Last Wednesday saw the Lords debate Budget 2016, George Osborne’s last before the upcoming EU referendum. Lord Bilimoria welcomed the business friendly measures that the Government introduced, such as the expansion of business rates relief and the sustained reduction in Corporation tax, but he lamented the impact of the Chancellor’s proposals on the UK’s increasingly complex taxation system and condemned the poorly thought out plans to cut Personal Independence Payments.
Lord Bilimoria spoke during the Second Reading of the Armed Forces Bill in the House of Lords yesterday. His speech focused on the implications of spurious lawsuits against the UK Armed Forces and stressed the need for the Government to ensure that soldiers were given the freedom to do their jobs effectively. After debate, the motion was agreed to and the bill was committed to a Grand Committee.
In his first parliamentary speech of 2016, Lord Bilimoria participated in a debate moved by Baroness Guildford relating to adult education and lifelong learning, and the need to develop the skills needed to strengthen the United Kingdom economy.
In his speech, Lord Bilimoria detailed the impact that his education has had on his career and raised concerns about funding cuts to adult education and lifelong learning. He urged the Government to invest in adult learning in order to improve skills and productivity and stated that the Government should play to win, rather than playing not to lose.
Yesterday, Lord Bilimoria responded to the UK Government’s Autumn Statement 2015 in a debate in the House of Lords. In his speech, Lord Bilimoria welcomed the Chancellor’s change of heart over planned cuts to tax credits. He also applauded the introduction of measures which improve the provision of funding to mature and part-time students, as well as those which provide further support to postgraduate students, while calling for the government to introduce measures to help increase the UK’s manufacturing output.
Earlier today, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the recently published Spending Defence and Security Review 2015 in the House of Lords. The review, which sets out the government’s approach to national security for the next 5 years, was warmly received by many in the chamber and Lord Bilimoria was keen the praise the government’s commitment of 2% of GDP on defence spending. He criticised the 2010 Review as negligent and celebrated the defence budget’s dedication towards scientific research.
Earlier this evening, Lord Bilimoria spoke in a debate in the House of Lords about whether the UK should engage in military operations in Syria. He noted the mistakes made in past operations and outlined the reasons for intervening in the region now, while stressing the limitations of relying on air power alone.
Lord Bilimoria spoke in the House of Lords yesterday about the government’s plans to update the Reserve Forces. He praised the Chancellor’s decision to commit to 2% of the UK’s GDP on defence spending, which ensures that Britain continues to meet NATO’s spending defence target, and agreed with measures that would strengthen and modernise the armed forces reserves. Lord Bilimoria noted several concerns, chiefly about the ability of the UK to project power in the short term and about the way in which reservists are being integrated into the armed forces, and he called on the government to ensure that the armed forces are suitably equipped to carry out the actions that may be required of them.
Yesterday, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the government’s planned proposals to increase productivity in the UK in a debate in the House of Lords. Titled: Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, the government’s productivity plan stressed the need for Britain to boost productivity and advocated a series of reforms designed to bolster long term investment and create a more dynamic economy. Speaking in the debate, Lord Bilimoria welcomed plans to make the UK more attractive to inward investment but lamented the lack of action that the government has taken on funding for research and development. He also quizzed the Minister, Lord O’Neill of Gatley, about the level of support that the government is providing to quickly growing businesses to scale up their operations.
Following the spectacular scenes in Delhi last Sunday, where the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, led the largest Yoga demonstration in a single venue in history, Lord Bilimoria today led the First Annual UN International Yoga Day Celebrations in the UK Parliament to demonstrate the benefits of the ancient practice.
A number of MPs and Peers took part in the event, including the former Defence Secretary, Lord King of Bridgwater, former Managing Director of Marks and Spencer, Lord Stone, former surgeon and professor, Lord McColl of Dulwich, Virendra Sharma MP, Chairman of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group, and Bob Blackman MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus.
The event saw Yoga teachers from around the country discuss the history of the discipline and deliver demonstrations on meditation and mindfulness, breathing exercises, and office yoga.
In an impassioned speech in the House of Lords, Lord Bilimoria raised serious concerns about the strength of the British armed forces going forward. Citing a study conducted by PwC, he also stressed the overwhelming public support for the armed forces and detailed the impact that continued cuts to the UK’s defence budget would have on Britain’s capability to project power abroad.