Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Attorney General has recused himself from providing legal advice on the International Court of Justice's arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu; and what declarations of interest, if any, have been made by the Attorney General about past representations about Israel.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by, or requested of, the Law Officers. It can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:
“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”
Indicating whether or not the Law Officers have recused themselves from a particular matter would itself breach the Law Officers’ Convention.
However, the Attorney General’s Office has a rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts and potential conflicts that arise from Law Officers’ former practice. As part of that process, the AGO adopts a cautious and beyond reproach threshold to any conflicts or potential conflicts. These arrangements are long-standing and part of a standard practice that has applied across successive Administrations.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the Attorney General's Office, and (2) the Government Legal Department, received a free portrait of the King as part of His Majesty The King’s Portrait Scheme.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
In 2024 Public Bodies, including Government departments were able to request a free portrait of the King, for display in the department.
The Attorney General’s Office received a portrait through the Cabinet Office’s scheme. The Government Legal Department did not receive a portrait.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what correspondence the Law Officers have had with Greta Thunberg since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers have not had any such correspondence.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Levitt on 22 December 2025 (HL12744) and the then Prime Minister on 20 March 2024 (HC18492), whether the Attorney General considers (1) the European Court of Human Rights, and (2) the International Criminal Court, to be foreign courts.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and International Criminal Court (ICC) are international courts based respectively in France and the Netherlands. The UK is a State Party to both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Rome Statute, the international treaties which established the ECtHR and ICC respectively. It is also a founding member of both instruments.
The Human Rights Act 1998 and the International Criminal Court Act 2001 give effect to the UK's obligations under the ECHR and Rome Statute. We respect the independence of both courts.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what correspondence the Prime Minister's office has had with Greta Thunberg since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 23 July 2025, Official Report, PQ HL9556:
PQ HL9556 Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what correspondence the Prime Minister’s Office has had with Greta Thunberg since 4 July 2024. HL9556
Cabinet Office response: It is not routine to publish correspondence between the Prime Minister and any individual
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 23 December 2025 (HL12792), whether (1) Treasury ministers, or (2) their special advisers, had any involvement in media briefings prior to the Budget 2025 which were not issued alongside a Government press release or statement to Parliament.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Treasury, its ministers, and special advisers place the utmost importance on budget security. A leak inquiry is currently underway, alongside a review of security processes to inform future fiscal events.
The Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury told the Treasury Select Committee on 10 December 2025 that he expects the review to conclude ahead of the Spring Statement on 3 March. The outcome of the review will be published.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 16 December 2025 (HCWS1186), whether the review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics will consider the foreign influence on UK politics, and associated foreign funding, from (1) the Open Society Foundations, (2) US donations to Sinn Fein, (3) the Awami League, and (4) the Muslim Brotherhood.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes. The purpose of the Rycroft review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards that regulate political parties and political finance and make recommendations. The terms of reference for the review can be found (attached) here: Independent review: countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics: Terms of Reference - GOV.UK
Given the review’s independence, we cannot pre-empt specifics of the ground it will cover, nor the recommendations it will make. It is right that the review is independent of Government and independent of any political party. However, we will be looking to mitigate the risk of foreign financial interference in UK politics from any actors and individuals who might wish to undermine our democracy.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 December 2025 (HL12743), whether guidance or advice on the use of email has been provided to cross-government special advisers other than non-corporate communications guidance in the past six months; and if so, whether that advice included guidance on (1) placing, or not placing, specific content on government email accounts, and (2) the application of the Freedom of Information Act to corporate and non-corporation communications.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 18 December 2025, Official Report, PQ HL12743:
$08122025|4|W|22122025|Lord Jackson of Peterborough||To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 25 November (HC91373), whether guidance has been given informally to special advisers through cross-government special adviser meetings about (1) including, or (2) excluding, information on email or other corporate communications. HL12743
Answer: There is guidance in place when it comes to the use of non-corporate communications channels, available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister plans to recommend to the Sovereign that Lord Mandelson be removed from the Roll of the Peerage.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Lord Mandelson is currently on a leave of absence from the House of Lords.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 April 2025 (HL6032), whether the arm's-length body "Project Seahorse" has been established; what is the proposed function of that body; and what budget has been allocated to that body in the period covered by the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The body in question is the Warm Homes Agency, which is a new public body being set up to support the delivery of the Warm Homes Plan. The Agency will provide trusted consumer advice, support the supply chain, and consolidate some existing delivery organisations into an Executive Agency. The Government has committed £15 billion in the wider Warm Homes Plan. Specific operational budget allocations for the Agency will be determined in due course and are subject to standard Government approval processes.