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UK Worldwide Interests

My Lords, it is my privilege to welcome my neighbour in Richmond, the noble Lord, Lord Patten, and to congratulate him on behalf of the whole House on his maiden speech. He is well known to us all because of his commitment and his long career in public life. His initiation in government was in 1983 in Northern Ireland, where he crossed swords with Dr Paisley—probably a baptism of fire. He survived that and went on to occupy many ministerial posts. He became the Governor of Hong Kong in 1992 and gained the respect of us all by the dignified way in which he handed over sovereignty. He went on to be a European Commissioner and is now Chancellor of the University of Oxford. In spite of—or perhaps because of—this distinguished career, he is not always narrowly political, and, as he said this morning, he is not tempted by bruiser habits. I think I can safely say that, to most of us, he sets an example of the highest standards in public life.