Contributions
589 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD DefenceI am more than happy to pay tribute to the Royal Anglian Regiment. I served in the Royal Green Jackets, which was another infantry regiment—it is now the Rifles, I say to my hon.…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI agree with my right hon. and learned Friend. I am probably going to get into trouble by saying that—thankfully the Whips are not listening at the moment, so I can get away with…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI say this out of interest, rather than because it is where I want to go, but the United States has the War Powers Act, which obliges the President to go to Congress to seek to…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceMy hon. Friend makes an important point. The chances are that when someone joins the armed forces, they are single and have little responsibility. As they move ahead in life, they…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI am pleased to hear that, and I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he does in his constituency—I have joined him there and am aware of those important contributions. I…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI pay tribute to those who serve and step forward in Northern Ireland. The hon. Gentleman knows that I have visited his neck of the woods a number of times, and I am very grateful…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI am pleased that we are holding this debate in the Chamber, because I have never had such interest when we discuss these annual updates of support for the armed forces up in…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI do agree, and that goes to the heart of what we are debating. It is important that the disciplinary aspects of the armed forces continue; because they change, we are obliged to…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceMy hon. Friend cites an acute example of exactly what we are doing. HMS Jufair is a fantastic illustration of our having permanent exposure, with a permanent facility, and of our…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceWe have touched on the long-established reputation of our armed forces in defending not just our shores, but our values. At this juncture, I would comment on how the world is…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI fully concur. It was a pleasure to participate in the Year of engineering last year. It is important that we encourage STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering and…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceMy hon. Friend makes an important point. As we discuss upgrading and recommitting the existence of our armed forces, it has traditionally been around those conventional…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI am on the record as saying that we need to spend more than 2%, as that is a very arbitrary target. Ultimately, the important thing is whether people turn up for the fight as…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI will try to make some progress if I may, after this last intervention.18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceThe hon. Gentleman makes my point for me. There are no accepted rules, and post Brexit Britain and the rest of world collectively need to recognise that. From a NATO perspective,…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI will not give way. I need to make progress because I am getting that look from Madam Deputy Speaker—other hon. Members want to participate as well. It is important to recognise…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI would not want the hon. Gentleman to mislead the House and say I was somehow not supportive of the Government. I am absolutely, of course, supportive of the Government—a loyal…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceThis has been a far more thorough and wide-ranging debate than I imagined it would be, and I welcome that. I hope that in future years, when we come to update the House on the…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI am afraid that I do not have time to take interventions. The hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Martin Docherty-Hughes) mentioned peacekeeping, and anyone in uniform will…18 Feb 2019HANSARD DefenceI am looking around the Chamber, and I see that there is life after the armed forces, with so many characters who have served and ended up here. That is fantastic. On a more…18 Feb 2019