Lord Ranger (Con)

My Lords, I am encouraged by the King’s Speech to believe that there will be strong measures to tackle racism, in particular antisemitism. Noble Lords will agree that the Government’s first and foremost duty is to protect British citizens. In the wake of the attack in Golders Green on two innocent members of the British Jewish community, it is time to stop importing conflicts into our country with serious consequences for our race relations and social cohesion. I am not a Jew, but I acknowledge the contribution this tiny community makes to the world. Jewish individuals won 220 Nobel Prizes in economics and sciences between 1901 and 2025. Some 22% of all Nobel laureates have Jewish roots, while the Jewish population worldwide is less than 0.02%. As a result, they have touched the lives of almost everyone in the world, including those who wish to harm them. It is a sad indictment of our nation that high-achieving Jewish students are scared for their lives in our colleges and universities. This is the time when students should cherish their journey of acquiring knowledge to serve humanity. Britain has historic links with many countries around the world, and citizens of those countries are now British citizens. Most of them are making a positive contribution. However, we are not obliged to turn Britain into a war zone by allowing rivalries between nations bringing their conflicts to the United Kingdom, affecting the lives of every British citizen, not to mention the colossal cost of policing disputes. Our police forces are under enormous strain to maintain law and order at home; to ask them to take on the additional responsibility of dealing with international disputes is not sustainable. As a result, our foremost duty is to maintain cordial relations among our citizens by preventing foreign rivalries becoming a cause of conflict in the United Kingdom. We have one King and one country, and as a result, we have become one. We must keep out of our nation those influences that divide us. The role of every Government is to instil British values in new arrivals so that they integrate easily into our society and make the most of what Britain has to offer. The qualities of tolerance and respect for every faith, for women and for the rule of law have made us a great nation. Britain must ensure that every citizen moves in the same direction to maintain social cohesion and keep our country functioning in perfect harmony. We should apply the rules equally and rigorously to every community and every faith to move our nation forward with minimal diversion. We must avoid costs that burden the police and taxpayers and, above all, create animosity and disharmony among our own citizens, with dire consequences for us and our next generation. Finally, the King mentioned that a two-state solution in the Middle East is the way forward. Rival forces should be encouraged to promote peaceful coexistence, as death and destruction do not benefit anyone.