Contributions
1,082 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD International Immunities and PrivilegesMy hon. Friend was a very good Defence Procurement Minister, and we on the Committee liked him because, crikey, he actually answered the questions. He will know from that…24 Jul 2024HANSARDEconomy, Welfare and Public ServicesThank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for kindly calling me to contribute to this important debate on the King's Speech, after 11 very good maiden speeches and 11 very promising—even…22 Jul 2024HANSARDEconomy, Welfare and Public ServicesOn the matter of mandatory housing targets, having been a constituency MP for 23 years and seen them tried in a number of different ways, may I humbly offer the Chancellor this,…22 Jul 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsT6. That is a smart tie you are wearing, Mr Speaker. How can it be that despite spending billions of pounds on 22 A400M aircraft, we have only one available for D-Day 80? If there…20 May 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsOn a point of order, Mr Speaker, I think my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement may have—inadvertently, I am sure—just misled the House of Commons. Pegasus bridge was…20 May 2024HANSARDUkraine and GeorgiaWe in Britain, relative to the size of our Army, have given more military equipment to Ukraine than anyone. We have now given the Ukrainians all our heavy artillery to help them…15 May 2024HANSARDIllegal Migration Act: Northern IrelandOn the Windsor framework, we told you so. On the judgment itself, legally, all roads lead not to Rome but, in this case, to Strasbourg and the European convention on human rights.…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI, too, participated in that Westminster Hall debate. For the record, this urgent question has been running for well over half an hour, during which not a single Labour Back…14 May 2024HANSARD Defencerose —07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceGovernments should be judged not by what they say, but by what they do. The right hon. Gentleman mentioned the Wedgetail. If Labour were in government, would it specifically…07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceIf I heard the Secretary of State correctly, a few minutes ago he said that we have now gifted all our AS-90 howitzers to Ukraine. We are buying 14 new Archers. We are then buying…07 May 2024HANSARD Defence Personnel Data BreachWell, at least it wasn’t Capita. This will be very worrying for service personnel and their families and for veterans, who will feel disrespected by the fact that the Government…07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceI appreciate my right hon. Friend’s desire to look forward rather than back but, just for the record, does he remember, as I do, that at one point the Liberal Democrat policy on…07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceI am very critical of Wedgetail, but, just as a fact, on Ajax, the initial operating capability for the first vehicles is at the back end of 2025. That is next year, not in the…07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to participate in this important and timely debate on defence. It comes at an exciting time for defence, following the Prime…07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceThe right hon. Gentleman, a former Armed Forces Minister like me, is absolutely right. Many of them still have half their so-called airframe life remaining. As I have said, they…07 May 2024HANSARD DefenceAnother former Armed Forces Minister is right, and he will know that the effect of the dollar exchange rate on buying so many big off-the-shelf items from the US has cropped up…07 May 2024HANSARDImmigration UpdateI welcome the statement and, in particular, the news that in some categories at least immigration is finally beginning to fall. On asylum specifically, the Irish Foreign Minister…01 May 2024HANSARDDefence SpendingAjax.24 Apr 2024HANSARDDefence SpendingI commend the Secretary of State for obtaining this massive £75 billion increase in defence, which theoretically would allow us to buy 20 new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft…24 Apr 2024