Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateYes, it does. It is in the departmental name: Defence. We have to do it and keep ourselves safe, but never forget that our allies are part of that process.22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateOn the hon. Gentleman’s last question, no one is scrapping the expertise in DFID—they are just merging the two Departments—so I think that expertise will remain. The aid is…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateThe hon. Lady cannot shake her head. She is part of the Labour party, and the Labour Government cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds paying compensation—predominately to…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateThe hon. Lady is right to identify the concerns that we all have, but it is not as straightforward as she might think. If I were to go to Syria and take people against their will,…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateFortunately, the flow of foreign fighters into Syria has almost dried up, but it is the case that in the United Kingdom and elsewhere we see people still aspiring to travel. When…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateI regularly speak with my Turkish counterpart and make my views known to him about what I think is the most appropriate response in that region. I understand, on the one hand,…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. I am happy to publish, probably in the autumn, a threat assessment—I will probably put it out as a written ministerial statement in the…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateThe hon. Gentleman will know that the Government published an online harms White Paper about a year ago. It is really important that we encourage or make internet service…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateWith permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to give a counter-Daesh update. I should like to begin my statement by paying tribute to the commitment and professionalism of…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateAs long as the Iraqi Government wish us to be there, to support them and help them in their defence against Daesh, we will be there.22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateMy hon. Friend asks a really important question. There are two areas: first, working with international partners through the UN and this investigation team to see what cases can…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateWhen we are engaged in targeting, as the hon. Gentleman will probably know, we are very, very careful to make sure that we adhere not only to international law but all the…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateWith our deployments in the Strait of Hormuz we participate in constabulary duties, including patrols and so on, and we work with our allies, such as the United States. Where we…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateYes, I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. The assurance that I can give is that we tailor the size of our forces to the threat and the need. Currently, we have only 150…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateYes, of course we should uphold that commitment. I will make sure that, subject to the covid interruption, we return to that. I put it on the Government website every time a…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateThe United Kingdom will follow international law and we will do whatever we have to do to keep our nation safe. Of course, it is always our preferred outcome to prevent people…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateI am fighting. I spoke to Lord Robertson of Port Ellen about his quite excellent defence review in 1998. We have all been around that block. It is important that we fight for the…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateWhen my hon. Friend was in the Foreign Office, she did an excellent job crafting the Africa strategy, from which we still work. Just so that Members realise that I have not just…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateI can give the hon. Gentleman the commitment that we are absolutely determined to help those people who share our values and have a key part to play in the reconstruction of that…22 Jul 2020HANSARD Counter-Daesh UpdateMy hon. Friend is right always to talk about the fear of mission creep. I believe the best way to ensure that mission creep does not happen is by Secretaries of State and…22 Jul 2020