Contributions
57 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawI thank the noble Lord for his question. I am not going to take up the time of your Lordships’ House trying to put in the correct context that which some newspapers put in the…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawThe Prime Minister has already made plain his views about US rhetoric in respect of Greenland, and he has also made plain this Government’s commitment to uphold international law…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawI thank the noble and gallant Lord for his question. AI in the context of the use of armed force and protecting this country is an issue that we are taking enormously seriously.…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawMy Lords, I start by reflecting upon the sad news that the Lord Speaker has just imparted to the House. Lord Mackay was a hugely respected figure across all parties. He was a…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawI entirely agree with the noble Lord that international law has never stood still; it evolves to face the challenges of each era. We continue, both as lawyers and in government,…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawI am so sorry—I might have missed the end of the noble Lord’s question, but if it is about the frequency with which we discuss with our NATO allies the important contemporary…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawI first pay tribute to the noble Lord and his unflagging commitment to the protection of human rights across the globe. As I anticipate it is for all of us in this House, Sudan is…07 Jul 2026HANSARDMilitary Conflicts: International LawI entirely agree with the noble Lord that we need to keep that base. That is why, coming into government, we built upon the 11 rounds of negotiations the previous Conservative…07 Jul 2026HANSARDAlleged Spying Case: Role of Attorney-General’s OfficeI thank the noble and learned Lord for his question. May I just correct a few facts? I was not informed by the DPP on 1 September; I was informed on 3 September. Secondly, and…27 Oct 2025HANSARDAlleged Spying Case: Role of Attorney-General’s OfficeConsent was given by a law officer under the previous Government to this prosecution. I hope the noble Lord will forgive me if I do not go into the evidential details in this…27 Oct 2025HANSARDAlleged Spying Case: Role of Attorney-General’s OfficeI will deal first with the Roussev case and the difficulties the Crime Prosecution Service faced in bringing this prosecution. The noble Lord is quite right that in Roussev, which…27 Oct 2025HANSARDAlleged Spying Case: Role of Attorney-General’s OfficeThere can be no doubt that for the purposes of an offence said to have been committed between 2021 and 2023, where the test is whether that was provision to an enemy, the question…27 Oct 2025HANSARDAlleged Spying Case: Role of Attorney-General’s OfficeI entirely agree with my noble and learned friend. The test remained the statutory test: was China, beyond reasonable doubt on the criminal standard, an enemy between 2021 and…27 Oct 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationI thank the noble Lord for his Question, and I know that this is not the first time he has raised this very important issue before your Lordships’ House. The Home Office began…16 Jul 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationI can reassure the noble Lord that I am determined to work with the Crown Prosecution Service, which I superintend, to increase the rate of prosecutions. I am determined we do…16 Jul 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationOn the increased protection, there is provision already on the statute book, in Section 3A of the Female Genital Mutilation Act, which is about a failure to protect girls under…16 Jul 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationIt is going to be fatal to the young girls that we all want to protect if we turn this into a political issue—I am not suggesting that the noble Lord was doing that. He has given…16 Jul 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationI agree entirely with the spirit of what the noble Lord has said. He will appreciate that I cannot, from this Dispatch Box on an ad hoc basis, determine what goes into the…16 Jul 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationMy Lords, I am grateful for the noble Lord’s question and agree with the points that he has made.16 Jul 2025HANSARDFemale Genital MutilationI thank the noble Baroness for her question. This is, of course, another aspect of honour-based abuse, and I am sure the whole House agrees that there is no honour in honour-based…16 Jul 2025