My Lords, it is a rare privilege for us to have the Foreign Secretary wind up a debate on foreign policy in this House. Such are the quirks of politics, I suppose. I shall concentrate on one topic, and that is economic sanctions. The sanctions regime has emerged as one of the most important tools … Continue reading Speech at the Foreign Affairs debate – Tuesday 5th March 2024
Category: House of Lords
Speech on the Spring Budget Statement 2023
My Lords, I join other noble Lords in paying tribute to the remarkable maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Moyo. It was very thoughtful and thought provoking, and I very much appreciated her reference to me—she will have a great future here. The Budget was crafted in the shadow of disruptive world events over … Continue reading Speech on the Spring Budget Statement 2023
Speech on “Ukraine: Tactical Nuclear Weapons”
My Lords, I am grateful, as we all are, to the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries, for initiating this debate and for drawing attention to the real danger of nuclear escalation. I am in profound disagreement with the Government’s policy on Ukraine—I have said it before in this House and I shall say … Continue reading Speech on “Ukraine: Tactical Nuclear Weapons”
Speech on the Autumn Statement 29 November 2022
My Lords, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement is designed to reassure the markets of the sustainability of the public finances. That is, the Chancellor accepts as binding the views of the City of London, whether they are right or wrong. It is what the markets think that matters, not how matters really are—a nice intrusion of … Continue reading Speech on the Autumn Statement 29 November 2022
House of Lords Speech on the Public Order Bill
My Lords, it is very cold in this House; I wonder what has happened to the heating. It certainly has a chilling effect on debate. I am not a lawyer like the noble Lord, Lord Sandhurst, nor a policeman like the noble Lord, Lord Paddick. I am driven to take part in the debate because … Continue reading House of Lords Speech on the Public Order Bill
Economy: The Growth Plan 2022
House of Lords Speech: 10 October 2022 My Lords, the twin problems to which the mini-Budget was addressed were near-zero growth and a relentless rise in prices. I doubt whether it will do very much for the first—certainly not in time to offset the second. In the short run, what we face is not a … Continue reading Economy: The Growth Plan 2022
Queen’s Speech on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
My Lords, I find myself in profound disagreement with the Government’s war strategy in Ukraine and, in fact, with almost everything that has been said about Ukraine in this debate. I will try to explain why. British policy aims for a Russian military defeat, which it will help to bring about by economic sanctions and … Continue reading Queen’s Speech on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Ukraine: Refugees – House of Lords Questions
Lord Skidelsky: My Lords, in addition to the help that the Government are giving to Ukrainians to come to this country, will they consider offering humanitarian visas to those brave Russians—members of the clergy, members of civil society, academics, journalists and ordinary citizens—who face long prison sentences for exercising their democratic right to oppose this … Continue reading Ukraine: Refugees – House of Lords Questions
For a public sector job guarantee
My Lords, I think I am the only macroeconomist contributing to this debate, which is perhaps rather odd as it is a debate on economic affairs. As instructive and important as the other contributions have been, I want to talk about economic policy, because unless the economy works a lot better than it has in … Continue reading For a public sector job guarantee
Brexit: Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration
My Lords, I do not want to add to the volume of speculation about what will happen tomorrow or a day or two after. The noble Lord, Lord Howell of Guildford, expressed clearly my position on what should happen: the withdrawal agreement, or an amended successor to it, should be made subject to a vote … Continue reading Brexit: Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration
Robert Skidelsky 