Speeches by Doughty.

“Just to reiterate again, any contributions will absolutely be assessed for value for money and aligned with our strategic objectives.”

“As I said, we are trying to expedite that process at the moment. I do not want to give a running commentary on where that is going, but there is certainly a shared ambition to move forward on this.”

“Of course, that goes beyond just the UK, the EU and SAFE. Look at what we have just done with Norway: an incredible deal in terms of those frigates. It is going to be good for our security, but also good for jobs.”

“It is worth looking at the scale of that and why it was so crucial. Having a security and defence partnership is a prerequisite for participation in SAFE for third countries. It is a €150 billion instrument. It is very significant and could lead to significant opportunities for our defence industries, both boosting our…”

“As I said, we should see those as all mutually complementary. We continue to play a key role in the JEF, E3 and other groupings. NATO is our foremost security and defence relationship and always will be. We have a NATO-first policy as a Government, and there are investments into defence and security more broadly. The M…”

“It is worth emphasising that this is crucially important for the whole of the United Kingdom. Around 68% of defence spending goes with UK businesses outside of London and the south-east. It is crucially important in south Wales, which Nick and I both represent, and it is crucial in the north-west. It is crucial in many…”

“The good news is that we have already started them and are getting on to implementing them. I was delighted last week to host the European External Action Service in London to discuss the western Balkans. That was particularly important, given not only our historical engagements in the region but because we are going t…”

“On the interaction with the entry-exit system, that is something that Nick and I have been working on very closely with colleagues from the Home Office and others over many months to ensure that we understand what is happening in terms of readiness and implementation across ports of entry, particularly the high-pressur…”

“Since that clarificatory statement was made, we have been following up with every country we can; it has certainly been a core part of all my conversations with bilateral partners. Just recently I have been discussing it with the Netherlands, Poland and Greece. When the UK-Germany treaty was signed on 17 July, Germany …”

“Chair, to go back to the first part—”

“The Government were very clear when we came in—you will be aware of this, Chair—that we were not going to rejoin the EU, the customs union or the single market, but that we were able to take the steps that Nick, the Prime Minister and colleagues have been able to. I think those will deliver tangible benefits in the are…”

“I absolutely agree that they are. As I said, I am an admirer of them, and they are admired around the globe—I hear that repeatedly on my travels, as do ministerial colleagues. And I thank my hon. Friend for his kind remarks on my marriage. I want to be clear. Of course I cannot pre-empt the outcome of the licence fee p…”

“I will give way briefly before I conclude.”

“I am extraordinarily grateful to the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) for securing this important debate and sharing his remarks with me in advance. I can assure him that things have changed a lot since Michael Foot. This Labour Government are proud to support our nuclear deterrent and invest in…”

“The hon. Member raises important issues. We have seen horrific scenes in Afghanistan, and he will know that we gave £1 million yesterday. We have also seen terrible scenes in Sudan this morning. He will know that tackling the climate and nature emergency around the world is a priority for us, and we continue to support…”

“Welcome back after the recess, Mr Speaker. We remain committed to international development, but we must modernise our approach. In a changing world, we are not just donors; we are partners, investors and reformers. We must ensure that every pound delivers for the UK taxpayer, as well as the people we support. Sharpeni…”

“We have to make very difficult choices as a result of the decision we made. We remain absolutely committed to international development. The detailed allocations will be set out in due course, and they will of course be informed by impact assessments before we publish multi-year allocations.”

“As I have explained many times in the House, those figures are completely misleading. The net present value of payments under the treaty is £3.4 billion. The average cost of the deal in today’s money is £101 million per year. That is just a fraction of our Defence budget, and represents a few hours of spending on our N…”

“The Diego Garcia military base is essential to the security of the United Kingdom and our key allies, and to keeping the British people safe. The treaty was tested at the highest level of the United States’ security establishment, which supported the deal. The agreement has been backed by our key allies and internation…”

“As I have just said, we will set out the detailed allocations in due course; they will be informed by impact assessments. The right hon. Member rightly raises the issue of women and girls. Of course, less money does not mean less action, and we see our work on women and girls as essential for development and our UK mis…”