Conduct of Undercover Policing and Surveillance Operatives Bill [HL]

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer Excerpts

2nd reading
Friday 17th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (LD)]

My Lords, I am very pleased to be able to support my noble friend Lady Hamwee’s Bill and her absolute determination to close what is a clear gap in the legislation.

I am not a lawyer or any sort of expert on this. I am moved to speak today because my noble friend Lady Hamwee and Justice organised a meeting where we could hear from some of the women about their experiences. In my time in this House, I do not think I have had a more upsetting experience. Moving would be the wrong word, when you started to think what they had been through. Their lives had been stolen. Not only had their time been stolen but their ability to trust had also been stolen, as my noble friend said. That is very hard—probably impossible—to ever get back. Then, of course, there is the issue of the children. People have said there are four, but there might be more. Do they have fathers? They obviously have biological fathers, but they actually have no fathers. Do they have half-siblings?

All those questions lead me to think that for all the arguments that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, made—which I will not repeat, because noble Lords have heard them—this change to close this loophole in our law really needs to happen. Our national institutions allowed, encouraged or condoned these in effect premeditated crimes, which went on for years. This needs to be clearly outlawed, and I support the Bill.