Contributions
289 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDomestic Travel and Holidays: Visitor LevyYes, I do share my noble friend’s concern about misinformation and disinformation, not just in this regard but in many other regards. As noble Lords with whom I have discussed the…21 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsThe noble Lord raises a very important point in relation to information sharing. To address the asymmetry identified in the Rycroft review of the information-sharing provisions in…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI do not have anything to add on the noble Lord’s final point, other than that it sounds a bit like the Schleswig-Holstein question to me. On the question about think tanks and so…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI am starting to feel the need to defend the noble Baroness, Lady O’Neill, but will not fall into that temptation. On enforcement, one point that I should perhaps have made and…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI thank the noble Baroness for that question and I pay tribute to her long-standing work in this area. It is important that I set this out carefully, so I hope she will forgive me…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsMy noble friend Lady Hayter will have to read my body language, I am afraid. I will not be drawn. Her arithmetic is correct. If those patterns emerge, I go back to the principle…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI do not feel qualified to comment on the behaviour or attitudes of the leaders of the Republicans or other right-wing parties in the US.09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsMy Lords, I will come to that question at the end, if I may. The Secretary of State commissioned Philip Rycroft to conduct an independent review of risks posed by foreign…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI already have a date to meet the noble Lord, Lord Shamash, so we can certainly pick this up then. These potential breaches and allegations are matters for the Electoral…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI never say “watch this space”—it is not my style—but the serious point that the noble Lord makes is absolutely right. Of course we should not allow individual cases of that sort.…09 Jul 2026HANSARDForeign Interference in UK PoliticsI am indeed a product of Dulwich College, which only goes to show that it is not the school’s fault. I am sorry to say that I am older than Nigel Farage, and I am tempted to make…09 Jul 2026HANSARDPolitical Party Finance and the Electoral CommissionMy Lords, I welcome the opportunity to respond to this debate on the regulation of political finance and the role of the Electoral Commission. I thank the noble Earl, Lord…02 Jul 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksThere has been a statement from both the Prime Minister and the First Minister of Scotland, and I do not accept the characterisation that there is in any sense a lack of response…24 Jun 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksI thank the noble Baroness for that question, and I pay tribute to her long history of distinguished contributions on these issues. I am on day eight of my post as Faith Minister,…24 Jun 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksI absolutely do agree with that, and I do not think there is any question in my or the Government’s mind: we do not want two-tier protection for any individual community. On the…24 Jun 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksI thank the noble Lord for that question. The really important point is that most of the incidents he mentions are crimes, and we want to see the full force of the law used…24 Jun 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksI agree with the noble Baroness that people of any faith, and indeed of no faith, should feel safe, and we are taking sustained action to keep Muslims safe, to support victims and…24 Jun 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksI thank the noble Baroness for those kind words; it is a pleasure to do business with her again. We have set out in our Protecting What Matters strategy clear actions towards more…24 Jun 2026HANSARDEdinburgh Anti-Muslim AttacksMy Lords, the Government are deeply concerned by the attacks in Edinburgh. Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and the wider community, as well as the families of the…24 Jun 2026HANSARDBosnia and HerzegovinaMy Lords, I am extremely grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Helic, for securing this debate, and I appreciate the discussions that we have had in advance of it. Not only has she…11 Jun 2026