Contributions
1,897 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, Amendments 51 and 54, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, concern the establishment of a UK-Mauritius inter-parliamentary committee to oversee the implementation and…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillI will come on to that. It is a perfectly legitimate question, although I would urge people not to speak about the Mauritian Government, who have said everything we would all want…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillThe noble Baroness has amplified the point made earlier by the noble Lord; it is an important point, and I will address it. However, at this stage we are going to reject Amendment…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillArticle 14 has been agreed as the way to settle disputes. A failure to deliver on environmental commitments could be something we would want to challenge, and the process by which…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillShe said it, not me. That is why you can buy technical assistance; it is why technical assistance exists. We have a technical assistance partnership with many countries. It is a…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, as I have stated throughout the Bill’s progress through the House, I would like to acknowledge at the outset the importance of the islands to Chagossians as well as the…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, Amendments 7, 39, 47, and 50 all relate to financial transparency and parliamentary oversight of expenditure under the treaty. Amendments 39 and 47, tabled by the noble…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillWe have been through this quite a few times, which I suppose is why other noble Lords are not jumping to their feet. Why not wait for a binding ruling? We have discussed…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, I apologise to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig of Radley, for not writing to him, but I hope that I can answer his concerns this afternoon. Amendments 1 and 38,…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillI was joking.05 Jan 2026HANSARDJimmy Lai ConvictionI thank both noble Lords for what they have said, particularly about Jimmy Lai himself—he truly is a remarkable person. I have not had the privilege of meeting him, but I know…17 Dec 2025HANSARDJimmy Lai ConvictionIt does have a feeling of a Second Reading debate, but that is because the noble Lord is so knowledgeable about these issues and the case of his friend Jimmy Lai in particular. I…17 Dec 2025HANSARDJimmy Lai ConvictionI can have a view about that. Others might have a view if the Government were to attempt to instruct judges about what they should do. My comments in response to the earlier…17 Dec 2025HANSARDJimmy Lai ConvictionThe noble and learned Lord is right to suggest that we speak to our allies and partners about this and try to elicit support from others in securing his release. We are doing that…17 Dec 2025HANSARDJimmy Lai ConvictionWe are clear that Jimmy Lai is British. He should be released because there was no need for him to be detained in the first place. This whole situation has been politically driven…17 Dec 2025HANSARDBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction BillWe are cognisant of what the noble Lord is alerting the Committee to; we just do not think that this is the right Bill to consider those things. Additionally, it is difficult to…16 Dec 2025HANSARDBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction BillMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, for his insight. The Committee benefits hugely from his knowledge and experience on this. This group of amendments relates to…16 Dec 2025HANSARDBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill16 Dec 2025HANSARDBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction BillMy Lords, this set of amendments relates to the scope and exercise of regulatory powers under the Bill, including the making of regulations. Government Amendments 12, 13 and 14…16 Dec 2025HANSARDUS National Security StrategyMy Lords, the Government’s ambition is to spend 3% of GDP on defence and 5% on security by 2035. On China, our position is clear and has been consistent, unlike that of the…16 Dec 2025