Arrangement of Business

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar Excerpts

Friday 16th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

I thank the noble Baroness for her very kind comments, which are much appreciated. We are a self-regulating House. We have a Companion; we do not have fixed rules, but we have conventions, and we all try to work around those. That enables the House to work in the unique way it does. In some ways it is not like the House of Commons. I know colleagues who come from the House of Commons say how strange they find it when they first arrive here, but it does work.

Although the Companion advises us to rise at around 3 pm on Fridays, I checked and since 2021 we have sat beyond 3 pm on PMBs 24 times. We have already sat beyond 3 pm on the two days of Second Reading for this Bill. Although it is advisory and it is the convention, it is not a hard and fast rule. We do not have those sorts of hard and fast rules.

On the points made by the noble Baroness, Lady Stowell of Beeston, because we are self-regulating, I do not think it sets a precedent. At the end of the day, this House can decide what it wants. As I said earlier, if noble Lords want to adjourn at 3 pm and carry a Motion on it, then we will adjourn at 3 pm. However, I accept that this is a very important Bill and there are strongly held views on both sides. People want to give it scrutiny and we have to have the flexibility to ensure that is what happens.

[Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con)]

My Lords, for the obvious reason, I want to place on record my personal thanks to the Government Chief Whip, because I know he takes these matters extremely seriously. He is placed in an invidious position because our procedures, it seems to me, are just not designed for large, controversial, notionally Private Members’ Bills of this nature. The Government Chief Whip, for whom I have the highest personal regard, is really caught in the middle in a very difficult position. I wanted to put my thanks on record.

I should tell the House the way we are going to deal with it today. My noble friend Lord Kamall is attending Friday prayers, so I am here. Then from 3 pm, when I will be observing Shabbat, he will be here. I hope that is an example of the ecumenical way these Benches deal with these matters.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

I thank the noble Lord for those very kind comments. Again, I say that, although this is difficult, I have only ever had courtesy and warm discussions from colleagues around the House with different views. It is challenging at the moment, but I love being the Government Chief Whip and the Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. It is an absolute honour and privilege. I want to work to serve the House to get this right; thank you very much.