Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)
Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) on securing this really important debate. One of the issues that appears most often in my constituency mailbag is digital connectivity, as it affects thousands of my constituents. It has become as essential to modern life as electricity or roads. The issue is absolutely fundamental to the future viability of rural...
It is a pleasure to serve under you, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller) for bringing forward this important debate. As a fellow A27-suffering MP, I can attest to the constant traffic problems around Chichester, and I will touch on the impact they have on my constituency. Over in East Sussex, transport is not a peripheral concern but the backbone of...
Pricing is one of the biggest barriers to people using the railways. If we want people to use the railways and move out of their vehicles then we have to make it affordable for them. Speaking specifically about buses, for many families in my constituency they are not a lifestyle choice—they are the only way that a child can get to school or college. Yet, from Monday 16 February, East...
We have been watching developments in Iran with anger and disgust. By some accounts, as many as 30,000 Iranians may now have been killed during the regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protest, leaving relatives to sift through piles of body bags. There can be no doubt that Iran’s leaders have perpetrated crimes against humanity on a catastrophic scale—it is utterly intolerable. The UK...
We have been watching developments in Iran with anger and disgust. By some accounts, as many as 30,000 Iranians may now have been killed during the regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protest, leaving relatives to sift through piles of body bags. There can be no doubt that Iran’s leaders have perpetrated crimes against humanity on a catastrophic scale—it is utterly intolerable. The UK...
We all know that we must urgently increase defence spending, but we are not hearing many ways to get it moving right away without harming British security in other ways. Slashing international development aid or investment in renewable energy, for instance, is just robbing Peter to pay Paul. The Chief of the Defence Staff has warned that there is a £28 billion funding shortfall, so I want to...
It was reported last night that the Prime Minister wants a closer defence partnership with Europe, and that last November’s talks on UK access to the EU’s €150 billion SAFE defence fund have collapsed. France reportedly drove the impasse by demanding an inflated price for UK entry, despite many EU partners wanting to open the fund up to UK participation. As the UK is Europe’s largest...
Our British armed forces represent the very best of us—courage, selflessness, and an unwavering commitment to protect our freedoms and our way of life—and they deserve nothing less than our unwavering commitment in return. The Liberal Democrats welcome significant elements of the Bill. The full enshrinement of the armed forces covenant in law, extending it across central Government,...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department if taking steps to help promote fish as part of a healthy diet.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, will the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon be upgraded with the Aerodynamic Modification Kit.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the Capability Drop 3 Ajax-family vehicles that have undergone acceptance testing by the Joint Acceptance Group required concessions against specifications or contractual requirements to be submitted by General Dynamics; and how many were approved.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the original capability requirements specified for the Ajax-family vehicles have been relaxed or amended due to an inability of the vehicles to meet the original requirements.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the capability requirements have Ajax-family Capability Drop 3 vehicles been verified to fully comply with.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of the capability requirements that Ajax-family Capability Drop 4 vehicles will fully comply with.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support young people in the fishing industry.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage young people to enter the fishing industry.
