Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 19 Mar 2026 Middle East
"My Lords, I congratulate the Government on avoiding the pull towards an illegal and pointless conflict in the Middle East, despite the pressure brought to bear from some national and international corners. We have heard much about the impact of the conflict on oil and gas supplies. What we have …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"My Lords, I shall speak to the amendments in this group. For the record, I declare my interest as a trustee of Action on Smoking and Health.
First of all, I follow on from the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Young, around a road map. Surely a road map …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"I will come to that point in a moment and explain further. The TRIS process concluded on 18 February. The UK Government have provided a clear and satisfactory response to the concerns raised by member states, which I hope offers some reassurance to the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey.
"My Lords, in warmly welcoming the Government’s commitment to significantly increasing defence expenditure and the opportunity to use this lever to promote economic growth, especially through the development of dual-use technologies and extended supply chains, I draw my noble friend the Minister’s attention to the fact that only seven of …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the Defence Industrial Strategy 2025 on promoting economic growth and job creation in English regions and devolved nations...." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare an interest as a non-executive director of MHCLG. Can my noble friend the Minister remind the House of the original purpose of local government reorganisation? It is surely not just for the sake of it but for a wider purpose. Does she think it is a …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"My Lords, I must begin my contribution to this debate with two formalities. First, I declare that I am an honorary member of the court of Newcastle University. In fact, I am a recent recipient of an honorary doctorate from Newcastle University—although I must stress that I in no way …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister share my concern about the rising tide of abuse in our politics being detrimental to the broadest range of candidates putting themselves forward? Does he share my concern that women in particular are severely disadvantaged by this and are put off our …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"My Lords, further to the question from the noble Lord, Lord McLoughlin, can I ask my noble friend the Minister to join me in thanking the many hundreds of volunteers who run our community transport services? Furthermore, when we see the extension of combined authorities with transport responsibilities covering more …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech
"My Lords, I seek to make a brief contribution to the discussion on this amendment. Noble Lords might ask themselves why somebody whose political experience was predominantly in a metropolitan area would seek to speak on rural issues, but I grew up in Weardale, in County Durham, and my mother …..." Lord Forbes of Newcastle - View Speech