Member

I think we should be wary of hounding out noble Lords who choose to exercise their privilege sparingly. Often, when covering DCMS matters, I think of Lord Lloyd-Webber, who retired from your Lordship’s House before I arrived here. He remains a very busy and hugely successful man in business, the arts and charity, but he found himself criticised for being a composer first and a politician second, so he left. How valuable it would have been if, during the pandemic, Lord Lloyd-Webber, that great impresario, had been able to challenge me and other Ministers about how we were working to protect our theatres and cultural organisations in the face of Covid. Instead, Lord Lloyd- Webber was able to speak in Parliament only when summoned as a witness before a Select Committee in another place. The truth is he never left us. All through those wild days, that mad existence, he kept his promise. Why keep our distance?