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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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Speaking on the occasion on Gurkha pageant at the Royal Hospital Chelsea – Lord Bilimoria led a short debate in the House of Lords to commemorate the service of the Nepalese warriors in the British Army, as well as calling for increased aid and support for veterans by the Ministry of Defence. The speech was well-received by their Lordships, and prompted a number of questions of support to the Defence Minister, the Earl Howe.

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Speaking in the House of Lords on Friday, Lord Bilimoria spoke cautiously in favour of the proposed use of military force against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (known various as ‘ISIS’, ‘ISIL’ and ‘IS’) upon the recent request of the Iraqi government and President Obama’s so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing.’

In his speech, Lord Bilimoria noted the slow pace at which the government proposed the military intervention, as well as critiquing the present state of the UK Armed Forces.

The debate ran co-currently with a debate in the House of Commons, which endorsed the principle of military intervention via airstrikes by 524 votes to 43.

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Speaking in a debate moved by the former Chief of the General Staff and current Crossbench Peer, General Lord Dannett, Lord Bilimoria spoke out against a number of cuts to the defence budget taken up by the coalition government since 2010. In his speech, Lord Bilimoria warned against the decision to reform the army more heavily towards reserve forces, citing the risks that this could have on the ability of the United Kingdom to project her forces overseas.

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