Banking (Special Provisions) Bill

I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Newby, for making some very telling points in support of the amendment. One of the sad things about Hansard is that it never reflects body language, or however one expresses it. I found the Minister’s response exceedingly interesting because, looking at him really closely, I could see that the longer he went on, the less he really believed in the case he has been told by the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to put forward. I thought my noble friend Lord Forsyth, who I am delighted to work in tandem with again as we did at the Department of Employment, shot a hole in the Minister’s argument by saying that of course it applies to National Savings, the Tote, the Royal Mail. The Minister then desperately tried to find some argument against that. I do not think he believes what he is being asked to say and I hope the House will support me. I wish to test the opinion of the Committee. On Question, Whether the said amendment (No. 8) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 164; Not-Contents, 133.