King’s Speech

Lord Walney Excerpts

Monday 18th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Walney (CB)]

My Lords, let me begin where the noble Lord, Lord McColl of Dulwich, ended. It has been a huge privilege to share these Benches and this debate with my noble friend Lord Hennessy. I briefly add my own tribute. Understandably, much of the discussion has been about his role as a Member of this House, and as a historian and academic on the constitution. He is also the country’s pre-eminent historian of the British submarine programme and the national deterrent, and we—this nation, the town of Barrow-in-Furness and I personally—owe him a huge debt for the contribution he has made over the years. He will be so deeply missed, and I am humbled to be able to call him a friend.

I welcome the tackling state threats Bill. We all hope that it will deliver a proscription of the IRGC that is every bit as strong as full proscription with a different name. I hope the Minister in his conclusion will say whether the Bill will be fast-tracked, as has been suggested in recent days. It is urgently needed and has been for many years, but the sense of crisis currently, with the conflict in Iran and the explosion of violent antisemitism in our communities, means there can be no excuse for delay.

Can the Minister also explain why it was suggested that neither that Bill nor the announced national security Bill include a commitment to enact the Government’s also much-needed commitment to tackle extremism in the charity sector? This was a welcome announcement on an issue that is also urgent. Surely, the power to strike off charities will require primary legislation. Therefore, if the Government could clarify why there is no mention of that in any of the briefing on the Bills, that would be appreciated.

Furthermore, what is the level of commitment to any measures that may be deemed necessary following the review of the noble Lord, Lord Macdonald, into hate crime and public order? The Government have said that they will publish that review shortly and will enact a number of recommendations from it. It is unclear where that would fit in. Obviously, many of us in this House believe strongly that there is a need for urgent changes to public order legislation, so I hope the Minister will agree to enact such measures. I hope he will also agree to enact the measures I have been banging on about in my review and subsequently, in particular a proscription-style tool, but also stronger powers to tackle the hate-infested marches that have now reached crisis point. Jewish communities in Britain are under siege from all sides: from Islamist extremism, the far left and also, of course, the far right. These measures are deeply needed, and the Government must match their rhetoric with legislative action.