Contributions
1,819 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy right hon. Friend is characteristically correct about this, but I would widen that point: we are talking about the security of not just Europe, but the Indo-Pacific, and indeed…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsThere is a principle in international law that a country can defend itself. Ukraine was attacked for absolutely no reason whatsoever. While we call on Israel, both privately and…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsA long time ago, when the war started, I was Transport Secretary. We seized quite a lot of yachts and aircraft, which have still not been released, to ensure that they did not…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsWhen the Supreme Allied Commander Europe asked us for additional support for the Kosovo-Serbian border, the answer was immediately yes, that weekend, and we have a battalion there…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs I have described, it is a complex position on the ground to get the aid all the way through, but I am happy to either meet or take details from my hon. Friend to ensure that…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI want to make it absolutely clear that I think everyone working within the civil service as part of the Ministry of Defence and, indeed, working in the UK armed forces should…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right about that. The way that we can start along that path is that Hamas could release the 242 innocent civilians that they are holding hostage,…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsIt is essential that we maintain our position, to be able to assist ourselves and the United States, in Diego Garcia.20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am delighted to add my thanks to my hon. Friend’s brilliant volunteers. It is an opportunity to mention from the Dispatch Box the many thousands of people who turned out across…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy first months as Defence Secretary have strengthened my long-held belief that we need to strengthen our national defence as the world grows ever-more dangerous. With the…20 Nov 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI do not know when the right hon. Gentleman was last able to visit Kyiv himself, but when he does go, he will discover that the attitude there is that no country in the world has…20 Nov 2023HANSARDMilitary Support: Ukrainian Armed ForcesYes, on several occasions, including in Kyiv and, more recently, last Thursday at the MOD, where I met with large, medium and small defence companies to discuss exactly that…20 Nov 2023HANSARDMilitary Support: Ukrainian Armed ForcesMy right hon. Friend is right that the UK has led, and we must continue to do so. I have visited Ukraine twice this year, I hosted a Ukrainian family for a year in my own home,…20 Nov 2023HANSARDMilitary Support: Ukrainian Armed ForcesWe continue to support Ukraine—we provided £2.3 billion of military support in the last year—and will go on doing so, because Putin must not win in Ukraine.20 Nov 2023HANSARDRAF Aid Flights to the Middle EastThe issue is not getting the aid to the region; we could fly more aircraft. The issue is getting the aid into Gaza itself, and in that regard we have the problem of Hamas, a…20 Nov 2023HANSARDRAF Aid Flights to the Middle EastI can. The difference is a war zone. When I said that we had delivered “to the country”, I meant, of course, to Egypt. From there we have to get the aid across the Rafah crossing,…20 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and GazaThe right hon. Gentleman is right to say that nobody, including the Israelis, saw what Hamas were about to do coming. That points to the need for much greater surveillance, but…20 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and GazaFirst, Mr Speaker, it is good to be at the Dispatch Box opposite the right hon. Gentleman. I thank him, as well as yourself and others, for their condolences when I was not able…20 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and GazaThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right about the UK’s desire to do that, and I have talked about how we have deployed a large increase in personnel in the region to work with…20 Nov 2023HANSARDIsrael and GazaMy right hon. Friend will know that we have indeed pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5%, as economic conditions allow. This year, it will probably be around 2.4%, so we…20 Nov 2023