Contributions
313 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I rise to speak to my Amendments 216 and 318 in this group, which relate to parish and town councils. Amendment 216 makes provision for unparished electors in the…13 Apr 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillThe answer is not very much. I am getting to the nub of the point. The Government have said one thing and done another. That is an important legal point, because in 2007 when they…13 Apr 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, the hour is late, so I will be brief. I support the valedictory amendment in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Thurlow. I also associate myself with what may be…13 Apr 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMay I say something before the Front Benches? I hesitate to follow my noble friend Lord Banner and the noble Lords, Lord Grabiner and Lord Pannick, but I support Amendment 248 in…13 Apr 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill26 Mar 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I think I laid out that relationships should be close but not cosy between the mayor and the funds. I accept the reciprocity between this Bill and the Pension Schemes…26 Mar 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI will speak briefly to this group, and I am grateful to the Minister for engaging with me on the narrow point. These three amendments, which are mostly the same, are supportive…26 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle East: Economic UpdateMy Lords, I am a 40-year veteran of the fertiliser industry, and two weeks ago I raised for the first time the prospect of shortages of ammonia causing a fertiliser-led food…26 Mar 2026HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) BillMy Lords, once again, taken together, this is a further insult to working people. As we have heard this evening, it is about not the fat cats but the youngsters and the poorer…25 Mar 2026HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention and Levy and Safety Net: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026I was mid-flow. I was making the case that, in the early days of business rates retention and pooling, there was an exceptionally compelling case to co-operate. Even if we gave…23 Mar 2026HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention and Levy and Safety Net: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026If I may speak before my Front Bench, of course we welcome the introduction of multi-year settlements. Local authorities have been crying out for that for many years, and I can…23 Mar 2026HANSARDUK Energy Sources and Cost of EnergyMy Lords—19 Mar 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, the Government are obsessed with size, but everyone knows that it is not about size but what you do with it. That point was made forcefully in the Financial Times this…19 Mar 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, those people who have done the right thing and saved for retirement have made a bargain with the state: in exchange for a little help on the way in, the state will be…19 Mar 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, once again, we have another policy designed by civil servants sipping lattés in that rather agreeable ground-floor coffee shop at 1 Horse Guards Road, safe in the…19 Mar 2026HANSARDUK Energy Sources and Cost of EnergyMy Lords, the crisis is immediate. What assessment have the Government made about the essential products that rely on gas—ammonia, CO 2 , aniline, soda ash, ethylene and sulphuric…19 Mar 2026HANSARDElectricity Supplier Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2026I thank the noble Earl, but he will forgive me for having made an introduction, and now I come immediately to the substance, because what we have heard, and it came from the…17 Mar 2026HANSARDElectricity Supplier Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2026My Lords, there is a reason why UK energy prices are some of the most expensive in the world. We are starting from a high base and we are increasingly vulnerable. At the moment,…17 Mar 2026HANSARDPension Schemes Bill16 Mar 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, it is a pleasure to open Report on the Pension Schemes Bill. As we start, we should be clear that the Bill’s success will be measured on the extent to which it makes it…16 Mar 2026