The new session of Parliament Monday, 22 July, 2024 As is customary, the Lords allocated several days to its debate on the Gracious Speech delivered by the King on 17 July. Alistair Lexden made his contribution on 19 July when all speeches were limited to five minutes. He covered two subjects: Labour’s attack on independent schools which at the moment is his main preoccupation in politics, and the action needed to tackle late-diagnosed osteoporosis... Recent NewsSpeeches
Final thoughts about the Somme 4th July 2016 Alistair Lexden was asked to contribute a commemorative article to Parliament’s House Magazine. It was published on July 1. He used his final article about the... Articles
What Boris should have done 1st July 2016 On June 30 Boris Johnson made his sensational announcement that he would not be a candidate in the forthcoming Tory leadership election. In a letter in The... Articles
Is the presumption of innocence in danger? 1st July 2016 “Innocent until proved guilty”: this is one of the cornerstones of our legal system. In a speech in the Lords on June 30, Alistair Lexden suggested that this... Speeches
Devolution and Brexit 1st July 2016 The journalist and broadcaster, Andrew Marr, writing in The Spectator , suggested that devolved parliaments would have been established over a century ago if... Articles
The Tories and the Somme 1st July 2016 In a speech in the Lords on March 14 (see below), Alistair Lexden looked ahead to the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. On July 1, the anniversary of the... Articles
Electioneering in military uniform 24th June 2016 The Spectator magazine recently questioned the legality of seeking votes for any cause while wearing the Queen’s uniform. Letters followed, pointing out that... Articles
Churchill and Ireland 16th June 2016 Is there anything new to be said about Churchill after all that has been published about him? One very important aspect of his career has been largely neglected... Articles
The Royal Yacht - How the Queen was let down by her ministers 13th June 2016 On June 5, The Sunday Telegraph reported that Tony Blair had decided in 1997 that the Royal Yacht Britannia should be decommissed. He was far from blameless... Articles
First news of Waterloo 12th June 2016 Wellington’s official dispatch informing the government of his glorious victory at Waterloo on 18 June 1815 did not arrive in London until the evening of 21... Articles