Oral Answers to Questions

Damien Egan Excerpts

Monday 10th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Harriet Cross (Gordon and Buchan) (Con)]

18. What steps he is taking to protect undersea infrastructure.

[Damien Egan (Bristol North East) (Lab)]

23. What steps he is taking to protect critical undersea infrastructure.

[The Minister for the Armed Forces (Luke Pollard)]

The Government are delivering for defence with strong measures to protect our underwater critical national infrastructure. We have declassified the activities of the Russian spy ship Yantar. We have called out its activities by saying, “We see you. We know what you’re doing,” and we will robustly defend our critical national infrastructure.

--- Later in debate ---

[Luke Pollard]

The hon. Member is right. We are increasing our defence spending. In the Budget, we increased defence spending by £3 billion, and in the spring, after the publication of the strategic defence review, we will set out a path to spending 2.5% of our GDP on defence.

[Damien Egan]

Our undersea cables are critical to the economy, public services and social order in this country. Given the hostile activity undertaken—the surveying of our cables—can Ministers give assurances that the full needs of our Navy will be reflected in the strategic defence review, so that we can defend our homeland security?

[Luke Pollard]

As a Navy brat and representative of a naval constituency, that is foremost in my mind. It is not just the Royal Navy that defends our critical national infrastructure; in the case of the Yantar, that was done by the RAF, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Navy, as well as a joint integrated operation of all our forces working together to defend our interests. Anyone threatening our infrastructure should be in no doubt that the UK possesses formidable capabilities to defend itself—and we will.