Contributions
232 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBrexit: FarmersMy Lords, the common agricultural policy is an extraordinary testament to waste and inefficiency. However, there are plenty of challenges facing British farmers after Brexit. We…02 Feb 2021HANSARDPolice National ComputerThis is an embarrassment and, sadly, not the first. My noble friend must be as frustrated as anyone about this. Does this not suggest some impenetrable and deep-rooted…19 Jan 2021HANSARDEuropean Union (Future Relationship) BillMy Lords, we now step out into a future whose course will be set largely by ourselves. This is as it should be. It was on a Friday morning almost exactly seven years ago that,…30 Dec 2020HANSARDPuberty-blocker DrugsMy Lords, I hope this is an appropriate moment to reflect on the life of Jan Morris, that glorious writer who died just over two weeks ago. She was born a man, served in the…10 Dec 2020HANSARDUK-EU Future Relationship Negotiations and Transition PeriodMy Lords, we voted for Brexit and for a return of fundamental rights. This is a divorce: we hope it is friendly, but it is a divorce none the less. Does my noble friend agree that…08 Dec 2020HANSARDCoronavirus VaccineMy noble friend will know that I have reservations about some aspects of government policy, but the news about the vaccine is wholly good news. It is a triumph for all concerned…03 Dec 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020Parliament: a word whose very definition means “to talk, to discuss”. It has come to mean, over the years, to take responsibility. Not so long ago, we fought a referendum on the…01 Dec 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, I would like to indulge in a little flight of fantasy by bringing two different elements together. The first is the Oxford vaccine, which appears to be much cheaper and…30 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccines and Medical EquipmentMy Lords, I congratulate AstraZeneca and Oxford University on their triumph in developing this vaccine. I hope that my noble friend agrees that without the exceptional input from…25 Nov 2020HANSARDCoronavirus Job Retention Scheme: BAME CommunitiesMy Lords, we are using lockdown to fight Covid, but lockdown itself costs lives, costs jobs and denies futures. Those damaged most by lockdown are the poor, who include so many…12 Oct 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2020My Lords, “hundreds of thousands” of people would die if we simply “let the virus rip”. That is what the Health Secretary said last week, but I am baffled because I have no idea…06 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Aviation SectorI am pleased to tell my noble friend that I have been through four airports over the past couple of weeks and it has all gone remarkably smoothly, except with some slight,…05 Oct 2020HANSARDCoronavirus Act 2020: Temporary ProvisionsMy Lords, your Lordships should take no more attention of my speaking from the Cross Benches than you have of my noble and learned—and very welcome—friend Lord Clarke of…28 Sept 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions on Gatherings) (North of England) Regulations 2020My Lords, these orders are not simply about the wretched virus. They are also about how we operate as a Parliament. We see profound damage on all sides, yet there is no proper…25 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Secure MarshalsI hope my noble friend will forgive me, but this sounds like a most un-Conservative policy that is potentially a really terrible idea. “Marshals” is a terrible name, to start…15 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMay I return to the issue of political gatherings, which my noble friend and I discussed last Thursday? He mentioned that protests such as those we have seen recently from…14 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, the new guidelines require political protests to be “organised in compliance with” government rules and “subject to strict risk assessments”. Who will undertake these…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy Lords, what I am about to ask implies no criticism, because this is such a difficult question. The increase in restrictions on social gatherings that have just been announced…09 Sept 2020HANSARDSuicideRecently published figures show an alarming, significant increase in suicides among young people, even boys and girls aged 10. Those were pre-Covid statistics. Those statistics…08 Sept 2020HANSARDEU: Non-financial ServicesHas my noble friend noticed that over the summer months our trade negotiators have been making excellent progress in trade talks with Japan, the United States and others, yet the…02 Sept 2020