Nigel Dodds

Latest speeches

1. Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee · House of Lords · 17 September 2026

   • Protocol/Windsor Framework vs Belfast Agreement

     “Thanks very much Lord Chair and thank you Gavin for coming to give evidence. I know it's a very busy week for you especially with the events of the weekend coming up and so on so we appreciate it. Um…”

     Watch from 8:44

   • Post‑Dillon way forward, dynamic alignment and reset

     “Just to pick up on that point, because it's very interesting and it's going to be very much a very relevant part of the debate in the coming months, and this argument will be deployed quite extensively, I would have…”

     Watch from 47:15

2. Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee · House of Lords · 17 September 2026

   • Article 2 versus Belfast Agreement consent and sovereignty

     “Thanks, Lord Chair, and it's good to have your evidence here this morning, Jon. Thank you very much for coming. So you've been pretty strong in your criticism of the need for Article 2 of the Windsor Framework. And in…”

     Watch from 5:43

   • Clarity, dynamism and alternative human rights guarantees

     “Just to follow up on what the Chair was saying there. So your argument, John, would be basically in this issue of Article 2 guaranteeing no diminution, that the reality is in fact the existence of Article 2 represents a…”

     Watch from 19:07

   • Public unease, ECHR debates and separation of powers

     “Right. Thank you Lord Chair just to come back to the issue that Margaret raised about the dedicated mechanism human rights commission in Northern Ireland and the equality commission. We heard evidence yesterday and we've heard this previously about the…”

     Watch from 36:50
   4 more clips in this sitting

3. Lords Grand Committee · House of Lords · 14 September 2026

   • Northern Ireland voter ID: Further scrutiny, devolution and constitutional questions

     “My Lords, I just want to rise very briefly to welcome these statutory instruments and to welcome broadly in line with the reasons that the noble Lord Weir and Baroness Ritchie have outlined. I just have a couple of queries…”

     Watch from 1:25:58

   • Northern Ireland voter ID and expenses SIs: Minister’s detailed replies and approval

     “Yeah, I'm grateful to the noble Baroness for giving way and that's precisely my point. I don't argue with the need to uprate them for the reasons she's set out, absolutely. My point is why has it taken so long?…”

     Watch from 1:45:13

4. House of Lords · House of Lords · 8 September 2026

   • Visiting Forces Act: jurisdiction over US personnel and victims’ rights

     “My lords, I rise, I notice just looking at the speakers' list has the minister down to speak, but I'm happy to to start. So my lords, I rise to move the motion standing in my name on the order…”

     Watch from 4:49:59

   • Visiting Forces Act: jurisdiction over US personnel and victims’ rights

     “My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing the regulations and I move the motion standing in my name on the order paper. Once again, we are debating regulations which may appear on the surface to be technical and limited…”

     Watch from 4:56:34

   • Visiting Forces Act: jurisdiction over US personnel and victims’ rights

     “I'm grateful for all those that have taken part in this debate, especially those who have indicated support for my regret motion. One noble baroness said, well, what's achieved by these debates, who benefits? Well, I suppose when the government…”

     Watch from 5:47:24

5. Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee · House of Lords · 15 July 2026

   • Foster and Dodds: ratification by Ireland and satisfaction with RSEO chapter

     “Yes, thanks, Lord Chair, and good to see you, Dermot. I just wanted to ask you, the emphasis you place on the framework convention on minorities then and even today. The final outcome of the RSCO chapter of the Belfast…”

     Watch from 18:30

   • Dodds: implementation success and criticism of Protocol’s impact on integrity

     “Thanks, Lord Chair. Dermot, how would you assess the success or otherwise of the implementation of the RSCE chapter of the Belfast Agreement? And has it worked out differently in practice from what you envisaged in 1998?”

     Watch from 21:28

6. Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee · House of Lords · 8 July 2026

   • Debate over one or two commissions and their distinct mandates

     “Thank you, Lord Chair, and first of all can I apologize for my late arrival due to travel disruption this morning. But just on this issue, and thank you for giving evidence this morning to Mark and to Professor McWilliams.…”

     Watch from 52:05

   • Allegations of ‘expansionist’ commissions and non‑diminution vs equivalence

     “How do you, I mean, how do you address that point of concern that people have that that is overstepping the remit given to those bodies under the Belfast Agreement?”

     Watch from 53:16

   • Allegations of ‘expansionist’ commissions and non‑diminution vs equivalence

     “But on the issue you've spoken eloquently about non-diminution what I was referring and if you could address this point is the other side of it which is increasing not I take the point about non-diminution but the point that…”

     Watch from 56:28