Contributions
1,528 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK Armed ForcesThe hon. Gentleman’s rather trite comment on procurement is a total failure to understand how the military works. He wants to talk about the deterrent; everything from our nuclear…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesThe hon. Gentleman talks about a crisis in recruitment but, as I said, January saw the highest number of applications to join the Army for six years. That is an important and…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesMy right hon. Friend has a quality all of his own, as shown in how he puts his questions. He makes a very good point. We tend to talk about the Regular Army, but we must remember…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesTo be fair to the hon. Gentleman, he makes an important point about the importance of alliances. NATO is fundamental to the defence of our country, the wider western world and our…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 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 ForcesMy right hon. Friend put that eloquently, and he speaks with great passion and expertise on the cold war and our recent history. As he knows, in the cold war era we had the…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 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 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 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 ForcesWhen the hon. Lady talks about procurement and delays, I would have thought she could at least recognise the support we have given to Ukraine, where we have procured an…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesI am grateful to my hon. Friend, who always speaks with such expertise on defence matters. First, on 2.5% being tepid, we have to be able to sustain that. If it was a one-off, the…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesI hear this point about Napoleon many times. If it is the Labour party’s position to significantly increase the size of the standing Army, that is a massive financial commitment.…11 Mar 2024HANSARDUK Armed ForcesMy right hon. Friend, as ever, makes some excellent points. He is right to mention how we spend the money. It is one thing to talk about GDP figures and spend, but what are our…11 Mar 2024HANSARDDraft Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2024That is an excellent question, and it is something I have looked into in considerable detail. We want to be confident that our regime is comparable or stands up to scrutiny at…06 Mar 2024HANSARDDraft Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2024That is a fair point, which I will reflect on. I shall ensure that the right hon. Lady and all colleagues on the Committee receive copies of the draft guidance as soon as…06 Mar 2024HANSARDDraft Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2024Thank you, Mrs Murray. My apologies—I have not done one of these Committees for quite a while, because there do not tend to be too many relating to the MOD, so I had forgotten the…06 Mar 2024HANSARDDraft Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2024The right hon. Lady makes a fair point. We are trying to be flexible in introducing these reforms. The regulations cover some incredibly important defence contracts, from nuclear…06 Mar 2024HANSARDDraft Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2024I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2024. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Murray. There is a…06 Mar 2024