Contributions
734 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDExtension of Franchise (House of Lords) Bill [HL]Who forced my noble friend Lord Blunkett not to have a vote in a general election? He accepted the peerage and, by virtue of that, he does not have a vote. The reason that the…07 Feb 2020HANSARDExtension of Franchise (House of Lords) Bill [HL]Yes.07 Feb 2020HANSARDExtension of Franchise (House of Lords) Bill [HL]The noble Lord, Lord Naseby, has tabled the Bill and we are doing him the justice of debating it, although, as I said, I think that it is entirely inconsequential. My first point…07 Feb 2020HANSARDExtension of Franchise (House of Lords) Bill [HL]My Lords, I cannot quite believe that we are having this debate and wasting Parliament’s time on such a monumentally inconsequential reform. However, I at least congratulate the…07 Feb 2020HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games Bill [HL]Hear, hear.03 Feb 2020HANSARDHigh Speed 2 (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, for reasons I cannot begin to fathom, when I was Secretary of State for Transport, they called me the “thin controller”. Whether or not that was true, I bear some…23 Jan 2020HANSARDHigh Speed 2 (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My noble friend will be speaking in a few minutes, so he can make his point in his own speech. The Mayor of the West Midlands is a Conservative, and a man who I hold in high…23 Jan 2020HANSARDHigh Speed 2 (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, this is 330 miles-worth of line. If it could all be put in place in one phase, that would be great. However, setting up a project of that size all in one phase would…23 Jan 2020HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, my noble friend referred to localism and local decision-making but the Mayor of the West Midlands, the Mayor of Greater Manchester and the leader of Leeds City Council…09 Jan 2020HANSARDQueen’s SpeechI do not accept that that is correct. If my noble friend asks the Mayor of the West Midlands, he will not find him prioritising other services over HS2.09 Jan 2020HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019: Section 3(5)My Lords, the great majority of the Members of both Houses of Parliament supported the legalisation of abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, and I applaud the…07 Jan 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportMy Lords, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the 72 people who lost their lives at Grenfell, and our admiration is for the firefighters and emergency…31 Oct 2019HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportThe Minister mentioned my remarks and those of the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron. The House of Commons committee recommended: “The Government should set a realistic, but short,…31 Oct 2019HANSARDNeighbourhood Services: Government SupportMy Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness. Her remarks about community bus services, having new request bus services and refashioning libraries as community hubs,…24 Oct 2019HANSARDNeighbourhood Services: Government SupportThe point is the same, my Lords. If we are to tackle this housing crisis, what is needed is a bold new programme led by district councils and lower-tier authorities—because they…24 Oct 2019HANSARDNeighbourhood Services: Government SupportYes, I am satisfied, and I would be very glad to do a walking tour of the London Borough of Lambeth to explain to the noble Lord how it can be done, starting with the huge issue…24 Oct 2019HANSARDNeighbourhood Services: Government SupportThe Minister has not addressed my point about the substantial increase in the interest rate. I am not expecting him to be able to do so across the House, but will he write to me…24 Oct 2019HANSARDRailways: Trans-Pennine FreightMy Lords, can the Minister confirm or deny the story on the front page of the Financial Times that the HS2 review is considering axing its eastern leg? Is she aware that this…07 Oct 2019HANSARDBrexitMy Lords, I will simply say of the speech from the noble Lord, Lord Lilley, that his likening of the European Union to the Soviet Union will be hugely resented by all those…02 Oct 2019HANSARDIrish Border: Checks and Customs ArrangementsMy Lords, will the Minister confirm the point made by my noble friend Lord Hain that any new infrastructure at or near the border would be a breach of the European Union…01 Oct 2019