Lords Grand Committee

15 September 2026

Chamber Actual start House of Lords

15:27 - 15:49
Speaker 1
My Lords, if there's a division in the chamber while we're sitting, this committee will adjourn as soon as the division bells are rung and we will resume after ten minutes.  Motion for debate: Report of the International Agreements Committee, Lord Johnson of Lainston. 
15:49 - 17:11
Speaker 2
Well, thank you very much indeed, my Lords.  I beg to move the motion standing in my name on the order paper.  And I'm delighted as chair of the International Agreements Committee to lead this debate on the committee's report on the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, better known as the Macolin Convention. 

People in the UK are passionate about sport, and the integrity of sport competitions is fundamental to their appeal.  Match-fixing and other forms of competition manipulation present real risks to the integrity of sport, as well as the UK's sports betting sector.  The Macolin Convention was the first international treaty focused specifically on tackling this important issue, which increasingly transcends international borders.  It was signed by the UK back in 2018, but was only laid for ratification and scrutiny by Parliament in June of this year.  We adjudged the convention to be politically and legally significant, and as a result of which have decided to report it to the House. 

Noble Lords will be aware that the usual scrutiny period for international agreements under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act is very short. 

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