"My Lords, I faced some of the challenges raised by this Question when setting up a charity some 11 or 12 years ago. At the time, questions were asked by others in this place about the difficulties, and the answers given then were remarkably similar to the answer the Minister …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, the most obvious and urgent thing to say about military capability is that we have nothing like enough of it, either now or as currently planned for the future. This must be addressed as a matter of urgency but, in the limited time available to us in this …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, if this technology is used for malign purposes, it does not really matter whether that happens in the UK or elsewhere in the world. What action is being taken and how confident are we that there is scope for international agreement, particularly among the major players on the …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, it is reported today that Lockheed Martin is buying Ultra Maritime, a company which makes important underwater capabilities and should be of personal interest to the Minister. That company was formed when two long-standing, brilliant British defence companies were taken over by Advent, an American private equity company, …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, if you have ever seen a ballerina stationary en pointe, you will know that, unaided, she can hold the position for only a couple of seconds. It is simply too unstable. To sustain it for longer, she must be supported by others. This, it seems to me, is …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, the focus has been on the defence investment plan, which is, of course, crucial, but does the Minister agree that capability is not just about capital investment? Resources expenditure, which is treated differently, is crucial. It pays for the fuel and spares that our people need to conduct …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, signals matter, to friends as well as to enemies. No matter how the Government now seek to parse this decision, they have created the perception that their appetite for sanctions will be limited by the degree of pain the measures cause us. Does the Minister think that sending …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, in his speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, the Prime Minister warned of the dangerous time in which we live. He went on to say:
“In the 1930s, leaders were too slow to level with the public about the fundamental shift in mindset that was required. …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, does the Minister recognise that, when we refer to the defence industry these days, we are talking not about the traditional defence companies but about industry much more widely? We have seen clear examples of this in the Ukraine war. Will he therefore ensure that whatever multilateral funding …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech
"My Lords, can the Minister confirm that sufficient consideration is being given to the maintenance of adequate stocks of petrol and jet fuel for the military, for their ongoing military operations and their essential training, and that consideration is also being given to alleviating any pressures from the price rises …..." Lord Stirrup - View Speech