Lords

  • Badenoch laments the hereditary exit from the Lords

    After the last embers of a wealthy partisanship in the House of Lords have died out, Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex/Conservatives) has come out swinging online for those that have now left its hallowed chamber, never to return, but with little reason to.

    “So today, as an era closes, I want to put on record my profound gratitude and admiration for our hereditary peers. Britain has been better governed because of them. The Conservative Party has been stronger because of them. And Parliament will be poorer without them.”

    – Kemi Badenoch MP/X

    Over centuries, these rarer folk have truly helped to define – along with their families – the way, the truth, and the life of the nation. It’s to be no more, now, but they’ll live, continuing their presence here, in a country that they helped to define, sustain, and probably fund.

  • Westminster Week: Getting on

    Wednesday

    The Holocaust Memorial Bill is a hotly contested issue in the UK. It raises tensions. There are some that hate it, others that oppose it. There are groups that support it. There are some that believe in it.

    In the Lords, many members know of people whose loved ones were lost in the Holocaust. It’s less a matter of stance than principle.

    Baroness Altmann says:

    “At this stage, after so many years of such regrettably bitter controversy, I sincerely believe that if this project – as proposed – with support of both the current government and the opposition, does not go ahead now, there will no memorial, no new visitor or education centre, to explain what has happened.”

  • Westminster Week: Our place in society

    Monday

    Westminster is a bustling metropolis most weeks, and today is no different. It continues to draw crowds to Elizabeth Tower, and actual Houses of Parliament, and other attractions. It’s even busy with traffic around Parliament Square, as well as political aides, appointees, and other interested visitors.

    Tuesday

    A debate about hereditary Peers is a bit of a misnomer considering it hinges the entire disagreement between Labour and Conservative members of either Houses. It’s a dividing line that cuts straight down. The ably wrought arguments today were no different, but less impassioned than on the streets or in Conservative clubs. It feels less tense in the air, but no doubt things will hot up.

    Wednesday

    Prime Minister’s Questions is a chance to hear a debate between the government and its opposition, but even with more decorum than available in the Press, it’s still acrimonious. The exchanges can be explosive. This week former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP (Richmond and Northallerton/Conservatives), brought up national security, alleging a measure to deflect foreign interference had been overlooked. Sir Keir Starmer gave a curt reply, saying “that isn’t correct”. It’s a denial from the top, and inevitably an unsatisfied look opposite.

    Thursday

    Today’s last debate was on the “40th anniversary of the 1984 Ethiopia famine”. It was an interesting moment of reflection on an issue the country knows a lot about. The BBC covered it at the time, and charitable efforts erupted here. However, hearing more precise details about it brings about the difficulty of the work involved in the Lords.