Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
Artificial Intelligence: Vaccine Technology
My Lords, if this technology is used for malign purposes, it does not really matter whether that happens in the UK or elsewhere in the world. What action is being taken and how confident are we that there is scope for international agreement, particularly among the major players on the international…
Lords
Proceedings
7 July 2026
British Industry and Services: Public Procurement
My Lords, it is reported today that Lockheed Martin is buying Ultra Maritime, a company which makes important underwater capabilities and should be of personal interest to the Minister. That company was formed when two long-standing, brilliant British defence companies were taken over by Advent, an …
Lords
Proceedings
11 June 2026
Bosnia and Herzegovina
My Lords, if you have ever seen a ballerina stationary en pointe, you will know that, unaided, she can hold the position for only a couple of seconds. It is simply too unstable. To sustain it for longer, she must be supported by others. This, it seems to me, is a fitting analogy for the political si…
Lords
Proceedings
8 June 2026
UK Defence Capability
My Lords, the focus has been on the defence investment plan, which is, of course, crucial, but does the Minister agree that capability is not just about capital investment? Resources expenditure, which is treated differently, is crucial. It pays for the fuel and spares that our people need to conduc…
Lords
Proceedings
21 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, in his speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, the Prime Minister warned of the dangerous time in which we live. He went on to say:
“In the 1930s, leaders were too slow to level with the public about the fundamental shift in mindset that was required. So we must work harder …
Lords
Proceedings
21 May 2026
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda: Ebola Outbreak
My Lords, signals matter, to friends as well as to enemies. No matter how the Government now seek to parse this decision, they have created the perception that their appetite for sanctions will be limited by the degree of pain the measures cause us. Does the Minister think that sending such a very b…
Lords
Proceedings
21 May 2026
Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions
My Lords, signals matter, to friends as well as to enemies. No matter how the Government now seek to parse this decision, they have created the perception that their appetite for sanctions will be limited by the degree of pain the measures cause us. Does the Minister think that sending such a very b…
Lords
Proceedings
19 May 2026
Defence, Security and Resilience Bank
My Lords, does the Minister recognise that, when we refer to the defence industry these days, we are talking not about the traditional defence companies but about industry much more widely? We have seen clear examples of this in the Ukraine war. Will he therefore ensure that whatever multilateral fu…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
National Emergency Plan for Fuel
I cannot speak in any detail for the Ministry of Defence, but the noble and gallant Lord can be assured that the question of bunkering and keeping supplies, particularly of jet fuel, is very much directed in conjunction with both civil aviation and military requirements. The question, as he implies,…
Lords
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
Online Challenger Banks
I thought I was going to be able to agree with everything the noble and gallant Lord said—right up until the last sentence. I agree with 99% of his question, and I absolutely agree that access to finance for defence firms is incredibly important. The instances that he cites are troubling, and I shar…
Lords
Oral Questions
21 April 2026
Sudan
I think it would be great to have much more focus globally on the conflict in Sudan and the suffering of the people of Sudan. That includes the public consciousness in this country, because, in the end, that does help force political focus internationally as well. But there is no doubt that the conf…
Lords
Proceedings
16 April 2026
Strategic Defence Review: Funding
My Lords, I offer my sympathies to the Minister for being put up, once again, to defend the indefensible. Would he agree that the people of this country have a right to expect their leaders to, well, lead? The need is not in doubt. The Prime Minister goes to places such as Munich and gives very eloq…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
HBOS: Fraud Investigation
It is very difficult to disagree with what the noble and gallant Lord says, and I am sure I agree with much of it. Substantial protections were put in place in terms of financial services after the financial crisis that he described, and those protections remain; that is, adherence to international …
Lords
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
UK Homeland Defence
I say to the noble and gallant Lord that, of course, we await the defence investment plan, but we are not waiting for it before we do things. I have pointed out the investment we have made into some air defence systems already, but he is quite right to point out that we need to make progress at pace…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
UK Space Economy
I very much agree with the noble and gallant Lord that the UK’s geography can provide particular advantages to the whole of Europe and to NATO. We are very committed to supporting the development of spaceports. Last week, I announced a further £20 million to support the development of spaceports in …
Lords
Proceedings
4 March 2026
Security Update
My Lords, does this not reflect the flaw in the approach of successive Governments to China? They have all said that we will engage with China where it is appropriate, trade with it where it is appropriate and contest it where it is appropriate. That would be fine if those things came in separate bo…
Lords
Oral Questions
4 March 2026
Taiwan
I entirely agree with those observations from the noble and gallant Lord. That is, as he knows, a priority area for investment and engagement. It is not just the status of Taiwan that we take seriously in that region; it is all the various things, which he knows better than I do, that might threaten…
Lords
Proceedings
3 March 2026
Gibraltar Treaty
Can I ask the Minister a point of clarification? I think I understood him to say this in his opening statement. Is it the British Government’s legal position that the nature of entry requirements to Gibraltar is a matter for the Gibraltar Government and not the UK Government?
Lords
Oral Questions
3 March 2026
Defence Industrial Strategy 2025: Economic Growth and Job Creation
I accept the point with respect to the publication of the defence investment plan. As the noble and gallant Lord will know, that will be published as soon as it is ready. Look at what has been happening. Noble Lords across this Chamber demanded that the Government spend money on Leonardos, and we an…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)
My Lords, I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for his measured, calm chairmanship of the European Affairs Committee, and I welcome his successor, the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, whose military experience will, I am sure, be up to dealing with the lot of us.
I served in Brussels fo…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
2 contributions
British Military Equipment: Chinese Components
My Lords—
I think my noble friend Lord Coaker has run out of ways to say, “It’ll be along soon”, so perhaps I should just say, “It’ll be along soon”. On the wider question that the noble and gallant Lord raises, it is absolutely true that these components are central, not just to defence industries, as he kno…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Changing Weather Patterns and Floods
It is important that we invest through the water companies in improved infrastructure. One problem in this area is that so much of our infrastructure is old and has not been updated, which is why we have so many issues with our sewerage system and run-off into our watercourses. The Government are co…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
I understand the way the CCP might see planning decisions in this country, but we operate under a legal framework and have to stick to the law. We cannot make exceptions just because it happens to be an application by a foreign Government.
Lords
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Royal Navy: Caribbean
I thank the noble and gallant Lord for that question. As he knows, we have published the national security strategy, which goes much wider than national security strategies have in the past. On his specific question, I am very happy to find out whether that analysis has been undertaken and come back…