Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsThe hon. Gentleman makes a really important point. I served alongside RUC Special Branch in my time, and I have the highest regard for the RUC officers, many of whom lost their…03 Feb 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsThe Government made a commitment in our manifesto and in other statements to bring forward measures within 100 days to deal with vexatious claims against our veterans. That…03 Feb 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsThe Government recognise the unique commitment that service families make to our country and remain sympathetic to the circumstances of those widows who remarried and cohabited…03 Feb 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsMany Members of this House support our troops, and I hope that they will be able to support all the measures that we bring forward to protect personnel from vexatious claims and…03 Feb 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsAs Her Majesty said in the Gracious Speech, the Government will shortly introduce a legislative package to ensure that our service personnel and veterans have access to the legal…03 Feb 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsMy thoughts are with the injured victims of the Streatham attack and their families, and I express my sympathy and support on the Government’s behalf. I also pay tribute to the…03 Feb 2020HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: Vexatious ClaimsMy hon. Friend will know that it is obviously not for the Executive or the Government to interfere once a prosecution is under way. Prosecutions are a matter for the Director of…03 Feb 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsI stand by the statements I made. I apologise for the time taken to respond to the Committee. The reason is that the original draft reply did not reflect the policy commitment and…03 Feb 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with colleagues in DFID and across the Government to ensure that activity is co-ordinated and mutually reinforced in support of…03 Feb 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityI am grateful for the hon. Lady’s comments. Our support for the US is not unquestioning at all; we talk to our allies a lot. Indeed, I talked to my US counterpart about being told…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityMy hon. Friend makes a point about the deaths of United States personnel. We should not forget, and we should pay tribute to, the 179 UK defence personnel who died in operations…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityI am not going to rule out anything. The UK will do what it has to do to defend its persons—its citizens—wherever it needs to; that is our duty. We cannot say what is in the minds…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityMy right hon. Friend makes a really good suggestion, and I will take it up at the NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting for him. He is right. We already have a number of international…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityNo. The United States has said that it has deployed many of its troops in response to the rhetoric coming out of Iran, to ensure that it protects its forces, and of course that is…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is visiting the United States later this week, when our determination will be to try to seek a diplomatic way out. In that, he will no…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityMy hon. Friend had an excellent record as a Foreign Office Minister. I will ask the Prime Minister at the NSC next.07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityI will get the hon. Lady the exact detail of when, but all the time we are visiting, or trying to visit, with interlocuters, individuals held in those prisons. As she rightly…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityI do not know how to start on that question. The United Kingdom would always seek to follow international law in dealing with threats against it. Within that international law…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityI think the best way we can empower the moderate voice of Iran is to offer the hand of friendship to a way out—to say, “This is not about a war.” We do not want a war. We do not…07 Jan 2020HANSARDMiddle East: SecurityIn the Gulf region we currently have HMS Defender and HMS Montrose—a Type 45 and a Type 23 frigate. We have a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship with helicopter support, and a number of…07 Jan 2020