Contributions
1,811 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDefence Investment PlanLet me be very clear. The Defence Secretary is currently with His Majesty the King, and he will be in the House this afternoon to make a statement on the operations over the…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanWe are increasing defence spending. The budget this year is £11 billion more than the budget in the last year of the Conservative Government. We are ending the hollowing-out, but…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI thank my hon. Friend for her work, and not just on lobbying for the DSRB—as an MP for a military town, she champions not just the Army but local businesses in her patch. We are…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI thank my hon. Friend for his question —we have discussed Aeralis in the past. We are committed to the Red Arrows, and there will be a competition to replace them, as well as the…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanFirst, let me be very clear with the right hon. Gentleman—who I have a lot of time for—that the new Defence Secretary is someone who served our country in uniform. He served in…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI remember sitting where the Leader of the Opposition is now when the then Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, described the hollowing out and underfunding by the Conservative…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI have a lot of time for the hon. Gentleman, and he will know that much of the DWP budget that he describes pays pensions and benefits to those who cannot work. Where people can…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI thank my hon. Friend for her work. She is not only a good voice in support of the armed forces in her constituency, but one of the loudest voices in support of the Royal Fleet…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanHMS Broadsword was quite a ship. I remember going on her when I was growing up in Plymouth many moons ago—and that is a good example of what we are doing. We are having to retire…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanMy hon. Friend is right: I have had many good times in Filton and Bradley Stoke, not only with the amazing people who work at the National Armaments Director Group at Abbey…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanAll of them.15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanYes, we will be publishing the DIP ahead of the NATO summit, as the Prime Minister has been saying for a number of weeks, and it will not just set out the kit and capabilities.…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanThat sounds like a very good description of the procurement record of the Government of which the hon. Gentleman was a member when he was a Conservative, but let me say this very…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanIt was a scandal that so many of our armed forces personnel were being asked and required to live in accommodation with black mould, broken boilers and leaky roofs. It directly…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI am here to talk about defence policy rather than the Labour party leadership, I am afraid, but let me be very clear: the Prime Minister has set out his desire to spend more on…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanWorking with NATO partners is a key plank of how we increase the deterrence and security of the United Kingdom. In the past few days, I have had conversations with our friends in…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanIt is the same answer that I have given for quite some time: the defence investment plan will be published ahead of the NATO summit in only a few weeks’ time. I join the hon.…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanMy hon. Friend is assiduous in raising the people involved in tech. I have visited Suffolk, which is an area where SMEs do really well; indeed, I have been to a Ukrainian drone…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI have a lot of time for the right hon. Gentleman. He and I are on different sides of the Chamber, but we made the case for increased defence spending during the last Parliament,…15 Jun 2026HANSARDDefence Investment PlanI thank my hon. Friend for his work with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. It is important not just that we have a Labour Government with a NATO-first approach, but that…15 Jun 2026