Britain and International Security

Not threats—the threat.

We face a number of threats—that is obvious to everybody. We cannot choose between them. They are...

My right hon. Friend has mentioned a number of operations on which I had the honour to serve. Alt...

I welcome my hon. Friend and parliamentary neighbour to his place in this House. He brings a weal...

The OECD is this month considering whether to re-categorise official development assistance so th...

There are a number of measurements, including the OECD one and the Stockholm International Peace ...

Given the breadth and scale of the operations that the Secretary of State is describing and the f...

I can confirm that Future Force 2020 is still our strategy. Reserve recruitment is now increasing...

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the sensible and pragmatic way in which he is dealing with...

I hope that my hon. Friend will recognise that we are rebuilding our forces, not least our reserv...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

rose—

I am in the hands of the House, Madam Deputy Speaker. I know that other Members want to speak, bu...

As a proud new recruit of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I look forward to gaining first-...

I absolutely agree. That is what the Prime Minister calls a “full spectrum” effect. We have to de...

Does the Secretary of State accept that there is a large defence capability gap, and does he now ...

Tough decisions were taken back in 2010, but let me tell the hon. Gentleman that the maritime pat...

I start by welcoming the new Chair of the Defence Committee, the right hon. Member for New Forest...

Before my hon. Friend moves on to the more general issue, will he clarify the fact that the House...

My right hon. Friend’s well made point is crucial to the debates that we will have in the House. ...

Unless I am very much mistaken, the hon. Gentleman is preparing the ground to move the Labour par...

The right hon. Gentleman asks a fair question, but he should also reflect on what I have tried to...

We both know that the Defence Secretary, for some considerable time—as long as he has been Secret...

I accept that point. Of course the situation in Syria is complex, as I stated earlier. All I say ...

As well as top-quality armed forces we also need the best security services, both at home and abr...

My hon. Friend makes an important point about intelligence. We in this House are proud that our i...

It has been touching to receive so many messages of congratulations on my becoming Chair of the D...

I am a former member of the Defence Committee. The right hon. Gentleman will recall a report from...

I hope to be able to continue that degree of far-sightedness in future.

I am sorry to interrupt my right hon. Friend to make such a tiny point. It is most kind of him to...

My hon. Friend is, in my eyes, as gallant as they come.

In my hon. Friend’s intervention, h...

Far be it for me to defend the BBC, since it has done so little in Scotland recently to merit def...

I am extremely grateful to the right hon. Gentleman, who anticipates the very next point I was go...

I seem to recall that the vote was actually not to intervene, but to keep the option of intervent...

I am afraid I have to disagree with my hon. and gallant Friend. If the vote had been carried, int...

rose—

Order. Before I call the next speaker, it may be helpful to know that I hope not to impose a time...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. You have no idea how joyful it is to hear those words spoken and...

I very much agree with the right hon. Gentleman that if there were to be a military strike agains...

I am coming on to explain exactly why I am sceptical about that argument. I would be delighted, h...

No. I am just listening.

I am glad that I have captured the attention of the Labour Front Bench, and I hope what I have sa...

I entirely agree that with my right hon. Friend that the situation is extremely complex. Every Me...

I do agree with my hon. Friend. I could, if I wished, spend a great deal of time talking about Tr...

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Gordon (Alex Salmond) and to take part in th...

rose—

I have almost finished.

May I end on this point? On Sunday night, I shall attend an Iftar a...

I add my voice to those of other Members who have said that it is time for all of us, including o...

A death cult.

It is more than a death cult. It is worse than that, because its members are interested not just ...

My hon. Friend rightly mentions the quality of the weaponry that the peshmerga and the Kurdish fo...

I agree entirely. That was the point of my intervention on the Secretary of State earlier.

...

I was in Iraq on Friday. I had an opportunity to speak to the Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan,...

I look forward to seeing the details. No doubt, as a Select Committee member in future, I will be...

As the hon. Gentleman suspected, I was not arguing for military action. I was merely saying that,...

That is true, although we can never be certain about anything. As we have seen throughout history...

rose—

Order. I know that hon. Members are better at arithmetic than this. Seven or eight minutes is not...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will be bang on time.

Nobody should underestimate the se...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I will give way, but I am not a right hon. Friend.

The maintenance of international security depends to a great extent on countries working together...

I thank my very hon. Friend for her intervention, and I entirely agree with everything she says. ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Forgive me, but I am really up against the time and I want others to have time to speak. Because ...

rose—

I will give way, as the hon. Gentleman is a very old friend of mine.

I thank the hon. and gallant Gentleman for giving way. We have identified cybercrime and terroris...

He was my very old friend. [Laughter.] Of course I disagree with him. The point is that, when we ...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to address the House today. May I start by r...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to make my maiden speech during this important de...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Bolton West (Chris Green). I was elected at the sa...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Islwyn (Chris Evans). My heartfelt sympathies go o...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to make my maiden speec...

What a privilege it is to follow the hon. Member for Dundee West (Chris Law) and his excellent ma...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that if countries want the cover, they have to be prepa...

They are not mutually exclusive. We need a benchmark figure to show we are serious and that we ar...

rose—

We are stretching over the seven minutes now. If we can do up to seven minutes, everybody will ge...

If you will allow me, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to mention the extremely dignified behaviou...

The Trident-sceptic and Europhile hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound) has the ability to...

I intend to devote most of the time available to me to the situation in the middle east, but firs...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg), who made a very thoughtful c...

rose—

Order. May I suggest that hon. Members speak for just six minutes?

4.7 pm

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee), who has, as always, ...

rose—

Has the hon. Gentleman been here for the debate?

I have been part of the main debate from the beginning.

Does my hon. and learned Friend rec...

I recognise that, and I am coming on to it, although it is always difficult to condense—

The hon. and learned Gentleman is out of time.

It is always difficult to condense a longer speech into a shorter speech, but I will take the inj...

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I wish to focus my remarks on three areas...

I am pleased to follow the excellent speech of my hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury (John Glen...

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in today’s debate on the defence of our country. I joi...

This has been an important debate at a very appropriate time to be considering Britain’s security...

I begin, as I am obliged to, by acknowledging my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Inte...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I apologise but I will not because I have a lot to get through.

My right hon. Friend the Me...