Contributions
419 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCustoms Miscellaneous Non-fiscal Provisions and Amendments etc. (EU Exit) Regulations 2020My Lords, I am a member of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee which considered this instrument. It caught my attention not because I am in any way an expert on customs…19 Jan 2021HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation and Linked Households) (England) Regulations 2020My Lords, I shall focus my brief remarks on the vaccine—the light at the end of this long and very dark tunnel. The Minister is absolutely right that British science has made an…07 Jan 2021HANSARDProvisional Local Government Finance SettlementMy Lords, I declare an interest as a member of Cumbria County Council, and I seek the Minister’s advice, because we have a meeting on Monday morning about whether to proceed with…06 Jan 2021HANSARDEuropean Union (Future Relationship) BillMy Lords, for half a century I have campaigned for a united Europe. Today’s Bill finalises Britain’s divorce from the most successful peace project in history, undermining our…30 Dec 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, the serious point here is whether responsibility for economic development measures, which are the purpose of the shared prosperity fund, will be devised, agreed and…14 Dec 2020HANSARDUK-EU Withdrawal AgreementMy Lords, I regard this agreement in the joint committee as good progress on a difficult issue and I notice that, in his Statement yesterday, Michael Gove in fact paid tribute to…10 Dec 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, I make a brief intervention in the hope that the Government will listen to the wise words of the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay of Llandaff, and the particularly wise words…09 Dec 2020HANSARDSpending Review 2020My Lords, I will make three quick points—three questions for the Minister. Following on from my noble friend Lord Hunt, does he really believe that another 5% increase in council…03 Dec 2020HANSARDCoronavirus VaccineI congratulate the Minister on his generous attribution of credit for this remarkable achievement, which was in very sharp contrast to the two Cabinet Ministers who sought to make…03 Dec 2020HANSARDState Aid (Revocations and Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020My Lords, I very much want to support the amendment that my noble friend Lord Stevenson is moving. I think that the proposal before us today is symptomatic of the poor quality,…02 Dec 2020HANSARDHigh Speed Rail (West Midlands–Crewe) BillMy Lords, I have little to add on this amendment, except to say that the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, which call for investigating the possibility of the…30 Nov 2020HANSARDSummit of Democratic GovernmentsMy Lords, the Minister appears to be putting his emphasis on the G7 and rather dismissing President-elect Biden’s interest in calling a summit of democracies. Have I got that…30 Nov 2020HANSARDHigh Speed Rail (West Midlands–Crewe) BillMy Lords, I have some sympathy for this amendment given my experience as a member of the HS2 committee. The representations that we heard from petitioners were basically very…30 Nov 2020HANSARDHigh Speed Rail (West Midlands–Crewe) BillMy Lords, I add my support for my noble friend Lord Adonis’s amendment. I remember that when he first brought forward HS2 as Transport Secretary it was as a concept for this new…30 Nov 2020HANSARDComprehensive Economic Partnership (EUC Report)My Lords, I, too, welcome the noble Lord, Lord Darroch, to the House of Lords. In my seven and a half years in Downing Street, I worked closely with him and, for me, he is in a…26 Nov 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, I strongly support the Government’s levelling-up agenda but, having listened to the noble Baroness, they seem to have a fundamentally different approach to how this…25 Nov 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillCan the Minister reflect a bit more on what he has just said about treating this issue as a matter for common frameworks? It sounded as though he wanted a co-operative solution to…25 Nov 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, I very much welcome the opening statement from the noble Lord, Lord Callanan. I think he has proposed an improvement in the Bill, by adding further requirements for…25 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid 19: Winter PlanMy Lords, this is a moment of hope. One hopeful thing that caught my eye in the Government’s White Paper was paragraph 79, which sets out a plan to legislate by the end of this…24 Nov 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, I will speak briefly in favour of both these amendments, particularly Amendment 22 on the question of public procurement. When I was Europe adviser in Downing Street, I…23 Nov 2020