In this debate Lord Bilimoria discusses Parliament, Parliamentary supremacy and executive power and the nature of the unwritten UK constitution in light of the High Court decision around the triggering of Article 50. He stresses the value of Parliament and the expertise present in the House of Lords.
In this speech Lord Bilimoria discusses the importance of Higher Education to the UK economy and the vital role that foreign born students play. He states that the Government’s refusal to remove international students from the net migration figures is based on a mistaken belief that the British people want to reduce all immigration. This makes employment within the UK for foreign students after graduation more difficult in comparison to the United States or Canada. He concludes that the Government need to change their attitude towards international students as it is harmful and undermining. With a change of attitude the UK can remain an educational superpower.
Speaking in the House of Lords debate on currency fluctuations and the effect that this will have on the consumer in price hikes. Lord Bilimoria notes that the value of the pound has dropped against other currencies since June 2016. He further notes the effect that this is having on British firms who import from outside the UK and discusses the commentary on this by various sources. He also notes that there is a lack of confidence in the UK economy following the referendum vote and argues for encouraging a global economy and giving confidence in UK institutions and infrastructure to those outside of the country.
The second of Lord Bilimoria’s parliamentary debates drew attention to the lack of creative subjects being taught at A Level. The debate focused primarily on the recently dropped History of Art A Level, a decision which Lord Bilimoria roundly condemned. In his speech Lord Bilimoria highlighted the benefits that the subject has, not just for the pupils studying it, but also for the UK economy, and challenged the Government to ensure that there is a suitable provision of creative subjects for A Level pupils to study.
The first of the two debates that Lord Bilimoria participated in Parliament yesterday discussed the impact that leaving the European Union would have on the UK’s universities and scientific research. In his speech Lord Bilimoria noted the successes that collaborative European research has produced and detailed the effect that Brexit would have on EU funding of scientific research, both directly and indirectly, while calling on Britain to remain outward looking.
Speaking in a House of Lords debate on the implications of the EU Referendum result on NHS staff, Lord Bilimoria warned against implementing policies which would see trained medical professionals leaving the NHS at a time when the institution is facing a staffing shortage. He reiterated the words of Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, that EU nationals are vital to the success of the NHS, and called on the government to ensure that EU nationals working in the NHS are able to stay in the UK post Brexit.
In the first debate in the House of Lords since the outcome of the EU Referendum, Lord Bilimoria lamented the spirit in which the Referendum was held. He noted the inaccuracies in the statistics used during the campaign and suggested that the Electoral Commission should be granted new powers to police against misleading campaign material. Lord Bilimoria then outlined the implications of the Referendum, including on the economy and in the Higher Education sector, and stressed the need for caution on triggering Article 50 until the UK had entered into negotiations with the EU to determine what Brexit would entail.
In the last debate on the EU referendum in the House of Lords before the historic vote, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the implications of the UK leaving the EU. In his speech, Lord Bilimoria reaffirmed his status as a Eurosceptic who reluctantly supports the UK’s continued membership of the EU. He noted the issues that continue to haunt the European Union, but stressed the many benefits that Britain gains remaining a member, while dispatching a number of myths that those campaigning to leave the EU have propagated over the course of the referendum campaign.
In his final debate of the 2015-16 parliamentary session, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the issues faced by ethnic minorities in the workplace and sought to identity ways in which to boost the employment prospects of minorities in the UK. He celebrated the strides that the UK has made on this issue, but noted that more action is needed, especially on increasing BAME participation in leadership roles and at the top positions in business and politics.
Last week, Lord Bilimoria took part in a debate about the steps that the Government has taken to boost the UK’s economy. Shortly following the release of the 2016 Budget, the debate gave Peers a chance to scrutinise the Chancellor’s policies and contribute their thoughts about the action needed to improve the country’s economic growth. Lord Bilimoria praised the strides that the Government has made in boosting entrepreneurship, but highlighted topics that the Government needs to improve on, notably productivity and higher education, while stressing the impact that the EU referendum may have on the UK’s economy.