Contributions
538 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMindanao EarthquakeMy Lords, can I ask my noble friend the Minister what the closest Royal Navy ship was to the Philippines when this accident happened—because historically the Navy has been very…10 Jun 2026HANSARDUK Defence CapabilityTo ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the concerns raised by the Chief of Defence Staff in comments to the BBC regarding (1) the threat posed by Russia…08 Jun 2026HANSARDUK Defence CapabilityMy Lords, our Armed Forces and our defence industries are, I believe, teetering on the brink of disaster due to lack of investment over certainly the past 15 years but actually…08 Jun 2026HANSARDSupreme Court Dillon JudgmentMy Lords, I am a simple sailor. Recently, I have spoken to a number of simple soldiers, who may be even simpler. When we joined the military, we felt that there was an agreement…19 May 2026HANSARDStudent VisasMy Lords, when the ISC did its study on China last year, we were very concerned to find a large number of Chinese students blocking or filling up courses on quantum, AI and the…27 Apr 2026HANSARDSchoolchildren: SwimmingMy Lords, my noble friend the Minister will be aware that in the Navy we are all taught to swim. Does she agree with me that it is rather important that we enhance our swimming…20 Apr 2026HANSARDAtlantic Undersea Cables: Russian Subsurface OperationsMy Lords, during the Cold War, I was a member of the “red tie” group, which consisted of intelligence officers, operations teams and the defence industry. Basically, we monitored…14 Apr 2026HANSARDStrait of Hormuz: Mine ClearanceTo ask His Majesty’s Government what assistance, if any, the UK has agreed to provide with mine clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz.13 Apr 2026HANSARDStrait of Hormuz: Mine ClearanceMy Lords, I agree entirely with my noble friend the Minister that we must not let this war end with the Strait of Hormuz, a very important international waterway, being closed. It…13 Apr 2026HANSARDUK Homeland DefenceMy Lords, we have to realise that it is almost impossible to defend against exoatmospheric ballistic missiles trying to strike one’s country. Indeed, those are the nuclear…23 Mar 2026HANSARDBBC World Service: SustainabilityMy Lords, what is the future for BBC Monitoring?17 Mar 2026HANSARDLord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address MotionMy Lords, I understand that the complexities of employment law mean that you have to pay someone some money when they work for you. Has anyone approached Mandelson, who has done…17 Mar 2026HANSARDIran and the Middle EastMy Lords, in 2003 the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, met the chiefs of staff just before the invasion of Iraq and we discussed our plan of action. At that meeting, we asked: what is…09 Mar 2026HANSARDGibraltar TreatyMy Lords, many years ago the commander-in-chief of a commando brigade invaded Spain when they were meant to be exercising in Gibraltar. That was quite embarrassing, but my…03 Mar 2026HANSARDGlobal Biodiversity Loss and National SecurityMy Lords, 40% of our food comes from abroad. Should there be a World War III, the Royal Navy would be responsible, as in the past, for ensuring that that flow of food continued.…23 Feb 2026HANSARDLord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address MotionMy Lords, as a member of the ISC, I note that my noble friend the Minister did not say anything about my integrity, which is a bit worrying. I make it absolutely clear that…12 Feb 2026HANSARDRoyal Navy: CaribbeanTo ask His Majesty’s Government whether the Royal Navy ship stationed in the Caribbean is fully a part of Joint Interagency Task Force South.09 Feb 2026HANSARDRoyal Navy: CaribbeanMy Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for his reply, but the ship based out there does an awful lot of anti-drug work, and that is important for the stability of our…09 Feb 2026HANSARDChina: Jimmy LaiMy Lords, in my dealings with the Chinese, I have found that very often the best thing is to make sure that they do not lose face. It is much better to talk quietly in the…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUniformed youth groups: Promoting Skills and Resilience in Young PeopleMy Lords, I declare an interest as president of the Bollington and Macclesfield Sea Cadets—there is a northern aspect to me, as you can see. Whenever I have been involved with the…26 Jan 2026