In this speech Lord Bilimoria discusses the UK Defence spending and the state of the combined UK armed forces. He notes the strain the Defence Forces are currently under and the issues that they are currently facing in areas such as funding, equipment and numbers of personnel.
The UK must not lose its position as a leading place to study
August 31st 2017
In this article for Eastern Eye Lord Bilimoria writes about UK universities and their importance to the UK as well as the impact of International Students and Higher Education on the overall economy and the need for investment.
To read the full article please follow the below link:
https://www.easterneye.eu/uk-must-not-lose-position-leading-place-study/
Britain doesn’t need to ‘take back control’ of immigration. We already have it
July 31st 2017
In an article for the Guardian’s Opinion section Lord Bilimoria writes about immigration and the powers that the UK Government already possesses and discusses the issue of exit checks and the ability to repatriate individuals through an EU directive.
To read the full article please follow the below link:
In this speech, Lord Bilimoria discusses the report from the European Union Committee on Trade in Goods during and after Brexit. He draws attention towards the need for exit checks at all UK borders, and also stresses the lack of clarity from the government on certain issues. Lord Bilimoria addresses the need for a secure, clear timetable on Brexit negotiations and reiterates the UK’s prowess as a great manufacturing and trading country. He further emphasizes the negative impact of excessive bureaucracy, before finally stressing that public opinion has very much strongly turned against the idea of a Hard Brexit. In conclusion, Lord Bilimoria states that ‘for the benefit of this country, its economy, its business and its citizens, it will make sense not to leave the European Union.’
In this speech Lord Bilimoria discusses the report by the European Union Committee on UK-EU movement of people. He stresses the need to reintroduce exit checks at UK borders and highlights the issue of international students being included on UK immigration statistics. He also discusses immigration from the EU to the UK and its effect on the country and its economy, especially how a lower level of immigration will affect both skilled and unskilled employment in areas ranging from farming to the NHS. He concludes by stating that according to a recent survey the UK public now favour a deal that resembles Norway’s relationship with the EU which involves the free movement of people. He states that the public opinion has moved against a hard Brexit and that there will be no Brexit. The question posed by Lord Green and Lord Bilimoria’s response is also included below.
In this speech to the House on the day after the State Opening of Parliament Lord Bilimoria discusses the position of the UK and its economy one year on from the European referendum. He notes that Europe is currently growing faster than the UK and argues that the Prime Minister has not listened. He highlights that International Students are still included on immigration figures and discusses the issues involved in organising trade deals outside of the European Union and the nature of being in such a situation. He criticises past governments over the issue of security and also stresses that public opinion towards Brexit is changing. He expresses his belief that this perhaps shows that Brexit will never happen and suggests that when presented with the realities of leaving the EU and life outside it many may decide that the country should remain a part of the Union instead.
In this contribution to the debate Lord Bilimoria first responds to criticism of the House of Lords by the Prime Minister by stressing its importance and its ability to gather such a high degree of expertise through its members. He praises Jo Johnson, the Minister of State for Universities and notes the national consensus that international students should not be included in the net migration figures. Furthermore he asks why the UK does not class international students as temporary migrants when other countries such as Canada and Germany do. He concludes by stressing that not removing international students from the net migration figures is harming the reputation of the UK, its universities and harming its economy.
In this speech to the House Lord Bilimoria notes the Steel Industry’s past and its modern connections. He notes the importance of steel in relation to the current UK economy as well as the future the industry and the wider manufacturing sector face with regard to Brexit and the negotiations with the EU. He stresses the importance of innovation and R&D to the future of manufacturing and the Steel Industry and notes the impact steel has throughout the UK economy and the need for UK steel to be able to competitive.
In this speech Lord Bilimoria discusses the UK’s exit from the European Union touching upon issues such as the rights of the three million citizens, their contribution to UK public services such as the NHS, the deadline of March 29th and the complexity of negotiations. He stresses that much of this issue is a human issue and concludes by arguing against the concept that no deal is better than a bad deal noting that the Government had not assessed what no deal means.
In this second contribution of the day Lord Bilimoria spoke in the debate over amendment 194. He stresses the importance of research to academics and to universities and concludes that anything that supports research is good for the future of research and universities.