Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:45 pm on 27 October 2025.
Viscount Stansgate
Deputy Chairman of Committees, Deputy Speaker (Lords)
2:45,
27 October 2025
I thank my noble friend for that Answer. The House knows better than it did that undersea cables—not to mention the land cables under the City of London—are part of our critical national infrastructure because of the vital importance of the data they carry. The Joint Committee’s report said that “security vulnerabilities abound”. It recommended that we develop a UK-flagged sovereign repair ship, which the Royal Navy should practise escorting. Should we develop a seabed warfare strategy and, if so, what are the Government doing about it?