AIDS

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We absolutely can commit to continuing to fund those organisations. I cannot give numbers at the moment—we are working through the specific allocations at the moment—but the noble Baroness makes a really strong case, which I hear. The fact that we are backing the Global Fund to the extent that we are shows the Government’s intentions on this issue.

[Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)]

My Lords, as a junior Minister back in the 1980s, responsible for health in Scotland, I was acutely aware of the wonderful work of the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, in leading the campaign. In those days, it was an absolute death sentence. One reason we need to think very carefully about the support provided now is that it is about not just drugs but education and tackling prejudice, particularly in those countries that are most vulnerable and most affected. So I join with him in urging the noble Baroness to continue that work in supporting those who are spreading education against prejudice and encouraging people to be made aware of the treatments that are possible for this dreadful disease, which still kills so many people in our world.

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

That was a point very well made and I thank the noble Lord for making it. I am told by my good friends at Terrence Higgins that the rollback of rights and the absence of education is as big a problem to them as many other issues that we face. Our network around the world works hard on this as well. On rights, I have never seen such pride in an ambassador’s face as when they tell me that they have conducted a same-sex wedding in their ambassador’s house in the capital city of a country where this is not permitted more generally. They are very proud of that. Things such as that speak to the UK’s unwavering support for this agenda, which I do not think will ever diminish.