"I shall pass on your Lordships’ best wishes to her. Last year, she was taken ill and the ambulance took her to a Liverpool hospital in the early afternoon, but, after some tests, no bed could be found for her. She spent the rest of the day and all of …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, for 25 years, political parties have had to declare their significant sources of income, but so-called think tanks that promote the causes of some political parties, and undertake research and produce reports helpful to them, do not have to declare any such funding. The right-wing think tanks based …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of transparency required for the funding of think tanks, including in relation to funding from abroad...." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, there has been all-party consensus on the postponement of elections in the past—for example, in World War II, for foot and mouth disease, and for Covid—but there was no such all-party agreement in this case, and no such extenuating circumstances can be justified. But, if there were, would …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, given the recent warnings to parliamentarians about Chinese intelligence officers seeking to cultivate relationships with them, and the evidence that we have of Chinese agents paying people who work for MPs, would it not be appropriate to rule out permission for the huge Chinese embassy, which may act …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, some weeks ago, the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, tabled a Written Question on this subject. With great respect to the Minister, her response was not a strong one: it merely suggested the possibility of considerations such as productivity costs being highlighted by the Joint Committee on …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare my interest as the conference chair of the National Association of Equipment Providers for the last five years. Before that, for 10 years I was director of communications for the British Healthcare Trades Association, representing manufacturers and suppliers of wheelchairs and assistive technology, upholding industry standards, …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare an interest as the conference chair of the National Association of Equipment Providers. As a teenager, I pushed my mother everywhere in a wheelchair; we had to buy it second hand through the Liverpool Echo. Wheelchair provisions have improved greatly since then, but how can …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech
"My Lords, the Representation of the People Acts sought to create a level playing field for constituency campaigning, but they no longer do so as a result of the legislation of 2000, which brought in national party limits. These limits were suddenly increased by 80% just before the last general …..." Lord Rennard - View Speech