Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts
Monday 23rd November 2015

(8 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Madeleine Moon Portrait Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Perhaps I can help the Minister with a question that does not involve waiting until half-past 3. A lot of our focus is currently on the middle east and north Africa. Does he agree, however, that with two Russian Tupolev bombers off our coast recently, as well as a Russian submarine, it would be naive for us to take our eye off the strategic risk to the UK from the High North and Arctic region?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - -

May I gently implore Members to proceed a little more quickly? We have a lot to get through, and questions and answers have been lengthy.

Julian Brazier Portrait Mr Brazier
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I thoroughly agree with the hon. Lady.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - -

One of the finest parliamentary answers in the course of the hon. Gentleman’s 28-year career to date.

Andrew Murrison Portrait Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Maritime patrol aircraft featured large in last year’s referendum, but does my hon. Friend agree that they are pretty pointless, either manned or unmanned, unless there is the data-gathering and analysis technology to go with it, and the wherewithal to respond to any threats that emerge—something that the SNP failed to offer last year?

--- Later in debate ---
Philip Dunne Portrait Mr Dunne
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Again, this is another occasion on which I have to tell the hon. Lady that she will have to wait for a few moments to be enlightened by the Prime Minister. What I can say is that, in the event that an MPA were to be procured as part of the P-8 programme, some billion dollars’ worth of the programme is supplied by British companies.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - -

Time for the good doctor again. I call Dr Julian Lewis.

Julian Lewis Portrait Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

T7. I personally agree with the Government that ISIL/Daesh must be crushed in Syria as well as in Iraq, but the Secretary of State has made it clear that he wants to see the Syrian army forces defeated, too. We are reportedly being told to be more like Churchill than Chamberlain. Does the Secretary of State recognise that Churchill’s great strength was that he knew when to recognise which is the greater and the lesser of two evils, and that is why he was willing sometimes to fight alongside unsavoury allies against a common deadly enemy?