Contributions
589 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDVeterans: SupportThe right hon. Gentleman is missing the point. He is trying to divide the House, veterans and the armed forces community, and it has got to stop. The reality is that we will…08 Sept 2025HANSARDWomen in the Armed ForcesDefence as a whole has accepted 33 recommendations from the “Women in the Armed Forces” report. We have two outstanding elements still in train: the results of an armed forces…08 Sept 2025HANSARDWomen in the Armed ForcesI could not agree more with the hon. Member. Obviously, in our Minister for the armed forces, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Derbyshire (Louise Sandher-Jones), we have…08 Sept 2025HANSARDCadetsThe number of questions on this issue demonstrates the importance that Members in all parts of the House ascribe to the subject of cadets. As we said in the strategic defence…08 Sept 2025HANSARDCadetsI thank my hon. Friend for making that important point. The cadet forces are an inclusive organisation, and I have been delighted to be able to visit branches throughout the…08 Sept 2025HANSARDCadetsThere are two different issues here. The first one is about expanding the cadet forces by 30% by 2030—there is £70 million behind that, and the plan for how to deliver it is being…08 Sept 2025HANSARDCadetsI thank my hon. Friend 110%. The cadets are all about social mobility, giving kids opportunity and getting them up and out, and that is what Labour is all about. From my…08 Sept 2025HANSARDCadetsThe air cadets are fantastic, the sea cadets are fantastic and the Army cadets are amazing—they are all amazing. I would love to take on this issue. If the hon. Gentleman writes…08 Sept 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThis Government take seriously both physical and mental injuries from service. Op Courage has already seen 34,000 referrals. It is a fantastic programme that runs across the…08 Sept 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsIf the hon. Member writes to me with the details of that case, I will look into it. There is a plethora of issues and complexities with some of these policies, but I will take…08 Sept 2025HANSARDVeterans: SupportTravelling the country and speaking to veterans, our postcode lottery for veteran support across the nation is not lost on me. Veterans have to repeat their stories between six…08 Sept 2025HANSARDVeterans: SupportWe have a proud and distinguished history of Gurkha soldiers serving in the British Army and across defence. I served with them in Afghanistan and across many other conflicts. The…08 Sept 2025HANSARDUse of Drones in DefenceIt is a combination of the two. Yes, it is a machine gun moment for the Army, but it is also an Air Force moment for the whole military, so we need careful consideration of how we…03 Sept 2025HANSARDUse of Drones in DefenceI am truly grateful to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) for securing the debate—I genuinely believe that…03 Sept 2025HANSARDUse of Drones in DefenceIn the SDR, there was a £1 billion investment in an integrated targeting web, and that is what ties all these systems together. The only way it will tie together is if the…03 Sept 2025HANSARDUse of Drones in DefenceThe reality is that the governance and compliance of some of these systems has not kept pace with the innovation in the technological-industrial world. The drone centre of…03 Sept 2025HANSARDUse of Drones in DefenceI completely agree. I can see a future—we will talk about this later—involving a high-low mix, in which we have very sophisticated fifth generation capability matched by…03 Sept 2025HANSARD The Battle of BritainIt is an honour to speak under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for initiating today’s debate, and to all Members…02 Sept 2025HANSARDService Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces Annual Report 2024: MOD ResponseI am pleased to place in the Library of the House today the MOD’s formal response to the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces annual report for 2024 on the fairness,…01 Sept 2025HANSARDWar Widows Recognition Payment Scheme: ClosureI wish to inform the House of the Government’s decision to close the war widows recognition payment scheme on 15 October 2025, in line with the original plan for the scheme to…21 Jul 2025