Contributions
1,320 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewWe certainly have to change the procurement system. The Chancellor and I have already announced in the spring statement the way that we will ensure that the sort of innovation my…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI do indeed; my hon. Friend is right. She is a strong champion for Barrow and its shipyard. As she will know, the investment programme that we have confirmed is about increasing…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewGiven the points that the right hon. Gentleman makes, there are two things that I am surprised he has not welcomed. The first is the historic increase in defence spending that…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI welcome my hon. Friend’s welcome for the strategic defence review, which recognises the threats that we face and maps out the framework for the investment decisions that will…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewWith permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the strategic defence review. I have laid the full 130-page review before the House, and I am grateful for the opportunity…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI will, and I look forward to that visit with my hon. Friend. As the constituency MP, she will know the essential and unique work that the AWE undertakes and know that it supports…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewMy hon. Friend’s city of York has a proud military history, and she speaks strongly of that this afternoon. She is right to recognise the role of diplomacy alongside hard defence,…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI cannot give the hon. Lady a commitment at the Dispatch Box today, but I can say that I take those arguments seriously and hear what she has to say. She is speaking up for her…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewNo and no. The AUKUS partnership is entirely consistent with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and our obligations. The answer is no, because it reinforces regional stability…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI encourage the hon. Gentleman not to read what he has into my remarks. I was simply stating the facts as they are: there is a process under way that has to conclude. That is what…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewThey are indeed the best frigates in the world, and I have been working hard to persuade the Norwegians that joining the UK, with our Type 26 frigates, is about reenforcing the…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewWe are strengthening our armed forces to secure the peace, not to fight the war. We deter the attacks that we fear by being strong enough to defeat our enemy. I say to the hon.…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewWe are doing further work on the nature and needs of our defence estate. It is right that we do that; because we now have a long-term view, we will be able to take better…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI was astonished to learn over the weekend that the SNP Government are withholding £2.5 million in support for Rolls-Royce to set up a specialist welding skills centre. The centre…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewThe hon. Gentleman asks me about the attack subs: our investment is in production capacity, so that we can build at a faster rate and have a double production line in Barrow,…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewOn the contrary, Madam Deputy Speaker, this deal is essential to safeguard operational sovereignty for the UK of the base on Diego Garcia, to allow us to protect within the 20…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI can, and as the right hon. Gentleman knows, Northern Ireland is benefiting already as a result of decisions that this Government have taken, not least with the lightweight…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewI am not sure whether my hon. Friend has tin, lithium and tungsten mines in his constituency, but he is right to point to those natural reserves in this country in Cornwall. He…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewIt is always important that public money is well spent and that we can demonstrate good value for money. We still have some way to go on the reform of defence, but the steps we…02 Jun 2025HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewThose discussions are for the NATO summit later this month. We go into that summit having made a record commitment to invest and to increase defence spending, in two years’ time,…02 Jun 2025