Contributions
143 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMiddle EastMy Lords—10 Jun 2026HANSARDLord Mandelson Humble Address: Government ResponseMy Lords, it appears from the second tranche of emails that the former ambassador to America was sent on a mission to support, and ensure that the American Administration…02 Jun 2026HANSARDCivil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL]My Lords, first, I will try to cheer you all up a bit, because that is not what was reflected by our previous speaker. I declare my interest as an adviser for the Drone Delivery…02 Jun 2026HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, In November 2023, in a speech about the October 7 attacks in Israel, I spoke about the escalation of Islamic extremism throughout the West. The rise of the Muslim…18 May 2026HANSARDSecurity VettingMy Lords, I first echo the comments made by my noble friend Lord True, who had some very searching questions. I thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for the Statement…20 Apr 2026HANSARDSouthport InquiryMy Lords, this has been one of the most horrendous cases that we have witnessed. I believe that the public have lost confidence in so many authorities which should be looking…15 Apr 2026HANSARDLord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address MotionMy Lords, following the comment from my noble friend, and as I mentioned before, the vetting process is not really the issue here. We have Members of this House who are former…17 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle East: DefenceMy Lords, the United Kingdom was not expected to take part in the initial strikes on Iran, as far as I am aware, so why did the Government not authorise the use of Diego Garcia…11 Mar 2026HANSARDSecurity UpdateMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, made a very pertinent point about the amount of trade we do with China, which none of us in this House is naive about. Therefore, we have to…04 Mar 2026HANSARDAmbassadors: Vetting ProcessMy Lords, I realise that this is a very trying experience for the Minister and the Benches opposite, but I do not think there has been an issue over vetting if we look…10 Feb 2026HANSARDIranMy Lords, I echo and support the comments made by my noble friend on the Front Bench. For clarification, approximately 35,000 unarmed civilians have been slaughtered already in…05 Feb 2026HANSARDBusiness RatesMy Lords, 3.5 million jobs are dependent on a successful hospitality industry in this country—that is obviously the entire supply chain. I spent a lot of my life in the airline…29 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyMy Lords, in 2015, if I recall, we were in coalition with the Liberal Democrats and I think that Nick Clegg clearly agreed with George Osborne’s position on China. But I did agree…26 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureMy Lords, there are many charity shops in the high streets across this country. They receive 80% mandatory relief and often up to 100% discretionary. Many of these charities are…20 Jan 2026HANSARDMiddle East and North AfricaMy Lords, on Iran, refusing to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is the regime’s primary tool of repression and terror, sends a dangerous signal of weakness.…07 Jan 2026HANSARDVenezuelaMy Lords, the Maduro regime is responsible for permitting corrupt links with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was responsible, obviously, for funding proxies such as Hamas and…06 Jan 2026HANSARDCriminal Court ReformMy Lords, the Justice Secretary repeatedly emphasised the lengthy waiting times in bringing cases to court. I am not a lawyer—I am one of the non-lawyers in the Chamber today—but…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBudget: Press BriefingsMy Lords, following the Chancellor’s climb-down on increasing income tax, £27 billion was wiped off the FTSE 100 on Friday. Does the Minister think that that was helpful?18 Nov 2025HANSARDOffshore Oil and Gas: Venting and FlaringMy Lords, while this is clearly a very important element when we look at the oil industry, Petrofac, a major employer in Aberdeen, is going into administration. There are 2,000…28 Oct 2025HANSARDHeathrow: National Airports ReviewMy Lords, I thank the Minister for his comprehensive comments. I have a special interest, as I worked out of Heathrow for 25 years. So I was at the sharp end of delays, and we…27 Oct 2025