Contributions
1,404 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDIndustry and Exports (Financial Assistance) BillMy Lords, the Minister called for wisdom and expertise. It is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Alexander, who displayed both of those, but I am afraid the…12 Mar 2026HANSARDForeign Direct InvestmentMy Lords, the Minister is no doubt aware of recent research published by King’s Business School late last year which estimates that foreign direct investment is 12% to 18% lower…10 Mar 2026HANSARDBritish Business BankMy lords, as has been alluded to, as well as operating on a commercial basis the British Business Bank is expected to fill structural gaps in the capital market. As the sponsor of…09 Mar 2026HANSARDIran and the Middle EastMy Lords, one of the consequences of the conflict has been President Trump seeming to clear India and other countries to break sanctions and buy Russian oil, which clearly changes…09 Mar 2026HANSARDSmall Businesses: VAT ThresholdMy Lords, if the Minister could open his mind beyond the data of the Question, there is no shortage of studies from very reputable organisations—the IMF, the OECD and others—that…05 Mar 2026HANSARDUK-India: Comprehensive Economic and Trade AgreementMy Lords, it is a pleasure to participate in this debate and to follow some excellent contributions. This report was the last one I worked on before rotating off the International…04 Mar 2026HANSARDUK-India: Comprehensive Economic and Trade AgreementI really welcome the fact that the noble Lord’s department is doing that analysis. Can he undertake to publish it so that we can see what the comparisons are?04 Mar 2026HANSARDBritish Farming: CompetitivenessMy Lords, in relation to the latest free trade deal with India, there is every reason to believe that Indian dairy products will be allowed into the UK market without reciprocal…03 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastMy Lords, in late 2024, the UK announced that it was joining, as a third party, the US-Bahrain Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, happily shortened to…02 Mar 2026HANSARDDuty Relief Exemption: Small ParcelsMy Lords, the Minister has already agreed with our view that this situation is really caused by the appalling nature of the deal that the Conservative Party negotiated on Brexit.…26 Feb 2026HANSARDDigital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Conferral of Functions) Regulations 2026My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his introduction, which was very clear, and to the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, who asked some of the questions I was going to ask,…25 Feb 2026HANSARDEnergy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2026I have literally three words and then I will sit down. What about the ones with more than 50 employees? That is just the start of the problems that we have in our energy market.25 Feb 2026HANSARDDigital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Conferral of Functions) Regulations 2026Before the Minister sits down, perhaps he could take this away: simply putting something up on the website—the “If we build it, they will come” approach—is probably not the best…25 Feb 2026HANSARDDigital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Conferral of Functions) Regulations 2026It is carved in stone.25 Feb 2026HANSARDEnergy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2026I thank the noble Lord for his response. The supercharger is in itself a good thing, but unless it is combined with a real understanding of the financial mechanisms by which the…25 Feb 2026HANSARDBritish Military Equipment: Chinese ComponentsMy Lords, a typical high-end, Chinese-made electric and semi-autonomous vehicle will have up to a dozen cameras, radars and laser sensors collecting images of everything around…25 Feb 2026HANSARDEnergy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2026My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering, who is forensic in her detail. I should say that she has somewhat mixed her drinks with…25 Feb 2026HANSARDQuantum TechnologyMy Lords, I think we have been lulled to some extent by the fact that quantum has taken a long time to get to this point. The Minister replied to the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, that…24 Feb 2026HANSARDUS TariffsMy Lords, I am sure that industry is grateful for the sympathy the Minister has expressed from the Dispatch Box, and we are all encouraged by the hopes that the Government have…23 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsMy Lords, leaving aside the nature of the ownership of Palantir and the questionable involvement of Peter Mandelson, we have another key concern. On the Government’s own…11 Feb 2026