UK-France Relations Debate
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Calvin Bailey
Main Page: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)Department Debates - View all Calvin Bailey's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
UK-France Relations
Calvin Bailey Excerpts(1 day, 11 hours ago)
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Chris Murray
The hon. Gentleman is right that, strategically, our interests are aligned, even when there are key issues. I will come on to migration in just a second.
Mr Calvin Bailey (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech that highlights his love for and expertise in this subject. One of the greatest threats to our shared security is from Russian sub-threshold activity, which could well escalate further later this year. Through the Franco-British Council—my hon. Friend and I both work with it—I have been working with the Royal United Services Institute and the Institut Montaigne on ways that the whole of both our Governments could work more effectively against that threat, including through joint National Security Council meetings—
Peter Dowd (in the Chair)
Order. I am sorry, but this is an intervention, not a short speech.
Mr Bailey
I will try and be sufficiently brief this time. The French have a very tight-knit strategic culture—something that we do not understand—that centres on European autonomy and being able to protect our interests as Europeans. Does my hon. Friend agree that that strategic culture is something we must relearn, post our Suez lessons, and that it should shape our outlook going forward?
Peter Dowd (in the Chair)
Order. I remind the hon. Gentleman that it is now 4.22 pm and the Minister has to speak, so I would be grateful if he could start to wind up.