Speeches by Twigg.

“We have just two more Members left to speak, but I want to call the Front-Bench spokespeople no later than 5.08 pm.”

“Order. Before I call the Front-Bench spokespeople, I should say that I will call the Minister no later than 20 past. I call the Lib Dem spokesperson, Tim Farron.”

“If the Minister can leave a bit of time at the end for David Chadwick to wind up, that would be great.”

“I warmly welcome the Prime Minister’s statement, and particularly his commitment to accelerate the increase in defence spending, although I fear that we may have to visit the 3% target before the next Parliament. It is very important that we have a whole-society approach to defence. Will he be bringing forward a strate…”

“Order. I remind Members that they need to be succinct and short with interventions.”

“The question of defence spending and GDP has been raised. I think it is clear from recent events that we cannot wait until 2030 to spend 2.5%, and, in fact, we should be exceeding that percentage. In the lead-up to any negotiations, it is essential for us to ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position, in…”

“It is still an area of concern for you?”

“The simple question is: how is it making a difference to you currently? Connected with that, what are the good outcomes, and how can we share that good practice? So what is working well, why is it working well, and how do we share it to improve things for the future?”

“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…”

“Can I cover one thing briefly? It is an area that always used to be a concern—I wonder whether it still is a concern—that affects everyone, from serving members to veterans. In terms of health, and the crossover when they leave the Armed Forces—we know there is massive pressure on the defence medical services generally…”

“Do you think there is a problem for dependants?”

“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?”