Speeches by Twigg.

“I think we are coming on to that next.”

“In sum, then, what you are saying is that the Covenant is working much better for veterans than for serving personnel and their families.”

“So it is working better for the veterans.”

“I am not trying to do that; we are trying to get to the bottom of what is working. So basically, it could work better for serving personnel and families than it is currently. How confident are you that the concerns that are passed up the line are getting to the various chiefs and Ministers?”

“You’re being diplomatic.”

“You’re not confident that it is getting through.”

“As someone who lost his wife to cancer, I know the dire circumstances that a cancer diagnosis can bring. It is right that cancer plans should focus on the best outcomes: improving the amount of time that people live for, or having a cure. I would like to raise with the Minister the specific issue of pain relief managem…”

“I just wanted to explore in a bit more detail the EU role in European defence and whether that has changed since the invasion of Ukraine. I am going to say just a couple of things first. I remember, even going back to when I was a Defence Minister in the previous Labour Government, that, every now and again, it would a…”

“It is interesting that Members on the Opposition Front Bench seem to have forgotten that when they left office, they left us with the smallest Army since Napoleonic times, a lack of ships and aeroplanes, some of the poorest equipment and many problems with procurement. It is important that we keep to the timetable on t…”

“Can you give specific examples of the nature of the threats?”

“Has the nature of that changed in recent years, and is there anything that specifically gives you cause for concern?”

“You probably will not be surprised by this question. What is the nature of the hybrid threats to the UK and its allies and partners?”

“You are right that we do not want to publish what our line is, because that would obviously give it away, but as you said, there has to be ministerial write-off or higher input. We seem not to be getting to grips with this as quickly as we should be in terms of what we are prepared to do.”

“I know, but I am just asking.”

“You referred to drawing the line. Do you feel that we are really being too slow in deciding where that line should be drawn and being too nice, given the threats that we face from some pretty difficult and ruthless actors?”

“Has the nature of that changed in recent years, and is there anything that specifically gives you cause for concern?”

“Can you give specific examples of the nature of the threats?”

“You probably will not be surprised by this question. What is the nature of the hybrid threats to the UK and its allies and partners?”

“You are right that we do not want to publish what our line is, because that would obviously give it away, but as you said, there has to be ministerial write-off or higher input. We seem not to be getting to grips with this as quickly as we should be in terms of what we are prepared to do.”

“I know, but I am just asking.”