The Lord Bishop of Manchester

My Lords, the economist Keynes, upbraided for changing his view on some matters, allegedly responded with the phrase: “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?” In the 26 months since the general election, the facts have changed. We have seen the US assault on Iran, the explosive growth of AI, the devastating impact of climate change—alluded to by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath—threatening harvests here while killing hundreds in Nepal and Tibet. Meanwhile, we stand closer to global war than at any time since my childhood. The facts have changed. Keynes changed his mind. He did not resign and reapply for his post; rather, he sought to win others to his revised opinions. I have heard it said that our new Prime Minister must stick to the 2024 Labour manifesto or go to the country, but that is not how I believe Parliament should work. We are a well-informed and reasonable House. Many of us—not least on my own Bench, and the Cross-Benchers—owe no allegiance to any party master. We swear our oath, as do all noble Lords, to the Crown. We will scrutinise whatever matters are brought before us with our usual diligence. I would, however, be surprised and alarmed if we withheld consent simply because a proposal reflected the context of 2026, not 2024. I turn to two specific points. I welcome what we heard from our Prime Minister about renewed efforts to tackle homelessness. My churches and other places of worship have been at the forefront of work on this, alongside the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The scandals of rough sleeping, of children trying to access education while living in temporary accommodation, cannot be allowed to continue. Having recently chaired the Manchester social housing commission, I welcome a determination to build more social homes. Along with the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, I warm to the speeding up of the Casey review into social care. I pray that this time, we will end up with action, not just another report. I remember the Dilnot report, which I thought was a good thing at the time. But if we have to consider again in this House, as I suspect we will, matters such as assisted dying, at least we can do so in the context of a proper offer of palliative care to all, as the Prime Minister has said. Three years ago, I was privileged to stand alongside Mr Burnham when he and the faith leaders of Greater Manchester met Pope Francis. We did not just give Pope Francis a signed Manchester United football shirt; we also committed ourselves to our net-zero target. The climate emergency is not some woke middle-class distraction; it is destroying the lives and livelihoods of the poorest across the globe—those in the communities I meet when I visit my Anglican sisters and brothers in the global South—and it is an increasing drag on well-being and the household economy in Britain. This is, by its nature, a short debate, so I urge the Government to consider whether the best way to present fresh proposals to your Lordships’ House would be through a fresh Session of Parliament before the end of this year, so that His Majesty can set out a full programme before us and we can have a more substantial discussion at an early stage. I began with an economist and segued via a pope, so let me end with a Protestant theologian. Martin Luther, challenged by the inertia of so much of the church of his day, urged his followers on with the words: “If you must sin, sin boldly”. I urge our new Prime Minister and his Government to show similar boldness, and then let us here in this Chamber weed out any of it we judge to be a sin.