Contributions
1,619 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFuture Capability of the Armed ForcesMy Lords, this has been an excellent and fascinating debate, with hugely perceptive contributions. I thank my noble friend Lord Harlech not only for securing the debate but for…16 Jul 2026HANSARDDefence Readiness BillMy Lords, I say to the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, that I would not take when I arrive for a debate as a model for anything. I can say without fear of contradiction that my Whips…09 Jul 2026HANSARDLord AdvocateMy Lords, recent events engulfing the SNP with the Murrell conviction crystallise the conflict of interest. The Lord Advocate, Scotland’s independent chief prosecutor, felt able…08 Jul 2026HANSARDBritish Industry and Services: Public ProcurementMy Lords, I think the noble Lord, Lord Spellar, speaks on behalf of the whole House. The plea he makes is really: can the Government lead by example? Can the Minister explain why…07 Jul 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillMy Lords, it is a pleasure to wind up this debate for His Majesty’s most loyal Opposition. I say to the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Newnham, that I am very pleased to be sitting…06 Jul 2026HANSARDEmployment TribunalsMy Lords, further to the question from the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, I wonder if there is any work afoot to try to triage cases, because it seems to me that, in some instances,…02 Jul 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanMy Lords, I thank the Minister for both the briefing and prior sight of the defence investment plan, which he provided to me and my colleague, the noble Earl, Lord Minto,…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPalantir: Public Service ContractsMy Lords, by common assent, Palantir’s technology has rapidly and dramatically improved the Ministry of Defence’s logistics and operational planning systems without either human…29 Jun 2026HANSARDRussian Shadow FleetMy Lords, I begin by expressing my huge admiration for all those personnel involved in the seizure of the “Smyrtos” at the weekend, from the Royal Marine commandos and officers of…16 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanMy Lords, the Chief of the Defence Staff has today given the International Relations and Defence Committee of this House stark evidence of what funding is needed and why we need…16 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanMy Lords, I am sure I speak for the majority of Members of this House when I say that at this time of turbulence, it is reassuring to see such a respected Minister as the noble…15 Jun 2026HANSARDMindanao EarthquakeMay I try and come to the aid of the Minister? When I was a Defence Minister and visited the Philippines, I was the first Defence Minister to go there for 40 years, and it was my…10 Jun 2026HANSARDUK Defence CapabilityMy Lords, wounds imposed by one’s friends are always more painful to bear than those imposed by one’s adversaries, so I shall try not to compound the Minister’s agony. The Chief…08 Jun 2026HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, this has been a predictably good debate, with some excellent points punching through strongly. As my noble friend Lord Callanan indicated, I will focus on defence, but,…21 May 2026HANSARDCivil Preparedness for WarMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond. This is a timely debate. Sadly, the impossibly short speaking time precludes a normal wind-up, so I hope that noble…20 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingMy Lords, the Government have been under sustained attack over many months for inadequacy of defence spend, opacity as to what they are going to do about it and lethargy engulfing…16 Apr 2026HANSARDAtlantic Undersea Cables: Russian Subsurface OperationsMy Lords, the professionalism of the RAF and our Poseidon P-8 pilots operating out of Lossiemouth in monitoring the recent activities of that Russian attack submarine and the…14 Apr 2026HANSARDDiego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillMy Lords, if anyone was left with any lingering doubt about the naivete of losing sovereignty over this base, recent events have emblazoned that folly for all to see. The noble…14 Apr 2026HANSARDStrait of Hormuz: Mine ClearanceMy Lords, when President Trump triggered the war in the Middle East, the sole naval response by the UK, to protect significant British interests in the region, was to belatedly…13 Apr 2026HANSARDUK Homeland DefenceMy Lords, this conflict has laid bare the acute geopolitical threat that we face and the embarrassing sparseness of readily deployable UK military assets. The first is…23 Mar 2026