Contributions
112 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]My Lords, I shall briefly speak in response to the noble Baroness, and I once again draw attention to my interest as an adviser to the chairman of Santander. I want to make three…01 Jul 2026HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]My Lords, I should like to speak briefly and, in so doing, declare my interest as an adviser to and shareholder in Banco Santander. I very much support these amendments. I think…01 Jul 2026HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]My Lords, I will speak to Amendments 133 to 135 and 136 to 139 in my name, but not Amendment 135A, which is in the name of my noble friend Lady Lawlor. I thank my noble friends…01 Jul 2026HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]I just do not understand this argument at all. The committees in this House and in the other place, as my noble friend Lady Noakes said, have the power to summon but, as far I…01 Jul 2026HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]I completely agree, but this is not about making them inflexible; it is about giving Parliament the ability to hold them effectively to account. I do not hear anyone saying that…01 Jul 2026HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]My Lords, I will speak very briefly on this. I declare my interests as employee adviser to Banco Santander in Madrid and a shareholder in Santander. I also apologise to noble…29 Jun 2026HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets Bill [HL]My Lords, I agree with all the amendments to which my noble friend Lady Noakes just spoke, but Amendment 99 merits attention. I will speak to it very briefly, as I get a sense…29 Jun 2026HANSARDMiddle East: Iran ConflictMy Lords, will the Minister clarify one point that I am slightly confused on? If the United States signs a deal in which ships will be paying a toll, is it the position of His…15 Jun 2026HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, it is a very great pleasure to follow the noble Lord’s extremely powerful and searing critique of the Government. To help the Minister in his summing up, let me suggest…14 May 2026HANSARDMiddle East: Economic UpdateMy Lords, in response to my noble friend Lord Clarke’s question, the Minister spoke of the cuts that the Government are planning to make to the welfare budget. Is he saying that…28 Apr 2026HANSARDMiddle East: Economic UpdateMy Lords—26 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle East: Economic UpdateMy Lords, I hope I am not going to test the noble Lord’s legendary diplomatic skills in answering this question but, last year, the Prime Minister said that “security and defence”…26 Mar 2026HANSARDReducing Government SpendingMy Lords, in January the Chancellor said that the UK is “in a very strong position” to withstand new shocks to the public finances without further tax rises. Can the Minister…24 Mar 2026HANSARDBusiness RatesMy Lords, can the noble Lord shed some light on when the review of hotels is likely to report and conclude, and when hoteliers might be able to see some relief on their business…29 Jan 2026HANSARDAgricultural Property Relief and Business Property ReliefCan the noble Lord clarify how much this change will cost and how it affects the forecasts in the Budget’s EFO?06 Jan 2026HANSARDAutumn Budget 2025My Lords, this has been an excellent debate. Let me start by saying that I have some sympathy for the Chancellor. Her approval ratings are now so low that she is giving even Kwasi…04 Dec 2025HANSARDForthcoming Fiscal ChangesMy Lords, the Minister just said that the Budget tomorrow will be focused on protecting our NHS, reducing our national debt and improving the cost of living, which the Chancellor…25 Nov 2025HANSARDBudget: Press BriefingsMy Lords, on 10 November, the Chancellor said on BBC Radio: “It would, of course, be possible to stick with the manifesto commitments, but that would require things like deep cuts…18 Nov 2025HANSARDEconomic and Taxation Policies: Jobs, Growth and ProsperityMy Lords, I start by congratulating my noble friend Lord Elliott on securing this debate, his excellent book and all the work he has been doing on jobs. I also congratulate a…13 Nov 2025HANSARDEconomic and Taxation Policies: Jobs, Growth and ProsperityCan the Minister clarify that his argument is that the Government have made no policy errors regarding their economic management over the last year?13 Nov 2025