UK Amphibious Capability

I could not agree more. At this point, we need to agree what capabilities we need, and then what ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the black hole is of the Government’s own making? In 2013, they in...

We need to be very clear about how big the hole is in the equipment budget. That has not happened...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is not only the cuts to equipment such as Albion and Bulwark th...

I could not agree more. Having visited our Royal Marines in the Arctic to observe their training,...

This comes after the loss of a landing ship dock auxiliary from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Largs B...

My hon. Friend has pre-empted the next paragraph of my speech. Why on earth, having spent £7 bill...

The hon. Lady is making an extremely powerful point, which makes me ask why we would cut the serv...

I could not agree more. Our Royal Marines work day in, day out—40 Commando and all the others—to ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the fleet protection role that 43 Commando plays in securing our n...

I could not agree more. I have visited 43 Commando and seen up close the work that it does protec...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I am so sorry; I have just finished.

Order. A glance around the room indicates that a large number of hon. Members are trying to catch...

Mr Gray, I am grateful to be called in this important debate, which relates to one of the most im...

The Royal Marines are also extremely good value for money. That has to be included. They comprise...

I believe they are extremely good value for money and extremely capable, but this still brings us...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I congratulate the hon. Member for St...

We don’t!

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard). He ...

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. I think today is about history. If we do not learn our lesson...

I partly agree with the hon. Lady. If we went back to history, we would still have cavalry, becau...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I congratulate the hon. Member for St...

I call Johnny Mercer.

10.4 am

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

Mr Gray will do. Mr Speaker might object to you calling me that.

I am so sorry; I am half asleep. It is only a matter of time.

I want to make three really c...

So why are you a Tory then?

That is an interesting intervention —in fact, I am just going to ignore it because it was pretty ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman and fellow member of the Defence Committee for giving way, but may I s...

Order. In the context of UK amphibious capability, Johnny Mercer.

I take the point. All I will say to that is that while I am here, I am determined that we will se...

Like everyone else, I want to start by thanking my colleague and friend, my hon. Friend the Membe...

We have 15 minutes left for five speakers. I call Leo Docherty.

10.15 am

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray, and I am grateful to the hon. Member ...

I thank the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Ruth Smeeth) for bringing this issue to the Hou...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is vital that the Department, the Minister and the Treasury und...

Yes, that is exactly right. We in this debate are all saying the same thing.

Our Royal Mari...

It is a genuine pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I congratulate the hon. Membe...

Order. This is a little wide of the topic.

I found out two weeks ago that of the Army’s current strength of 70,000, almost 18,000 soldiers f...

I thank the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Ruth Smeeth) for bringing this debate to the Ho...

It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I shall be brief; there are jus...

I congratulate hon. Members on their self-restraint. We have heard 11 Back Benchers between the o...

It is very good to see you in the Chair, Mr Gray. I thank my colleague on the Defence Committee, ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that, given that the Government designated 2017 as the “Year of the Nav...

Of course I totally agree with my hon. Friend.

Let us turn to our allies. The Kingdom of th...

Order. The hon. Gentleman’s speech must be on the context of the UK amphibious capability.

It is an important point, Mr Gray, about the accounts—

Order. That does not matter. The hon. Gentleman’s speech must be on the context of the UK amphibi...

While many will talk convincingly about the need for tough decisions to be made on amphibious cap...

Order. The hon. Gentleman must contain himself to the UK amphibious capability. He may not talk a...

I think I was, and I will continue to do so.

Three distinct and unique capabilities underpi...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Certainly. I am looking forward to this.

Hon. Members have already mentioned the reaction of our allies, especially the Americans, to pote...

I will just let that one hang there—

It is where you are headed. You choose!

Yes, the United States recognises that you will not have one, because you cannot afford it.

Order. Please finish briefly, Mr Docherty-Hughes.

I know that many hon. Members—including the Chairman of the Defence Committee, the right hon. Mem...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Mem...

Labour’s 1998 strategic defence review defined the optimum capability for amphibiosity in the UK ...

My hon. Friend makes his point well; I agree absolutely. Let us also bear in mind that the marine...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Ruth Smeeth) on securing this debate—the...

Will the Minister give way?

I am very conscious of time here, but I will give way very briefly.

I thank the Minister for giving way. She has talked about speculation, but will she confirm or de...

I can confirm that there have been press reports. [Laughter.] I can also confirm that we are one ...

Will the Minister give way?

Members are eating into my time, but I will give way to the Chair of the Defence Committee.

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way, but she does seem to have moved into discussing gen...

I can indeed confirm that I not only wrote those words but recall writing them.

Does that remain the position?

I have already made it very clear on the record what today’s position is. [Interruption.]

W...

Will the Minister give way briefly?

Members are very much eating into my time, Mr Gray, but I give way.

I thank the Minister very much for giving way. Of course, the resources that keep us safe are una...

Well, Mr Gray, I really do not know where to start with that intervention, because the hon. Membe...

Order. If I may, I will nudge the Minister gently back towards UK amphibious capability.

Indeed. In our national security capability review, we seek to understand how to spend that growi...

On a point of order, Mr Gray. We have had a very good debate this morning. A lot of questions hav...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that point. Of course it is not a point of order; the Min...

Mr Gray, in considering how I respond to this debate, I am very conscious of the lack of time ava...

First, I thank all right hon. Members and hon. Members for contributing to this broadly consensua...