Speeches by Thomas.

“It is a very major part of the SDR.”

“Just to continue the theme about metrics and measuring the success of the review being executed, the SDR lays out that lethality will be improved by 10 times. General Barrons, what is lethality and how can we know if it has improved 10 times?”

“Thank you. On measuring success, Lord Robertson, can you give a sense of timing? How long until the UK should be sending the battle group that we currently send to Estonia capable of fighting with FPV drones?”

“The hon. Member mentions patient outcomes, but in Plymouth we have patients awaiting assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder being left in limbo and unable to move forwards. Does she agree that the current refusal by some GPs to enter into shared care agreements is effectively blocking access to a diag…”

“You are right to highlight Kindred. You and all your staff should be very proud of what Kindred has achieved, but also acknowledge that Kindred has been a mechanism to arm the Ukrainian warfighter. That is good, but, respectfully, does not answer my question, which was about why our people are not being trained in this…”

“I have a quick question about how you see the role of UK defence. We know we are very NATO-first. That has been made clear by this Government and the SDR. There is a sense within the military, as you well know, that we are overcommitted and that we try to do so many things with a so far ever-diminishing force that what…”

“Admiral, we have spoken for some time about defence reform. That is under way with the military strategic headquarters and the new national armaments director. I am going to ask you how that is going to change things for the actual fighting force, as opposed to within the MOD. The context for that is that we still have…”

“If I may have another question, you mentioned earlier in this Committee hearing, reflecting on previous change programmes in the MOD, that you found that resistance to change had won out. That speaks to a culture of resistance to change. Looking back now at your time in the military, why do you think there is this cult…”

“I represent over 20,000 pensioners in Plymouth—more than a quarter of my constituents. I have had hundreds of conversations over the past year, and I know that people understand that the winter fuel payment should not be given out to everyone in society. The richest in society do not need it, and I warmly welcome the p…”

“It is in writing.”

“I am going to ask about our Type 26 frigates, which are our primary anti-submarine warfare capability. We are talking about the threat in the Arctic and the High North today. You have mentioned a number of changes that we need to make. Is the Type 26 the right body to build a system around? I am particularly interested…”

“But not in the context of the High North.”

“My question is whether, with various upgrades, such as hardening the hull and building autonomy around it—you mentioned having systems in there—the Type 26 frigate is capable, or whether you are suggesting that we will need an entirely new frigate in 20 years’ time.”

“Thank you very much. The Committee had the opportunity to visit JFC Norfolk only a couple of weeks ago, so we are aware of that. Dr Patton Rogers, the SDR, which you will have had the opportunity to read yesterday and today, specifies making upgrades to the Type 26 and enhancing the capabilities. It literally says that…”

“Thank you.”

“I am going to ask about the Joint Expeditionary Force, which the panel has mentioned several times. I would like to be annoying and ask for a very brief top-level summary of the role that the JEF plays in defence and security in the High North and the Baltics, and what direction that might go in. I am going to push you…”

“That is immensely helpful. I have a follow-up question. JEF is made up of 10 countries; you mentioned that there is an operational footing already, which Secretary of State John Healey led on with Nordic Warden. You have identified that it is not treaty-based; it is about like-minded countries sending capabilities. In …”

“You make an interesting point about the different climates and environments in, for example, the Black Sea and the High North. JEF focuses not only on the High North, but on the Baltic states. I do not think that it is minus 40° in the body of water between Finland and Estonia at any time of year. Some of the capabilit…”

“Thank you for highlighting the Royal Marines’ Arctic capability, which was my first bit of training after the initial training. I would say that the Royal Marines were mentioned in the SDR.”

“I strongly welcome the Secretary of State’s support and his leadership in this time of increased threats. We saw over the weekend that Ukraine had managed to destroy, it says, as many as 40 Russian bombers deep inside Russia, with a value, it would say, of £5 billion. That is almost as much as we are raising the defenc…”