European Council 2016 Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

European Council 2016

Marcus Fysh Excerpts
Monday 19th December 2016

(7 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait The Prime Minister
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I am happy to do so. There are many excellent British officials working inside the European Union, including, of course, our commissioner, Sir Julian King, who has a very important portfolio on security matters. I certainly wish them all well for the future, and I wish them and the whole House a very happy Christmas.

Marcus Fysh Portrait Marcus Fysh (Yeovil) (Con)
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Would we be prepared to spend more than 2% of GDP on defence—on carrier battle group support, for example—to underpin security in Europe and elsewhere as part of the constructive ongoing relationship between the EU and the UK?

Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait The Prime Minister
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Of course, we have the commitment to spending 2% of GDP on defence, and that is an important commitment that we have given. I understand that the support will be there for the carriers. I think it is right that we encourage others within the European Union and within NATO to increase their spending to the same sort of level.