The House of Lords has seen its fair share of eyebrow-raising moments, but few have stirred quite as much outrage as comments from Labour peer Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe.
Speaking during the Assisted Dying Bill debate, the former union baron linked assisted dying to wider issues of population growth and even climate change.
He pointed out that the world’s population had jumped from 6.1 billion to 8.2 billion in just 25 years, before making a startling observation.
“But just think what the numbers would be if abortion had not been legalised… and indeed the growth of homosexuality throughout society has reduced the number of children we would have had, had the churches had their way.”
His conclusion — that without these factors the population “would’ve been very much bigger” and created even greater climate challenges — was met with audible gasps.
Anthony Horan of the Scottish Bishops Conference slammed the comments as “utterly grotesque and quite terrifying.”
A Heavy Legacy for Attlee’s Grandson
Elsewhere in the Lords, Tory peer the Earl Attlee announced he would step down ahead of Labour’s planned cull of hereditary peers.
As the grandson of post-war Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee, he admitted the family legacy was a heavy burden.
Asked what he would do if scandal ever struck, he quipped: “I’d go to Latin America instantly.
I would never do anything that would get me into trouble because that would let the side down.
I’m the grandson of… one of the two greatest post-war prime ministers, and possibly the greatest. It’s a hell of a lot to live up to.”
A Spitfire Birthday for Mark Francois
Tory MP Mark Francois had a birthday gift to remember when local activists treated him to a flight in a Spitfire for his 60th.
The former Territorial Army officer, normally never short of words, admitted he was left “speechless.”
For many in Westminster, that silence was described — only half-jokingly — as a “blessed relief.”
Commons Gossip and Sharp One-Liners
The chatter in Parliament has been as sharp as ever.
After strategy chief Paul Ovenden quit Downing Street for offensive remarks about Labour MP Diane Abbott, one of her colleagues quipped: “There must be some mistake.
Clearly the post for director of strategy has been vacant since the election!”
Overheard in the Commons: one Tory researcher to another joked, “All those voters who punished us at the election must now feel they’ve stood on a garden rake.”
Ministers’ Praise for Trump Rings Hollow
Current ministers were instructed to shower Donald Trump with praise during his UK visit. Yet memories are long in Westminster.
Back in 2019, no fewer than eight of Labour’s current Cabinet — including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Deputy PM David Lammy, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting — tried to block him from addressing Parliament during his first state visit.
Labour’s Travel Bill Raises Eyebrows
Fresh Treasury figures show Labour has already spent £59,200 on flights, hotels, and travel between April and June, including business-class trips to Riyadh and Washington.
For comparison, under the Conservatives during the same period in 2024, the bill was less than £1,600.
The revelation has critics asking: what happened to cost-of-living discipline?
SNP Twitter Row Over Gaza
SNP MP Chris Law found himself in a spot of bother after tweeting that attending the Windsor Castle banquet amounted to “conceding support for genocide in Gaza.”
The message didn’t last long, though — it was quickly deleted.
Why? Because SNP leader John Swinney was among the guests at the banquet.
Trump’s Visit Gets Off to a Scruffy Start
Finally, Donald Trump’s latest UK visit started on an awkward note.
The King’s lord-in-waiting, Viscount Hood, greeted him wearing an unbuttoned jacket and scuffed shoes.
It wasn’t exactly royal polish — though at least he wasn’t in a Barbour, and, mercifully, had left his gundog at home.