"My Lords, I normally bow to the views of the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, on these matters—I am not entirely sure I understand the point he made about split infinitives—but I am not sure he is right on this occasion; nor was the noble Lord who last spoke. The IRGC, …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord. I very much look forward to hearing him develop those points in Committee.
Let me begin directly. Legislation of this kind is long overdue. As the Library briefing makes clear, the character of state threats has evolved over …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, now that we have recognised the Palestinian Authority, what discussions have the Government had with it, following worries expressed by the United States and the EU about the continued practice of paying a stipend to people convicted of killing Jews: “pay for slay” money? We have been promised …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister said that there was no place for antisemitism online. However, I am afraid that antisemitism is alive and kicking online with, as the noble Baroness, Lady Berger, said, conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial and extreme Jew hatred. This is having a rotting effect on British society and …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, extremism in democratic societies rarely presents itself fully formed. More often, it emerges through gradual shifts—in what is tolerated, expected, and left unchallenged. These shifts are now visible: declining trust in institutions, tolerance of political violence, and the spread of conspiracy narratives. The question is not how we …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, the Prime Minister used his considerable communication skills to make it clear that he wanted to appoint Lord Mandelson to the post of ambassador. Why did he not use the same skills to make clear to officials that this would be only on the condition that Lord Mandelson …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, many noble Lords had the opportunity in the last few weeks to hear directly from students. This report confirms all the things that they said. Does the Minister regard it as significant that the report found that both the college authorities and the police were slow and reluctant …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, I also have people in Dubai who cannot get out, but I want to concentrate purely on the effects on domestic policy. One thing that is certain about what has happened is that it has made our streets that little bit less safe for Jews. We have seen …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister referred to the powers. They come out of Section 87 of the Local Government Act 2000. In its present form, those powers have existed for more than 25 years. Custom and practice and advice have been consistent throughout, so what was this new legal advice to …..." Lord Pickles - View Speech