Contributions
270 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDefence: 2.5% GDP Spending CommitmentMy Lords, the Minister knows that defence requires 2.5% of GDP now if it is to avoid cuts in capability and will require even higher spending in future. When the men and women of…14 Nov 2024HANSARDScotlandMy Lords, would the Leader agree that the presence of one of the RAF’s main operating bases on the Moray Firth and one of the Navy’s at Faslane, along with a number of Army units,…04 Nov 2024HANSARDDefence Policy: DeterrenceMy Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Harris of Haringey, with whose remarks I entirely agree. The noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, has asked whether deterrence is…31 Oct 2024HANSARDUkraineMy Lords, this has been a difficult year for Ukraine, with a shortage of weapons and personnel hampering its efforts to deal with the grinding war of attrition that Russia is…25 Oct 2024HANSARDRed Sea: Houthi AttacksMy Lords, one of the things that affect the security of the Red Sea routes, as we have discussed before, is security in the Horn of Africa. With the current inability of Ukraine…24 Oct 2024HANSARDUkraine: North Korean TroopsMy Lords, we read and hear a lot about the military pressure Russia is exerting on Ukraine, but are not the increasing numbers of North Koreans involved in the conflict, along…23 Oct 2024HANSARDPolice: Firearms OfficersMy Lords, some police officers have been found convicted of appalling crimes but many others have given their lives in the line of duty, so there is a difficult balance to be…22 Oct 2024HANSARDTaiwanMy Lords, the Chinese are placing great emphasis on, and putting great effort into, what is known as cognitive warfare, which seeks to undermine the structures, processes and will…17 Oct 2024HANSARDSomalilandIs the Minister satisfied that the UK is marshalling its soft power in a sufficiently coherent way to promote stability and combat malign influences throughout the Horn of Africa?10 Oct 2024HANSARDCombat Air CapabilityMy Lords, as I highlighted in Grand Committee yesterday, on current plans, by 2040 the UK will be down to just three combat air squadrons. Irrespective of the debate over the type…10 Oct 2024HANSARDStrategic Defence ReviewMy Lords, I, too, am grateful for the opportunity to debate the strategic defence review that the noble Lord, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, is leading for the Government. I will…09 Oct 2024HANSARDEthiopia and SomaliaMy Lords, in our helpful debate on Sudan just before the latest Recess, it was generally agreed that the maintenance of a degree of stability in the Horn of Africa was important…07 Oct 2024HANSARDSudanMy Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton of Upholland, who brings great expertise to these proceedings. Indeed, the number and experience of all…13 Sept 2024HANSARDUkraine: Military SupportMy Lords, several months ago, President Macron said that Europe must do whatever is necessary to ensure that Russia does not succeed in Ukraine, irrespective of political…12 Sept 2024HANSARDUkraineMy Lords, does the Minister not find the wording of this Question rather odd, referring as it does to Ukraine and “its war with Russia”, as if there were some moral equivalence…05 Sept 2024HANSARDEmergency Alert ServiceMy Lords, does the Minister agree that one way to ensure that the systems are effective would be to have a proper national resilience command and control structure that carried…05 Sept 2024HANSARDUkraineMy Lords, whatever the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, it is clear that, in the longer term, we will face a hostile and aggressive Russia with expansionist ambitions that go…03 Sept 2024HANSARDMinistry of Defence: ExpenditureMy Lords, we are still awaiting the outcome of the review, and in the light of the undoubted financial pressures it faces, can the Minister assure the House that his department…25 Jul 2024HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, an incoming Government inevitably consider that their predecessor got most things wrong, but the Prime Minister has already conceded that on some issues—Ukraine, for…25 Jul 2024HANSARDTempest Global Combat Air ProgrammeWith the global combat air programme, will due weight be accorded to the importance of breaking into the Japanese defence programme for the first time in any substantial way, with…23 Jul 2024