north, but I understand the point that the noble Lord is making. As I say, V-levels are an enormously important opportunity for young people who are not wholly clear what career pathway and …
Lords
Oral Questions
23 February 2026
Free Speech Complaints Scheme
We will not be leaving academics in legal limbo. Freedom of speech is undoubtedly a priority for this Government. It was a Labour Government who first enshrined freedom of expression in law through the Human Rights Act.
Lords
Debate
12 February 2026
7 contributions
Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill
My Lords, I want to speak briefly to the amendments proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Patel, and the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey. The noble Lord, Lord Patel, mentioned that 7% of undergraduates who take medical degrees in the UK are from overseas. I briefly mentioned last week my conversations with t…
Can I ask about applications from overseas? I know from the paperwork that has been shared online that everybody has been grouped together as the rest of the world. With the applications that we have had this time and last year, it might be helpful to share the data of the breakdown by each country …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
11 February 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I apologise that I was not able to speak at Second Reading but I want to speak to the proposition from the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, to abolish Clause 59 and Schedule 27. I do this as someone who has lived in Sheffield and who still represents the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, on the council…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Government Website: Registering a Death
I am sympathetic to what the noble Lord has said. My colleague and noble friend Lady Merron has said that the Department of Health, particularly in an English context, is working sympathetically with the communities that the noble Lord has mentioned. I will reflect on what he has said. It is a stran…
Lords
Proceedings
5 February 2026
US Department of Justice Release of Files
The Leader of the House referred earlier to powerful individuals. We have to say it as it is. It was predominantly powerful men abusing not only women but children. We have to be very careful about language. I want to follow up on the point that the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, raised around the sharin…