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3,765 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesIn Gaza, no one wants to see the conflict go on a moment longer than is necessary. We support a ceasefire, but it must be a sustainable ceasefire that will last. That is what we…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesWe are calling on Hamas and using our influence with their partners in the region to release hostages, and we are making sure we get as much aid into Gaza in the interim, because…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesWe are the fifth largest donor to the UN appeal in Yemen, with a billion pounds since the conflict started. We are providing food to at least 100,000 people every month. It is a…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right; the linkage is with the behaviour of the Iranian regime. We agree with the US assessments, and I can reassure him that we are working closely…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesAs I said, no one wants to see the conflict in Gaza go on a moment longer than is necessary. We support a ceasefire, but it must be a sustainable ceasefire that will last. That…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI thank my right hon. Friend for his support and his comments. He is right that this is not a decision I took lightly, and right to point out that publicising an action like this…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, and reassure him that the action we took was—I believe—necessary, but it was limited, proportionate, and in keeping with international…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI thank the hon. Gentleman for being, I think, the first Member on the Opposition Benches to remind the House that Hamas still holds 100 Israeli hostages—it is good that he…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. If Putin were to succeed, it would not just embolden him, but embolden our adversaries around the world, and that is why it is important that…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI say to my right hon. Friend that we want to see the long-term future of a two-state solution where Palestinian and Israeli people can live side by side in security and freedom,…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI did not completely follow what the hon. Gentleman said, but I said that our actions in this case were specific to the case at hand. We acted in self-defence because there were…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesThat is an excellent point. In a word, yes. That is why we have invested £2.5 billion in rebuilding our stockpiles. Beyond the money, we do need to build our defence industrial…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI think the hon. Lady’s characterisation of what we did was not right. It was not bombing Yemen; it was taking targeted, limited action against Houthi military sites that were…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesObviously, the hon. Gentleman will respect the fact that we do not comment in depth on the choice of targets, but we do use carefully calibrated intelligence, in conjunction with…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesWe have been investing in anticipation of the threats increasing, which is why at the last spending review the Ministry of Defence received a £24 billion cash increase—the largest…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesMy right hon. Friend makes a very good point about the interconnectedness of the world. The instability that we see, whether it is in the Red sea or, indeed, the illegal war…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI agree with everything my hon. Friend says. He is absolutely right that there is a risk in inaction. To have done nothing in the face of these attacks would have been to damage…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesAgain, the hon. Gentleman has wrongly linked and conflated the situation in Israel and Gaza with the illegal attacks by the Houthis on innocent commercial shipping. That is simply…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesAs I said, we are deeply concerned about the devastating impact of the fighting in Gaza on the civilian population. Too many people have lost their lives already, which is why we…15 Jan 2024HANSARDDefending the UK and AlliesI thank the hon. Gentleman for his support. He is right about the importance of working with our allies. He will have seen that all the countries he mentioned are joint…15 Jan 2024