Social Cohesion and Community during Periods of Change

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Friday 6th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB)]

My Lords, I too congratulate the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of York on calling this important debate. I also congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Sharma, on his impressive and thoughtful maiden speech.

The poet reminds us that rivers and mountains interpose to make one people implacable foes. It is not only geography that divides what Sikhs call our one human family; it is also human prejudice and bigotry. Most of us like to believe that we have no prejudices, and that prejudice is confined to the ignorant few. Nothing could be further from the truth. Prejudice, or a fear of difference, is inherent in us all. We are all genetically programmed to be wary of difference. In less enlightened times, even left-handers like me were regarded with suspicion—the Latin word for left is “sinister”. The challenge before us is to recognise and discard irrational prejudice against fellow members of what Sikhs call our one human family.

Religion was meant to make us better human beings, but much of the conflict in the world today is between different religions or subsets of religions, each claiming superiority of belief and a unique access to the one God of us all. We all know what happens when two boys in the school playground each claim, “My dad is bigger or stronger or better than your dad”. The end result is fisticuffs—and it is the same with religion.

Guru Nanak, who lived in the 15th century, was a witness to such conflict. India had been invaded by Muslims from the north, bent on converting to the one true faith those whom they saw as inferior Hindus. Hindus regarded the invaders as uncivilised barbarians. In his very first sermon, Guru Nanak declared that, in God’s eyes, there is neither Hindu nor Muslim, and that God is not interested in our different religious labels, but in what we do for others. He went on to criticise the discrimination against women practised by both religions, emphasising their complete equality.

Throughout history, religions have created walls of supposed superiority of doctrine and favoured links to God, strengthened by negative attitudes to others. Some of the denigration of others has become embedded in religious scriptures, masking important commonalities between faiths. In the New Testament, for example, written decades after the passing of Jesus, it is claimed that Jesus said:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.


Well, that rules me out to start with.

The denigration of others does not square with the life and actual teachings of Jesus, who applauded the kindness, goodness and compassion of others, as in the parable of the good Samaritan. Equally, the following verse, attributed to Jesus, deflects us from his all-embracing teachings:

“For I say unto you that unless thy righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven”.


Jesus Christ repeatedly showed his respect for women, yet Saint Paul justifies misogyny. He says:

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent”.


I have given some examples from the Bible which portray a negative image of others, which can be used to justify extreme and negative behaviour towards others. Time does not allow me to quote from other religious texts, such as the Koran, also written years after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad, which are sometimes used to justify violent behaviour towards others.

While most people are decent and law abiding, a few can be persuaded to focus on negative attitudes to others embedded in religious texts and engage in acts of terrorism in the belief that they are advancing the one true faith and will be rewarded by God. Today, there is an urgent need for religious leaders to put negative and dated texts in their true historical context and deprive misguided extremists of justification and motivation. This is the only way to prevent extremism in society. Appointing commissions of inquiry and collecting hate statistics will not make an iota of difference. Different religions are, in essence, guidebooks for our journey through life—what to do, what to avoid—and imperatives for responsible living. It would be absurd to suggest that a particular guidebook for a tour of France is the only guidebook and that all others are false.

Many years ago, I helped to start the Inter Faith Network, which has just been mentioned, to promote dialogue and understanding. While it helped to promote a superficial respect for different faiths, the one thing we did not talk about were the actual teachings. We would meet, exchange pleasantries and common concerns, enjoy tea and samosas and then go away, each convinced that our beliefs and ethical values were superior. This came home to me when I heard an internet talk by a Muslim vice-chair of the Inter Faith Network. He was talking to a Muslim audience, saying that he felt sorry for people of other faiths, for they were all going to hell.

What normally passes for religion is an amalgam of culture, superstition and ethical teachings. Culture can be good or bad and it changes with time. Rituals and superstitions are, in essence, merely meaningless. I am sure that the one God, the creator of all that exists in the vastness of his universe, would not be motivated by the prejudice and favouritism attributed to him.

Respecting seeming diversity is generally seen as a way of community cohesion, but for real cohesion and mutual respect we need to look beyond superficial difference to underlying commonalities. Our different religions are overlapping circles of belief which have more in common than the seeming differences. At the time of the millennium, I was a member of the Lambeth group. Although we were from different religions, we had no trouble in formulating priorities: ethical values that would carry us to the 21st century. They ended up in a drawer in Lambeth Palace. Today, we need to dig them out as a blueprint for greater cohesion and understanding of what Sikhs refer to in our daily prayer as the well-being of the one human family.

Devolved Authorities: Expenditure outwith Competences

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Monday 5th February 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)]

The noble and learned Lord makes an interesting and important point. I understand that any directions of that kind from a Minister would have to be published, and I am not aware of any such directions having been made in relation to the issues that the noble and learned Lord describes. The Government recognise the strength of the arguments and, as I said, are in the process of considering how guidance might support civil servants working in the devolved Administrations on areas that might relate to reserved matters.

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB)]

My Lords, this request to put competence at the heart of decision-making is a dangerous, underhand way of trying to prevent policies being made on impetus and conjecture, which could really change government. For example, it would have prevented a recent decision by the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice to describe an investigation into discrimination in the Prison Service, in which none of the complainants was interviewed and no documentation was looked at, as a very thorough, competent investigation.

[Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)]

I am not sure what sort of competence the noble Lord is talking about. Devolved competence is, of course, clearly set out in various bits of legislation. I note what he says about the investigation, which I was not aware of.

Constitution Inquiry

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Monday 14th June 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, many bodies make an input into this debate—I would single out the great work of your Lordships’ Constitution Committee, among others—but I repeat that the Government believe in a strong UK Parliament for a strong United Kingdom. The UK Parliament, which represents the whole of the United Kingdom, is sovereign, and the sharing of sovereignty would run counter to this core element of the UK constitution. The Government are committed to strengthening the union, and there is an earnest of that in the recent summit summoned by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister.

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

[Inaudible]—arrogant patriotism was an infantile disease like measles. In its new virulent form, it has led to Brexit and now threatens the union with Scotland. Does the Minister agree that former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is right when he says that we should drop divisive talk of “us and them” and look to commonalities of interest to make for a more equal and stronger union?

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, I certainly agree that striving for commonalities is wise advice to us all.

Budget Statement

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Friday 12th March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, I too welcome the new Members to the House of Lords and thank them for their impressive maiden speeches. The Chancellor is to be congratulated on the furlough scheme and other initiatives to allow us to meet the tremendous challenges of the Covid pandemic—a pandemic for which we were grossly unprepared.

It is a tribute to the herculean efforts of our wonderful health service workers that we are now beginning to see the hope of something near normality in the near future. Sadly, the deserved hand-clapping has turned into a miserable 1% pay increase for nurses. Does the Minister agree that this is not only a slap for nurses in present employment but a severe deterrent to an enhancement of recruiting?

Will the Government also reconsider their cut in the aid budget, at a time of famine in Yemen? As a country that is, sadly, supporting arms sales to Saudi Arabia—a participant in the conflict—we have a clear moral responsibility to help alleviate the suffering.

Political Parties: Expenditure Limits

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Monday 22nd February 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, I agree, but I would not want to give the House the impression that the Government do not think that there are matters that need to be addressed and considered. Notional expenditure is obviously one of them. I am grateful for the support that we received from the Labour Party on examining the rules on notional expenditure.

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, as we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important for all political parties to look to new priorities for recovery and for meeting the new imperatives of sustainable development. Does the Minister agree that any increase in political funding limits should not unduly disadvantage smaller parties committed to new and necessary forward thinking?

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, I certainly agree that any consideration of electoral law and, indeed, electoral practice needs to reflect on the position of smaller parties. The Government have been considering that specifically in relation to the May elections.

Economic Update

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Tuesday 12th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Agnew of Oulton (Con) [V]]

It is right that we should always aim to get the help to the most vulnerable areas, but there is a trade-off between speed of policy announcement and execution and the complexity of creating the sort of flexibility my noble friend refers to. I take on board his comments on the return of the rate rebate by supermarkets. I think a continued public programme to call out any of the larger supermarkets that have not done that will put pressure on them, as most of us are their customers.

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, the Government are to be commended for their furlough schemes and economic packages to mitigate the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic. The Statement rightly acknowledges that things will probably get worse before they get better. Does the Minister agree that, in light of difficulties being experienced by our supermarkets, this applies also to possible benefits from our new economic independence—benefits taken for granted in the Statement?

EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Friday 8th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, the Sikh religion, formed at a time of religious and regional conflict, emphasises the equality and interdependence of all humanity. Today, with new concerns about global warming and climate change, closer co-operation with those we once viewed with suspicion is more important than ever. Boasts that we have secured freedom from foreign influence and have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and waters simply remind me of the dated hype of Shakespeare’s John of Gaunt:

“This happy breed of men, this little world … this earth, this realm, this England.”


However, I congratulate the Government on keeping some of the benefits, such as tariff-free trade, of a club that we have now left. Does the Minister agree that, from our position of independence, we should now look to even greater and closer co-operation with Europe and others for the benefit of all in our inter-dependent world?

UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Thursday 10th December 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, Parliament voted in the withdrawal treaty Act to include a section asserting UK sovereignty. As for the specifics of any course of justice or jurisdiction, it will have to follow the appropriate course, in line with the protocol.

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, with the prospect of a deal with the EU fast receding, the Prime Minister’s visit to India next month has the potential for increased trade with the subcontinent. Can the Minister assure the House that any plans to increase food imports from India will respect the human rights of small farmers already reeling from new laws allowing big business to dictate commodity prices?

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, I will not go into the specifics of negotiations with India, although I know the noble Lord has a particular interest and I respect and understand that. The objective of Her Majesty’s Government is to extend free trade agreements as widely as we may, because we believe free trade is one of the greatest sources of the uplifting of poverty and the human condition that has ever been devised. I welcome the recent announcement of a further free trade agreement, with Singapore.

Summit of Democratic Governments

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Monday 30th November 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, can the Minister tell us why India, currently in the news for trying to make Punjab farmers serfs on their own land, is suggested as one of the 10 leading democracies? Why are we turning a blind eye to the Modi Government’s discriminatory laws making millions of Muslims second-class citizens and others stateless, their brutal suppression in Kashmir, and the expulsion of Amnesty International for drawing attention to their widespread abuse of human rights? Does the Minister agree that a country which ignores human rights in its pandering to majority prejudice cannot be called a democracy?

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, as a Cabinet Office Minister answering a relatively narrow question, I will not make a broad denunciation of any nation. Our values are democratic; they are very widely shared and practised across the world. We wish to sustain that.

Northern Ireland Protocol: Implementation Proposals

Lord Singh of Wimbledon Excerpts

Thursday 19th November 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord True (Con)]

My Lords, unfettered access from Northern Ireland to GB will be sustained and there will be no customs checks. So far as GB-NI is concerned, any control will be at a very minimal level, with risk assessment and administration undertaken by UK authorities.

[Lord Singh of Wimbledon (CB) [V]]

My Lords, would the Minister agree that we are being a little hypocritical in admonishing China over Hong Kong while preparing to renege on provisions in the EU withdrawal agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol? Would he also agree that trying to get the best of all worlds in trade could seriously affect progress under the Good Friday agreement?

[Lord True (Con)]

No, I do not. The maintenance of the Good Friday agreement requires unfettered access, which was committed to by the EU and in the reformation of the Northern Ireland Executive. So far as comparing the actions of the UK Government with those of communist China, I indignantly reject the parallel.