Contributions
1,320 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsOn the eve of the 40th anniversary, we remember the sacrifice in liberating the Falklands and we reaffirm the significance of the islands to our future security. During the…13 Jun 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsBut did the Defence Secretary even ask the question when he was in Ukraine last week? Four weeks ago, a Minister said that “we are working with the Government of Ukraine to…13 Jun 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityCheck the record.19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI would agree with the contention that possession has helped to hold the peace, but as my right hon. Friend the Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) has just pointed out, possession…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityBefore I give way, may I in parenthesis say to the Secretary of State that the House is still looking forward to the figures that he promised to lay in the Library on 25 April…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI am grateful for the progress report from the Secretary of State on that commitment, which I think he implies remains.19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI do indeed, and I am sure that my hon. Friend also discussed Norway’s contribution to the joint expeditionary force set up in 2015 and led by Britain, which the Secretary of…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI will indeed, but then perhaps I had better get on with my speech.19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityThe hon. Gentleman is exactly right. One of the most useful and effective weapons for the Ukrainians has proved to be the British-supplied Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityMy right hon. Friend is right. Clear and consistent communication is part of having an effective deterrent in place. It is not simply about the weaponry at hand.19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI think that it does. It requires a steady flow of orders, it requires a stronger commitment to design and make in Britain, and it requires a long-term strategy so that defence…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityMy right hon. Friend is right in many respects. Some of the most significant arms reduction and arms control treaties have been negotiated and signed by this country under Labour…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI am not sure whether the right hon. Gentleman means to catch your eye, Mr Deputy Speaker, but he makes several important points. His last point, on low tech, is right. In many…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI see it not as a big problem but as a necessary response. The right hon. Gentleman is right about the paralysis of the United Nations; that is because Russia is one of the five…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityOf course the hon. Gentleman is right, but the first and most acute threat, underlined by the brutal invasion that Putin has undertaken in Ukraine, is where our first duty lies.…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityMay I start by paying tribute to the men and women in Britain’s armed forces, who are deployed across the NATO alliance as part of their policing operations, multinational…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityI will give way to the right hon. Gentleman and then underline the point that I have just made.19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityNo one on our Front Bench or in the House would disagree with that analysis. Our response was too little, and it was regarded as too weak. It was certainly too little and too weak…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityMy right hon. Friend is right. I really do not want to make these sorts of points this afternoon, but the Prime Minister declared in recent months, before the Ukraine invasion,…19 May 2022HANSARD NATO and International SecurityIndeed, there is certainly a willingness to threaten to use such weapons. The escalation of President Putin’s rhetoric at times in this conflict has been reckless. That requires…19 May 2022