Contributions
302 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSteel TariffsMy Lords, the French economist Frédéric Bastiat said that the distinguishing feature of a good economist is looking beyond the visible and seeing the secondary consequences. There…18 Jun 2026 · 2d agoHANSARDWelfare Reforms and Youth UnemploymentMy Lords, I declare my interest as the director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, the longest established free market think tank in the country. I recently came across…11 Jun 2026HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Hintze. His patriotism and clear-headedness are an inspiration. “An increasingly dangerous and volatile world…21 May 2026HANSARDSupermarkets: Voluntary Price CapsMy Lords, at a time of rising economic populism, there is a responsibility on all of us in this House, and especially Ministers, to be calm, factual and accurate. To follow on…20 May 2026HANSARDEU Directive: Adequate Minimum WagesMy Lords, we have been lucky enough to have a 30-year run of structurally low unemployment, which is now coming to an end, especially with younger workers—partly because of the…18 Mar 2026HANSARDBirmingham City Council and Unite: Refuse Workers’ PayMy Lords, is the truth not that these insanitary and insalubrious horrors being visited on our second city are the result of an act of grotesque judicial activism? Everyone…17 Mar 2026HANSARDImran Khan: ImprisonmentMy Lords, the Minister is, of course, quite right that Imran Khan is not a British subject, despite his long and deep connections to this country. None the less, I do not think…25 Feb 2026HANSARDDonations to Political PartiesMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Sikka, for introducing the debate and for being so frank about the proposal. As he said right at the end, the alternative to…12 Feb 2026HANSARDRetail and Hospitality SectorMy Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Monckton on securing this debate and will take us back to how she started—with the Woolsack, which is currently sustaining the…22 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, what are we here for if not to think again? We are wriggling painfully on a hook. In the early days, a lot of people, hearing that the Chagos Islands were to be handed…12 Jan 2026HANSARDShamima BegumMy Lords, previous speakers who have raised questions so far have made a big play out of the age of Shamima Begum. She was one of three Bethnal Green schoolgirls; they were either…07 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, I add my voice to those of the noble and gallant Lords, Lord Craig of Radley and Lord Houghton of Richmond. It seems to me that this is precisely the kind of question…05 Jan 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, I shall speak to Amendments 11, 12, 13 and 16, in the name of my noble friend Lord Lilley, who is detained by difficult transport situations in France—he is perhaps not…05 Jan 2026HANSARDChildren: Social MediaMy Lords, the Minister thinks that 16 year-olds should not have certain access. The noble Baroness, Lady Berger, if I understand her, thinks that they should be banned from social…10 Dec 2025HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, I will not detain the Committee for long, but I want to speak briefly to Amendments 20D, 20E and 20F from my noble friend Lord Kempsell and to Amendment 87 from my noble…25 Nov 2025HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill25 Nov 2025HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, I will speak to my Amendment 78 and in support of the amendments of the noble Lords, Lord Hay and Lord Weir, the noble Baroness, Lady Foster, and my noble friend Lord…25 Nov 2025HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillI was a Member of the European Parliament, and I spoke out quite strongly against that Government. I hope the noble Lord knows me well enough to know that I was never a party line…25 Nov 2025HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillThat was my understanding, but even that was too much for me. Even if we had been able to get continued sovereignty on the base and some kind of shared sovereignty on the outer…25 Nov 2025HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillWill the Minister confirm that there were three different options for how many people you would resettle, and the costs of all of them were substantially lower than the transfer…25 Nov 2025