"My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Balfe, I am strongly committed to Europe—we set up Cambridge for Europe together. However, I wonder what the Minister thinks the message would be to our friends and partners in eastern Europe, particularly the Baltic states and Poland, if we were somehow to …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, apart from ESG questions, there are wider questions about investment in defence companies. I declare an interest as an academic. Obviously, often it is students, and some of my colleagues as academics, who may think that the defence sector is not suitable to invest in, just as they …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, I find myself in a rather unusual position. On most defence issues, it is very easy for the Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson to agree with the Official Opposition, and to find that the Minister will also be saying very similar things. On most issues, we find ourselves saying …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, the Urgent Question asked in the other place came from the chair of the Defence Committee. It came because there was speculation in the press that the SDR would propose not just renewing the continuous at-sea deterrent, which from these Benches we also support, but a move to …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, I start where the noble Earl, Lord Minto, finished by suggesting that it would be extremely welcome for your Lordships’ House to have a full debate on the strategic defence review. It is a full, thorough and detailed review that merits detailed reading. The noble Lord, Lord Robertson, …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, from these Benches, I extend our gratitude to the Minister and his team for the courtesy and time they have extended to discuss some of the issues that we raised at various stages of the Bill. In particular, it is appropriate at this time to welcome the role …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, it is an honour and a privilege to be one of the winders in this debate, a debate that is of huge significance as a reminder of what has happened in the last 80 years, what happened in the years before World War II, and the issues that …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, noble Lords will be very pleased to hear that I intend neither to speak for very long nor to divide the House on my amendment. However, I will press the Government for some clarity about a group of people whose interests are extremely important: those going through the …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, I will speak to my Amendment 12 and respond to the Government’s amendments.
One of the issues that we raised in Committee was precisely the need for a definition of “family member” and, in particular, a concern that kinship care should be taken into consideration. Between Second Reading …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech