Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCarrier Strike Group DeploymentAs I have said in previous answers, we are on the cusp of issuing the full competition, and we have to be very careful; I do not want another competition to collapse or to be…26 Apr 2021HANSARDCarrier Strike Group DeploymentYes, absolutely. One of the traits of the generation is situation awareness and its ability to process all that data and stealth, but, also, these generations do not stand still.…26 Apr 2021HANSARDCarrier Strike Group DeploymentOn the carbon footprint and the environment, there are a number of initiatives right across Government—as shipbuilding tsar, I am part of steering that—to try to invest in…26 Apr 2021HANSARDCarrier Strike Group DeploymentI hear my right hon. Friend, and we are all concerned when the rules-based system is tested in the way that it is and when aggressive exercising or deployments happen, as we have…26 Apr 2021HANSARDCarrier Strike Group DeploymentI thank my right hon. Friend for his points about sense of purpose, and I think that is right. The carrier is an amazing thing in that it convenes a lot of different levels—it…26 Apr 2021HANSARDCarrier Strike Group DeploymentFirst and foremost, we cannot separate trade from security. We need to secure our trade. The hon. Gentleman’s party’s whole economic basis used to be about exporting oil around…26 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportAbsolutely. It is not only valuable; it makes us who we are. We should continue to do more and more—we recruited more than 1,000 from the Commonwealth this year alone. We should…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportOn the right hon. Gentleman’s last point, it is, “will, should and must understand their sacrifice”. That is really important. Exactly as he said, it was the east African campaign…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportMy hon. Friend raises one of the key challenges in maintaining sites, sometimes in places that have been quite hostile. One of the strengths of how the modern-day Commonwealth War…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportI am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s comments, including those about the elevation of the former Member for Dumbarton. Those of us who knew him in this House will be pleased for…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportI am grateful to my right hon. Friend. He and I share the same thing: some of the sadness and anger that I feel from this report is driven out of being a soldier. He and I know…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportAt present the commission says it is satisfied that its £52 million budget is enough to start that process. However, we will complement that with the time and dedication of our…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportWith permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the special committee review into the historical actions of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, when it was…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportI thank the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) for both his tone and his support for the whole House’s efforts. Obviously, it was the almost single-handed…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportYes, I fully support my hon. Friend. An amazing amount of work is done around the world and at home, in some of the smallest graveyards as well as the big ones that we often see…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportI would go as far as saying that I can agree to make funding available. I will rely on the commissioners—my right hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow, the right hon. Member for…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportYes. The House should be under no illusion: the commission is absolutely determined to see this matter through. There are Members of this House on the commission and they are…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportI would like first of all to place on record that this commission and some of the previous commissions have taken some really strong steps to fix what was wrong when it was…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportI am grateful to the hon. Lady, who prompts me to answer the last question from the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne. We will start the consultation on that at the…22 Apr 2021HANSARD Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Historical Inequalities ReportThe only wars that I am interested in are the ones that we can finish or avoid, or that threaten our values. I do not care where the people we will need to protect us come from…22 Apr 2021