Contributions
216 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCouncil of Europe: 75th AnniversaryI did look at the dissenting judgment, and I thought it was pretty frank and clear. We have made reforms to the European Court of Human Rights. The noble Lord, Lord Clarke,…16 Apr 2024HANSARDFrance: SecurityMy noble friend makes a very good point. In our case, the Americans asked us to backfill their operations, in our joint Operation Shader, where we have been running a…16 Apr 2024HANSARDFrance: SecurityMy Lords, last week, the Prime Minister and President Macron spoke on illegal migration and European security. On Thursday, I will speak to Foreign Minister Séjourné at the G7. I…16 Apr 2024HANSARDCouncil of Europe: 75th AnniversaryLet me be clear: the Government see no inconsistency between their policies and our membership of the Council of Europe. We do not have any plans to act in the way that my noble…16 Apr 2024HANSARDCouncil of Europe: 75th AnniversaryMy interpretation of recent political movements in Poland is that it has rather moved back to the centre, having elected Donald Tusk and my counterpart, Radek Sikorski. I will…16 Apr 2024HANSARDCouncil of Europe: 75th AnniversaryI take the view that the United Nations has many problems and issues. The frustrations of dealing with the Security Council at the moment, when there is a Russian veto and a…16 Apr 2024HANSARDUkraine: SupportInterestingly, I had lunch with the Swedish Foreign Minister yesterday to celebrate Sweden’s accession to NATO. It is an incredibly capable country. As it is financially robust…16 Apr 2024HANSARDIndia: Freedom of Religion or BeliefI thank the noble Lord for his question. I will never forget the visit I made to Amritsar; it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and one of the most peaceful…16 Apr 2024HANSARDPresident of the European CommissionGenerally speaking, in negotiations it is not a good idea to have too many artificial deadlines. Obviously, there is something of a deadline coming up as we are heading for a new…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringMy Lords, I have raised this issue directly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I completely understand the concern to ensure that private sector debt is fully part of debt…12 Mar 2024HANSARDPresident of the European CommissionI think the noble Baroness is right to put it like that, but that is what the trade and co-operation agreement is about. We have structured co-operation when it comes to that part…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringIt is very important that we provide alternatives to finance so that Commonwealth and other countries have a choice. I am very proud of the work I did to set up the Caribbean…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringIf bonds are the form of lending, there are collective action clauses that can prevent private sector hold-outs. With loans, you have these majority voting provisions so that a…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringObviously, I remember fondly when we were working together in passing the Act to which the noble Lord refers. When that Act was passed there was a real problem with vulture funds…12 Mar 2024HANSARDPresident of the European CommissionI am grateful for the noble Lord’s question. I spent some time in Germany last week making exactly this argument. It is obviously a sovereign decision for Germany, and so, just as…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringI absolutely agree with the noble Lord. We must keep this under review and keep looking at it, asking ourselves what more we can do. As we do so, we should be guided in part by…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringI thank the noble Lord for his question. There is an ongoing conversation with the Commonwealth. This is one of the many good advice services that it gives. This year, the year of…12 Mar 2024HANSARDLow and Middle-income Countries: Debt RestructuringThe right reverend Prelate is absolutely right that we need to have good arrangements for this. That is why the common framework was put in place. The old arrangements under the…12 Mar 2024HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian AidWhat I would say, as I think Minister Mitchell said in the House of Commons, is that these are very disturbing pictures and reports that have come out from this hospital. We need…12 Mar 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceI always listen carefully to the noble Lord, because he has great experience in this. The fact that some of the money comes from the licence fee is not such a bad thing. It is…12 Mar 2024