"My Lords, we have to realise that it is almost impossible to defend against exoatmospheric ballistic missiles trying to strike one’s country. Indeed, those are the nuclear warheads—if Russia ever goes to war, nuclear-wise—that will be coming towards us. They are hugely expensive and really difficult to take down. Drones …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, I understand that the complexities of employment law mean that you have to pay someone some money when they work for you. Has anyone approached Mandelson, who has done disgraceful things, to ask whether he wants to give this money to a buy-a-warship fund, or some other charity, …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, in 2003 the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, met the chiefs of staff just before the invasion of Iraq and we discussed our plan of action. At that meeting, we asked: what is the plan for phase 4? We were told by the Prime Minister that the Americans had …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, many years ago the commander-in-chief of a commando brigade invaded Spain when they were meant to be exercising in Gibraltar. That was quite embarrassing, but my question relates to the military. I have not had a chance to look at the totality of this treaty, but what I …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, 40% of our food comes from abroad. Should there be a World War III, the Royal Navy would be responsible, as in the past, for ensuring that that flow of food continued. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that we really need to get some haste in …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, as a member of the ISC, I note that my noble friend the Minister did not say anything about my integrity, which is a bit worrying. I make it absolutely clear that deciding what is in scope to be released is totally for the Cabinet Office. The ISC …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government whether the Royal Navy ship stationed in the Caribbean is fully a part of Joint Interagency Task Force South...." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for his reply, but the ship based out there does an awful lot of anti-drug work, and that is important for the stability of our overseas territories. It is also an indicator of how much we do for the Americans. The …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, in my dealings with the Chinese, I have found that very often the best thing is to make sure that they do not lose face. It is much better to talk quietly in the background and actually show that you could make them lose face if things are …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech