Nick Lester

Politics

Sue Gray urges caution over Civil Service cuts while hitting out at insults

Officials are central to the Labour administration’s mission to realise economic growth, the Labour peer said in her maiden speech.
27 Mar 2025
UK

Archbishop of York ‘healed’ Queen’s Bentley

The senior clergyman recounts how the monarch’s vehicle fired up after he performed ‘a large sign of the cross’, earning royal praise.
10 Sept 2022
UK

Queen helped Lord Blunkett ‘shift round’ when he faced wrong way at ceremony

The blind peer recounted how he went awry during his induction as a member of the Privy Council
9 Sept 2022
Politics

UK ‘not looking the other way’ over detention of campaigning Sikh blogger

Tory frontbencher Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said progress is being made in the case of Jagtar Singh Johal.
8 Sept 2022
UK

Heckling as Northern Ireland Protocol Bill introduced to House of Lords

Some peers shouted ‘not content’ for the Bill’s first reading.
21 Jul 2022
UK

SNP government illegally using taxpayers’ money in bid to break up UK – peer

A Tory frontbencher uses lines from the national poet Robert Burns to brand the SNP argument for independence as ‘thin gruel’.
20 Jul 2022
UK

Priti Patel ‘silent on scandal’ of adviser role for accused ex-police chief

Mike Veale has been living ‘the life of Riley on £100,000 a year’, Parliament has been told.
18 Jul 2022
UK

250th anniversary of US War of Independence ‘chance to lift haggis ban’

The traditional Scottish dish has been prohibited by the US since 1971 as it contains sheep lungs.
14 Jul 2022
UK

Talks offer in Troubles amnesty row amid calls to ditch legislation

The contentious Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill has already been through the Commons and now heads to the Lords.
14 Jul 2022
UK

Stormont should have dealt with Irish language legislation, says UK minister

There has been strong criticism by unionists at Westminster of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill.
6 Jul 2022
UK

Peer faced ‘litany of questions’ from 999 call handler as wife lay dying in arms

The renowned broadcaster and leading fertility expert Lord Winston says such a ‘waste of time’ is critical when seconds count
4 Jul 2022
UK

Granting abortion powers in Northern Ireland ‘constitutional sabotage’

It is ‘unacceptable’ there are women and girls unable to access services due to a political impasse at Stormont, Parliament is told
21 Jun 2022
UK

Offence trigger warnings for Hansard spark criticism amid free speech fears

Concerns are raised at Westminster over the alert feature, with accusations it is ‘a clear breach of centuries of convention’.
16 Jun 2022
UK

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham takes seat in House of Lords

The cleric becomes a member of the Lords Spiritual who have 26 places reserved in the unelected house.
13 Jun 2022
UK

Lord Frost hits out at ‘unconstructive’ EU over post-Brexit trade deal problems

The Tory peer argues it is obvious the Northern Ireland Protocol needs fixing as he backs moves to scrap parts of the deal
18 May 2022
UK

Call in Parliament to block one of Chelsea bidders amid concerns

Labour former cabinet minister Lord Hain urged the Government to bar the Pagliuca Consortium from the race to snap up the Blues.
31 Mar 2022
Politics

UK to expand Russia sanctions list as Economic Crime Bill fast-tracked

Royal assent was granted for the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act early on Tuesday

15 Mar 2022
UK

Reverse Universal Credit cut ‘in name of humanity’, urges Tory grandee

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean highlighted the increased revenue Chancellor Rishi Sunak would net from rapidly rising fuel prices
10 Mar 2022
UK

Government eyes action to prevent asset-flight in ‘dirty money’ crackdown

A Tory frontbencher acknowledges concerns that corrupt people must not be allowed to sell-up and escape scrutiny
10 Mar 2022
UK

Lord Tebbit bids farewell to Parliament after more than half a century

The Conservative former cabinet minister, who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government, sat as both an MP and later as a peer
9 Mar 2022
UK

Disabled peer condemns lack of help and says he ‘might as well have been dead’

Lord Shinkwin says the pain of his operation was compounded by his ‘appalling’ treatment in the House of Lords.
3 Mar 2022