Contributions
4,303 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMiddle EastCan I be absolutely clear about the basis upon which the request was acceded to yesterday? It was the collective self-defence of our allies and the protection of British…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastYes, we are working at speed on that. It is an important point, and it is important that we do so. I remind the Conservatives that they hollowed out our armed forces. It was this…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastNo. Our decisions were made to protect British citizens and British nationals, and I stand by those decisions.02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI thank my hon. Friend for raising the concerns of her constituents, and I understand just how worried they will be, as will all our constituents who are in the area. That is why…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe deal secures the islands so that they can be used for the important purposes that they are used for. It was vital that we got the deal; otherwise, we would not be able to…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastWe have already put extensive sanctions in place, and we keep the situation under constant review.02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI thank my hon. Friend for that reminder. I did mention it in my opening statement, but she is quite right that we must be clear that we will protect all those who need our…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastWe have been very clear: the future of Iran must be for the Iranian people, and in the end the question of nuclear weapons will have to be negotiated. We will always ultimately…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe right hon. Lady asks about contingency plans for UK nationals. I can assure her and the House that we are working at speed with our partners in the region to take whatever…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, and I agree with the way that he puts it. It is important that we acknowledge that the Iranian people have been brutally repressed for…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI assure my hon. Friend that I spoke to the President of Cyprus yesterday, and I am hoping to speak to him again later today. I repeat what I said earlier, because it is important…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastWe are not equivocating. Pilots have been in the sky since Saturday morning, hours after the attack, risking their lives. I am grateful to them for doing so. They went straight up…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. This Government do not believe in regime change from the skies. The lessons of history have taught us that when we make…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI agree with the hon. Gentleman that the regime is abhorrent, for all the reasons that I have already set out, but I think he is saying that because of that, it is perfectly right…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastWe are having conversations with allies about de-escalating the situation and about how we get back to negotiation. In the end, at whatever stage it is, that will have to be part…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastThe decision was taken to allow the bases to be used to protect our nationals. It is worth considering the alternative, which is to recognise the risk to our nationals, have the…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastIt doesn’t. It is the simple use of bases operationally that has been agreed, as of last night.02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI thank my right hon. Friend for that important question. Ukraine, sadly, has more expertise than anyone in dealing with drones. That is why we are putting Ukraine’s expertise and…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastI thank the right hon. Member for his question. I agree that the response of Iran has been outrageous, particularly the hitting of countries that played no part in the strikes. We…02 Mar 2026HANSARDMiddle EastIn relation to the protection of our citizens, we will obviously continue operating defensively in the air in the region, taking out the missiles, drones and strikes. We have…02 Mar 2026