Grass-roots Music Venues

Debate between Lord Clement-Jones and Lord Kennedy of Southwark

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, there is plenty of time. We will hear from the Lib Dems next, then the Conservative Benches.

[Lord Clement-Jones (LD)]

My Lords, given that the Music Producers Guild reports that 50% of recording studios are considering closure within the year, with rateable value increases of up to 100%, will the Minister commit to urgently reviewing their exclusion from the retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier, and their misclassification as office space by the Valuation Office Agency, particularly given that film studios, which are similarly not public-facing, already benefit from 40% targeted relief?

Superintelligent AI

Debate between Lord Clement-Jones and Lord Kennedy of Southwark

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

Let us have the Lib Dem Bench next and then the Conservative Benches.

[Lord Clement-Jones (LD)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as a consultant to DLA Piper on AI regulation and policy. In their manifesto, the Government promised

“binding regulation on … companies developing the most powerful AI models”,

yet, 18 months later, even in light of the harmful activities of stand-alone AI bots, we have seen neither the promised consultation nor any draft legislation. How can the Government credibly claim to be taking superintelligence seriously when they cannot get round even to publishing a consultation, let alone legislating?