Ukraine and Russia

Debate between Lord Coaker and Lord Austin of Dudley

Tuesday 15th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for his question. Of course, we have to prevent escalation and be careful in the language we use, which I think by and large this House is, because it is aware that a word misplaced can have very serious consequences. I say to my noble friend, however, that we all want a ceasefire in Ukraine. As far as the Government are concerned, the obstacle to that is Russia. Russia is the problem. Let me also say that the fundamental principle for all of us is that any ceasefire should come with the acceptance and support of Ukraine itself. That is an important and fundamental principle. In terms of what comes after, that is why the UK, with France, has been leading the coalition of the willing—the possibility of a multinational force—so that any agreement that is reached has the support of that multinational force, so we can make sure that it is not just written on paper but is secure in any arrangements that it comes to.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the Minister is completely correct to reject the appeasement put forward in the previous question. We have to do everything we can to ensure that Ukraine defeats Russia. That is the only way this conflict is going to be resolved. With that in mind, can the Minister tell me what more we can do to disrupt the flow of Russian oil, which is underpinning Putin’s economy? Russia experts tell me that this will be the best way to put pressure on Putin. What thought have the Government given to taking sanctions and measures against the refineries in places such as India and Turkey, which are refining the oil for Putin?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

First, I thank the noble Lord for his comments about standing up against Russia. The UK Government have made significant efforts to disrupt the Russian economy through sanctions and through various measures that we have taken. I think it is really important to recognise the impact on Russia. Billions of pounds have been sanctioned and many ships have been disrupted, et cetera, et cetera.

This is not often done, but let me just share with the noble Lord the economic impact on Russia so far. The idea is that nothing has worked. Russia’s GDP growth has slowed from over 4% in 2023-24 to around 1% in 2025, with Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development forecasting only 0.4% growth in 2026. That is a significant achievement, I would say, and we need to say more about its impact. Inflation expectations rose in July to 14.7%, their highest level in years. The deteriorating economic picture is directly hitting average Russians, with growth in Russians’ real incomes projected to slow to 1.6% in 2026, down from 7.7% last year. We have also seen the queues that there have been for fuel.

All I am saying is that there is a lot more to be done —I absolutely accept that—but let us also give credit to the impact on Russia of what we are doing as well. At the same time, let us remind ourselves that our dispute with Russia is with the leadership, not with the Russian people.

Palantir: Public Service Contracts

Debate between Lord Coaker and Lord Austin of Dudley

Monday 29th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

My noble friend is quite right to challenge the Government on these incredibly important issues around human rights and how the Government establish their contracts. To be clear about the UK Government, we are talking about a relationship and contracts that are negotiated with Palantir UK. The contracts that we operate with Palantir UK have strict protocols in place. We retain full ownership and sovereign authority over all defence data, including how it is stored, how it is accessed and how it is used. Contracts with suppliers include legally enforceable provisions to ensure that data sovereignty is maintained. I understand the points that my noble friend raises, but with respect to our contracts with Palantir UK, we ensure that the correct provisions are in place.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, given the Government’s decision to partner with Palantir as part of their defence modernisation programme and the role that advanced data and AI capabilities will play in future warfare, does the Minister agree that such technologies are critical to delivering the strategic defence review, strengthening the UK’s ability to respond to hostile state threats and supporting the Government’s wider objectives for growth, innovation and defence-industrial capacity?

UK Defence and Aerospace Facilities: Protests

Debate between Lord Coaker and Lord Austin of Dudley

Thursday 4th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Austin of Dudley]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of protest movements targeting UK defence and aerospace facilities and exports, on the UK’s security and economy, and the supply chains and reputation of the defence industry abroad.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Ministry of Defence tracks risks to the defence sector as part of its routine monitoring of supply chain resilience. Some UK defence companies have faced costs and disruption due to criminal damage and staff intimidation by groups such as Palestine Action. We are working with the police to address those offences and mitigate future risks. Although individual businesses have been affected, the overall impact on defence has been limited, with no significant effects reported on the defence supply chain or the reputation of our world-leading defence industry.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the defence industry is vital to our national security and our economy, not least when we must do more to increase support for Ukraine. It provides thousands of highly skilled and well-paid jobs. We have to stand up for it and support it and the people who work in the industry. It is not just buildings and equipment that have been attacked; workers have been intimidated and police officers have been injured as extremist groups have smashed their way into factories. This is not peaceful protest; it is a violent national campaign. Will the Government put in place a robust strategy to support the defence sector and get the people responsible for those attacks before the courts more quickly, as they were able to do with other examples of public disorder?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes a really important point. Let us use this opportunity to state that it is totally unacceptable for people to act as they have. There is legitimate protest, which this country is proud to facilitate, but we will not allow our bases to be broken into, people to be intimidated and protests to stray into the realms of illegality and violence. None of us in this Chamber would accept that. That is why we have proscribed Palestine Action and why we see people before the courts. We work strongly with the Home Office, the police and others to ensure that those who think that they can do that will face the full force of the law.