Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Creagh Excerpts
Monday 12th December 2016

(7 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Fallon Portrait Sir Michael Fallon
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Absolutely; that is the principle of collective defence, and it is the best possible message to send on any further aggression from Russia—we have seen a huge increase in Russian submarine activity in recent years—or indeed on the threat from terrorism. We stand together.

Mary Creagh Portrait Mary Creagh (Wakefield) (Lab)
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On Friday, the head of MI6, Alex Younger, warned about Russian meddling in UK domestic politics. Given the revelations from the CIA about the Kremlin’s involvement in influencing the outcome of the US election, what discussions has the Secretary of State had with our NATO allies—US and European—to tackle this type of hybrid warfare interfering in other countries’ democratic electoral processes?

Michael Fallon Portrait Sir Michael Fallon
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We are now seeing a rather disturbing pattern of allegations of direct Russian interference in areas as far apart as Bulgaria, the referendum in the Netherlands, and continuing pressure on the Baltic states. We agreed at Warsaw that the European Union and NATO would come together to co-operate on hybrid warfare, in particular, and to look at the various techniques that were necessary to help us all resist that kind of pressure.