"My Lords, surely the issue is one of supply, and it is not the Government’s fault. However, there is one thing that is the Government’s fault: we do not have a single ship in the Persian Gulf that can assist with guarding the Strait of Hormuz. Does the Minister share …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, is it not the case that Taiwan is very much threatened by China? Could the Minister please tell the House what actions the Government are taking to produce some hardware there that can protect Taiwan in any way?..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent comments by the President of the United States of America about Diego Garcia, and whether those comments have changed their policy view...." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, I find that a rather strange response. David Lammy said that we would listen to the United States when we made a decision, and I think I am right in saying that Donald Trump has now come out and said that this is an act of gross stupidity. …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, I rise briefly to support my noble friend Lord Kamall on the Front Bench. I have not taken part in these debates before, but I have to say that I find it quite disturbing that we should be making laws because perhaps we do not like walking down …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, I understand the difficulty of the Minister; I am not trying to stir things up, I assure him. But supposing a laser had brought down the aircraft by disabling the pilot, what would we consider that? Would we consider it an act of war?..." Lord Robathan - View Speech
"My Lords, those who know about defence procurement—as the Minister does; I am encouraged by much of what he says—know that it is incredibly bureaucratic. That slows down any decisions —I do not know whether it has affected this decision—for UK-made kit rather than buying stuff off the shelf. Can …..." Lord Robathan - View Speech