Contributions
1,320 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMiddle EastI can indeed. I hope my hon. Friend, and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and their military, realise that the steps we took well before this war broke out to reinforce…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastAs I have said, the missiles that were fired in the direction of Diego Garcia fell well short. One came down, and one was brought down well short. The specific capabilities of…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI am proud to say that there are interceptors in the skies above Ukraine now that have the British hand and British production behind them, working closely with Ukraine. The…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI can indeed. As I reported to the House, we have the highest levels of force protection in place, and they are reviewed daily by the Chief of Joint Operations, who reports to me…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe right hon. Gentleman makes his case. He knows, as I do, that our British services have foiled around 20 sabotage or assassination plots with the Iranian hand behind them on…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle East“Working flat out” means working flat out, and we are working flat out to finalise the defence investment plan.23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI do not think anyone can doubt the determination of the Prime Minister to prevent such actions or to take the action required when such activities are going on. I can give the…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI will certainly write to my hon. Friend with the detail, but the House can rest assured that this issue is foremost in our mind. We have a system in place that is doing exactly…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastWe will.23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThere is no use—there has been no use—of Prestwick airport for US bombing strikes.23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI don’t know why he swallowed a fly, and I do not know why the hon. Gentleman imagines that there is a tug of war, especially when he can look at the Government’s record over the…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThat issue is a part of the discussions, particularly those being undertaken by the Foreign Secretary and her team, that we are having with Gulf nations and with Lebanon, and the…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI reject almost everything that the hon. Lady has said. We will not get drawn into a wider war. The decisions that we are taking are de-escalatory and defensive, not escalatory,…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastAn extra £1 billion is being put now into integrated air and missile defence for Britain. That was not part of the previous Government’s plans and it stems directly from the…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe House will have heard me say that we already have autonomous minehunting capabilities in the region and we are looking to reinforce them. I guess the right hon. Gentleman now…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI reassure my hon. Friend, as she invites me to, that the permissions that we have given are for operations that are defensive, in the sense that they are directed only at Iranian…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI can indeed. My hon. Friend is right: our purpose is the defence of British personnel, our bases, our interests and our allies in the region. We will continue to make decisions…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe hon. Gentleman is right to draw the attention of the House to Lebanon. Like him, I am gravely concerned about the conflict and the situation there. Like him, I strongly…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI can indeed. I appreciate my hon. Friend’s concern. We are investing in more counter-drone technology and more closed circuit television, and we are tightening up the base…23 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe safeguard is the established system of granting access, basing and overflight. That established system builds in throughout—not just afterwards—the reassurance, checks and…23 Mar 2026