Speeches by Thomas.

“And the UK Government knew about it and have not taken action.”

“They then got arrested in Pakistan and deported back to Afghanistan.”

“Were they people who the UK Government had told, “You should move to Pakistan with a third party?””

“Why do you think there has been this pause?”

“Are they from any particular units, or is there a wide array of jobs?”

“You alluded a second ago to people who have been turned down. Are there people who fought with British forces currently in Afghanistan who have been turned down for resettlement here?”

“What is the reason they are given? Is any reason offered?”

“What reason are they being given for that when they ask why?”

“People who have been approved are still waiting?”

“Mr Hottak, you just spoke about some of the UK Government’s shortcomings in communicating with those potentially affected by the data breach even when the injunction was lifted. You spoke about having a network of people who worked as interpreters and have now come across to the UK. What could, or should, UK Government…”

“To scrap the Ajax programme completely would be a very bold move, considering that the UK has sunk over £6 billion into it and it is nine years late. The vehicle is still making soldiers ill every time they get in it, even though Ministers both current and former have been repeatedly briefed that it is good to go. It i…”

“I look forward to hearing from Sir Chris, but what you said is interesting. It is the Government of the day who are held accountable, but, in 10 years’ time, the Government of the day here and anywhere else will be being, as you say, held accountable for stuff that either is or is not happening now. That is the way of …”

“I guess that what I am driving at is that we have just discussed the abject failure of the Ajax programme thus far in the UK. You were quoted in the Financial Times as saying that you were advised by everyone, from the top brass down to the people working on the platform themselves, that it was safe on 5 November. Thre…”

“Almost a year after the defence reform was announced, we still do not know how senior the leader of UK Defence Innovation will be.”

“I buy what you have just said, but it is worth noting that, from where the conversation on pillar 2 was a year and a half or two years ago, we are now in a space where we are talking about stuff being able to use similar software and talk to each other. We are talking about that being the output for pillar 2, which is …”

“Nine months after the announcement of defence reform and UKDI, it would be good to have an idea, not just for me but for industry, which is desperate for a clear idea about what the MoD wants it to do, what it wants it to invest in and what capabilities it wants. That would be very useful.”

“You have just brought up as an example of AUKUS pillar 2’s success us exercising off the coast of Australia with a particular large underwater capability and the Australians exercising at the same time with the same capability. In fact, they are not the same. They are different. Theirs was made by someone else because …”

“We had the news earlier this week from Australia that it is conducting its own overhaul of defence, not long after the UK is under way with defence reform here. It put out a press release saying that it will have a new national armaments director, using the same language as we have here, who will report directly to its…”

“UKDI will have a leader, who is not currently there. We do not know how senior they will be, but we do know they will report directly to the National Armaments Director.”

“It will be direct to the NAD.”