House of Lords

Ulster Unionist Party peer Lord Dennis Rogan has queried 'preferential treatment' given to the Pat Finucane murder.

Ulster Unionist peer questions 'preferential treatment' over Finucane probe

Tom Elliott taking the oath of office in the Lords

Tom Elliott 'honoured' as he takes up seat in House of Lords

Former First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster at the 2023 Tory Party conference

Arlene Foster suggests MPs should be paid more

The first past the post electoral system has its disparities but has delivered strong, stable government more often than not, writes R G McDowell

Letter: Caution over changing the electoral system

Protesters outside the Houses of Parliament as MPs debated a previous Assisted Dying Bill in 2015. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Emotive subject of assisted dying back on agenda in House of Lords

Lord Rogan

UUP peer seeks addition resources for PSNI to protect border security

Tom Elliott will be known as Baron Elliott of Ballinamallard in the House of Lords. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Tom Elliott will be known as Baron Elliott of Ballinamallard in the Lords

UUP MLA Tom Elliott looks set to leave the Assembly after becoming a life peer.

Tom Elliott elevated to House of Lords

Glengormley based Nesbitt’s Quality Meats has been awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Butcher category of the prestigious Countryside Alliance Awards for Rural Enterprise at a distinguished ceremony held at the House of Lords in London. Pictured is Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, councillor Neil Kelly with Award recipients, Alastair, Philip and Sharon Bonar

Family-run Northern Ireland butchers triumphs at ‘Rural Oscars’ in London

Independent unionist Alex Easton is battling to win the North Down seat in next week’s election. Only Easton has the breadth of support to seriously challenge and unseat Stephen Farry, writes Lord Weir

Lord Weir: Only one unionist can beat Farry in North Down, and it’s Easton

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton Harris during their visit to Belfast yesterday on the General Election campaign trail. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Wilson: Tories have 'damaged NI irrevocably'

Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker

'Urgent action needed' as supply of veterinary medicines comes under threat

Letters to editor

Letter: The Orange Order is on the fence over the Irish Sea border

Steve Baker appeared before the House of Lords Windsor Framework Sub-Committee on Wednesday

Progress made on ‘at risk’ EU vet meds, Lords told

Lord Hay addressing the House of Lords on Tuesday night

Lord Hay tells Parliament that he backs DUP boss Sir Jeffrey Donaldson

Lord Dodds (standing) addressing the House of Lords

Lord Dodds rubbishes assurances from the government on NI's place in the Union
Former DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds has launched a broadside of criticism at the government over its efforts to assure unionists that all is well with the Union, dismissing such claims as “propaganda”.
Adam Kula

Kate Hoey addressing the Lords this evening

Hoey suggests DUP leader is trying to 'cover up his u-turn in a puff of smoke'

The House of Lords today, just as the 'humble address' speech by Lord Caine was beginning

'No basis to suggest most people in Northern Ireland want Irish unity'

King Charles at the State Opening of Parliament, 2023, which was followed by a 'humble address'

What is the 'humble address' to King Charles on NI's place in the UK?

Amendment to 'Humble Address' tabled

A general image of pigs (Getty)

Kate Hoey laments live animal export bill 'will not apply to NI'

DUP peer Lord Dodds has said the government had no choice in whether or not it could introduce animal welfare legislation in NI - and it should be open and transparent that it cannot do that because of the Windsor Framework.

‘We are not sovereign’ – DUP's Dodds

The ‘Safeguarding the Union’ document was debated in the House of Lords last week. Several DUP peers voiced their dissatisfaction with reforms to the Windsor Framework

Letter: The DUP’s seven tests were ambitious but deliverable

Boris Johnson addresses a DUP conference before he proposed the idea of a border in the Irish Sea. 'Quite a proposal from a so-called pro Unionist Prime Minister!’, writes Lord Empey

Lord Empey: An alternative to our two years of mayhem was available

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris with copies of the ‘Safeguarding the Union’ document. The deal - which restored Stormont - has faced opposition within sections of the DUP.

DUP chairman claims public are being 'treated as fools'

Lord Rogan

Withdrawal of ‘lifeline’ lung cancer drug to be debated in House of Lords

Lord Rogan

Call for more Northern Ireland banking hubs as local branch closures continue
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Rogan has warned the Government that the ongoing round of bank closures is having “a profound and detrimental impact on community life in Northern Ireland” and called for more banking hubs to be created.
Barry White

DUP leader Sir Jeffery Donaldson (left) and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris with copies of the ‘Safeguarding The Union’ document. The United Kingdom as a whole is richer for the contribution that Northern Ireland makes to national life, writes Lord Caine. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Lord Caine: A NI that works is surest way of strengthening the Union

Ulster Unionist peer Lord Rogan has warned the government that the ongoing round of bank closures is having “a profound and detrimental impact on community life in Northern Ireland” and called for more banking hubs to be created

Lord Rogan calls for more NI banking hubs as local branch closures continue

Morning View

Editorial: Liberal House of Lords puts itself above concerns about immigration

Labour peer Lord Goldsmith speaking in the House of Lords during a debate on the government's Rwanda illegal immigration legislation

Peers hand government first defeat on controversial Rwanda deportation bill

General view of cows (by Jeroen Bennink via Creative Commons)

NI Protocol: Moving animal medicine from GB to NI 'requires double testing'

David Cameron (Getty)

Lords demand answers from David Cameron about NI / GB drift

DUP Education Spokesperson Diane Dodds says the Department of Education’s consultation on Relationships and Sexuality Education must take account of the ethos and values of schools.
Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

Sex education consultation must consider school ethos says DUP

TUV Leader Jim Allister speaks during a anti-Northern Ireland Protocol rally in Bangor, County Down. Picture date: Saturday April 30, 2022.

New UK potato rules 'treat NI as a third country’ - Allister

Lady Stella Empey and Sir Reg Empey at the Ulster Unionist AGM at the Ramada Hotel in Belfast in 2011.
Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

UUP leader Doug Beattie pays tribute to Lady Stella Empey

Letters to editor

Jamie Bryson response to the article by Lords Bew and Godson

The then UK chief trade negotiator, David Frost looks on as Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the EU-UK Trade deal at 10 Downing Street, on December 30, 2020. How stupid they were to think the damaging effects of the Irish Sea border would see to its own demise. Ceding NI was far more likely. Photo: Leon Neal/PA Wire

Ben Habib: Johnson and Frost knew we weren’t leaving EU as one United Kingdom

The House of Lords was eventually going to give way to the House of Commons on the legacy bill. All that is left is for the king to give Royal Assent, assuming he does not take Bertie Ahern’s advice and refuse – thereby creating a constitutional crisis

Jeff Dudgeon: After years of imbalance in legacy probes, new law passes

The Labour Party has confirmed that Alan Haworth died on holiday in Iceland on Monday morning - Credit: Gov/Wiki

Labour politician Lord Alan Haworth dead at 75

DUP peers in the Lords supported efforts to stop legacy ‘lawfare’ against state forces, writes Emma Little Pengelly. "Our position is driven by doing what is right for victims and justice" . Photo: Tim Ireland/PA Wire

Emma Little Penngelly: The real moral collapse would be to support an amnesty

Taking goods over the border into the Irish Republic should require a haulier to be a licensed exporter to the EU

Letter: EU checks are being applied to wrong flow of goods

The unique benefits of Northern Ireland having both EU and UK access must now be defined in detail. The majority of NI did not vote for Brexit, but we are where we are

Letter: If we talk down framework opportunities we'll make bad situation worse

The framework offered almost no sign that the EU is easing up on its ambitions to control our economy by imposing barriers between NI and the rest of the UK. The Lords report recorded the problems with the framework, rather than reflecting an increasingly thread-bare received wisdom that the framework is good. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Owen Polley: It will soon be impossible to ignore the Windsor Framework's flaws

Mark Tait, director of Target Transport in Randalstown, welcomed the House of Lords report which highlighted significant problems for haulage companies which the Windsor Framework failed to resolve.

'Report shows Framework leaves us far worse off'

Letters to editor

Rev David Clements: Too many failed by legacy processes

EU restrictions are due to block 51% of animal medicines coming into Northern Ireland by 2026. The British Veterinary Association has warned of the potentially serious impact on welfare of pets, livestock and the equine industry.
Paul Grover/Daily Telegraph/PA Wire

EU to block medicines for pets and livestock from NI in 2026

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveil their deal at Windsor Guildhall on February 27. Esmond Birnie says that since then there has been little recognition that a considerable volume of the Great Britain origin goods coming into Northern Ireland will have to go through the red lane (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Esmond Birnie: Windsor Framework is not best of all worlds

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris said the framework was a "huge advance" on the grace periods of the NI Protocol.

'Peers confim that WF is the best deal for NI'

Jamie Bryson welcomed the findings of the House of Lords report on the Windsor Framework.

Lords report is ‘no basis to restore Stormont’

The Lords report said the Windsor Framework had some benefits but was more burdensome for some businesses.

TUV: Even pro-EU peers see Windsor Framework’s pitfalls

Lorries at Belfast Port. The House of Lords committee found that some businesses will find the new processes more burdensome than under the protocol with grace periods

Lords report into Windsor Framework: Hauliers were forthright witnesses

Lord Dodds, who is DUP leader in the Lords, says the report by peers into the Windsor Framework shows that it "utterly" fails the party's seven tests. While the party already said in its council manifesto that it failed the tests, he is now saying so with particular emphasis. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Dodds: New report shows that Windsor Framework 'utterly fails' DUP seven tests

Morning View

Editorial: The government needs to clarify how the Irish Sea border will work

The House of Lords report into the Windsor Framework was published by its Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, which is part of the upper house’s European Affairs Committee. Photo: Tim Ireland/PA Wire

Windsor Framework ‘will make sea border worse’ says Lords report