The Lords

The morning after the announcement that I had been nominated for a peerage I went to Westminster to see when I could start work. I was told I needed to be given a date to be introduced in the House of Lords before I could undertake the duties of a working peer. I asked for an early date.

Yesterday I finally secured a date, being offered February 10 th as the earliest possible. I look forward to then being able to act as a member of the upper house of the legislature.

In the meantime the Lords is engaged in some important issues. The Lords were right to seek a rethink from the government over the legislation to give Chagos and a large sum of money to Mauritius. This was not a Manifesto pledge or a central plank of the elected government’s programme. The government should learn from the objections of the Chagosians themselves who want the islands to stay British. They should see the danger to the joint US UK base of letting a friend of China control the freehold and the local waters . They should be alarmed about likely environmental damage to an important marine zone should Mauritius initiate fishing and other commercial exploitation.

The Lords also has an important task to improve or vote down a Commons private members Bill on assisted dying. Again this was not a Manifesto pledge and is not even a government bill, so the Lords can give it the detailed consideration it needs.