Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 19 Nov 2024 Council Tax
"My Lords, the most obvious problem with the council tax system in this country is that it is based on a hopelessly out-of-date valuation which no Government have dared to address in recent years. It produces great anomalies in the council tax levied in different parts of the country. As …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, the root of this problem is that, in an election that the Labour Party was bound to win, it made a promise that it would not raise income tax, national insurance or corporation tax. The taxes it promised not to raise provide 70% of the Government’s income and …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, I will not repeat what I said yesterday, but I was outraged by the complete circus of trailing in advance and trying things out that has gone on for three months while this Budget was prepared. There were no surprises to anybody in today’s Budget, and they got …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"We did not—even the Cabinet did not know what was going to be in the Budget until the day before, because someone in the Cabinet would have leaked it.
Will the Minister not acknowledge that this Government are now approaching Budgets on the basis that things have to be tried …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, I am proud to say that I have been a member of Conservative Friends of Israel for many years and I still am. I strongly support the attacks on military targets in Iran, but I cannot possibly defend—I totally condemn—the decision the Israelis now seem to have taken …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, we used to have a rule of Budget purdah in this country for the very good reason that it prevented market speculation in the run-up to the House of Commons hearing the Budget details. Every Chancellor who followed me in office has steadily weakened that and, this year, …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, I congratulate the Minister on his role in introducing this package of measures and look forward to its speedy progress. When I was Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor, I am afraid I was quite unable to persuade my ministerial colleagues to allow me to proceed with anything that …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, I am pleased to say that, throughout my political career, I have always thought that the British political system was remarkably free—almost entirely free—of any hint of corruption, and that people on all sides were acting for the best possible motives. Genuine cases of corruption—fortunately, of a minor …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome very warmly the noble Lord to his position, and congratulate him and his family company on the most remarkable work they have done for the past two decades in protecting the public by rehabilitating so many people who would otherwise have gone on to commit more …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech
"My Lords, the previous Parliament passed an amendment to extend to the overseas territories of the United Kingdom the legal obligation to have a company register show beneficial ownership and to make that register open to public inspection. Can the Minister let the House know what progress there has been …..." Lord Clarke of Nottingham - View Speech