House of Lords Podcast

Former leader of the Labour party Neil Kinnock, Lord Kinnock, is the latest guest on Lord Speaker’s Corner.‘I guess that's what gave me my politics basically. The idea that many people working together could produce and provide at the level of quality that would've been absolutely impossible for the individual or the family.’ Lord Kinnock speaks about growing up in south Wales and what drew him to politics, his early years as an MP and the Labour party of the late 80s and early 90s. He also speaks about his regrets from his time as leader, plus how politics and public discourse has changed today: ‘I don't want deference. Deference is not part of my makeup and I don't want anybody else to show it. But respect, accommodation, compassion, those instincts are fundamental to human beings, and they're too often being discarded or suppressed.’Lord Kinnock also explains that he wished he had challenged the President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Arthur Scargill, more forcefully about the need to ballot its members: 'I told Scargill at the beginning of April 1984 that without a ballot, the strike would not succeed. And I said it publicly, I just wish that I'd said it more publicly (even), and repeatedly over the subsequent months as a way of simply telling the truth to men and their families who were showing superhuman loyalty to the cause and whose loyalty was being abused by someone who had a very peculiar, very odd interpretation of what he thought of as his socialist mission, which was misplaced and misleading and assisted in tragedy. I've said before that Scargill and Thatcher deserved each other. Nobody else did.'The former Labour leader also gives a rare insight into private discussions between himself and Shadow Chancellor John Smith in preparation for the 1992 general election. Watch or listen to the full episode to find out more.See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

Former top diplomat Simon McDonald, Lord McDonald of Salford, is the latest guest on Lord Speaker’s Corner.Lord McDonald shares his views on a range of current international issues from President Trump and Greenland to the Chagos Islands and British soft power, plus changes to the global approach of the USA, China and Russia:‘For most of my career, the reasons why the institutions of the late 1940s were fraying were because Russia and then China were not particularly happy with that post Second World War settlement. The surprise in recent years is the United States being a revisionist power, not liking the bill paid by the United States to underpin that settlement.’Lord McDonald was previously Head of the Diplomatic Service, the most senior civil servant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has served as Ambassador to Israel and to Germany. In this episode, he speaks to Lord McFall about what drew him to public service both in the Foreign Office and the House of Lords:‘I think British public service is part of what defines our country and helps us through crisis. And I think it is a fact that in this House there are a group of people who are here to help, to help other people, not to help themselves. They are here to bring their expertise to bear. They're here to listen to other people. They are here to gather evidence before they make up their minds. And I think those are solid attributes of public service.’Lord McDonald also talks about the role of the Civil Service and ministers, plus the challenges of planning for successive governments:‘One reason why our projects across the board are worse than, say, similar projects in Japan or China or even France, is our planning regime, that every single road, bridge, railway has to go through a very protracted planning legal procedure. Every government I've worked for identified our planning laws as an obstacle, and every government so far has failed really to grip it. I note that the new Labour government is gearing up to attempt. I hope they succeed. But I note that every previous effort has failed.’See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

From politics to comedy to campaigning against anti-social behaviour, broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika is the latest guest on Lord Speaker’s Corner.Baroness Hazarika grew up in Coatbridge, Scotland and is the first person of Indian Assamese heritage to join the House of Lords. She rose to become a senior adviser to Labour figures including Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband, playing a crucial role preparing them for PMQs:‘I think Prime Minister's Questions gets a very bad rap, because it does often become quite Punch and Judy, but I think it's a really important function of our democracy. There are not many democracies around the world where the principal politician in the land is called to the same spot week in, week out, and faces questions on any topic from any Member of Parliament across the country.’In this episode, Baroness Hazarika talks about her unlikely career path from politics to stand-up comedy and broadcasting, and back to politics. She also explains to Lord McFall how she will use her new political platform to campaign against anti-social behaviour and crime:‘I don't like calling this low-level crime, because I don't think it's low-level crime. But I think this stuff is not easy, but the more we talk about it and the more we press government ministers, that puts the pressure on them to keep on keeping this a priority.’Finally, Baroness Hazarika tells Lord McFall about receiving the phone call to offer her a place in the Lords, explaining ‘I really couldn't believe it, because if you're somebody like me from my background and you've loved politics your whole life, it's a real honour to be asked to join the House of Lords for the party that you have served and the party you love.’She shares that this wasn’t the first thought that went through her head though, saying ‘The person said, “I'm calling on behalf of Keir Starmer. This is really serious. Are you by yourself? I think you better sit down.” And the first thing I thought was, "Oh my goodness, what have I been saying on my social media? Am I about to get cancelled, or am I about to get suspended from the Labour Party? Have I said something terrible?’ See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

From the Foreign Office to National Security Adviser to Cabinet Secretary, Mark Sedwill – Lord Sedwill – is the latest guest on Lord Speaker’s Corner.‘It comes down in the end to the quality of the individual and then they'll get the best out of the best civil servants.’In this episode, Lord Sedwill shares his perspectives on the relationship between ministers and officials, reforming the Civil Service and what his advice would be for the new Cabinet Secretary.‘There was a period which is now coming towards an end, a decade when the UK became quite introspective’A former diplomat, including Nato representative and UK Ambassador to Afghanistan, Lord Sedwill also shares his perspectives on the UK’s changing role internationally, plus its need to actively engage the BRIC countries.‘Diplomacy is not about talking to your friends. Diplomacy is about talking to your adversaries and seeing if you can find a way of dealing with the situation if possible without conflict.’Lord Sedwill also speaks about working in some of most intense regions for the Foreign Office including Egypt and Iraq, where once he was held at gunpoint by a young man as he was trying to gain access to one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces as a UN Weapons Inspector.  ‘This youngster, he was probably only 16 or 17. He wasn't scared of us, he was scared of getting it wrong and what would happen to him or his family. And I remember having to calm the situation down… I intervened and just used my Arabic and tried to calm the situation down. And that's probably the closest I ever came to being shot directly by someone where there was absolutely no protection.’ See more from the series at https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/

From education to government, Northern Ireland to Hong Kong, organising a Papal visit to leading a university, Chris Patten speaks about his life and work.‘You engage them, first of all, without the sort of mushy feeling that you can't do business with them unless you accept their political narrative… we should talk to the Chinese, but we should do so in a pretty clear-sighted way.’In a wide-ranging discussion, outgoing Chancellor of the University of Oxford and former Governor of Hong Kong Lord Patten of Barnes speaks to the Lord Speaker about China’s approach to the former British dependent territory. He also discusses his time dealing with China while a European Commissioner and his view on engagement with Beijing today. He reflects on his experience in government and in particular in Northern Ireland, sharing his perspective on the importance of ‘recognising that identity politics can't be allowed to destroy the ordinary civility of life.’ Following the end of his Chancellorship of the University of Oxford, he also shares what he has learnt during his time there, including the importance of a range of educational opportunities. He explains ‘a university which is doing apprenticeship courses alongside degrees… a higher education establishment that is helping people to become plumbers or electricians, is just as important as universities. They are all part of making us more successful and a more congenial society.’Finally, Lord Patten shares the importance of giving people the chance to make a difference, saying ‘whether we're Labour or Conservative, ultimately we want the government to work.’ Hear more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

‘I'd heard bombs before, so I knew it was a bomb.’Forty years ago this month, Robin Butler - Principle Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher - was in the room with the prime minister when the Brighton bomb exploded nearby in their hotel.‘This is our opportunity to show that terrorism can't defeat democracy’Now Lord Butler of Brockwell tells the Lord Speaker about his experience, from their initial reaction to the blast, to going back to retrieve the prime minister’s papers, and shares Margaret Thatcher’s response to his suggestion she postpone the start of the Conservative Party Conference the next morning.‘I devoted my life to assisting politicians with government.’Lord Butler worked closely with five prime ministers, from Edward Heath to Tony Blair. In this episode he shares his experience of working with each of them either as private secretary or cabinet secretary. He speaks about later work of prime ministers on Northern Ireland, negotiations with Europe, why he joined the civil service and the growing role of special advisers. He also shares his thoughts on reforming the Civil Service, arguing that ‘you’ve got to reform it constantly… But you've got to lead the Civil Service in my view, and not drive them’ Hear more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

‘This morning, even this morning, I was in my prayer saying to God, "What am I doing here?”’Justin Welby, the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, senior bishop in the Church of England and leader of the bishops in the House of Lords, speaks to Lord McFall of Alcluith.‘Growing up was pretty complicated to put it mildly.’In this expansive interview, he speaks to the Lord Speaker about his early life, what drew him to the church from the oil industry and the path to ultimately become Archbishop. He shares that he had an unlikely route to ordination, let alone becoming Archbishop, having been told ‘there is no place for you in the church.’ He also reflects on his time as bishop in Coventry, Durham and Liverpool, including his work on poverty, reconciliation and the Community of the Cross of Nails, and meeting the Pope. Lord McFall also asks about their joint work on the banking sector following the 2008 financial crisis, whether politics and religion can intersect, and what the Archbishop’s hopes are for the next generation.‘I think that in the public sense, you put on a role, you wear it… Privately, we're just the same as anyone else. We wonder about the right thing to do.’The Archbishop also discusses the experience of his sometimes very public role, occasionally acting as ‘vicar to the country’ and offers an insight into his part in both the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III. See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

Lord Speaker’s Corner returns for a new Parliament and Lord McFall of Alcluith’s first guest is former Director General of MI5 and Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Jonathan Evans, Lord Evans of Weardale.‘MI5 in those days was very secretive, had a very low public profile… it was only on day two of my initial training course that I realised I'd actually joined MI5.’In this episode, hear from Lord Evans about his experience at MI5, including his work in Northern Ireland and later tackling the threat from Al-Qaeda. You can also hear about his role as head of the Service at a time it was increasingly opening up while confronting new challenges. ‘We are faced with an increasing alignment between states that are hostile to our values and, in some cases, are actively war fighting in Europe… it's extremely important that we are as integrated in our response.’Lord Evans also explains how threats have changed since he joined MI5, the importance of the UK’s international relationships for security and the impact of countries such as China, Iran and Russia.‘I think the fact that we are operating in so many countries demonstrates that conflict is one of the big drivers of problems in the world, one of the biggest humanitarian challenges in the world.’Lord Evans is the Chair of the HALO Trust and shares his thoughts on the work the charity does and why it is important, explaining that ‘communities impacted by conflict can't rebuild’ without support.Lord Evans also reflects on his work in ethics as the former Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life under previous prime ministers: ‘There may be a short-term advantage in bending the rules, but there's a long-term advantage in being seen to be acting with integrity.’  See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/ 

Sovereignty, tackling terrorism and even Macbeth are on the agenda in the latest Lord Speaker’s Corner as David Anderson, Lord Anderson of Ipswich KC, speaks to Lord McFall of Alcluith.‘You were inventing effectively a new system… that had to be common to all the difference countries of Europe… It seemed to me much better to do it that way than to be fighting each other as we had been for hundreds of years.’King’s Counsel Lord Anderson is a leader in European and public law. He has been involved in multiple ground-breaking legal judgments and argued more than 180 cases at the European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights. In this episode, he talks to Lord McFall about Factortame, the landmark case on parliamentary sovereignty versus European law that saw English courts disapply an Act of Parliament. He also discusses the impact of this and other cases, reflecting ‘I did wonder in retrospect whether it might've been one of the reasons for Brexit.’Lord Anderson also explains his thinking on sovereignty and where power lies today:‘I think in having a political constitution where Parliament is in charge, we've done the right thing. Where I think the difficulty lies is in the relationship between the executive and Parliament... I think it was Gladstone who once said that our constitution more than any others presumes the good sense and the good faith of those who work it.’He also shares his perspective that we don’t need a written constitution but argues ‘if we had a constitutional code or a code of constitutional principles for use in legislation, then that would help actors in the constitutional drama. And I think it would also help inform the public.’Lord Anderson was previously the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. His work, including the influential report A Question of Trust, paved the way for greater transparency of the government’s powers and their use:‘It was dangerous because there was not sufficient trust of the people that are supposed to keep us safe. So what we ended up with was a bill which became an Act of Parliament, which greatly increased the transparency. That doesn't mean telling the bad guys everything you're doing. But it does mean being clear with Parliament and the public what the powers are and how in principle they could be used.’He also advised the government on the need for change following the Westminster and Manchester terror attacks, and argued for more cooperation including beyond the state. He explains ‘if you are going to be effective, for example in stopping people from buying bomb-making ingredients online, you're going to need collaboration from big private companies as well, online marketplaces or online sellers and so on.’ Lord Anderson also cautions about reacting to events, warning ‘if you are foolish enough to overreact to what they are doing or to what they are threatening to do, then you are giving them exactly what they want. Because you are marginalising whatever suspect community they are trying to draw their support from… it's hard to do it sometimes, but you've got to retain the rule of law.’See more from the series https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-of-lords-podcast/