Contributions
860 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDefence ExportsMy right hon. Friend is a great advocate for British engineering and British defence jobs. There is an awful lot that is good about our Astute programme, but I am not going to…20 Sept 2021HANSARDDefence Sector JobsAs you will be aware, Mr Speaker, the legislation that we passed broadening the scope in which intervention can take place was cleared through this Parliament and is ready to be…20 Sept 2021HANSARDDefence ExportsWe have a number of close relationships, including through the Five Eyes, that we pursue on a global basis. We have an extremely close relationship with France, with whom we are…20 Sept 2021HANSARDFleet Solid Support Ship ContractThe final contract for the manufacture of the fleet solid support ships will be awarded to a UK business, either solely or as part of a consortium. We have been clear that a…20 Sept 2021HANSARDFleet Solid Support Ship ContractWe are engaged with the consortium as a whole. I would have to check for the right hon. Gentleman on the finer points of where exactly the contract lies within that consortium,…20 Sept 2021HANSARDFleet Solid Support Ship ContractI was so flattered to be awarded the creative writing award by the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) that I was perhaps too kind. There is an awful lot that is great…20 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementI reassure the hon. Member that DSTL has been engaged, but Millbrook has an international reputation. As I said in the statement, one of the recommendations likely to come through…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementThat is a good question from my hon. Friend. I can absolutely reassure her that the safety panel has been convened and has been working through the summer to find a way to allow…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementTo reassure my hon. Friend, I am sure General Dynamics will be very aware of this discussion. I did say in the statement that I had met the chairman and chief executive of GD in…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementSpecifically to reassure my hon. Friend on that point, we are not waiting for people to come to us. We are going out to the 310 service personnel we have identified in various…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementAs my right hon. Friend knows very well from his experience, this is an important platform for the future of the British Army, and it really will help us deliver against the…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementEarlier this year I made a point of saying that, on Ajax, I did not want any IOC to be declared without its going through my office to ensure that I personally, as well as…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementI thank my right hon. Friend for his courtesy and generosity to me personally. Can I reassure him and this House that I will stop at nothing in making certain that we do get to…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementI know the hon. Gentleman is a keen supporter of General Dynamics and employment in his constituency in south Wales, and he will appreciate what I was saying earlier—I meant it…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementMy hon. Friend hits the nail on the head. That should always be the case. I do not think we should need a health and safety report to remind us of that, but I look forward to the…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementIt is fair for the hon. Gentleman to refer me back to what the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) said. Ajax is a highly sophisticated technological…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementTo date, 310 have been identified as being at possible risk. We therefore want to ensure that all of those 310 are given the opportunity to have tests, though we cannot require…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementI reassure my hon. Friend that this is a firm price contract. It is a good contract. We have gone over it, as he can imagine, and there is a requirement for GD to produce the…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementWhat we have with General Dynamics is a firm price contract. That means that it has undertaken to deliver 589 vehicles for a set specification, and we have undertaken to pay it…09 Sept 2021HANSARDAjax Armoured Vehicle ProcurementThank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I was smiling merely at the sporting analogy, which I do not think is appropriate. I have already mentioned the MPA’s valuable role, and I am…09 Sept 2021