Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 December 2025
2 contributions
Ajax Armoured Vehicle
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the latest developments concerning Ajax and other Army vehicles.
Thank you for granting this urgent question, Madam Deputy Speaker.
May I state how shocking it was to hear of the Army exercise that took place on 22 November that resulted in more than 30 casualties among soldiers operating Ajax? There have been reports of symptoms ranging from sickness to hearing…
Commons
Debate
4 December 2025
War in Ukraine
May I begin by congratulating my constituency neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich and North Essex (Sir Bernard Jenkin) on securing this important debate, together with his co-signatories, the Chair of the Defence Committee, the hon. Member for Slough (Mr Dhesi), the hon. Member for Leed…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 December 2025
Northern Ireland: Legacy of the Past
I am grateful to the Committee for its report and to the hon. Lady for her statement. Further to the question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), protections for veterans really mean a lot to those who served in Northern Ireland. It is impor…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Armed Forces Chaplains (Licensing) Measure 2025 (HC 1454)
Abuse Redress Measure 2025 (HC 1455)
It is a real privilege to respond, Mr Mundell. As shadow Defence Secretary, this is my chance to pay tribute to our armed forces chaplains. I will not detain colleagues for long, but the chaplains are very important. I understand that there are 332 in total, of whom 195 are Anglican.
This year, lot…
I will not detain the Committee long, but I echo the Commissioner’s tribute to the victims and survivors of abuse who have participated in the process of drawing up the new Measure. I will not delve into the history but I note that, while not at 100%, the support in the Synod for this Measure was ov…
Commons
Proceedings
25 November 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I seek your guidance about a piece of so-called ministerial correspondence that I have received, which is the worst I have ever had the displeasure to receive as a Member of Parliament. I am serious.
Mine is a rural constituency and the family farm tax is …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
COP30
Because Putin invaded Ukraine!
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
G20 and Ukraine
Will there be another statement?
Commons
Proceedings
20 November 2025
2 contributions
Russian Ship Yantar
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of lasers by the Russian spy ship Yantar.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question. I echo what you said: it is unacceptable that we are getting the Minister’s update on a major national security incident 24 hours after the Secretary of State gave his press conference. Have Ministers learned nothing from the total shambles o…
Commons
Proceedings
19 November 2025
Point of Order
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your guidance on an important matter of national security. This morning, the Secretary of State for Defence gave a speech on television—I think it was in Downing Street, not in the House—about a very serious incident in which, he said, a Russian spy ship has t…
Commons
Proceedings
5 November 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wonder whether you have had any notification of a statement from the Ministry of Justice, and in particular from the Justice Secretary, about our interaction earlier and the very serious case that it now relates to. I have strong reason to believe that th…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
5 November 2025
11 contributions
Engagements
May I begin by associating myself and the Opposition with the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks about the terrible, horrific attack in Huntingdon? We wish a speedy recovery to those still in hospital and pay tribute to the brave actions of the public and the police.
Overnight, the father of the girl …
Watching the interview last night was absolutely heartbreaking. I have to say, I do think the Deputy Prime Minister owes it to the family to offer an apology here on the Floor of the House— [ Interruption. ] But he should have done it at the start of his remarks.
These are very serious matters, whi…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
In the Secretary of State’s strategic defence review statement to Parliament on 2 June, he said that the defence investment plan would be
“completed and published in the autumn.” —[ Official Report , 2 June 2025; Vol. 768, c. 72.]
Will he keep that promise?
The Secretary of State did not answer the question. I am afraid the worry is that it is yet another delayed defence Command Paper. That prompts the obvious question: what exactly are the Government delivering for defence except delayed defence Command Papers? Is not this the truth: they are putting …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
Drone Procurement
According to their own written answer, the Government ordered only three drones for the British armed forces in their first financial year. At June’s Defence oral questions, I suggested that Labour could find the money to buy drones at the scale we need by scrapping the crazy Chagos deal. They rejec…
Commons
Debate
29 October 2025
Sentencing Bill
The position that the Minister seems to be articulating is literally bizarre. He has said that he fully agrees about the problem and with the remedy set out by my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan). The Government have had 14 years in Opposition and more than a year in Governm…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 October 2025
UK-Türkiye Typhoon Export Deal
I am grateful to the Minister for providing advance sight of his statement. I strongly welcome this very important news for UK fighter production. Combat air has historically been the largest component of UK defence exports, and few nations can hope to sustain such an advanced industrial base purely…
Commons
Proceedings
10 September 2025
2 contributions
Russian Drones: Violation of Polish Airspace
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question. May I begin by expressing our total solidarity with the people of Poland? The Opposition stand shoulder to shoulder with the Government in support of our strong NATO ally. Poland is a great nation, and a great friend of Britain. Our thoughts …
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
I am grateful to the Minister for early sight of both his statement and the hard copy document. Before I respond to the statement, may I express on behalf of the Opposition our wholehearted condemnation of the latest drone attack on Kyiv, the largest of the war, with small children among the dead? I…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
Does the Secretary of State agree that recruitment to the armed forces must be based solely on merit?
I totally agree, but is that not why we should be concerned that the contract for the new armed forces recruitment service
“includes Annual Mandated Performance Indicators focused on enhancing equality and diversity within the workforce”?
Those are to be annually mandated in the contract. My conce…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
2 contributions
NATO Defence Spending Target
I congratulate the hon. and gallant Member for North East Derbyshire (Louise Sandher-Jones) and the hon. Member for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) on their promotions. I also send my best wishes to the right hon. Member for Liverpool Garston (Maria Eagle); it was always a pleasure to w…
Interestingly, the answer is not 3.5%, it is not 3%, and it is not even 2.6%—those are the figures we declare to NATO; they are not from the Ministry of Defence budget. As the then armed forces Minister, the hon. Member for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, confirmed to me last week in a written answer…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
3 contributions
Use of Drones in Defence
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I know you take a great interest in these matters because you served on the Defence Committee when I was a Minister, and I am sure you regard this debate with great interest.
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and …
The Minister is making a fascinating speech, and he knows that I am as interested in this subject as anyone. On the naval point, it was an incredible moment in May when a Ukrainian naval drone downed a Russian Su-30, I think. Does that not point to some of our looming procurements—for example, futur…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Ukraine
I am grateful to the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. I join him in paying tribute to the outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who, as he says, has given such impactful leadership and support for Ukraine. I also send my best wishes to his successor as …
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
3 contributions
Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
It is a great privilege to respond to today’s debate. I am grateful to all hon. Members for their contributions. As many have said, the Pacific campaign of world war two is often referred to as the forgotten war, but that is far from the case today. We in Parliament remember that epic and brutal the…
I totally agree with the hon. Gentleman. I always make the effort to recognise the contribution of the whole of our Union to our armed forces on all fronts in the second world war and throughout the history of our military.
As I have said, many colleagues have spoken about their family connections.…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 July 2025
Ukraine
I am grateful to the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement.
It was less than a month ago that the United States undertook a bombing raid on Iranian nuclear facilities—one of the most significant military actions undertaken anywhere in the world for years. With such developments unde…