Contributions
4,303 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI thank the right hon. Member for his comments. There is an appetite now for a different discussion about our future relations with the EU—whether that is trade, education and…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI am very pleased to hear that, and to be able to make that clear commitment. But I want to emphasise that this is the continuation of the work of the previous Government, which…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI am grateful for that question. This came up in the discussions last Thursday, as would have been expected, with a joint resolve to provide the support and framework needed for…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsYes, I can confirm that and emphasise just how important it is. We had the honour of hosting President Zelensky at Downing Street on Friday, where I was able to make that clear,…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsThis is a real problem that we have inherited because not enough attention has been paid to border control in my view. Record numbers have come this year. The measures taken by…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsAs the hon. Member would expect, we took the most careful advice and subjected it to the most careful consideration, because we were concerned, as anyone in this House would be,…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsThe approach to capability taken by the UK remains the same as it was three weeks ago— no different decisions have been taken—and is based on the principle of recognising…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsYes.22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsLet me start by joining in that, and making it clear that this work, done in so many communities, is really important, in terms of the support given and the welcome shown to…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI am proud of the commitment that we already make to NATO on 2%. As would be expected, we did have a discussion at the NATO council on the need for all NATO members to make that…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI do not think the deal we have is good enough. If we talk to any business that deals with the EU, they complain it is not good enough for them and has made trade harder, not…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsBefore I start my statement, I would like to pay a short tribute to President Biden, a man who, during five decades of service, never lost touch with the concerns of working…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI thank the right hon. Member for that question. First, I was able to make clear our unshakeable commitment to the nuclear deterrent, something I did in opposition. I have been…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI was able to have early discussion about the EU-UK trade arrangements of a preliminary sort. There is an appetite for that discussion—no one pretends that it is an easy…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI think the relationship can improve. We can have a better relationship, but I do not think we can simply ignore the referendum and go back into the EU. In the discussions I had…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsOur armed forces provide huge resource to NATO, particularly in Europe, and across our armed forces we are fully committed in almost every respect to NATO. There is huge room for…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsYes on both points. A number of months ago, in Swindon, I was struck by the incredible contribution of Ukrainian women, who were leading workshops on businesses and success. On…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsI am grateful for that question. Important progress was made at NATO on sanctions, and it is important for the House to have regular updates, so we can commit to giving the next…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsLet me deal with both points. First, conflict resolution did come up, because we had a full discussion about illegal migration—the law enforcement aspect of it, as I have…22 Jul 2024HANSARD NATO and European Political Community MeetingsYes I do, and the command is based on the work I did as Director of Public Prosecutions, working with law enforcement and security and intelligence sharing with our allies—in the…22 Jul 2024