David Hannay

Latest speeches

1. House of Lords · House of Lords · 17 September 2026

   • Statement: Education and skills reform: curriculum, pathways and devolution

     “My Lords, my Lords, my Lords, I know that the noble lady the minister has taken a very positive attitude towards strengthening the status of kinship carers and the pilot programs that the government has introduced. Both these have a…”

     Watch from 1:27:56

   • Urgent Question: Closure of Saudi East–West oil pipeline and UK energy security

     “...that the damage done to the Saudi installations originated from a part of the Iraqi Republic, a rogue general, and are we satisfied that that will not be repeated? And could he, could she also perhaps address the question as…”

     Watch from 1:46:31

2. Lords Grand Committee · House of Lords · 15 September 2026

   • Lord Hannay: multilateral treaty scrutiny and Brexit impacts

     “My Lords, the debate we are holding today on the ratification by the UK of the Council of Europe's Macolin Convention, which has been so excellently introduced by the chair of the International Agreements Committee, the noble Lord, Lord Johnson,…”

     Watch from 48:55

3. International Agreements Committee · House of Lords · 15 September 2026

   • Energy access, Africa, and limits of current investment

     “Thank you very much. Lord Hannay had a follow-up question. Yes, could you, you very helpfully set out the reforms that have been introduced in the last few years, both financial, HR, and the way you operate. But it's no…”

     Watch from 14:10

   • Safeguards against backsliding, turf wars and 2029 review

     “Yes, well, I think I should begin by declaring an interest since I was British Ambassador to the UN in the 1990s. Um, one of the features of UN organizations is that even when they have, are on a, a…”

     Watch from 1:07:10

   • Safeguards against backsliding, turf wars and 2029 review

     “That will, and on that will depend whether we sustain our membership or conclude that it might be need to withdraw again. After five years. And don't you think that if some of this was made public at the time…”

     Watch from 1:11:41

4. House of Lords · House of Lords · 9 September 2026

   • Backbench questions on Israel-Palestine, consulate and antisemitism

     “My Lords, my Lords, would does the noble Lord the minister consider that does the government consider that the government of Israel has the right to order us to close the consulate in East Jerusalem given that the consulate is…”

     Watch from 1:23:44

5. House of Lords · House of Lords · 1 September 2026

   • Oral Question 2: Saudi nuclear programme and US deal

     “My Lords, will the noble Lord the Minister, whom I also welcome, would not the noble Lord the Minister agree with the noble Lord Lord Lamont that this agreement would be greatly strengthened if it made quite clear that it…”

     Watch from 33:17

6. International Agreements Committee · House of Lords · 21 July 2026

   • International uptake: limited ratifications and UK leadership role

     “Yes, well, the question I want to put to you runs rather against quite a lot of the evidence you've given in answering the previous questions, in which you said, and others of our witnesses have said that too, that…”

     Watch from 17:13

   • International uptake: limited ratifications and UK leadership role

     “And presumably if we successfully ratify, and of course we will be reporting on this as part of that CRAG process, if we successfully ratify we will become a much more active protagonist with those countries who've signed but not…”

     Watch from 20:45

   • Emerging markets, black‑market enforcement and regulator funding

     “I just want to be clear about this because it seems to me that there's something of a false alternation here, because there's nothing stopping us joining a UN convention if one day all the countries in the world wished…”

     Watch from 41:21