Taiwan
Debate between Lord Stirrup and Lord Lemos
Lord Lemos (Lab)
As I said, the Government will always put national security first. We are taking seriously any risks to Taiwan and to the status quo. However, I do not think the noble Lord would expect me to comment specifically on China and its attitudes; that is a matter for the Chinese Government. As I have said, we do not want to see any unilateral change in the current situation.
Lord Stirrup (CB)
My Lords, China is deterred from taking military action against Taiwan not by the rules of an international order with which it fundamentally disagrees but by the prospect of the hard power retaliation that it would face in such circumstances. Given that, does this not underscore the importance of the UK’s work to bolster security arrangements in the region, in particular to develop hard power capabilities such as through AUKUS and the Global Combat Air Programme?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
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 maritime routes. We support UNCLOS, as he knows. As far as defence and security are concerned, we are very alive to concerns about that region.
British Military Equipment: Chinese Components
Debate between Lord Stirrup and Lord Lemos
Lord Lemos (Lab)
My noble friend raises a very important point, which is the basis of a very live and active discussion within government at the moment. I have already mentioned the launch of the critical mineral strategy. I want also to draw attention to the urgency and the energy with which this problem is being addressed. The UK and the US signed an MoU on critical minerals in Washington DC on 4 February, only three weeks ago, and this will help secure supply in the mining and processing of critical minerals. I also want to address my noble friend’s question about our work with partners and allies. Our long-standing and trusted relationships with our partners and allies around the world, including Japan, are one of our strongest—both hard-power and soft-power—assets. We are engaging very actively with Australia, including early discussions on collaboration on its critical mineral strategic reserve project. We are also working, as I think my noble friend would expect, with NATO, Five Eyes, AUKUS, Canada and France.
Lord Stirrup (CB)
My Lords, the fact that 85% of all drone components worldwide come from China illustrates the urgent need for a more resilient supply chain. The development of such a supply chain depends on the placing of orders in the appropriate industries to build up their capacity. In the UK’s case, the placing of such orders seems to depend on the defence investment plan. When are we going to see this elusive document?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
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 knows, but to the whole economy—to phones, laptops and all sorts of things. That is why the Government are putting such effort and such energy into a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. I can say, even in advance of the defence investment plan, that we have committed to public investment in the national critical mineral strategy. We are not just relying on the markets and private investment.
Royal Navy: Caribbean
Debate between Lord Stirrup and Lord Lemos
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I do not know the exact answer regarding presence, and I am very happy to find out more and come back to the noble Baroness, but what I do know is that we work closely with the JIATF. We maintain close co-operation through a UK liaison officer embedded with the US Joint Interagency Task Force in Florida, ensuring effective co-ordination with allies in counternarcotics activity. I cannot overstress the importance of this activity and the joint work that we do. It has direct relevance and benefits for the streets of all our towns and cities.
Lord Stirrup (CB)
On a slightly wider point, the Joint Interagency Task Force South is acknowledged in America as the gold standard of interagency co-operation—something that is not necessarily all that common there. Have the Government conducted any analysis of whether there are any lessons to be drawn for the United Kingdom in cross-government working in the context of international security? If they have not done so, will they undertake to do so?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
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 to him, but he knows of our wider commitment to national security and increasing defence capacity.
El Fasher
Debate between Lord Stirrup and Lord Lemos
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank my friend the noble Lord for that question and for his constant advocacy of this important subject. He has brought it to our notice before, and I agree entirely with his view that we have not spent enough time on it in the past. Let me set out where we are now. As he rightly says, we are the penholder at the UN Security Council and we have consistently advocated for a ceasefire, the protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access. Those have been our strategic commitments throughout. There will be an urgent UN Security Council meeting today, Thursday 30 October, called by the UK as penholder, and this was only agreed overnight. That is, as it were, breaking news, and I am pleased to report it to your Lordships’ House.
In November 2024, the UK and Sierra Leone prepared a UN Security Council resolution addressing the protection and humanitarian crisis in Darfur. This was vetoed by Russia, despite support from every other Security Council member. The UK welcomes the efforts of the Quad—the USA, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE—in seeking a resolution to the conflict in Sudan. The Quad statement issued on 12 September is a significant development. We stand ready to support the Quad’s effort.
Lord Stirrup (CB)
My Lords, the UAE is probably the only country able to exert significant leverage on the RSF, given the level of its support for them and the fact that it is the repository for most of the wealth of many of the RSF’s leaders. The UAE does not seem inclined to pursue an end to the fighting in Sudan, but would it be possible at least to get it to pressure the RSF to allow sufficient humanitarian aid and medical care into Darfur to the people who need it? Otherwise, the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there will only worsen.
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble and gallant Lord for that important question. The Government’s view is clear: external support to the SAF and the RSF only fuels the conflict. We continue to emphasise to all parties the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. We ask all those with influence over the warring parties—including the members of the Quad, of which the UAE is one—to bring them to the negotiating table to seek a political resolution. I may say more about this if noble Lords ask me about it, but the most important thing is humanitarian access.