Contributions
2,184 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationThere are strong guiding principles here that have been part of the core mission of this Government. Our belief is that, to drive the economic growth we want, decisions have to be…25 Feb 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI simply say in response that I hold the Secretary of State in the highest regard. I have known him for decades. We were deputy leaders together when the noble Lord was the…25 Feb 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationMy noble friend is quite right. There is precedent for cancelling elections. We have seen it done because of reorganisation and for other reasons. However, we have the…25 Feb 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationIt would not be appropriate for me to comment specifically on any of the proposals that have come forward at this stage—I would get myself into very hot water indeed. However, we…25 Feb 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI have the greatest respect for Jonathan Carr-West and have worked with him on many occasions, but he has not seen the legal advice. It is a long-standing principle, as the right…25 Feb 2026HANSARDDonations to Political PartiesMy Lords, I am very pleased to respond to this QSD. As many Lords have said, it is timely indeed, as we are pleased to introduce the Representation of the People Bill today; I…12 Feb 2026HANSARDCheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Order 2026That the draft Orders laid before the House on 18 December 2025 be approved. Relevant document: 47th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee . Considered in Grand…12 Feb 2026HANSARDNew Homes TargetThe Government are committed to the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. That £39 billion social and affordable housing programme I spoke about will…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationI was with a group of over 300 councillors at the weekend, mainly council leaders and other councillors, who were very pleased to see the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationWe want to improve all parts of the sector and make sure that home buying is available for young people, as well as making the rental market fairer for them. I had a big round…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationIt will lead to better conditions for renters and will remove some of the barriers that stop people renting, as well as barriers that can prevent renters maintaining a tenancy. We…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationWe are working very closely with the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice. We had lots of discussion about this during the passage of the Bill. We want to ensure that the…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationWe know that landlords need time ahead of the implementation to make sure they are compliant with the reforms, and that is why we have published a full package of landlord…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationMy Lords, we have given the sector a clear timeline for reform in our implementation road map. Ahead of phase 1 of implementation in May, we have already published guidance for…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationIf the noble Lord is referring to the minimum energy efficiency standards implementation, we have published our response to the consultation on those standards in the private…11 Feb 2026HANSARDRenters’ Rights Act: ImplementationMy noble friend puts his finger on one cause of the housing crisis: there are many. Not building enough homes was a fundamental cause as well. We have taken steps already to…11 Feb 2026HANSARDNew Homes TargetNew measures were introduced in the Planning and Infrastructure Act to make sure that we deal effectively with nutrient neutrality. We have had to do this without causing the…11 Feb 2026HANSARDNew Homes TargetIt ill behoves the Government who caused the housing crisis to be pressing us on this. We have already taken very significant steps, which I have outlined, to move this forward.…11 Feb 2026HANSARDNew Homes TargetMy Lords, an estimated 309,600 net additional homes have been built in this Parliament, but we recognise the need to push further. We are driving progress through bold planning…11 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI have already outlined to the noble Lord that the sentence I used, whenever we discussed this and whenever I was asked, was that elections would not be cancelled unless there…11 Feb 2026