"My Lords, could the Minister give us a little more precise guidance about the effect of these developments today on the timing of Sue Gray’s report? Can that report still be expected within the next few days?..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, the noble Lord asked for an example of where a Prime Minister might illegitimately ask for a general election. I will give an example not a million miles away from our present circumstances. Let us suppose that 54 Conservative Members of Parliament expressed no confidence in the present …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, I regret that I am going to share the self-satisfaction of the noble Lord, Lord Grocott. I believed from the outset that the 2011 Bill was misconceived. Partly through the not inconsiderable intervention of my noble friend Lord Pannick, who regrets that he cannot be here today, your …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, the use by Ministers of private means of communication is dangerous on all sorts of grounds, and Ministers need good advice about that. Following on from the question of the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, is there a review of ministerial private use of the internet, so that departments …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"It is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Bridges, who chaired our sub-committee with great competence, and I shall have a word to say about that later. I start in the general area about which he was speaking. As we debate the Finance Bill today, I warmly welcome …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lords, Lord Benyon, Lord Khan and Lord Cruddas, on their maiden speeches.
I make a single point on the proposed 1% pay increase for the National Health Service. I accept that to decelerate borrowing, the Government need to restrain their own wage costs. On …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a privilege to be the first to congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Shafik, on her charming and hugely impressive maiden speech. This debate shows the House is fortunate to have the addition of not one but two real heavyweights to our number. I am sure I …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, I address my two minutes to prospects for the financial services sector, drawing attention to my interests in the register. Many have criticised the thinness of the agreement in respect of financial services, but the surprising thing is that so few cries of alarm have been heard from …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, I have never made a secret of my regret that the 2016 referendum went the way it did. I hoped for some time that, when the implications became known, the British people would be given a second chance to vote and the result would go the other way. …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech
"My Lords, it would have been good if the Minister had condemned the terms of the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Howard. Under this Prime Minister, the conduct of the Government and their Ministers has been criticised by the Supreme Court, the National Audit Office in relation to …..." Lord Butler of Brockwell - View Speech