"My Lords, I declare my interest as a member of the Army Board. A recent sobering poll showed that fewer than one in three Britons would be prepared to fight for their country. What specific steps are the Government taking to ensure a whole-society approach to national security?..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"My Lords, the Prime Minister’s EU reset supposedly opens the door for the United Kingdom to participate in the European Union’s €150 billion defence procurement fund. However, there were reports over the weekend that France is now insisting that any beneficiary of that fund—any project—will have to have 85% EU …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, I declare my interest as a member of the Army Board...." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"My Lords, I oppose Amendments 1 and 6. While I have enormous sympathy with their intent, when I heard the noble Baroness say that this would expand the role of the commissioner a little bit, I am afraid I thought it would do anything but. If we consider that there …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"It does, apart from the clarification of what defines a veteran, on the basis that when a regular member of the Armed Forces leaves, they still have a reserve liability. We like to call them veterans, but they become part of the regular reserve and, subsequently, the recall reserve, so …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"My Lords, I still remember well the berating I got from my local pub landlord the Sunday after I voted to ban smoking in public places, back in 2006—it was going to be the end of the pub. I am delighted to say that, 20 years on, while Graham is …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"Having served as a NATO peacekeeper in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I have a particular interest. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Dayton peace agreement. It was a complex agreement and has led to pretty poor political structures in Bosnia and not a strong state. This has been exploited …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"My Lords, with the greatest respect to the noble Baroness, I will speak against Amendment 2. I declare my interest as a member of the Army Board.
I understand the intent, but my objection to Amendment 2 is based on practicality. The recruitment process has changed dramatically in recent years. …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech
"The noble Baroness makes a reasonable point, which is why I said at the start of my remarks that I understood the intent behind what she is trying to achieve. Without getting distracted, the challenge that we face at the moment is a crisis not of recruitment but of conversion. …..." Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton - View Speech