Domestic Travel and Holidays: Visitor Levy

Debate between Baroness Royall of Blaisdon and Lord Lemos

Tuesday 21st July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his kind remarks. I do not normally apply for jobs, but there we are. On the central point about mayors, it is our intention to announce the results of the consultation, and as he knows, there are a lot of details to be worked out, but those plans relate to places where they are.

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Lab)]

My Lords, I warmly welcome this devolution of power. In declaring my interest as chair of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, I ask my noble friend if he shares my concern about the impact of disinformation, especially from the United States of America, on reduced visitor figures to London this year. Will he also join me in welcoming the campaign of my newly ennobled friend the Mayor of London to showcase our wonderful city and tackle this online disinformation?

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

Yes, I do share my noble friend’s concern about misinformation and disinformation, not just in this regard but in many other regards. As noble Lords with whom I have discussed the elections Bill will know, I am particularly concerned about foreign interference in various matters in our lives here, including elections.

London is of course a wonderful and safe city. The Government have an ambitious target of 50 million in-bound visits a year by 2030, and I pay tribute to the work my noble friend is doing to promote those activities. London is a wonderful place—do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Security of Candidates, MPs and Elections

Debate between Baroness Royall of Blaisdon and Lord Lemos

Thursday 12th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to implement the recommendations of the Speaker’s Conference on the security of candidates, MPs and elections.

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Lemos) (Lab)]

The Government thank the Speaker’s Conference for its recommendations. A response was provided last year, which we understand will be published after the Recess. I hope it goes without saying that the UK remains a strong and resilient democracy. The Government are determined to keep it that way and are acting with urgency to implement the measures addressing the conference’s recommendations. This includes working with the College of Policing on guidance for front-line officers and introducing legislation to restrict protests outside public officeholders’ homes.

[Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Lab)]

My Lords, I welcome the imminent publication of the representation of the people Bill and I trust that it is radical and will include recommendations, as my noble friend said, from the Speaker’s Conference. The Jo Cox Foundation, which I chair, called for the Bill to embed standards of conduct, make personal addresses private by default, address online harms, disseminate candidate safety resources and promote political, digital and media literacy. Can my noble friend assure me that those elements will be addressed in the Bill? Violence, abuse and intimidation threaten trust in politics and the functioning of our democracy. We are in desperate need of a political culture in which everyone can safely participate in respectful, robust debate in the spirit of Jo Cox’s message that we have more in common than that which divides us.

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

My Lords, the murders of our colleagues Jo Cox and David Amess weigh very heavily on the minds of all in this House and in the other place, and even more heavily, if I may say so, in the minds and hearts of their families. I thank my noble friend and her colleagues for their tireless and admirable work at the Jo Cox Foundation. The representation of the people Bill is introduced today—so this is breaking news, as it were—and it includes measures which directly tackle the unacceptable issues of harassment and intimidation, ensuring that people are not put off from campaigning or standing for public office. I am sure that our noble friend Lady Taylor will want to talk extensively with my noble friend about it.