Foreign Interference in UK Democratic Processes
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The noble Lord raises an important point. Obviously, France is one of our key allies—we have seen images only today of the President with the Prime Minister at the G7. I reassure your Lordships’ House that our position is that it is dangerous to jump to any conclusions on the basis of a single report. The UK Government will draw on our own analysis and draw our own conclusions.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, it is increasingly clear that there was a major effort by the Russians in support of the SNP at the Scottish Parliament elections, because it is in their interest to break up Britain. In view of this and subsequent events, is there not a case now for those elections to be rerun?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for so many things, but I am not sure that our colleagues who are currently campaigning in by-elections up and down the country will necessarily join me in doing so. My noble friend raises an important point about ensuring that people have confidence in the election results. That is why we have the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit, which was operational during the recent elections and is operational again during the current by-elections to make sure that we can all have confidence in the democratic process.
Cabinet Manual: Guidelines for Government Formation
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 month, 4 weeks ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My Lords, I wonder if that is a bid for power, for engagement or for negotiation, but I have to say that, given some of the candidates, platforms and personal views of the Green Party, that would be a struggle. Having said that, we are many years away from a future general election, and I think it is fair to say that those of us who campaign regularly will continue to campaign month in, month out regardless of when a general election is called. However, there is a great deal of work to get on with before the next general election.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, someone called William Wallace ought to know that the coalition in Scotland was far more successful than the one down here. Will my noble friend the Minister confirm that the Cabinet Manual includes sections on transparency and openness, and that that will apply also to the First Minister of Scotland?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My Lords, is it this First Minister or previous First Ministers? The Cabinet Manual is a UK-owned document, and it is about the British Government. Obviously, we have ongoing relationships and discussions with the Governments in the devolved assemblies, but that is a matter for them.
Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 month, 4 weeks ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I have to agree with the noble Baroness about brilliant private offices; mine is fabulous. Obviously, it has a really easy job of making sure that I operate well. On the specifics about the metadata, I will have to write to the noble Baroness. This was a process led by Cabinet Office officials. I am not sure of the detail in that space on what additional information they sought.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, it is clear that Members opposite were hoping that there would be a silver bullet in all these humble Address papers that would kill the Prime Minister. When they have to resort to quoting Peter Mandelson’s view of the Prime Minister, it shows how desperate they are becoming. Then we got the scattergun approach from the noble Baroness, Lady Finn. She had to resort to picking here, there and everywhere and getting nowhere.
My question relates to what the noble Lord, Lord Pack, said about vetting Members of this House. As the Minister said, that does not happen at the moment. Yet we have a Member of this House who was appointed against the views of the intelligence community: the noble Lord, Lord Lebedev. Surely the Minister must agree that we may need to rethink it in view of that.
Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(2 months, 1 week ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The noble Lord raises an important point, but he will also know that, in government, some of those decisions are outside my control. By convention in our House, Statements are not typically repeated on the same day, so I hope that noble Lords will have the opportunity to discuss. I will make myself available as well at any point to any Member of your Lordships’ House who, once they have seen it, has further questions—both in here and outside—to answer about the release of the documentation.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, with no disrespect to my noble friend Lord Beamish, does my noble friend the Minister agree that, when this is raised by the Opposition as an Urgent Question, it makes it into an aggressive party- political issue? Is this not better left to the all-party, independent ISC?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
As ever, my noble friend is exceptionally wise, but I understand why Members across your Lordships’ House have questions about what comes next and about the material. There is, as I have said, a significant volume of it to be released. We want to do this well and effectively, so that we do not return time after time with additional materials, by making sure that reviews are done effectively and internally. That is one of the reasons why additional materials were passed to the ISC after we thought all the materials had been. We need to do this in a cross-party way. I am aware that Members of your Lordships’ House have questions. I am sure that, when the next tranche of materials is released, we will be discussing their content in great detail.
Lord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address Motion
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op) [V]
My Lords, first, I thank my noble friend the Minister for bringing to the House this excellent Statement. I congratulate her on her very appropriate appointment, which shows the sincerity and determination of the Government to take this issue seriously. I recognise that the Liberal spokesperson asked some sensible questions, which the Minister has responded to. However, I was really disappointed that the Official Opposition took this as another opportunity to attack the Prime Minister and his integrity. That was an unfortunate lapse of judgment by their Front Bench.
Will the Minister confirm that this House needs to look at its own procedures and arrangements as well? The recent Chadlington case shows that we are not above reproach. Will she indicate that this will be a much wider look at the whole aspect of how the Government and Parliament operate? Will she indicate how much the whole long and complicated exercise might cost, because it is not without substantial cost?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
It is a true joy to see my noble friend, if only on a screen. I am so pleased that he is well enough to participate, if remotely. I cannot wait to see him back in his place.
My noble friend asked me several questions. I want to focus on the fact that there is a responsibility on every Member of your Lordships’ House and everyone who serves in this building, whether in the other place or here, as well as those who support all of us, to help rebuild trust in politics. My noble friend spent a long career door-knocking and campaigning, and we know how important this is. With regard to the costs, I do not have a total cost to give my noble friend at this time and it will not be possible to give a running update. However, I can confirm that Civil Service resource has been redeployed, meaning that this will not create any net cost to the taxpayer. Any additional costs will be set out in due course.
NHS, Armed Forces and Civil Service Staff: Public Meetings
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 year ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
At that point, I should declare my status as an honorary captain in the Royal Navy, before I get myself in trouble. Obviously, I would always want to hear from the senior service and the First Sea Lord. I think it is really clear that there is no such restriction. This is about how we do the gridding process. As the noble and gallant Lord will be aware, the Chief of the General Staff made an on-the-record speech to the RUSI conference, which was broadcast live by Sky on 17 June, with an open Q&A. This is about making sure that there is a clear process for government communications, as opposed to restricting government speech.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that it is very important not to believe everything we read in the newspapers, particularly at the moment? Will she confirm that what the Government are doing is giving guidance to members of the Armed Forces, the Civil Service and the NHS about when and how they can speak in public and make clear on whose behalf they are speaking? Is that not sensible?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My noble friend makes a very important point. We are living in an age of disinformation and there is a responsibility on all of us to make sure that there are clear communication channels, especially when we talk about issues pertaining to policy that has been made by politicians. I also think it is incredibly important when we are trying to return to a politics of service and re-establish the use of the Nolan principles, which is why they have been added to the Ministerial Code, that it is politicians who are held accountable for policy decisions and challenged by the media.
Ethics and Integrity Commission
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 year, 1 month ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The noble Baroness tempts me to give details about what the commission will or will not look like. I am sure we will discuss this in your Lordships’ House when parliamentary time allows. With regards to the independence of the chair, the appointments to bodies and offices listed in the public appointments Order in Council are made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments and so would the chair of any future commission.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, the Minister and most Members of this House will be aware that there have been a large number of examples of scandals and misdemeanours in Scotland by Scottish Ministers as well as Members of the Scottish Parliament. Will this commission cover the devolved authorities? I hope it will.
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The noble Lord tempts me into areas that are not appropriate, but he is right that there has to be a trusted and valued ethics and standards process in each part of our nations and regions. With regard to the devolved Assemblies, that is wholly a matter for the devolved Governments, but I would hope that any changes that the UK Government made are also considered—because I am sure they will be best practice—by our devolved Governments.
Council of the Nations and Regions
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 year, 8 months ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The inaugural Council of the Nations and Regions met on 11 October in Edinburgh to discuss growth and investment. On 17 October, the UK Government published the terms of reference for the council and a communiqué summarising the discussion. A communiqué will be published following each meeting of the council.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
I thank the Minister for that excellent Answer. However, does she agree that while the council has got off to an excellent start bringing the nations and regions of the United Kingdom together, it is a pity that large areas of England were not represented. What are the Government going to do to make sure that they are represented at future meetings of the council?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The Deputy Prime Minister chaired the first leaders’ council on 24 October, where she vowed to forge a new relationship based on honesty and respect between central and local government, helping drive economic growth and improving lives. The leaders’ council brought together Ministers and local leaders to tackle shared problems. The Deputy Prime Minister has also written to all areas with a devolution deal to invite them to come forward with a proposal. New mayors established through this deal will be eligible to attend the Council of the Nations and Regions.
Wales: Coal Tip Safety
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock(1 year, 8 months ago)
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Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I thank the noble Baroness for her question—I think. Obviously, I do not have a response to that, but I will speak to Transport Ministers and come back to her.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, I understand that our Labour Government have given a boost to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, but I do not seem to have read much about it in the newspapers. I wonder whether the Minister could give us more details.
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
As someone who campaigned on this issue in the other place, I was delighted that in the first Labour Budget for 15 years we announced that the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme will receive an uplift of 32% for pensioners—an average of £29 per week, or £1,506 per year—which was funded from the scheme, but the previous Government refused to allow the trustees to move forward in that way. It is a welcome move for many thousands of people up and down the country.
UK-Scottish Government Relations
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name, and in doing so I welcome my noble friend, who was born in Edinburgh and who is answering for the first time on behalf of the Government a Question on Scotland.
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for his generous comments—let us hope I live up to them. The Government are committed to resetting relationships with the Scottish Government. Ministers across departments have been meeting to discuss a broad range of issues with their counterparts from the Scottish Government, and ministerial engagement is underpinned by regular engagement at official level. Intergovernmental relations are led from the top by the Prime Minister, who chaired the inaugural Council of the Nations and Regions on 11 October. The council will reconvene in the spring.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, that is a helpful Answer. However, the Minister knows that while justice is devolved, there is great concern here in the rest of the United Kingdom about the fact that Operation Branchform, which is dealing with serious matters of fraud, embezzlement and signature-copying, has now taken over three years. It is in no one’s interest that it should drag on and on. So, if Police Scotland asks us to provide specialist help from the National Crime Agency and the Serious Fraud Office, can we give it that help?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for his question. I am of course aware of the Police Scotland investigation into the Scottish National Party. However, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on an investigation that is ongoing, and operational decisions are a matter for Police Scotland. Of course, if it was to make such requests, I am sure that every agency would wish to assist.
Northern Ireland City Deals
Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I completely agree with the noble Lord, which is why the Secretary of State is meeting this week the chief executives of the Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West deals, to see what other support we can give them for reassurances. I am also delighted that the Northern Ireland Executive continued the funding for the two deals so that activities can proceed. We will know in three weeks; I appreciate that this is far from ideal, but we are not necessarily talking about a very extended delay—we will know in 20 days.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, I understand that there were a number of announcements by the previous Government, but no money put in the budget. Is this one of them?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
Unfortunately, because of the previous Government’s mishandling of our fiscal situation, leaving us with a £22 billion deficit, and their having spent the reserves three times before July—that is something quite special—every penny of public funding in-year now needs to be reviewed. However, we will continue to make the arguments based on our number one mission of economic growth. I hope that the Treasury will smile favourably on these two deals. We will continue to do what we can.