Contributions
1,528 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentWill the right hon. Gentleman give way?21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentI am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman’s clarification. Either way, I think we can all agree that it is important that we understand the extent to which our armed forces are…21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentI am grateful to all hon. and right hon. Members for their contributions, and I thank all those on the Defence Committee and the Public Accounts Committee for their thorough…21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentI am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I have a specific question: does he support our target of 2.5%?21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentMy right hon. Friend makes an excellent point. It shows why I want to see us supporting our sovereign capability, because where the Spitfire was there in the 1930s, we hope that…21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentI am happy to engage with the Committee, as I did during the week on artificial intelligence. There will always be a balance to be struck between what we can share and where we…21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentAs my right hon. Friend has already intervened, I hope he will allow me to make some progress and refer to comments from colleagues. Obviously, there has been particular debate…21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentThe hon. Gentleman did not give way to anyone so, if he will forgive me, I will continue. My right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) made an excellent…21 Mar 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Readiness and Defence EquipmentMy right hon. Friend makes an excellent point. The hon. Member for Rochdale (George Galloway) accuses us of imperialism in how we deploy our armed forces, but the whole purpose of…21 Mar 2024HANSARDSingle Source Contracts: Baseline Profit Rate 2024-25Under the Defence Reform Act 2014, the Secretary of State for Defence has a legal obligation to announce whether he will accept the Single Source Regulations Office recommendation…15 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesBefore I was injured playing football for Parliament versus the Army, I always used to enjoy playing five-a-side with the hon. Gentleman. I would be delighted to accept his…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesWe engaged with this issue in the hon. Gentleman’s Westminster Hall debate on accommodation, in which I announced our plans for Chicksands. I entirely accept that this is a matter…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesI have explained why we do not believe that there has been a reduction; we believe that there will be a 1.8% increase in real terms. The hon. Gentleman says that spending as a…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesI do not believe I made that point about nuclear. The right hon. Gentleman has said that these factors are at the expense of the frontline, but nuclear is the frontline. We have…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesAs I have said, we have just committed 40% of the land force personnel to the Steadfast Defender exercise. NATO is the key to the defence of this nation, and indeed the whole…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesAs ever, we have saved the best till last. I think the hon. Gentleman has attended every urgent question or statement I have ever been involved in, and I pay tribute to him for…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesIn my hon. Friend’s constituency, which I had the pleasure of visiting recently, there are many defence interests, and he has hit the nail on the head. We have heard all the…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesI do not think that we can commit to levels of public expenditure or tax cuts, for example, without being confident that the economy can support them in a prudent fashion—an…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his comments about HMS Richmond. I am sure that we all agree and pay tribute to our Royal Navy personnel, who are there ultimately to…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesIt is an honour to set out how our outstanding armed forces are doing incredible work around the world, protecting the UK and our allies. That includes operating on every single…11 Mar 2024