Middle East: Defence

Baroness Curran Excerpts

Wednesday 11th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

We had no request from the region for a Type 45 destroyer. We made our own sovereign decision, on the basis of the intelligence and of the threat we perceived, to get a Type 45 there as soon as we could. People worked around the clock in order to deliver it there. Other assets were sent both before and during and will continue to be sent to deliver the defensive effect we want. That will be enhanced by the Type 45. Our assessment is that that needed to go, and we made the decision last week to send it and make it ready as soon as possible.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

My Lords, I associate myself with the gratitude and thanks to the armed services that has been expressed by all Members of this House. I ask my noble friend the Minister directly, does he agree with me that the British people understand that the responsibility of the British Government and the Prime Minister is primarily to protect British interests? Does he also appreciate that British people are worried at the moment about the military and economic consequences? Therefore, do the Minister and the Government have a clear plan to communicate with the British people and reassure them that the Government have a steady plan to protect British interests and the military and economic interests of the British people going forward?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

That is the whole basis of how the British Government are operating and of the decisions we are taking. The noble Baroness is quite right that the decisions we take are in the interests of the British people, both here and abroad, and obviously of our Armed Forces. We have a clear plan to do that. That is why we will operate only in a self-defensive way, because we do not want to escalate the situation. We are calling for de-escalation, which is the way to do it. We are also considering some of the economic impacts and how we might mitigate them.

A point I often make is that when you take action, it has consequences. When you do not take action, that also has consequences. So, sometimes a decision you make is based on your best assessment of how to deal with a particular situation. Our assessment, while not agreed by everyone, of the offensive action on the Saturday, was that it was not the right time to participate with the Americans and the Israelis. But, when the indiscriminate retaliation happened from Iran, with the attacks on numerous states across the region and their requests to us, the further request from the US was a reasonable one for us to allow it to use the bases to provide the self-defence that is so necessary.

Defence Industrial Strategy 2025: Economic Growth and Job Creation

Baroness Curran Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

It is the turn of the Conservative Benches.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

On the last point, of course munitions are important, as we see particularly at the moment. That is why the Government are investing £1.5 billion in six new munitions sites. Thirteen sites have been identified, they are being reviewed, and we will come forward with those munitions sites so that we have them available. Again, that is money being invested. We are also talking about small and medium-sized businesses. We know that the future is not just in the big primes but in small and medium-sized businesses. That is why we have set up within the Ministry of Defence an organisation to drive that growth. Small and medium-sized businesses are crucial, and we will develop those as well.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

My Lords, I agree that we should judge the Government on what they do. My noble friend the Minister has referred to the £10 billion defence contract with Norway to build Type 26 frigates, which has for the first time in many years brought sustainability to the shipbuilding industry on the Clyde. I ask my noble friend the Minister to double down on commitments to make sure that the jobs and investment that flow from this benefit all in Scotland, most particularly those in deprived communities. I ask him to set up a taskforce to make sure that all Scots and all people in the west of Scotland benefit from this—as I say, particularly the most deprived. This Government are taking action; let us make sure that people get the benefit of that action.

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for the question. I will consider her suggestion to ensure that the most deprived communities benefit from the investment. That is why we have the skills agenda and why Scotland has a defence growth deal. My noble friend will know that nearly 12,000 jobs are dependent on MoD investment in Scotland and that on the Clyde and in Rosyth we are seeing significant investment. This Government will drive that investment forward.

Armed Services: Sexual Violence

Baroness Curran Excerpts

Tuesday 9th December 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Curran]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what support is offered to victims of sexual violence in the armed services.

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

My Lords, people who choose to serve their country deserve to do so free from fear of abuse. The Defence Serious Crime Command has driven improvements to victim care and investigations since its establishment in December 2022. The Victim Witness Care Unit has delivered independent, exemplary care to victims of crime since launching in 2023. We have partnerships with several charities providing independent support, and we are further strengthening this with an independent legal advocacy pilot and improving access to medical support following an incident, so action continues.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend the Minister for that very helpful reply. Are all complaints of sexual harassment and assault recorded? How are they monitored, and is the Minister aware of what percentage leads to disciplinary action or prosecution?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for her Question, which I think is of importance and interest to us all. As I said, various units have been set up to deal with this problem. The MoD publishes annual statistics for sexual offending within the service justice system, and the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces reports on complaints of sexual harassment. In 2024, there were 294 criminal investigations into sexual offences, including rape and sexual assault, compared to 251 in 2023. Additionally, 37 cases were transferred to the Home Office police. A further 10 cases were recategorised as non-sexual offences but remained within the service justice system and were handled by commanding officers. The Service Prosecuting Authority brought 61 charges for sexual offences in 2024 based on cases received that year. I hope that is helpful to my noble friend.

Defence Spending: Scotland

Baroness Curran Excerpts

Tuesday 29th April 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Curran]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact in Scotland of increased defence spending.

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

Scotland plays a vital role in the defence of the United Kingdom from strategic Ministry of Defence sites such as His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde and RAF Lossiemouth. The new defence industrial strategy seeks fully to harness the potential of these spending increases across Scotland and the United Kingdom, using defence procurement and investment actively to generate wealth, boost export potential and increase and create high-quality jobs.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply. I know that he is in high standing in the defence sector in Scotland. Will he consider the establishment of a specific, proactive programme of employment within deprived communities to ensure that the benefits of increased investment in the defence industry are shared by all of Scotland?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that suggestion, which I will certainly ask the Ministry of Defence to consider. The increase in defence spending gives us a huge opportunity not only to protect our country better but to generate jobs and increase wealth across the regions and nations of this country. The idea of trying to ensure that deprived communities, particularly in Scotland but across the whole of the UK, benefit from that is something any Government should take seriously, and I certainly will take that back to the MoD.