The comments made by Lisa Nandy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, on 23 June 2021.
The Foreign Secretary must urgently come to the House to confirm the validity of these deeply concerning reports and outline what steps the UK is taking to ensure the safety of British forces in the Black Sea.
The comments made by James Heappey, the Armed Forces Minister, on 12 June 2021.
Recent events on St Vincent were a tragedy, but disasters like this are precisely why we have Royal Navy assets deployed to the Caribbean – to provide vital relief and assistance to people there when needed in times of crisis.
Our servicemen and women were able to act quickly and decisively when this request came in, delivering these essential supplies to where they needed to be within hours.
The comments made by Chris Evans, the Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement, on 11 June 2021.
The MoD has failed to reach any of its targets on reducing the size of the defence estate over the past five years, wasting money that should be spent on the frontline.
The MoD has got its priorities all wrong, it has been more focused on internal re-organisations rather than getting to grips with the huge challenges within the defence estate, no wonder they cannot achieve their targets.
There is a pattern within the MoD of setting unrealistic targets, then crossing their fingers and hoping it will be alright on the night. This has to stop, there needs to be a clear strategy in place to ensure the defence estate is fit for purpose.
The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 10 June 2021.
It’s no secret that the US is our closest friend and most important defence partner. Combining the largest defence budget in the world and the largest defence budget in Europe, the US-UK alliance is a bulwark against those that aim to undermine the rules-based international order.
The extra £24 billion of UK Defence spending over the next four years means we have the resources going forward to modernise our Armed Forces and further integrate with allies so we can tackle the threats of the future together.
The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 6 June 2021.
The Armed Forces continue to show their incredible versatility and flexibility, deploying wherever and whenever they are needed in support of this national vaccination effort.
I am delighted to see that across all corners of the UK, military personnel are working side by side with their NHS counterparts to help get the British public vaccinated as quickly as possible.
The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 1 June 2021.
The UK is supporting and reinforcing NATO as we rise to the challenge of tackling hostile states like Russia, whilst also adapting to face new threats – from dangerous cyber attacks to poisonous misinformation, put about by those who want to undermine our way of life.
The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 1 June 2021.
Our recently-published Defence Command Paper placed working with international partners and committing to modernisation as fundamental principles for our Armed Forces. I am pleased that these are principles that NATO shares.
The UK will continue to be one of NATO’s most active Allies. As the Alliance strengthens its approach to deterring the threats of today, looks ahead to the future, and grows its capabilities in new domains, our Armed Forces will be at the forefront of the collective response to shared threats.
The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 1 June 2021.
We owe a debt of gratitude to our interpreters and other locally employed staff who risked their lives working alongside UK forces in Afghanistan.
We have always made clear that nobody’s life should be put at risk because they supported the UK Government to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.
As we withdraw our Armed Forces, it is only right we accelerate the relocation of those who may be at risk of reprisals.
The Home Secretary and I are going to do everything to make sure we recognise their services and bring them to safety. It is the right thing to do.
The comments made by James Heappey, the Minister for the Armed Forces, on 15 May 2021.
This was the first operation of its kind by UN forces in Mali, demonstrating how UK personnel have made a significant contribution to the mission during their first six months in the country.
Removing the weapons and disrupting the terrorist operation will make a real difference to the local community and importantly the intelligence collected will help develop our understanding and help to prevent the threat from armed groups in the future.
The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 7 May 2021.
This represents a huge shift in the modernisation of our land forces through the increased lethality of Challenger 3. This pioneering new technology allows us to deliver immense warfighting capabilities in battlespaces filled with a range of enemy threats.
The £800 million investment will also create hundreds of highly-skilled jobs across the country ensuring our soldiers benefit from the very best of British engineering.