"My Lords, successive Governments show selective outrage at repression by authoritarian states such as China, Iran, Russia and North Korea, but offer very soft criticism when identical acts are committed by trade and defence partners. The Government have the tools: they can exert pressure on the army generals controlling Pakistan …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, this week Transparency International published its global index on corruption. The UK has dropped to its lowest ever score and now is more corrupt than Estonia, Hong Kong, Uruguay, Japan, Ireland and Australia. The main reason is that political parties and too many legislators are available for hire …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, the Mandelson episode shows that party and personal loyalties can obstruct robust scrutiny. To prevent repetition of this kind of debacle, Parliament must ratify all ambassadorial appointments. Does the Minister agree?..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, I will be brief. I have a number of concerns. This SI is part of a trend towards silencing dissent to protect corporate interests. It is hard to think of any legislation in recent years which has enhanced people’s right to dissent or protest, even though almost all …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, it is shameful that water companies, with nearly 1,200 criminal convictions, are permitted to negotiate the amount and timing of fines. Some will not pay the headline-grabbing fines announced in 2024 until 2030, while others will not pay any of the announced fines. No statement to that effect …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government how many of the fines imposed by regulators on England’s water companies in 2024 and 2025 are yet to be paid in full...." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"I thank all noble Lords for their observations, comments, suggestions and many questions. I will briefly address some. Does this risk distorting insolvency law? It is already distorted. Pension scheme members are unsecured creditors. People who cannot hold a diversified portfolio lose their job, lose some of their pension rights …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech