Building Stability Overseas Strategy Debate
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Lord Howarth of Newport
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Building Stability Overseas Strategy
Lord Howarth of Newport Excerpts(9 years, 4 months ago)
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Baroness Anelay of St Johns
My Lords, that is exactly why the National Security Council has taken the measures it has to be able to deliver decisions more effectively and rapidly. Also, sometimes is has to be festina lente. One has to have the underlying principles on which one acts and they are, as I mentioned earlier, early warning, rapid response and upstream prevention. Upstream prevention takes time.
Lord Howarth of Newport (Lab)
My Lords, just now the Minister reminded the House that the Government have pledged to spend 0.7% of GDP on international development and 2% of GDP on defence, but the Government have also pledged to consign very considerable numbers of our children in this country to poverty. Is not the Government’s policy stance surreal?
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
My Lords, this Government have as their objective to raise the living standards of all people in this country by having a stable economy. That, of course, includes the children, who are our future.