Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:10 pm on 16 September 2025.
Lord Fox
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Business)
3:10,
16 September 2025
My Lords, 50% of the economy is small and medium-sized businesses. In its commentary on today’s rise in unemployment and fall in vacancies, the British Chambers of Commerce highlighted employment costs; in particular, it singled out the hike in employers’ national insurance. Earlier today, those noble Lords who were in Prayers prayed for the wealth and tranquillity of our nation. Rather than wait for divine Intervention, can the Minister now admit that the national insurance rise was wrong, and it is contributing to neither wealth nor tranquillity in this country?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
An intervention is when the MP making a speech is interrupted by another MP and asked to 'give way' to allow the other MP to intervene on the speech to ask a question or comment on what has just been said.
