Lords
Proceedings
11 February 2026
Local Power Plan
My Lords, although I have no outside interests which impact directly on solar farms and onshore wind, I declare my interest in having worked in the wider field of energy transition since my time as Minister for Energy.
I start by reflecting that we all want clean energy, we all want full engagement…
Lords
Committee Stage
28 January 2026
3 contributions
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026
I thank noble Lords for their contributions to this debate, which were absolutely up to the rather technical nature of this SI—although I would say that the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, managed to take in a large landscape on the whole question of whether a decarbonisation policy is good or not. I sug…
The Government are of course very well aware of the whole question of how energy prices should be kept within reasonable bounds. By the way, the noble Lord went on a bit about gas a moment ago. He should remember his own period in government, when the Government spent something like £70 billion tryi…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
27 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
My Lords, I thank the Minister for responding on the Statement made in another place.
I very much appreciate that this plan has taken longer to finalise than expected, with a year’s delay, but I have to say that we will join those who support a measured and incremental move towards low-carbon home …
Lords
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Offshore Wind
My Lords, I declare my interests. I am chair of Amey UK Ltd, Acteon and Buckthorn Partners LLP. As this is the first time that I have spoken to a Statement on an energy debate from the Front Bench since I was Minister for Energy, I inform the House that I have spent my working life in the energy sec…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
We have had two collaborations with the Japanese over the last couple of years, one on HTGRs and one on coated fuels, and we have an ongoing one on robotics. The point made about heat production is crucial. The Japanese, through our collaboration with them through UKNNL, have the demonstrator HTGR r…
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Brennan of Canton, should be very proud; I do not think there can be many people who have introduced the same Bill in consecutive Sessions, in two different Parliaments and two different Houses, with support from two different Governments. We thank him very much for hi…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 January 2026
2 contributions
COP Climate Negotiations: Cities
Oh!
I warmly welcome the noble Lord to his place as the opposition spokesperson as far as DESNZ is concerned. He has had a distinguished career in energy, being a former Energy Minister himself, and a distinguished business career in renewables. I look forward to having a very fruitful and constructive …
Lords
Debate
3 November 2025
2 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I support the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, and his eloquent explanation when moving his amendment. My amendment seeks to reinforce the points he has made. It will not surprise him to learn that not only am I fully supportive but that sports policy is no longer principally about sporting success…
My Lords, I believe it falls to me to briefly respond. My intention is not to press my amendment.
Lords
Debate
27 October 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I rise to support Amendment 107 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Addington. Before speaking to it, I have just two brief comments. First, in declaring my interest as chairman of the British Olympic Association from 2005 through to the London Olympic Games in 2012 and being a member of t…
Lords
Debate
24 October 2025
2 contributions
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
My Lords, I endorse the Bill and the principle of the amendment by the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan. I will repeat nothing of his points but merely make observations to add to them.
I think Members of the House would be shocked at the prices for the average secondary market ticket for the Premier Leag…
My Lords, that shows the ingenuity that doubtless may have been attempted. I am considering when that could be used, before the Bill becomes law, to assist the noble Lord in accessing a certain match that he is keen to watch.
There are other points that need considering by the noble Lord, Lord Bren…
Lords
Proceedings
22 October 2025
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban
My Lords, the Statement says:
“It is a long-established principle, set out in law, that the … safety advisory group are operationally independent of government, and that it is for them to take decisions on safety”,
as the Minister has repeated today, but would the Minister agree that this is only …
Lords
Oral Questions
16 October 2025
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
My Lords, to comment on the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, on Tuesday I was at Oxford University, where the head of the presidential administration of Uzbekistan was presiding at the launch of the Uzbek language and cultural centre at the university. Indeed, this month, the University of C…
Lords
Committee Stage
14 October 2025
3 contributions
National Policy Statement for Ports
My Lords, it is back to the world of cold ironing. The UK Government have the opportunity to outline a clear road map with specific objectives and milestones for the deployment of charging facilities. A strategic plan should build on what we have been considering in this document to include short-te…
Before my noble friend sits down, although I do not want to disagree with a word he said about electricity, does he agree that any policy must keep an open mind as to all new forms of energy, in particular methanol-powered ships using clean-burning methanol, which is increasingly becoming a viable a…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
13 October 2025
3 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I have listened to what the Minister said. I am hopeful that safety will be at the top of this Bill, or at least in the Government’s mind. Therefore, I am minded not to move my Motion 30A.
I have to say to the noble Lord, Lord Snape, that this was never mentioned by my noble friend Lord Moylan. He did not even respond to it, if memory serves me correctly, when we did debate it, and, as he knows, it is perfectly proper and in order for anybody to move an amendment in Committee and peop…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
19 September 2025
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords for the sincerity and seriousness of the debate over these two days. It has been illuminating and moving to hear so many family stories and personal testimonies. I note my interest as a carer for my father, Roy, who suffers with dementia.
This time tomorro…
Lords
Debate
18 September 2025
3 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, I support Amendment 492 in the name of my noble friend Lord Holmes, which he very eloquently summarised for the Committee. I will also couple it with my Amendment 502J. First, I will reflect on some of the key issues behind the need to improve physical education programmes of study in the …
My noble friend in sport mentioned playing fields. One of the most important roles that Sport England plays is that it is the statutory consultee for playing fields in this country. It was exceptionally worrying when, just a few months ago, the Government announced that they were putting out to cons…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
16 September 2025
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
I support the amendment from the noble Lord, Lord O’Donnell, to which I have attached my name. I have to say that after such a powerful speech—probably one of the best we have had in Committee—I was sort of waiting for the Minister to jump to her feet and say, “Look, I can bring this to an end and a…
Lords
Debate
11 September 2025
2 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I fully agree with what the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, has said about the importance of play, and with her imaginative approach to putting a play-sufficiency duty in this legislation. I hope that she pursues it further. She can be assured of good support from across the House, and certa…
I am grateful to the Minister for his comprehensive response. Do the Government recognise the role of Sport England in the context of the protection of playing fields as effective and as an important consultee in statutory consultation over the future protection of playing fields? Do they respect th…
Lords
Debate
9 September 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I rise to speak to three amendments in my name, but first I thank the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, for his generous comments with regard to the amendments that I tabled. I completely echo what he said in reverse: I am fully supportive of what he has just put before the Committee.
During the la…
Lords
Debate
4 September 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, Amendment 99AA in my name is the first of a number of amendments we will be considering over the coming weeks on the importance of sport and recreational provision being an essential priority for planning policy in this country. At a time when playing fields are under threat, swimming pool…
Lords
Debate
24 July 2025
4 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I echo many of the comments that have been made, and I strongly welcome the intention from the noble Baroness, Lady Pidgeon, in bringing this matter to the Committee towards the end of the day and considering the issue in depth through a range of amendments. She was admirably supported by …
My Lords, I declared my interests in detail some two hours ago; they relate also to this amendment.
Regrettably, my noble friend Lady Coffey is, as the Committee knows, abroad. She offers her apologies and has asked me to speak to her Amendment 71A, an amendment regarding litter on the strategic ro…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
15 July 2025
3 contributions
Football Governance Bill [HL]
My Lords, just for clarity, I am staying this week in the Chelsea Football Club hotel, and it is a fantastic set-up and a fantastic ground.
My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend the Minister and commend the excellent work of her officials in her department’s Bill team on the amendments returned from the Commons that clarify and tidy provisions in the Bill. I congratulate them especially on where the Bill has been strengthened; this v…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
9 July 2025
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
My Lords, I rise briefly to support the amendment in the name of my noble friend Lord Wolfson. He has already made the case about the need to clarify the process for future claims to a hereditary peerage when hereditary Peers no longer sit in your Lordships’ House. My noble friend highlighted the co…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 June 2025
2 contributions
Young People: Sporting Activities
My Lords, we are committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and supporting more children to access high-quality PE and sport. The new commitment, outlined by the Prime Minister as he wished the Lionesses good luck in their future tournament, is to create links between schools, local clubs an…
Of course it is important that there is a fully funded and costed programme, but when we talk about the facilities that are so important for enabling young people—in fact, all people—to engage in sport, I point the noble Lord to the increased capital investment in schools announced as part of the sp…
Lords
Debate
23 June 2025
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, I rise in support of the amendments in the name of my noble friend Lady Cash on a national strategy to promote the health, development and school readiness of all children from birth to the age of five. I agree with everything that has been said in this Committee on this subject. The Minis…