"My Lords, those who know about defence procurement—as the Minister does; I am encouraged by much of what he says—know that it is incredibly bureaucratic. That slows down any decisions —I do not know whether it has affected this decision—for UK-made kit rather than buying stuff off the shelf. Can …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, this appalling pandemic killed thousands of people. I am sure everybody in the Chamber knows people who were killed and these were often nasty and unpleasant deaths. Since then, the Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson, has said—this is my understanding; I am willing to be corrected—that …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, given what the Minister has just said, can she explain how many prosecutions of former public servants—Army and police —might be happening? We know of some that are pending. How many prosecutions are pending for former terrorists—enemies of the state—who were shooting British people, both Northern Irish and …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, this issue will go on and on; indeed, there was a UQ down in the other place this morning. I am not asking about the incompetent wannabe spies; I am asking about the Government’s motivation. The Prime Minister called in this application, as we know, following a discussion …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government whether the recent collapse of the case involving allegations of spying will be taken into account in the planning decision for the Chinese Embassy at the old Royal Mint...." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, in the Commons yesterday the issue of the influence of China in general was raised. Can the noble Lord please explain this to us? We have heard the Prime Minister being taped saying that he would call in the embassy application, which he did. Then, according to a …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, I compliment the Minister on her deep feeling about what was said. I will comment on veterans. This Parliament, people sitting on these Benches and down there, sent young men, such as myself, to Northern Ireland into the face of danger. Many of them were killed. Not all …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, anything I say will probably have been said before, so fortuitously I shall not speak for long, which will please the Government Whips.
On both sides there have been some outstanding speeches over both days, and we can all appreciate that this is hugely complex. People very often …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech