Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 20 Jul 2026 British Steel
"My Lords, I welcome the Government’s decision to nationalise British Steel, but I seek some clarification from the Minister on potential compensation to be paid to British Steel’s owners. Can he assure the House that the following factors will be taken into account: first, British Steel was insolvent, so the …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce legislation or issue guidance to specify a maximum temperature for all indoor workplaces...." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply, but let me outline the urgency. There were 1,311 heat-related deaths in 2024, 1,504 in 2025 and 2,700 in the last two months alone. Research shows that high workplace temperature damages health and is a safety hazard. Countries such as Spain …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, I will confine my comments to Clause 1, which will increase the rate of the electricity generator levy from 45% to 55%. I fully support this increase and wish it had been higher.
Despite various initiatives mentioned by the Minister, Ofgem’s marginal pricing system remains fundamentally flawed. It …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, Wessex Water, Thames Water, Southern Water, Anglian Water and Yorkshire Water have terrible records of dumping untreated sewage into chalk streams. None has had its licence to operate revoked. Can the Minister explain how many criminal convictions these companies need before the Government will listen to the people …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"As the Minister just said, the student debt in England is £296 billion and is expected to hit £500 billion by the late 2040s. Interest is added until debt is repaid or written off. What assessment have the Government made of the impact of student loan repayments on the ability …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, one of the problems with the commissioner’s report on Covid fraud is that it pays little attention to the role of consultants in devising various schemes. For example, the furlough support scheme did not ask companies to provide the national insurance numbers of employees; it was, therefore, open …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, my concern is about the relevance of the G7. It was held together by the economic might of various countries, but now India and China are challenging, and they are not part of the G7. It was held together by the advancement of the rules-based international order, which …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lady Lister for securing this valuable debate. I welcome the Government’s child poverty strategy, breakfast clubs, free school meals for all children in households on universal credit and the abolition of the two-child benefit cap. However, such help is not permanent. We all …..." Lord Sikka - View Speech
“we consider the regulated capital value of the water sector to be the closest proximity for the total value of the sector’s debt and equity; it is currently £107 billion”.—[Official Report, 9/6/26; col. 1241.]