House of Lords — sitting of 22 July 2026: transcript & video

01:49 - 04:57

Speaker 1

My Lords. I rise today to pay tribute to noble Lord, Lord Laming. His lifetime of public service has left an indelible mark on the whole fabric of British social work, public management, and indeed the very conscience of our nation. Herbert's journey into the public sphere began with a deeply practical grounding, dedicating 20 years to Hertfordshire County Council, ultimately serving as Director of Social Services before rising to become the Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate from 1991 to 1998. However, it was his subsequent work on the national stage that elevated him into the public consciousness as a fearless seeker of accountability.

Following the tragic death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié, the government turned to Lord Laming to chair the landmark inquiry in which he diagnosed a yawning gap between policy aspiration and frontline delivery. He famously observed that protecting a child, and I quote, needed nothing more than a manager doing their job by asking pertinent questions. His work directly laid the foundations for the Every Child Matters framework and the Children Act of 2004.

Years later, following the tragedy of Baby P, he was called upon once more to deliver an urgent national review, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to ensuring that the child's welfare remains paramount. Since entering this House in 1998, Herbert Laming has been a pillar of the crossbenches. His parliamentary peers recognized his fairness and his integrity by electing him convenor of the crossbench peers from 2011 to 2015, followed by a distinguished tenure as chair of committees. He has spent decades reminding us that policies are only as good as frontline execution. He combined a razor-sharp administrative intellect with a deeply compassionate heart.

And my Lords, we owe him a debt of gratitude for forcing our country to look closer, act more quickly, and better protect some of the most innocent and vulnerable in society. His legacy will endure for generations, and we remember him as a man of great generosity and spirit and decency, and my Lords, as good company. We had many chats in my office, and I'll always remember him first and foremost as a great friend. I know he's going to be sorely missed across your Lordship's House, but weren't we lucky to have him here with us? My Lords, we send our deepest and our most heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends.

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