House of Lords Podcast

Should Mars be our plan(et) B? Should we continue with manned spaceflight? Hear from the Astronomer Royal, Lord Rees of Ludlow, in the latest episode of Lord Speaker’s Corner. ‘Now that robots can do the things that humans were needed for 50 years ago, the case for sending people is getting weaker all the time.’ In this episode, Martin Rees - astrophysicist, former President of the Royal Society, and now Lord Rees of Ludlow and Astronomer Royal – explains to Lord McFall of Alcluith that he thinks governments should no longer pay for manned spaceflight. He explains ‘robots can do all the practical things,’ meaning that ‘only people who really have a high appetite for risk should be going into space, and they should be privately funded, not by the rest of us.’ Looking beyond Earth, Lord Rees also advocates for the need to focus effort on tackling climate change rather than looking to move to Mars. He suggests that ‘dealing with climate change on earth is a doddle compared to making Mars habitable.’ ‘There's a risk that we will leave for our descendants a depleted world with mass extinction… I think it's an ethical imperative that we should change our policies so that, just as we benefit from the heritage of centuries past, we leave a positive heritage for the future.’ From AI to bioethics, climate change to the disparities between the global north and south, Lord Rees shares his perspectives on some of the current challenges that we face. He also gives advice to ageing billionaires, saying ‘these billionaires when they were young, they want to be rich, now they're rich, they want to be young again, and that's not quite so easy to arrange.’ See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Mandelson - former Cabinet minister, leading figure in New Labour and now Lord Mandelson - speaks to Lord McFall of Alcluith about his life in politics. ‘Born into the Labour Party’, Lord Mandelson began a career of campaigning at school, where he was reprimanded by his grammar school headteacher for advocating for comprehensive education. ‘It was very difficult in the 1980s. It made me, of course wonder whether I could ever be a Member of Parliament… And that's when I discovered the innate decency of human beings.’ In this often personal interview, Lord Mandelson reflects on the difficulties he faced when he first stood for selection in Hartlepool in 1989 having been outed as a gay man by the News of the World in 1987. He also explains how the people of Hartlepool rallied behind him in the selection process to become their Labour candidate following an attack by his opponent. Lord Mandelson shares that he ‘loved being a minister’ and how his experience in television helped him prepare for the task of getting the public onboard with difficult decisions. He also talks about his experience of being in government, from his roles as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Business Secretary and the need for ‘big goals, big missions, clear policies consistently pursued over a long period.’ ‘Now, this is a constantly flowing river of poison, of polarisation, of people being mean to and about everyone else. And my advice to politicians now is get off it. I'm not on Twitter.’ Lord Mandelson also reflects on the changing political landscape with the rise of AI and social media culture today, warning colleagues to ‘Get off it, go out on the doorstep, talk to the public.’ ‘A lot of clear, honest debate goes by the board, because people are so busy taking chunks out of each other. That's fine. That's the adversarial bit of politics. Our end of the parliamentary system is different. It's about scrutiny, it's about debate, it's about revising, it's about advising.’ Finally, Lord Mandelson offers his perspective on the differences between the two Houses of Parliament, plans for reform and what might be next for him, telling the Lord Speaker ‘I'm looking forward to creating a third career.’ See more from the series Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former top diplomat Lord Ricketts speaks to Lord McFall of Alcluith about the conflicts in Israel/Gaza and Ukraine, the impact of Brexit and more in this episode of Lord Speaker’s Corner. Peter Ricketts, an expert in international relations and now a crossbench member of the House of Lords, has previously served as the UK’s ambassador to France and representative to Nato. He has been chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, was the UK’s first national security adviser and the most senior civil servant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he was a diplomat for 40 years. ‘I think the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan are rather that you have to think about the longer term consequences. What is the political settlement you want to get to by your military intervention? And it's proved elusive in both Iraq and Afghanistan.’ In this new interview, Lord Ricketts shares his expertise on a wide range of developments around the world. He explains how the change in international approach by countries such as the UK and USA have resulted in a more aggressive stance by Russia, Iran and China on the world stage. He also reflects on the likely outcomes of the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. ‘You begin to lose the challenge that the civil service ought to represent.’ Lord Ricketts also offers his thoughts on politicisation of the civil service, what inspired him to work in the Foreign Office and the impact of frequent turnover of ministers in government departments. See more from the series Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lord Lamont talks tackling inflation, controlling interest rates and growing up in Shetland in the latest episode of Lord Speaker’s Corner. ‘Although I personally would not have joined the ERM and although I personally didn't think it was a disaster when we had to leave, I think the period we were in the ERM for two years did actually do the economy a huge amount of good.’ Norman Lamont, now Lord Lamont of Lerwick, was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the early 90s, and was responsible for trying to restore stability after the UK dramatically crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) on ‘Black Wednesday’. In this episode, he shares with Lord McFall of Alcluith what was going on behind the scenes and explains that despite it being ‘a political disaster… a great humiliation’, it set up the following 15 years of growth. ‘I did actually go and see both Gordon Brown and Tony Blair when they were in opposition. And I told them that it wasn't my business to do anything to help the Labour Party, but I think it would be in the interest, thought it would be in the interest of the country, if they made the Bank of England independent.’ Lord Lamont also explains how he suggested to Gordon Brown and Tony Blair to make the Bank of England independent, having not managed to convince John Major to do the same when he was Prime Minister. He also explains how we have got to where we are with interest rates today, by introducing a policy to use interest rate setting to target a set percentage for inflation. Born in Shetland, Lord Lamont also explains how growing up there influenced his perspectives on the UK and Europe, and talks about his hopes for the UK's relationship with the EU post-Brexit. Find out more and watch episodes of Lord Speaker's Corner: https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear from Lord Forsyth as he warns of a 'presidential' style of government that he believes has weakened Parliament’s role in scrutinising and improving laws. 'The House of Commons is failing in its function. It’s just abandoned its function of considering legislation properly.' In this new episode of Lord Speaker's Corner, Lord Forsyth tells Lord McFall of Alcluith that he wants to see 'root and branch' reform to cut the use of time-limits on debates and prevent overuse of secondary legislation. He explains that the task of scrutiny now falls largely to the House of Lords, where members can examine proposed bills with greater rigour because there is no guillotine on debate and every proposed change is debated. Michael Forysth, now Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, was first elected as an MP in 1983. He went on to serve as a minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, becoming Secretary of State for Scotland in 1995. He was the local MP at the time of the Dunblane Primary School shooting. Speaking about the tragedy, he explains 'It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. It was a huge shock. I still get flashbacks of that scene in the gym.' In the House of Lords, Lord Forsyth has chaired the Economic Affairs Committee and served on committees investigating the Barnett Formula, House of Lords reform, soft power and the National Security Strategy. He shares why he thinks Lords committee reports are so important and the dangers of government not giving their recommendations due attention. Find out more about the Lord Speaker's Corner series and see other episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'I think I've learned from all of the campaigns, a simple message gets through, complex messages don't.' Baroness Finlay of Llandaff is a leading doctor, a professor and pioneer in the field of palliative care. 'Always wanting to change the world', Baroness Finlay has often been ahead of the curve in campaigning for change on topics such as smoking, organ donation and protecting young people. Hear about her work in medicine and in the Lords in this episode of Lord Speaker's Corner. 'The internet is a great tool for us who feel fit and well to find things. But the trouble is when people are in despair, it can really suck them down a route of despair... And, of course, when life is gone, it's gone... So I was very keen to work with these parents who want desperately to improve things for others.' In this episode, Baroness Finlay talks about campaigning for change, including on banning smoking in public places, the 'opt-out' organ donation scheme and most recently on combatting online suicide promotion via the Online Safety Act. 'Wales means a great deal to me. It has provided me with a fantastic platform. I don't believe I could have done what I have done, particularly in palliative care, if I hadn't had such fantastically supportive colleagues in Wales.' Baroness Finlay also talks about why she applied to join the House of Lords, her thoughts on assisted dying, what she learned during her time as a GP in Maryhill in Glasgow, and the importance of her work in Wales now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lord McFall of Alcluith speaks to former Home Secretary David Blunkett - Lord Blunkett - about his 36-year career in Parliament in the latest episode of Lord Speaker's Corner. 'We anticipated there might be a second attack, particularly on the City of London.' In this episode, Lord Blunkett discusses a range of topics including the government's immediate response to the tragic events of 9/11, clashing with the Lords over measures introduced post the attacks and how his opinion of the second chamber has subsequently changed. 'There were times, particularly when I was at the Home Office, when the House of Lords asked us to think again and we actually did. And the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act, which was the aftermath of 11 September, was a much better piece of legislation - much more balanced, much more effective - than it would've been had we not listened to the House of Lords with the expertise that existed there.' Lord Blunkett is one of two members of the Lords who use guide dogs, and he explains how important they have been to him. He also talks about his time in Parliament, his work as Education Secretary and what he thinks is the reason he has got to where he is today - 'sheer pigheadedness', having rejected advice to aim for work in 'piano tuning or telephony or secretarial.' Finally, Lord Blunkett shares a message for young people today, taking inspiration from both his career and his recent work on education reform: ‘Believe that in even the smallest way, you can make the world a better place. And if it's a better place for you, it's a better place for others around you. So don't take no for an answer, participate when you can... Get a life, get a future, but please stay engaged because if you don't engage with decision-making, if you don't vote, somebody else is voting for you.’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear from broadcaster and campaigner, Floella Benjamin, in the latest episode of Lord Speaker's Corner. In this episode, Baroness Benjamin explains that it was while presenting TV’s Play School in the 1970s and 1980s that she first realised that 'children didn't have a voice… People didn't take what's going to happen to children into consideration enough.' She has gone on to play a significant role advocating for children's rights. In this extensive interview, Baroness Benjamin also shares how she overcame discrimination in many forms, from name-calling in the playground to being told there were certain roles non-white actors could not portray on screen. She later discusses the importance of the official commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush Generation. Baroness Benjamin also reflects on being recognised by Queen Elizabeth II in her final honours list and being asked to carry the Sceptre with Dove in the coronation of King Charles III earlier this year. Find out more about the Lord Speaker's Corner series and see other episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear from former Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine, as he speaks to the Lord Speaker about an extensive political career spanning almost 60 years in Westminster. 'Liverpool changed me. There's no doubt in my mind.' Talking about his career in Parliament, Lord Heseltine said he hoped his involvement in the regeneration of Merseyside after the 1981 riots would stand as his political legacy. He told Lord McFall that one of the most moving moments of his life came when he was offered the freedom of the City of Liverpool. In this wide-ranging interview, Lord Heseltine also discusses further devolution in England, the UK's relationship with Europe and calls for a 'Marshall Plan for the developing world' in order to tackle migration. Find out more about the Lord Speaker's Corner series and see other episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Baroness Butler-Sloss, the highest-ranking female judge in England and Wales as President of the High Court’s Family Division from 1999-2005, speaks to Lord McFall of Alcluith about her career and warns of moving away from parliamentary scrutiny in draft laws before the House. Baroness Butler-Sloss also speaks about her long legal career, her success in breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’ holding back women lawyers, her report on the Cleveland child abuse scandal and representation of different faith groups in the Lords. Find out more about the series, including a video version of the episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch leading human rights lawyer, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, discuss human rights, social media and access to justice with Lord McFall of Alcluith in the latest episode of Lord Speaker's Corner. In this new episode, campaigning barrister Helena Kennedy KC talks about her early career, plus work on international cases of human rights abuses, such as the mistreatment of Uighurs, Russia’s kidnap of Ukrainian children and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. She also explains her work in the House of Lords to contribute to and improve the law. Find out more about the series, including a longer podcast version of the interview https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2023/february-2023/lord-speakers-corner/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we speak to chairs of two new Lords committees looking into the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems and the future of the horticultural sector. Plus, Lord Bird discusses his upbringing and how he campaigns in the House of Lords for a new way to deal with the problem of poverty. ‘There are things that we wish we'd never invented like nuclear weapons, like landmines, but they've been invented... autonomous weapons systems are potentially threatening, but also a big challenge in terms of international agreement and regulation.’ First up, we speak to Lord Lisvane, Chair of the AI in Weapons Systems Committee, about the effect of digital technologies on defence and the ethics of using automated weapons systems. 'It’s hundreds of thousands of jobs, it’s billions in turnover. It’s a really important sector but the problem of course as a sector is because it's so wide, there's no one overarching body that says this is important.’ Then we speak to Lord Redesdale, Chair of the Horticultural Sector Committee, about the future of food production and the impact of climate change on the industry. ‘I came into the House of Lords to dismantle poverty.’ We also hear from crossbench member, Lord Bird, about his work to tackle homelessness and bring about social change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From making movies for Stephen Spielberg to ground-breaking protections for young people online, Beeban Kidron - Baroness Kidron - talks to Lord McFall of Alcluith about her wide-ranging work as a filmmaker and campaigner. In this new interview, Baroness Kidron reveals what inspired her to become a filmmaker and her experiences making television and films including Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit and To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar. 'When the data bill came into the Lords, I put forward an amendment that created a data protection regime for children… And when it came into force, we saw the biggest changes in social media that we've seen in two decades, since it's been a thing in our lives… We are currently working in seven different countries and I believe that by the end of the legislative season, there will be five more states who have passed age-appropriate design codes in their own system. And that is one code introduced in the UK, in the House of Lords.’ Baroness Kidron also discusses the Online Safety Bill and what she thinks should come next for protecting young people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicky Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Cotes, has been a member of the government in both Houses of Parliament as well as serving as a backbencher, has chaired the Lords Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee and most recently led the external UK Commission on Covid Commemoration. In this wide-ranging interview, Baroness Morgan explains what inspired her to get into politics, who asks the hardest questions to ministers, and explains her current focus, including on convincing government to make changes to legislation. 'I put an amendment down through the Domestic Violence Bill, which was about intimate image abuse. And that was passed with the support of, we work with ministers and the support of the House, that was important. Now I'm working on the Online Safety Bill to put down various amendments including one in relation to violence against women and girls. We want the regulator Ofcom to have a specific code of practice on that. And I'm also working with fellow peers from the fraud inquiry that I chaired last year on an amendment to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, which we're also debating at the moment.' Find out more and see videos from the Lord Speaker's Corner series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should the curriculum for 11-16 year olds be reformed and should GCSEs remain? How can health services and community care be work better together? Hear from members on these topics and more in the latest episode of the House of Lords Podcast. First up we speak to the Senior Deputy Speaker, Lord Gardiner of Kimble, about how committees function in the House of Lords and his experiences as both a minister and in his current role. Next we speak to Baroness Pitkeathley, Chair of the new Lords committee investigating the integration of primary and community care. She explains what the challenge is, why the committee is looking into it now and what they hope to find out. Then we speak to Lord Baker of Dorking. Lord Baker introduced the National Curriculum in 1989 when he was Secretary of State for Education. More recently he helped proposed a new Lords committee to look into the curriculum now and how it should be changed for 11-16 year olds. Find out more about the Education for 11–16 Year Olds Committee Find out more about the Integration of Primary and Community Care Committee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘In the House of Commons there's a culture of assertion. Government knows it'll normally get its way. In the House of Lords, it's a culture of justification. So government's got to persuade the rest of the House that what it wants to achieve it is desirable. So ministers have to engage. They can't simply rely on their own side to get a measure through.’ In this third episode of Lord Speaker's Corner, Lord McFall of Alcluith speaks to constitutional expert and Professor of Government at the University of Hull, Lord Norton of Louth. They discuss the importance of good lawmaking, why everyone should care about secondary legislation and the complementary roles of the House of Lords and House of Commons. Find out more about the series, including a transcript of the interview https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2023/february-2023/lord-speakers-corner/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘One of the problems I had growing up as a young person in Northern Ireland when things were breaking down into violence again was... I was very troubled by the violence. I thought we must find some kind of way of living together. But the other thing was, I wanted to understand why.’ Welcome to the second episode of our Lord Speaker's Corner series. In this episode, the Lord Speaker is joined by psychiatrist, former speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly and leader of the Alliance Party, Lord Alderdice as he discusses his involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process and his current work on international conflict and peace building. Find out more about the series or watch a video of the interview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing a special series from the House of Lords: Lord Speaker's Corner. Over five episodes, Lord McFall of Alcluith will speak to members of the Lords about what drives them and what they hope to achieve in the House. In this first episode, the Lord Speaker sits down with Lord Dubs: ‘I think it's possible in the House of Lords to achieve things. And there's no point in being here unless one sets out to do that.’ Speaking shortly after Lord Dubs’ 90th birthday, the Lord Speaker discusses Lord Dubs’ experience in the Kindertransport as a child refugee and what continues to drive his work. They also discuss their shared experiences in Northern Ireland, and convincing the government to change legislation. Find out more about the series including videos of the interviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we speak to two members who have been leading investigations into improving adult social care and how the government has incompletely implemented the Children and Families Act. ‘A gloriously ordinary life’ ‘We cannot keep asking families and friends to step up and take more and more responsibility for the adult social care services, while denying them some basic rights in terms of fair benefits and fair access to work.’ First, we speak to Baroness Andrews, who has been chairing the Lords Adult Social Care Committee. The committee's recent report, titled 'a gloriously normal life' has just been published. It makes several recommendations on what the government needs to do to improve social care. Listen to Baroness Andrew's interview to find out what the committee found as it spoke to people with lived experience of caring or care, and what the committee now wants the government to do. ‘What we heard from carers was the privilege of caring and how much they got out of it, how much they'd learned, for example, from growing up alongside a disabled child or how much they had learned from seeing their parent become a slightly different person from the one that they had been brought up with. It was a positive experience in terms of love and duty for so many, but most had never had a choice, and what we looked at as a consequence of that is what is going to happen in the future when there will be two million people in the next decade aging without children.’ · Find out more from the Adult Social Care Committee ‘A failure of implementation’ ‘Sadly, we found that, due mainly to a lack of real focus on implementation and monitoring the implementation of the Act, it's really been a missed opportunity. And so many of the reforms as envisaged, just haven't taken place or haven't had the desired impact.’ Then we speak to Baroness Tyler of Enfield. Baroness Tyler has chaired the Lords committee investigating the government's implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014. In this interview, Baroness Tyler explains how a lack of scrutiny has meant the Act has failed to achieve its desired purpose and what the government can do to fix it. ‘We feel it's been a real missed opportunity to improve help, support and protection, particularly for vulnerable children and their parents.’ · Find out more from the Children and Families Act Committee Committee Corridor Interested in hearing more about Parliament’s committees? Listen to the House of Commons Committee Corridor podcast. Visit parliament.uk or search wherever you get your podcasts. More episodes Hear more from the House of Lords, including how Hansard works, why members put forward their own draft laws, women in Parliament and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you know what a member said in the House of Lords, or Commons? And did you know that you could once be arrested for reporting what was happening in Parliament? In this month’s episode of the House of Lords Podcast, we meet the team behind the Official Report, known as Hansard, who ensure written proceedings are made available and accessible to the public each sitting day. We hear about everything from the history of Hansard, why you might hear ‘can I have some ears please?’ in their office, the unusual name of where the reporters sit in the chamber and what they do if a member bursts into song. Find out more about House of Lords Hansard Read 'The History of Hansard' by John Vice and Stephen Farrell (PDF) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.