Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSpecial Forces: Independent OversightAn interesting angle for special forces. I am not sure we are going to put a special forces base in Angus. We absolutely want the best technology. We recognise that international…21 Sept 2020HANSARDSpecial Forces: Independent OversightIt has been the long-standing position of successive Governments not to comment on the operations activity of the UK’s special forces, as to do so would put personnel and…21 Sept 2020HANSARDOverseas Territories: Covid-19 SupportThe Home Secretary and I announced at the weekend that the criteria for interpreters to relocate to the UK will be expanded to include those who resigned on or after 1 May 2006…21 Sept 2020HANSARDPrivate and Mercenary Military ForcesOur adversaries’ use of mercenaries and proxies is growing and undermining stability in the middle east, north Africa and more widely. It is not just Russia’s widely reported use…21 Sept 2020HANSARDPrivate and Mercenary Military ForcesThe Department keeps all threats to the UK and its allies under regular review, including those from private and mercenary forces.21 Sept 2020HANSARDOverseas Territories: Covid-19 SupportSince the start of the pandemic, Defence has provided a range of support to Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, Ascension, Saint Helena and our overseas territories in the Caribbean.…21 Sept 2020HANSARDHybrid and Cyber-enabled Threats: Covid-19The Government take disinformation incredibly seriously; that is to say, we focus on disinformation, not misinformation. Disinformation is deliberately laid, often by hostile…21 Sept 2020HANSARDHybrid and Cyber-enabled Threats: Covid-19The MOD is developing protective measures to rebut, contest and respond to foreign hostile state activity against UK interests at home and abroad. We continue to work with others…21 Sept 2020HANSARDBeirut: Humanitarian SupportDefence diplomacy is incredibly important in making sure that, as my hon. Friend says, the assistance delivered on the ground gets to where it needs to go. It is also incredibly…21 Sept 2020HANSARDBeirut: Humanitarian SupportWithin days of the explosion, Defence deployed HMS Enterprise, the first foreign ship to reach Beirut, in order to survey the blast zone and share crucial data on hazardous…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsHezbollah is proscribed—the political wing as well as the military wing. Real, New and Continuity IRA, and all the other dissident republican groups, are also proscribed. The…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsOn the timing of the review, it will hopefully report in the autumn—in October/November time. To ensure that our pockets match our ambitions, it is timed to coincide with the…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsWe are going to have a multi-year integrated review that sets the course for the next few years so that we can settle down and face tomorrow’s threat, not yesterday’s threat.…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsI hear what the hon. Gentleman says. Of course, he may have missed the Type 31 frigate and the Type 26 ships that are being made in Scotland. He may have missed Faslane, although…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsI think that I misheard. I thought the shadow Secretary of State was talking about the position that we inherited in 2010, which was underfunded and over-ambitious—indeed, there…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsThe mistake of all the defence reviews—including the 1998 one, which was exceptionally good, and Lord Drayson’s review—was that they were not matched by funding. The Labour party…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsDefence Intelligence uses its 4,500 exceptionally talented staff to collect, analyse and exploit intelligence. By working internationally and with other Departments, it is able to…21 Sept 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Capability: Future Security ThreatsThe Ministry of Defence is examining its capability requirements through the integrated review, guided by Defence Intelligence’s understanding of the threats we face now and in…21 Sept 2020HANSARDLegal Protections for Armed Forces Personnel and VeteransToday, I am announcing the publication of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) analysis and response to the 2019 public consultation on “Legal Protections for Armed Forces Personnel and…17 Sept 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateThe hon. Lady makes a really good suggestion. I am no longer the security Minister, but I think that it is something we should definitely look at. We changed the law to make it…22 Jul 2020