Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUkrainian Resistance to Russian AggressionAs we can see from our Conservative colleagues, defence spending is a key priority in the leadership race, and I recommend to all leadership candidates who are wanting votes from…18 Jul 2022HANSARDUkrainian Resistance to Russian AggressionWith all due respect to the hon. Gentleman, I will not categorise it in six-month blocks. As long as I am Defence Secretary, we will continue with the investment and the support…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI would like to update the House on the exciting progress of the United Kingdom’s future combat air system programme, Tempest. At Farnborough international airshow this week, our…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsOur plans are to keep Scotland within the United Kingdom, because it is in the best interests of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to all be part of a greater Union…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI reassure my hon. Friend that he will have plenty of opportunity to lobby on behalf of his constituents and others in the south-west. The new medium helicopter competition will…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman’s interest. It is an incredibly important allegation that has been made, which none of us takes lightly. Mr Speaker, you waived at the…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsIndeed it does not, and the hon. Gentleman is perfectly at liberty to table a motion and have a debate in this House. [ Interruption. ] He says, “Come on!”, but I cannot remember…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI will invest in whatever furthers Britain’s national interest. I totally understand where the hon. Gentleman is coming from. He will understand, although perhaps not from the…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsSome of the characteristics that my hon. Friend mentions were not in the speech. The Chief of the General Staff did not say it was perverse to cut 10,000 troops—he did say it was…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe are able to do that, and where we do not have our own stocks, alongside international partners and donors we scour the world to find them and make sure that we have them.…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI took steps immediately to close the gap, if there was one, in that last year we purchased a significant number of new parachutes off the shelf. The hon. Gentleman will be aware,…18 Jul 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI welcome the hon. Gentleman to the House. I would also like to pay tribute to his predecessor as the defence spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, the hon. Member for Caithness,…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsI am sorry that I did not get the memo on dress and attire earlier, Mr Speaker. What next? Flip-flops in the House?18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsNot in the Defence team, Mr Speaker. We shall leave that to others. The Ministry of Defence’s sustained investment in industries across the UK supports over 200,000 jobs.…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsMy hon. Friend asks an important question. Last week, I met the Defence Suppliers Forum, which includes Thales. We work closely together not only to indicate potential investments…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsYes, the defence industrial strategy embraces the social value model from the Treasury in competitive procurement and ensures that tackling economic inequality and equal…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsIt is currently driven by an estimation of threat. As I have said a number of times at the Dispatch Box, if the threat changes, so must we. I do not call an increase of £24…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsOur investment in Scotland was £1.99 billion last year, on projects such as the Type 26 in Govan, the Type 31 in Rosyth, airborne radars and advanced laser munitions in Edinburgh,…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsYes, the fact that the Army will invest £41.3 billion in new capabilities over the next decade—including the likes of Boxer, Challenger 3 and two new major programmes that will…18 Jul 2022HANSARDDefence JobsThey will certainly be integrated in British yards, and a significant proportion will be built there. Let us have a look at what the bidders say; I have not yet seen the bids. As…18 Jul 2022