Ukraine
Debate between Keir Starmer and Jim Allister(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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The Prime Minister
I agree with all that, and I think the House agrees with it, too.
Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
I note with great appreciation the order for Thales in Belfast. With Europe collectively being a long way short of self-sufficiency in defence, and with Putin more than likely to seek to exploit that deficiency, do the security guarantees required from the US effectively equate to those that would arise under article 5 of NATO? Is that the order of what we are talking about?
The Prime Minister
NATO membership is a form of guarantee; article 5 is a form of guarantee. There are different ways in which the guarantee can be put in place, but what is important is that it is effective and that those in Europe who are leading on this do it in conjunction with the US, so that Putin knows the severe risk that he takes if he breaches any deal that may be arrived at.
Defence and Security
Debate between Keir Starmer and Jim Allister(1 month, 4 weeks ago)
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The Prime Minister
I agree with my hon. Friend. These are difficult decisions with very real consequences, which I acknowledge. As an earlier contributor said, though, the alternative to action is inaction, and in the light of the last three years and particularly the last few weeks, inaction would be completely the wrong thing for our country and our continent.
Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
I absolutely agree with the Prime Minister that this is an important moment for our nation, and I welcome the rebalancing of expenditure towards defence. However, does he agree that the success of our national security posture will be judged not by percentages but by the strength of the deterrent that we build, and is it his abiding commitment to be unwavering in building such a deterrent?
The Prime Minister
Yes, it is, because I agree with the hon. and learned Gentleman that it is the strength of our deterrent that counts in a moment like this. I am very proud of our armed forces—those who have provided so much for so long—but now is a time to ask more of them and to step up.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Keir Starmer and Jim Allister(2 months, 3 weeks ago)
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The Prime Minister
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for raising this really important issue. All those who serve our country deserve our fullest respect and gratitude. That is why we are righting the historic wrongs inflicted on LGBT veterans, already significantly increasing the compensation available and enabling them to get their ranks restored. I know that this is a real issue for the Foreign Secretary. He is looking at it, and I will make sure that she gets to talk to him about it. We do need to deal with this historic injustice; she is right about that.
Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
The Prime Minister
We are proud of, and totally committed to, the Good Friday agreement. Northern Ireland matters to this Government, and it matters to me. The hon. and learned Gentleman will know that I worked there for five years with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I want to see Northern Ireland secure and safe for all communities and thriving in the future. I believe that it can be, and we will do everything to make sure that it is.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Keir Starmer and Jim Allister(3 months, 1 week ago)
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The Prime Minister
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue, which shows the state of public services under the SNP. If you can believe it, Mr Speaker, a third of Scots struggle to access dentistry, and a quarter of Scottish children start primary school with tooth decay—that is really shocking. Clearly, there is much more that the SNP should be doing. [Interruption.] The SNP should be ashamed. When a quarter of children are starting school with tooth decay, that is nothing to crow about; it is something to be ashamed of. Here, we are delivering an additional 700,000 appointments and reforming the contract, and of course we will work with the Scottish Government to improve the health of children in Scotland.
Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
Given President Trump’s antipathy to the EU, how does the Prime Minister hope to obtain a trade deal for the whole United Kingdom in circumstances where the trade laws affecting part of the United Kingdom—namely Northern Ireland—are the EU’s trade laws, and where the laws governing goods and standards for what can be imported are EU laws? In those circumstances, how can a deal be obtained for the whole United Kingdom, or is the Prime Minister only interested in a deal that would apply to GB, thereby further ostracising Northern Ireland from the Union?
The Prime Minister
The hon. and learned Member knows that controls apply only to EU goods moving into Great Britain. The overwhelming majority of goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will continue to enjoy unfettered access to Great Britain indefinitely. The hon. and learned Member has made much of mutual enforcement; the reality is that this is mutual agreement. I know that he has his proposal, but I think his proposal would lead in the end to a hard border—something that has been rejected across this House on many, many occasions, and for good reason.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Keir Starmer and Jim Allister(6 months, 2 weeks ago)
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The Prime Minister
I am shocked to hear of the impact on Derbyshire county council, which is proposing cutbacks to adult social care. Councils across the country were on the frontline of the last Government’s ruinous economic failure, which has left people who rely on services counting the cost. There is no quick fix, but we will provide councils with more stability and certainty through multi-year funding settlements, ensuring that councils can properly plan their finances for the future. We will work with local leaders to deliver this.
Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
Does the Prime Minister have any sense of unease that, although he is Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, there are more than 300 areas of law in Northern Ireland in which legislation is made in a foreign Parliament? Has he any ambition to recover UK sovereignty over those 300 areas of law, thereby restoring the equal citizenship of my constituents and ending their disen-franchising in respect of making laws that govern much of their economy?
The Prime Minister
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that important issue. The Windsor framework was negotiated by the last Government. We supported it, and we continue to support it. We will work to make sure it is implemented properly and fully.
Anniversary of 7 October Attacks: Middle East
Debate between Keir Starmer and Jim Allister(6 months, 2 weeks ago)
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The Prime Minister
We have set out our position: domestic law is clear, international law is clear, and we have taken our decision and put a summary of that before the House.
Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
If we in this House, at this distance, can feel the pain of that dastardly attack a year ago, we can but imagine its indelible imprint on the people of Israel and on Jewish folk across the world. What is the Prime Minister’s view of the fact that our national broadcaster, the BBC, refuses to call those who perpetrated this heinous terrorist attack “terrorists”, and likewise now with Hezbollah? What is the Government’s position on that and what representations have they made?