Contributions
1,811 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMOD Arm’s Length Bodies: ReformI wish to update the House on changes to arm’s length bodies within the Ministry of Defence, delivered as part of defence reform and the productive and agile state programme.…23 Apr 2026HANSARDAjax ProgrammeThe Ministry of Defence had aspired to update the House via a written ministerial statement on the armoured cavalry programme today. Political channels have requested that this…23 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI ask the hon. Gentleman to look at our record, which includes a Type 26 deal that sustains shipbuilding on the Clyde and investment in a welding school in Scotland that we had to…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank my hon. Friend for the way in which he asked his questions. I notice that the shadow Minister, the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), was agreeing…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI can indeed. The right hon. Gentleman will know, as a Defence Minister in the last Government, the state of the forces that he passed over to this Government. When it comes to…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingThey could have dealt with the black mould in our armed forces kids’ bedrooms. They could have dealt with the broken boilers and the leaky roofs. We have dealt with it as a Labour…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank my hon. Friend for her work, and not just on the armed forces housing issues that she raises; she is also a thorough champion for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Many of its…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank the hon. Gentleman for that Lib Dem proposal. I would be interested to see the detail on who ultimately pays for it. He will know we have made a commitment that, following…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank the hon. Gentleman for his advocacy for our independent nuclear deterrent. It was a shame that when the Liberal Democrats were in power, the decision to renew the…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank my hon. Friend for his service to our country. It is interesting that he mentioned recruitment, because the shadow Minister, who sat on the Government Benches during the…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI entirely agree with every word that my hon. Friend has said. I know he has been assiduous in asking detailed parliamentary questions about the refurbishment and refit of the…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingAs a Devon neighbour, I know the hon. Gentleman’s passion for our armed forces, and it is good to see him wearing his Royal College of Defence Studies tie—an institution of which…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank my hon. Friend for his service to the country. The fact that he has served gives renewed credibility to what he has said. I certainly find it curious that many of the…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingThe right hon. Gentleman is right; we have agreed the NATO target of 3.5% on core defence and 1.5% on national security by 2035. We have agreed that—an important part of it. He…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank my hon. Friend for his advocacy for the Methil yard. He and I meet often to discuss that, and it is good to see the investment that Navantia is putting into it. In…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingThere is a marked change in the approach that this Government are taking to the Ministry of Defence: we want to do more with the Defence Committee, bring it into decision making…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingI thank the hon. Member for his questions. I was robust with the Conservatives about the record they left, but it is also worth noting that when the Liberal Democrats were last in…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingMy hon. Friend does a superb job on the Defence Committee, and he is right to be asking questions of defence. It is precisely because I share many of his views that we…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingMy hon. Friend is right that we need to increase defence spending, and that is exactly what the Government are doing. We have £5 billion extra in our budget this year, which we…15 Apr 2026HANSARDStrategic Defence Review: FundingDeary me, I see the armchair general is out in full force today. Let me personally place on record again my thanks to Richard Barrons, George Robertson and Fiona Hill for the…15 Apr 2026