1 Alan Gemmell debates involving the Ministry of Defence

Tue 10th Sep 2024

Ukraine

Alan Gemmell Excerpts
Tuesday 10th September 2024

(3 days, 5 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Healey Portrait John Healey
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The right hon. Gentleman makes his very strong points in his customary way. This is about not retaliation, but self-defence, and he is quite right to say that the impact of the “moral” often outweighs the impact of the physical. When I updated the House on the physical—the 900 sq km of the Kursk region that is now in Ukrainian hands—the “moral”, or morale, impact on Ukrainian troops and Ukrainian citizens has been huge, so just as it is putting pressure on Putin, it is also lifting the spirits of Ukraine after nearly 1,000 days of a bloody battle against Putin’s invasion.

Alan Gemmell Portrait Alan Gemmell (Central Ayrshire) (Lab)
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The Secretary of State spent the last Sunday of the election campaign in Prestwick, near our town’s world war two Polish war memorial. Within days, he was in Odesa and has stepped up and sped up the support that the UK is delivering. Does he agree that we have started as we mean to go on and that this Government will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes?