Contributions
314 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessI am criticising the decision makers for that decision and, on reflection, I think that others would agree with me. All of this occurred under Conservative Prime Ministers,…23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessI am proud of the record we have achieved so far in Government. I think we all recognise that there is more to do and we are working hard to do that.23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessI do recognise it, and also the wider impacts of the state of the housing that I, like my hon. Friend, had to live in. I also recognise the relentless pressure on our fantastic…23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessIt is on the hon. Gentleman as well. He has questions to ask about his party’s support for defence—for example on its refusal to fund the welding school that would have brought us…23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessI am going to make some progress. RAF pilots recently flew over 3,000 hours of defensive missions, intercepting drones and missiles to protect our people and our allies in the…23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessI am going to make a little bit of progress. I think I have been quite generous. From the High North to the far east, as our world becomes more dangerous, demands on defence grow.…23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessMy hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight those who were responsible for the defence of this country and the decisions they made.23 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Spending and ReadinessI am proud of what we have already achieved in government on defence. We have raised defence spending, despite the record of previous Governments. I am in a position to argue…23 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. I thank everybody who has helped bring to the Bill to this stage, in particular the parliamentary staff, the Office of the…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI thank the hon. and gallant Gentleman for his valiant attempt. I can assure him it is our manifesto commitment, and we will deliver it. I will now turn to new clauses 21 and 22.…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillTo confirm, where the covenant duty is provided by local government, then it will apply. For example, if it provides housing, it applies. I hope that answers the hon. Lady’s…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI will not comment, piece by piece, on what might be in the defence investment plan. We are getting on with the job of making improvements for service families now, and we are…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillWe are committed to publishing the DIP before the Ankara summit in July. Amendment 11 concerns the Defence Housing Service’s budget and the defence investment plan. I hope that…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillFirst, I want to take this opportunity to put on record my huge thanks to my right hon. Friend the Member for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (John Healey) for his service as Secretary…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI am afraid that I have little time, so I must make progress. New clause 17 would exempt certain service personnel and veterans from routine reassessments or reviews of the…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI am afraid that I do not have time, but I would emphasise that what I have outlined does not remove the ability for councils in Northern Ireland to pledge their support as a…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI am very sorry to hear of the challenges that the hon. Gentleman faces. I am very well aware of the issues faced, and we have taken a number of measures to counter them. I will…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillMy hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. Recruitment and retention have both improved, and, crucially, morale has improved, as measured through the armed forces continuous…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces BillI am afraid that I am going to make some progress, because I only have so long. We are delivering Op Valour, a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans to…22 Jun 2026HANSARDArmed Forces DayThis Government are proud to support veterans in Rochdale. I am so pleased that we have been able to provide funding for what sounds like a fantastic Armed Forces Day event. I…01 Jun 2026