Airport Expansion

Debate between Baroness Vere of Norbiton and Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

Monday 2nd March 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

This is of course incredibly important, because there are potential read-acrosses to various other infrastructure builds. However, we are confident that they fall within our climate obligations.

[Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (LD)]

My Lords, is it not a fact that this decision has had the effect of letting the Prime Minister off the hook? He does not have to lie down in front of the bulldozers—so there is a clear advantage in judicial review. Why are the Government seeking to restrict it?

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

I do not think that I am willing to go down that track.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Debate between Baroness Vere of Norbiton and Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

Monday 13th November 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (LD)]

My Lords, the Foreign Secretary’s remarks, which the noble Baroness has repeated, sound more like a plea of mitigation than anything else, but a plea of mitigation is effective only if it is preceded by an unequivocal apology. In truth, the apology which the Foreign Secretary made when this matter was debated in the other place had to be dragged out of him after some 15 or 20 minutes. The truth of the matter is that the Foreign Secretary is not up to his responsibilities, and this is an eloquent indication of that. The Prime Minister knew what she was getting when she appointed him. It is now time for her to take personal responsibility for the case we are discussing and ensure that the Foreign Secretary is no longer able to dabble in it.

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

My Lords, I repeat that the Foreign Secretary has apologised for his remarks. It is his intention to continue to do all he can in his role as Foreign Secretary to ensure the release of Nazanin and other consular cases in Iran.