Contributions
81 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, when I made a short intervention at an earlier stage in the Bill, the noble Baroness the Leader of the House, in reply, questioned—not seriously, I hope—whether or not I…21 Jul 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords—02 Jul 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillI am most grateful to the noble Baroness the Leader of the House and I hope I will continue to be nice to her. I just wanted to make the point that, although the opportunity may…02 Jul 2025HANSARDUK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos ArchipelagoMy Lords, the speakers’ list appears to be almost as fictional as the agreement that we are discussing, so your Lordships will forgive me for jumping up earlier. The international…30 Jun 2025HANSARDUK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos ArchipelagoI was not referring to the Chagossians.30 Jun 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, my noble friend Lord Lucas has raised an interesting point. There must be a case for decoupling the gift of a peerage or title from the membership of a legislature.…12 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, before the noble and learned Lord the Attorney-General sits down, there already are large numbers of Peers who are not Members of this House, so there are already two…12 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillI am grateful to the noble and learned Lord for his response. I am even more grateful to him for promoting me to an Earl, which I would love to be. Do not apologise; I am…12 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, before this debate concludes, I think this House owes a great debt of gratitude to the noble Lord, Lord Butler, who has confirmed for the Committee now what I feared in…10 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillBefore my noble friend sits down, will she join me in congratulating the Government Chief Whip on the brilliant management of business in the House this afternoon, whereby there…10 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, I must admit that the thought of the noble Lord, Lord Foulkes, representing my noble friend Lord Strathclyde has slightly set me aside for a moment. I was wondering…03 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillThe manifesto commitment, as the noble Lord has just quoted, is to “remove the right” of hereditary Peers to sit and vote in this House. That right was removed in 1999. We are…03 Mar 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, what a pleasure it is to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Smith. I can remember when I spoke in this House at the age that she is now, and I think she did a great deal…11 Dec 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords ReformMy Lords, I feel a sense of déjà vu enveloping me as I listen to this debate. I well remember an almost identical debate that I took part in once before. A Labour Government had…12 Nov 2024HANSARDAfrica: Commercial Opportunities and ExportsMy Lords, following that great tour de force, your Lordships can safely go back to sleep again. I join other noble Lords in congratulating my noble friend Lord Popat on and…12 Sept 2024HANSARDVaginal Mesh Implants: CompensationMy Lords, I join other noble Lords in congratulating my noble friend Lady Cumberlege on securing this short debate on this important and increasingly troubling subject. I also…05 Sept 2024HANSARDHolocaust Memorial BillMy Lords, like most, if not all, speakers in this debate, I believe it is right that we do all we can to make sure that, first, those who suffered in the Holocaust, perhaps the…04 Sept 2024HANSARDHunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) BillMy Lords, I believe that most reasonable people, and certainly most noble Lords taking part today, support wholeheartedly the objective of conservation that the noble Baroness was…12 Sept 2023HANSARDHunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) BillI am grateful to my noble friend. He is absolutely right: all those countries that we have all had letters from said that they would support the Bill if it had a proper…12 Sept 2023HANSARDHunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) BillI thank my noble friend for giving way; I am most grateful. I too would like to have found a way forward, which is why I made clear what my proposal was on 16 June at Second…12 Sept 2023