Ukraine-Russia Relations

John Bercow Excerpts

Tuesday 27th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I think the question was a rhetorical one, and therefore it requires an even shorter reply than the Minister might otherwise be inclined to offer to the House.

[Alistair Burt]

I will offer a very brief answer, but first, let me say that I am sure that the whole House welcomes the fact that the hon. Lady is the new president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. We all congratulate her on that. It is a singular honour for not only her, but this House, and we know that she will conduct herself extremely well. The way in which she put her question and the issues that she raised demonstrated that she has a very clear grasp of the facts, and she will be an important addition in that role.

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[Mr Speaker]

I hope that the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) will have his question framed, but I give him due warning: if he does not, I will.

[Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Glasgow South) (SNP)]

To follow the point made by the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (James Gray), would it not be better to revisit that deployment—not necessarily its time or place, but the type of ship that we send? HMS Echo is a survey ship. Would it not be better to send a ship that can defend itself in these waters, given the events at the weekend? Do those events not also show that it is time for Her Majesty’s Government to have a more muscular and robust policy on Nord Stream 2?

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[Alistair Burt]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for asking such detailed questions. I do not have that information, but I will ensure that he is written to.

[Mr Speaker]

I hope that we will have a copy in the Library of the House.

[Alistair Burt]

A copy will be placed in the Library of the House at your request, Mr Speaker.

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[Mr Speaker]

Thank you. It will be for the wider delectation of colleagues.

[John Howell (Henley) (Con)]

May I urge my right hon. Friend not simply to ignore the Council of Europe when he considers European action? Will he support the work that I and others have been doing to prevent the readmission of Russia to that organisation?

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[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

What a rich choice—I call Mr Kevin Foster.

[Kevin Foster]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. There was the usual contest for last!

The Minister will be aware of the many parallels with past situations. Vladimir Putin’s approach seems similar to the process of heating a frog in water: if he keeps pushing up the heat, it will not produce an instant reaction. Can the Minister reassure me that he is talking to other nations about what will happen if Putin continues to push down this power? We obviously do not want to see an escalation, but let us be clear that it is Russia that keeps escalating these situations.