Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Daniel Zeichner Excerpts
Monday 18th January 2016

(8 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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The Secretary of State was asked—
Daniel Zeichner Portrait Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)
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2. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of UK withdrawal from the EU on defence and national security.

Julian Brazier Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Julian Brazier)
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This Government believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the European Union. The cornerstone of our security, however, is NATO, while the EU plays a significant role in complementing NATO—for example, in imposing sanctions on Russia. Defence remains a sovereign issue.

Daniel Zeichner Portrait Daniel Zeichner
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The Prime Minister recently told us that he was

“in no doubt that for Britain the European question is not just a matter of economic security, but of national security too”.

Was he right or wrong?

Julian Brazier Portrait Mr Brazier
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The Prime Minister was quite right that our relationship with our European partners plays a very important role in defence.