King’s Speech

Baroness Mobarik Excerpts

Wednesday 15th November 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Mobarik (Con)]

My Lords, on Monday evening, at the Guildhall, the Prime Minister, in reference to the devastating situation in the Middle East, made a profound statement:

“The past is trying to stop the future being born”.


It is true. Both sides carry scars from the past—scars passed down through generations. These must be resolved or they will continue to create tomorrow’s wars. If we were to ask either side why, they would tell you the same: that they had no other choice but to use force to change the situation they were in. There has to be a way forward from the desperate situation which is the here and now. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Mann, when he says, “Free the hostages now”; I would add, “Stop the bombing of innocent civilians”.

The Prime Minister spoke about “realism” and “values”, about the UK’s ability to “promote peace and security”, and of this being

“a moment for moral clarity”.

These words give a glimmer of hope, of intent, to help resolve what is a truly bleak situation. Around 1,400 have been killed in Israel and more than 11,000 in Gaza, two-thirds of them women and children. Indeed, if there is no moral clarity now then we are surely doomed.

It is a time like no other to reflect on our values: our belief in the sanctity of human life, protecting the innocent, the right to justice, the right to self-determination, and adherence to international humanitarian law, because adherence to the law cannot be compromised for the sake of convenience or for fear of censure. We have been Great Britain because of our steely determination to do the difficult things that needed doing, even when other paths seemed easier. Honour demands nothing less, and we are, after all, an honourable people. We believe in justice. Our judicial system evolved over centuries. We are the champions of the just and democratic free world, opposed to all whose actions may undermine it. Because of this, our documents—hundreds of thousands housed under this very roof—our courts and our values are the light at the heart of global democracy.

Remembrance Day is just behind us, reminding us of those who fought and died for the privileges we hold most dear: freedom of speech, freedom of movement, a right to protest and a commitment to peace. Young men from Great Britain, from across the Commonwealth and beyond fought on the side of the allies in both world wars. We heard the moving story from the noble Lord, Lord Hussain.

In World War II, of the 2.5 million strong pre-partition British Indian Army from what is now Pakistan and India—the largest voluntary force in human history— 1 million were Muslims. My own father was one of those who served. Let us also not forget the Palestine Regiment and the Arab Legion. In total, 5.5 million Muslims from around the globe fought or served in some capacity alongside the allies in World War II. Some 1.5 million made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today in our multicultural, multifaith society.

We have been, and must continue to be, a nation resolute in its principled refusal to support anything which is counter to our core identity. No matter the corner from which the whisper to forsake our values may come, we must not cede. To witness grave injustice and pretend blindness is at best hypocritical, and we would not wish to be a nation of hypocrites.

Of course, values that are out of alignment with actions are meaningless, and words that pretend otherwise are simply dangerous. Our credibility, our legitimacy and our central role in the contemporary global world order are a function of our steadfast adherence to the rule of law, justice and fairness. We are great because of our refusal to allow our standards, beliefs, culture and history to be brushed aside for the sake of expediency; otherwise we undermine everything we stand for as a people, destroying our ability to lead in a world that is very much in need of our leadership. It is beyond time to call out those who break international humanitarian law and question their powerful supporters. We have ever been a people willing to speak uncomfortable truths to power. This is a moment in which we will decide whether history continues to see us as such.