"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
"My Lords, I declare an interest as president of the Bollington and Macclesfield Sea Cadets—there is a northern aspect to me, as you can see. Whenever I have been involved with the uniformed cadet forces, I have been amazed how they have changed the lives of many of our young …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, I have never been one to underplay a threat, but does my noble friend the Minister agree that there seems to be no intelligence assessment whatever to say that there is an immediate threat to the mainland of Greenland? It is extraordinary that things are being done at …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, we effectively run global merchant shipping from London. We have the best Merchant Navy-type lawyers in the world in London, and it is quite clear that these ships can be boarded and it is legal to do it. We already have people trained to conduct such operations. Indeed, …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech
"My Lords, when I was First Sea Lord, I tended to send warships towards the sound of the guns. If things go wrong in Iran, as it looks as if they might well do, the whole of that region will be in great difficulty and trouble. We currently have one …..." Lord West of Spithead - View Speech