It is a very great pleasure to have a few moments to speak and comment on the gracious Speech. I have a matter of concern, which I put to the Ministers on the Front Bench, that quite rightly both His Majesty and our Government have declared that we are in...

It is a very great pleasure to have a few moments to speak and comment on the gracious Speech. I have a matter of concern, which I put to the Ministers on the Front Bench, that quite rightly both His Majesty and our Government have declared that we are in...

My Lords, I am pleased to join your Lordships today to speak in this debate on the gracious Speech as we focus our attention on foreign affairs, international relations and defence. In particular, I welcome the attention given to the United Kingdom’s role on the world stage as secure, engaged,...

My Lords, I am pleased to join your Lordships today to speak in this debate on the gracious Speech as we focus our attention on foreign affairs, international relations and defence. In particular, I welcome the attention given to the United Kingdom’s role on the world stage as secure, engaged,...

My Lords, for some variety of topic I will start by warmly welcoming the wider acceptance across government departments of the covenant duty of care in the forthcoming Armed Forces Bill. This was much pressed for by me and others in debates on the 2021 Bill.

Will the Government now tackle...

My Lords, for some variety of topic I will start by warmly welcoming the wider acceptance across government departments of the covenant duty of care in the forthcoming Armed Forces Bill. This was much pressed for by me and others in debates on the 2021 Bill.

Will the Government now tackle...

My Lords, we meet today at a moment of profound consequence, as we have already heard, for the Middle East and, as events have shown subsequently, for our shared future. I draw attention to my registered interests and to my work with organisations focused on conflict resolution and with the...

My Lords, we meet today at a moment of profound consequence, as we have already heard, for the Middle East and, as events have shown subsequently, for our shared future. I draw attention to my registered interests and to my work with organisations focused on conflict resolution and with the...

My Lords, His Majesty’s gracious Speech was watched by millions of people at home and abroad with interest. His Majesty spoke at a time of turbulence, wars and uncertainty facing millions of people around the world.

In Gaza and Israel, the conduct of hostilities since October 2023 has generated credible allegations...

My Lords, His Majesty’s gracious Speech was watched by millions of people at home and abroad with interest. His Majesty spoke at a time of turbulence, wars and uncertainty facing millions of people around the world.

In Gaza and Israel, the conduct of hostilities since October 2023 has generated credible allegations...

My Lords, following the most welcome reference in the gracious Speech to

“drive global growth and reinforce global stability”,

I want to raise the subject of international action against corruption. I should first declare an interest in that my daughter has been active in drafting the core crimes of an embryonic international...

My Lords, following the most welcome reference in the gracious Speech to

“drive global growth and reinforce global stability”,

I want to raise the subject of international action against corruption. I should first declare an interest in that my daughter has been active in drafting the core crimes of an embryonic international...

My Lords, we were once unquestionably a leading military and economic power. Today, our role is less clearly defined. We still have significant soft power through our institutions, global networks and cultural reach, and His Majesty the King embodies that soft power in a way that no one else can,...

My Lords, we were once unquestionably a leading military and economic power. Today, our role is less clearly defined. We still have significant soft power through our institutions, global networks and cultural reach, and His Majesty the King embodies that soft power in a way that no one else can,...

My Lords, the gracious Speech puts national security where it belongs, at the centre of government. I welcome that, but the question before us is not only what we spend—it is how we think and act; how we organise a whole-society defence; how we turn resilience from a slogan into...

My Lords, the gracious Speech puts national security where it belongs, at the centre of government. I welcome that, but the question before us is not only what we spend—it is how we think and act; how we organise a whole-society defence; how we turn resilience from a slogan into...

I commend the noble Lord, Lord Forbes of Newcastle, on that amazing and practical analysis of where we are and what needs doing. I am somewhat nervous about following him. For the record, I declare that I have now rejoined the Conservative Party after four years as a non-aligned Peer...

I commend the noble Lord, Lord Forbes of Newcastle, on that amazing and practical analysis of where we are and what needs doing. I am somewhat nervous about following him. For the record, I declare that I have now rejoined the Conservative Party after four years as a non-aligned Peer...

My Lords, I welcome the commitment in the King’s speech that the Government

“will champion the rights of women and girls to live in a world free from violence”.

I recently read a 2001 UNFPA report. The introduction said:

“The nature of armed conflicts changed dramatically during the latter half of the twentieth...

My Lords, I welcome the commitment in the King’s speech that the Government

“will champion the rights of women and girls to live in a world free from violence”.

I recently read a 2001 UNFPA report. The introduction said:

“The nature of armed conflicts changed dramatically during the latter half of the twentieth...

My Lords, while major defence programmes dominate the headlines, we risk overlooking more cost-effective ways to strengthen Britain’s resilience and warfighting readiness: investing in our Reserve Forces and logistics support services. Tanks, ships, aircraft and drones may capture the attention, but none of them can operate without trained people to...

My Lords, while major defence programmes dominate the headlines, we risk overlooking more cost-effective ways to strengthen Britain’s resilience and warfighting readiness: investing in our Reserve Forces and logistics support services. Tanks, ships, aircraft and drones may capture the attention, but none of them can operate without trained people to...

My Lords, I am pleased to contribute to this debate on a subject that I believe sits at the very heart of everything else that we discuss in this Chamber: the security and safety of the UK and all of us. I declare an interest as a member of the...

My Lords, I am pleased to contribute to this debate on a subject that I believe sits at the very heart of everything else that we discuss in this Chamber: the security and safety of the UK and all of us. I declare an interest as a member of the...

My Lords, I was interested to note that in the first paragraph of the gracious Speech the King mentioned the Middle East conflict, and in the second paragraph he made the statement:

“My Government will take urgent action to tackle antisemitism”.

Clearly, the two are not unrelated. Like the noble Lord, Lord...

My Lords, I was interested to note that in the first paragraph of the gracious Speech the King mentioned the Middle East conflict, and in the second paragraph he made the statement:

“My Government will take urgent action to tackle antisemitism”.

Clearly, the two are not unrelated. Like the noble Lord, Lord...

My Lords, my speech will be rather different.

Giovanni Spadolini was Italy’s Prime Minister in September 1982, when I joined the Foreign Office. In the following 10 years, Italy had seven different Prime Ministers. Italy was less effective on the international stage as a consequence. In the UK, 10 years ago...

My Lords, my speech will be rather different.

Giovanni Spadolini was Italy’s Prime Minister in September 1982, when I joined the Foreign Office. In the following 10 years, Italy had seven different Prime Ministers. Italy was less effective on the international stage as a consequence. In the UK, 10 years ago...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow—and more to the point, to listen to—the noble Lord, Lord McDonald of Salford. Here, I must declare an interest: Salford City, his namesake, is this Monday fighting for promotion from League Two to League One against the wonderful Notts County. Let...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow—and more to the point, to listen to—the noble Lord, Lord McDonald of Salford. Here, I must declare an interest: Salford City, his namesake, is this Monday fighting for promotion from League Two to League One against the wonderful Notts County. Let...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Hintze. His patriotism and clear-headedness are an inspiration.

“An increasingly dangerous and volatile world threatens the United Kingdom”.

Those were His Majesty’s first words—well, not quite his first words; I think his first words were:

“My Lords, pray be seated”.

He...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Hintze. His patriotism and clear-headedness are an inspiration.

“An increasingly dangerous and volatile world threatens the United Kingdom”.

Those were His Majesty’s first words—well, not quite his first words; I think his first words were:

“My Lords, pray be seated”.

He...

My Lords, it is a privilege to take part in this debate, and I have learned a great deal from many of the contributions that have been made—I hope I am a wiser person as a result. I want to talk about two topics: the movement of people throughout the...

My Lords, it is a privilege to take part in this debate, and I have learned a great deal from many of the contributions that have been made—I hope I am a wiser person as a result. I want to talk about two topics: the movement of people throughout the...

My Lords, I refer to my interests in the register. It is a great honour to be present for this debate.

I will ask the Minister three questions. First, when will we start supporting British companies that are developing innovative defence systems but find themselves

having to go abroad to countries such...

My Lords, I refer to my interests in the register. It is a great honour to be present for this debate.

I will ask the Minister three questions. First, when will we start supporting British companies that are developing innovative defence systems but find themselves

having to go abroad to countries such...

My Lords, before I start, I pay tribute to the RAF regiment with which I have strong connections, as is noted in my register of interests. Its role is not well known but it is essential, and it deserves public recognition from this House; so too does the RFA, spoken...

My Lords, before I start, I pay tribute to the RAF regiment with which I have strong connections, as is noted in my register of interests. Its role is not well known but it is essential, and it deserves public recognition from this House; so too does the RFA, spoken...

My Lords, before turning to the main substance of today’s debate, I briefly say that I warmly welcome the inclusion in the gracious Speech of a promise to tackle so-called conversion practices. These have severely damaged and traumatised many LGBT people over decades, not least when performed in the name...

My Lords, before turning to the main substance of today’s debate, I briefly say that I warmly welcome the inclusion in the gracious Speech of a promise to tackle so-called conversion practices. These have severely damaged and traumatised many LGBT people over decades, not least when performed in the name...