"My Lords, I add my thanks to all the witnesses who contributed to this report, to the committee staff who worked so hard to bring it together and, not least, to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for his excellent chairmanship and clear and comprehensive introduction to the report. In the …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, the fact that 85% of all drone components worldwide come from China illustrates the urgent need for a more resilient supply chain. The development of such a supply chain depends on the placing of orders in the appropriate industries to build up their capacity. In the UK’s case, …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, it is not just the question of flooding. The increased rainfall will lead to increased run-offs and will put increased pressure on combined sewage systems, which will lead to excess pollution being poured into our seas and rivers, which is already at an unacceptably high level. This is …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"On a slightly wider point, the Joint Interagency Task Force South is acknowledged in America as the gold standard of interagency co-operation—something that is not necessarily all that common there. Have the Government conducted any analysis of whether there are any lessons to be drawn for the United Kingdom in …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister said that the decision on the Chinese embassy was an unrelated issue. Does this not reveal a gulf in understanding, about which we should be very worried? Nothing, in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party, is unrelated and if we are to negotiate successfully on …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, the transfer of British Army recruiting to Capita was a total shambles. What lessons were drawn from that experience and what precautions were put in place before handing Capita the responsibility for the administration of Civil Service pensions?..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, in conducting international negotiations, it is always worth reflecting on the probable strategic objective of the other side. In the case of China, I doubt very much that it is about increasing trade with the United Kingdom. It is much more likely to be about dividing those who …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, the United States and China, among others, are working at pace to leverage AI in military capability. Meanwhile, in this country, high-technology companies are in despair at the lack of progress towards the kind of innovative capabilities set out in the Government’s own strategic defence review. Is this …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, Exercise Pegasus 2025 was clearly extremely useful. However, the Chief of the Defence Staff was recently reported as saying that we do not have a holistic plan for the mobilisation of the NHS in the event of a large-scale conflict. What action is being taken to assess the …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech