Speeches by Lewell.

“In response to my colleague Derek Twigg, did I hear you say that you have been told that the shortfall is perfectly normal for this time of year?”

“Interesting. Thank you.”

“Will this defence investment plan be in balance? I have sat on this Committee for a long time, and time after time I see failed programmes and I see programmes costing more than they should. Every time, someone comes along and says, “No, we’ve got it right—we’ve got to get it right”, and you get the same old buzzwords.…”

“Allies rightly agreed that up to 1.5% of GDP would go towards civil preparedness and resilience measures, but public support for our current commitments—let alone for mobilisation in a crisis—does not meet Government assumptions. Will my right hon. Friend say how he plans to address that, so that we fully meet our arti…”

“Thanks for that, Minister. The more important part of my question was about whether it is actually realistic. If there is one there—bear in mind that you have said there are five—we have four left. We have Russian subs; we have problems in the Euro-Atlantic and the GIUK gap. Is it realistic that we are going to be able…”

“Does it leave us vulnerable, if we do that?”

“We had Simon Case before us last week. He was not overly confident about the timeline for those 12 subs.”

“It is publicly known that there are six and one that is out of action, so there are five. That is already publicly known. Bearing in mind the situation that I have just outlined, we have five available.”

“Good afternoon, everyone. It is reported that there have been several periods in the last few years where the Royal Navy has not had a single SSN at sea. As you will know, there is a deteriorating situation in the Euro-Atlantic, coupled with the US being clear that Europe must do more in Europe. What is the advantage o…”

“Considering how complex and difficult it has been so far, wouldn’t potentially going from three to seven be quite some stretch?”

“A final quick question from me. Should pillar 2 be extended to other countries? If so, who and when?”

“We begin with the Select Committee statement. Liam Byrne will speak on the publication of the 11th report of the Business and Trade Committee, “Toward a new doctrine for economic security”, HC835, for up to 10 minutes, during which no interventions may be taken. At the conclusion of his statement, I will call Members t…”

“Since July, I have been assisting my constituent who is the victim of stalking by a foreign national. After correspondence, proposed legislative amendments and a ministerial meeting, we were promised some support. The situation has recently deteriorated, placing her in danger. Despite numerous attempts to seek help via…”

“Order. If Members can keep their speeches to five minutes, everyone should get in. I call Will Forster.”

“Order. This is just a reminder that the debate must end at 10 minutes to 2.”

“Are you confident that that is on target?”

“That is helpful to know. In case my accent hasn’t given the game away, I am a massive fan of the north, but I have family members who were lured away to Australia way back historically. I am just wondering, do you have concerns that the skilled workforce may leave and go over to Australia? If you do, what plans do you …”

“This might be quite a simplistic question, but you have said that the £200 million is not enough; how much do you need? Have you got a figure in mind?”

“Good morning, everyone. Just a quick one from me. You will be aware that in the SDR the UK is ordering a fleet of up to 12 SSN-AUKUS. They are going to increase the capacity at Barrow so that a boat can be delivered every 18 months. How are you going to increase that capacity? What are your timescales and plans, and wh…”

“That is helpful; thank you.”