Earl of Effingham
Main Page: Earl of Effingham (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Lab)
The noble Lord is an expert on election law. There are certain circumstances where that might be illegal, but I fear that he is correct on this one and will gladly take him up on that offer. For those reasons, I commend this Bill to the House.
The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have made valuable contributions to this Private Member’s Bill as it has made its way through your Lordships’ House. When in government, we did indeed support a similar version of the Bill as proposed by Emma Lewell from the other place, which sadly failed to pass before the general election. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition are therefore pleased to welcome the measures in the Bill as put forward by the noble Lord, Lord Watson. We thank him for his work on the Bill, in addition to his efforts to promote all sectors of the UK music industry as chair of UK Music.
At Second Reading, many noble Lords shared their extensive knowledge of the hospitality sector and the meaningful, positive impact that this legislation will have. Ensuring that pubs, bars and other licensed venues can adapt during national celebrations such as royal events, major sporting victories or cultural milestones is beneficial to both businesses and communities, allowing everyone to celebrate together and contributing in some part to economic growth. Replacing an affirmative resolution with a negative resolution statutory instrument provides a faster and simpler mechanism while at the same time retaining the option for consultation and maintaining the relevant safeguards. The net result should be that everyone benefits.
Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Lemos) (Lab)
My Lords, if your Lordships pass this Bill today, it will not go back to the Commons but go straight to His Majesty the King for Royal Assent. I thank my noble friend Lord Watson for bringing the Bill forward and congratulate him, as well as my honourable friends Andrew Ranger and Emma Lewell in the other place.
I wondered whether we should extend the licensing hours to celebrate the passing of this Bill, but I do not intend to test the opinion of the House on that question. The Chief Whip would have a heart attack, and I understand that he has plans for the weekend. It would also bring my late-blooming political career to an abrupt end. In an earlier debate on this Bill, the noble Lord, Lord Sandhurst, promised to drink more British beer if the Bill passes, so I think the drinks in the North Star are on the Opposition.
I do not want to trivialise the Bill. As well as the obvious economic benefits of this change, what we celebrate, when we celebrate, how we celebrate, where we celebrate and with whom we celebrate are all markers of our shared national identity. These are the occasions when, as a nation, we show the better angels of our nature. With that, and with my thanks again to my noble friend Lord Watson and all those who have supported this Bill, with the Government’s support, I commend the Bill to the House.