My Lords, I am a member of the Select Committee chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Grenfell, and therefore I cannot pay tribute to the quality of his report. I can, however, pay tribute to the quality of his chairmanship, his stamina and his patience with his committee. I have...

My Lords, I am a member of the Select Committee chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Grenfell, and therefore I cannot pay tribute to the quality of his report. I can, however, pay tribute to the quality of his chairmanship, his stamina and his patience with his committee. I have...

My Lords, it is a great privilege for me to follow the maiden speech of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chichester. I see from his record that he was a teacher and then a young priest in a demanding area of south London, but almost the crowning glory...

My Lords, it is a great privilege for me to follow the maiden speech of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chichester. I see from his record that he was a teacher and then a young priest in a demanding area of south London, but almost the crowning glory...

My Lords, while we all welcome the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chichester to this debate, many of us have been here before. We have been the same pieces on the same chessboard since the decision in principle to join the European Community nearly 40 years ago. In today’s...

My Lords, while we all welcome the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chichester to this debate, many of us have been here before. We have been the same pieces on the same chessboard since the decision in principle to join the European Community nearly 40 years ago. In today’s...

My Lords, if it comes as a shock to the Conservative Party, it is even slower thinking than I first thought it was. I assure noble Lords that these Benches, with their record on Europe, are not going to fall into any Conservative elephant traps. The noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde,...

My Lords, if it comes as a shock to the Conservative Party, it is even slower thinking than I first thought it was. I assure noble Lords that these Benches, with their record on Europe, are not going to fall into any Conservative elephant traps. The noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde,...

My Lords, after a lot of heat, I shall try to offer a little light. I invite the House to take note of the report of the European Union Committee, entitled The Treaty of Lisbon: An Impact Assessment, which was published on 13 March. Last October, the Select Committee agreed...

My Lords, after a lot of heat, I shall try to offer a little light. I invite the House to take note of the report of the European Union Committee, entitled The Treaty of Lisbon: An Impact Assessment, which was published on 13 March. Last October, the Select Committee agreed...

My Lords, the Lisbon treaty, whose ratification by the UK we are debating today, is by no means the most significant of the European treaties this House has been called on to endorse. That title probably belongs either to the original decision to join the European Community in 1972, which...

My Lords, the Lisbon treaty, whose ratification by the UK we are debating today, is by no means the most significant of the European treaties this House has been called on to endorse. That title probably belongs either to the original decision to join the European Community in 1972, which...

My Lords, does that mean that the noble Lord and his party will abstain on the question of the referendum when it arises?

My Lords, does that mean that the noble Lord and his party will abstain on the question of the referendum when it arises?

No, my Lords, we will not abstain on the referendum.

No, my Lords, we will not abstain on the referendum.

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Howell, for warming-up the audience for me in that way. Both when I read him and when I listen to him, he always brings to mind a cartoon from the early 1960s which showed the leaders of Europe in a...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Howell, for warming-up the audience for me in that way. Both when I read him and when I listen to him, he always brings to mind a cartoon from the early 1960s which showed the leaders of Europe in a...

Come off it.

Come off it.

My Lords, let us be clear. The Companion is very clear about interjections in speeches. I referred to this rather recently on a Friday in your Lordships’ House, as I am sure the noble Lord has read. The purpose of interjections, particularly in opening speeches in a debate of this...

My Lords, let us be clear. The Companion is very clear about interjections in speeches. I referred to this rather recently on a Friday in your Lordships’ House, as I am sure the noble Lord has read. The purpose of interjections, particularly in opening speeches in a debate of this...

My Lords, I believe that the whole House will be extremely grateful to the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for the characteristically commonsensical in which she has set out the provisions of this highly complex, very extensive and very controversial Bill. We now begin the long task of...

My Lords, I believe that the whole House will be extremely grateful to the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for the characteristically commonsensical in which she has set out the provisions of this highly complex, very extensive and very controversial Bill. We now begin the long task of...

My Lords, I am very pleased that the noble Lord has allowed me to intervene and I do not think that I am breaking any rules of the House by doing so. What I want is some clarification from the noble Lord, who is normally extremely clear. The Liberal Democrats...

My Lords, I am very pleased that the noble Lord has allowed me to intervene and I do not think that I am breaking any rules of the House by doing so. What I want is some clarification from the noble Lord, who is normally extremely clear. The Liberal Democrats...

My Lords, I know that noble Lords do not like it, but the real duplicity is by a Conservative Party that longs to wound and fears to strike. I can tell it now that this party and this Bench are not going to fall into any elephant traps set by...

My Lords, I know that noble Lords do not like it, but the real duplicity is by a Conservative Party that longs to wound and fears to strike. I can tell it now that this party and this Bench are not going to fall into any elephant traps set by...

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister, who has given a clear exposition of the treaty. Will she explain how this exposition differs from that on page 87 of the Labour Party’s manifesto, which went on to say that, should the Government be successful in winning the election, they...

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister, who has given a clear exposition of the treaty. Will she explain how this exposition differs from that on page 87 of the Labour Party’s manifesto, which went on to say that, should the Government be successful in winning the election, they...

My Lords, I am sticking to the position that the Liberal Democrats took in the House of Commons, which was at Third Reading to vote for this Bill.

My Lords, I am sticking to the position that the Liberal Democrats took in the House of Commons, which was at Third Reading to vote for this Bill.

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. The Bill will allow the United Kingdom to ratify the treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by heads of state and government on 13 December 2007. The treaty will not enter into force until it...

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. The Bill will allow the United Kingdom to ratify the treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by heads of state and government on 13 December 2007. The treaty will not enter into force until it...

My Lords, I make it clear that I have already written to the newspapers that carried that report to make it clear that there was no truth in it whatsoever. That has been confirmed by my former leader, Sir Menzies Campbell.

My Lords, I make it clear that I have already written to the newspapers that carried that report to make it clear that there was no truth in it whatsoever. That has been confirmed by my former leader, Sir Menzies Campbell.

My Lords, I apologise for making my maiden speech when so many noble Lords wish to speak and thereby taking up their time, but it has the advantage that I have to be concise. Convention also requires me to be non-controversial. Well, I shall endeavour to obey that, although, as...

My Lords, I apologise for making my maiden speech when so many noble Lords wish to speak and thereby taking up their time, but it has the advantage that I have to be concise. Convention also requires me to be non-controversial. Well, I shall endeavour to obey that, although, as...