UK-EU Customs Union

Baroness Gill Excerpts

Thursday 29th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Gill (Lab) (Maiden Speech)]

My Lords, I rise with some hesitation and a great deal of gratitude to make my maiden speech in your Lordships’ House. I am acutely aware of the experience, independence of mind, and breadth and depth of knowledge that surrounds me.

Last Tuesday was a sublime experience for me and my family and friends; I still pinch myself to check that it was real. I am deeply grateful to my supporters, my noble friends Lord Kennedy and Lady Smith, for their guidance and support over many years. I am also grateful for the kindness shown to me by Black Rod’s office, by Mr Ingram and his team of doorkeepers, and by the Reading Clerk, Dr Christopher Johnson. His flexibility in enabling me to take my oath on my mother’s Gutka, a Sikh prayer book—sadly, she passed away just before Christmas—meant so much to me, especially as the first Sikh woman on the Labour Benches.

It has been quite a journey since I left Ludhiana, in Punjab, as a child. With huge support from my family, friends, members of my party and my colleagues at Sikhs for Labour, I have arrived here. My first home was in Southall, a rich, multicultural area that is one of the beating hearts to this day in the London Borough of Ealing—unsurprisingly, given that for many decades it has been a first stop on many migrants’ journey into this land. That was at a time when bussing children out of their locality was the norm, and I ended up at Walford High in Northolt. I give thanks to investments by earlier Labour Governments, and two super teachers who mentored me to go on to further education and to embrace every opportunity that came my way. Hence, Southall is part of my title, as I too want to inspire the present generation of children who are growing up there, and at my old school, that you too can dream and aspire to succeed in whatever walk you choose.

My political home is the West Midlands and it is fitting that that is included in my title too. My love of jewellery is known to many, especially pieces made by our talented artisans. I first came across them in the Jewellery Quarter, thanks to the Birmingham Assay Office, which had concerns about proposals from Brussels that we worked together to mitigate. I moved into Jewellery Quarter soon afterwards, and long before it became hip and one of the best places to live in the country. It was such a rewarding experience, with its wonderful restaurants, cafés and bars, excellent road and rail connections—a perfect example of imaginative inner-city regeneration—that I stayed there for over two decades.

I come here conscious that my experience is only one among many, but I am hopeful that I will none the less be of service to this House in the debates that lie ahead. Over the years, I have been privileged to work in three main areas: housing and regeneration, reducing inequalities, and Britain’s relations with the EU. Having spent my life in public service, though with spells in corporate and tech sectors that left their indelible marks on me, I saw first-hand when I was running a housing association the real difference a good home can make to a person’s life chances in education, health and employment. I am still totally committed to eradicating inequalities in all fields. Today, inequality can be experienced in several ways, including digital inequality. So how we succeed as a society will depend on how data is harnessed and how we manage AI to reduce its impact, including on those in the creative sector.

Brexit cut my tenure of almost 16 years as an MEP short. As it happens, this coming Saturday, 31 January, will be exactly six years after Britain left the EU. How regrettable it is to see the damage inflicted on our economy. I remain a passionate advocate of the project, though my son still reproaches me that I was very much absent when he was growing up. Nevertheless, he has grown up to be a fine young man, working as a creative, as it happens, who cares deeply about his work and society.

Recent international developments have brought us to a turning point in our relations with the EU. Not only is it necessary to rebuild the trust lost in the Brexit years, but trade and defence must be our top priority, given that the world has changed around us and our approach to alliances must do, too. I welcome that this Government have signed a trade agreement with India, as did the EU on Tuesday, which I championed for many years while I was there.

However, as the EU has been faced with new challenges, its instruments and procedures need to evolve accordingly. At the same time, UK-EU relations need to be more ambitious, particularly in the fields of trade, defence and security. Rejoining instruments from another era such as the customs union cannot be the answer. New challenges demand new structures and new models of co-operation.

I look forward to working together with your Lordships in this House in facing today’s challenges and defending nothing less than the cause of a better life for our fellow citizens in a troubled and turbulent world.