Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsFirst, we did not necessarily write it, but I read the right hon. Gentleman’s good article over the weekend with the shadow Foreign Secretary, the hon. Member for Wigan (Lisa…01 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI apologise to my hon. Friend for jumping the gun, so to speak. The IRGC and its activities in the region are destabilising. That is why the United Kingdom is investing, along…01 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsToday, I am placing a copy of the Department’s qualitative whole force inclusivity report in the House of Commons Library. It will form part of the evidence the Ministry of…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDreadnought Class Nuclear SubmarineContinuous at-sea deterrence has kept us safe for more than 50 years. I recognise and thank all the personnel involved and their families for the tremendous sacrifices they make,…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDreadnought Class Nuclear SubmarineThe 2020 annual update to Parliament on the United Kingdom’s future nuclear deterrent provides progress details on the Dreadnought submarine programme. The programme, underpinned…01 Feb 2021HANSARDSoft PowerI congratulate my hon. Friend on his work on the British Council all-party group. The British Council is an outstanding institution around the world—indeed, in my opinion there is…01 Feb 2021HANSARDSoft PowerOur armed forces are a force for good, providing security, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping and defence engagement across the globe. They have a proud track record on the…01 Feb 2021HANSARDTreaty on Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsIt may have missed the hon. Gentleman’s attention that other countries, those much less democratic and with much less regard for human rights, are working in the other direction…01 Feb 2021HANSARDTreaty on Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsThe Government did not sign up to it because we do not think it is an effective way of dealing with this. We do think that the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is a more effective…01 Feb 2021HANSARDTreaty on Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsThe Government have been clear that we will not sign the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons. We welcome the US offer to extend the new START—strategic arms reduction…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EquipmentI thank my right hon. Friend for his question. HMS Argus has literally just returned from giving assistance in the Caribbean; she has been helping the populations there deal with…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EquipmentSince taking my post as Defence Secretary I have been absolutely determined to ensure that the figures that both we and the Treasury use are absolutely of the highest quality and…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EquipmentIt is great hearing the right hon. Gentleman trying to turn a £16 billion or a £24 billion increase in defence spending into a cut and finding any way, across the budget, to get…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EquipmentI can certainly confirm that I recognise that many of the benefits of naval procurement are seen in the supply chain; General Electric and other systems providers play a hugely…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EquipmentThe MOD has been leading work to review our defence and security industrial strategy across Government, and we expect to publish the findings of this work in the spring. In our…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EstateThe hon. Gentleman makes an important point. The defence estate optimisation programme was and is planned to unlock £1.4 billion, to be reinvested in an overall plan of a £5.1…01 Feb 2021HANSARDDefence EstateAt the urging of my hon. Friend—the RAF have been in the process of drawing the base down, as he said—we did look at exploring other military uses for that base, but at the moment…01 Feb 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportI visited Donnington at the beginning of this outbreak, where I saw at first hand the Army using their expertise to unload ventilators that had been brought into the country from…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportFirst, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that when we deploy our armed forces we do our best to make sure that we are in the community. Many armed forces are helping in Greater…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportThe hon. Gentleman will know, first, that training days may not necessarily align with the covid task and, secondly, that we have a budget to which we are obliged. There are…12 Jan 2021