To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what preliminary assessment his Department has made of the implications for the UK's defence industrial strategy of the proposed acquisition of Cobham plc by a US-based private equity firm; what impact such a takeover will have on the availability to other countries...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what preliminary assessment his Department has made of the implications for the UK's defence industrial strategy of the proposed acquisition of Cobham plc by a US-based private equity firm; what impact such a takeover will have on the availability to other countries...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed takeover of Cobham plc by Advent International on the continuation and future of the major UK defence programmes (a) Air Tanker and (b) Tempest; and what alternatives will be...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed takeover of Cobham plc by Advent International on the continuation and future of the major UK defence programmes (a) Air Tanker and (b) Tempest; and what alternatives will be...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government's policy is on the acquisition of major UK-based defence companies by overseas investors; what assessment he has made of the prospect of such companies being willing to (a) enter into, and (b) deliver long-term defence contracts after they have...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government's policy is on the acquisition of major UK-based defence companies by overseas investors; what assessment he has made of the prospect of such companies being willing to (a) enter into, and (b) deliver long-term defence contracts after they have...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of the principal (a) defence services and (b) items of defence equipment supplied by Cobham plc to the UK armed forces either directly or as component parts of services and goods supplied by other defence companies...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of the principal (a) defence services and (b) items of defence equipment supplied by Cobham plc to the UK armed forces either directly or as component parts of services and goods supplied by other defence companies...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on calling-in the proposed takeover of Cobham plc to protect UK defence interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on calling-in the proposed takeover of Cobham plc to protect UK defence interests.

In the four minutes available, I propose to make two points. First, I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) on a masterly introduction to the debate. Her timing could have been better—to secure a debate so close to the arrival of a new Prime Minister is...

In the four minutes available, I propose to make two points. First, I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) on a masterly introduction to the debate. Her timing could have been better—to secure a debate so close to the arrival of a new Prime Minister is...

I had better not, because of time pressure.

Secondly, to coincide with the debate, the Defence Committee has updated its April 2016 report, “Shifting the Goalposts? Defence Expenditure and the 2% pledge”, in which we set defence spending in context. We showed that, while we spent similar amounts on education, defence...

I had better not, because of time pressure.

Secondly, to coincide with the debate, the Defence Committee has updated its April 2016 report, “Shifting the Goalposts? Defence Expenditure and the 2% pledge”, in which we set defence spending in context. We showed that, while we spent similar amounts on education, defence...

So is Durham!

So is Durham!

As an old schoolmate of yours, Mr Evans, it is a particular pleasure for me to contribute to this debate under your able chairmanship. I pay tribute to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) for continuing his relentless and entirely justified campaign to ensure that the defence...

As an old schoolmate of yours, Mr Evans, it is a particular pleasure for me to contribute to this debate under your able chairmanship. I pay tribute to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) for continuing his relentless and entirely justified campaign to ensure that the defence...

That is true, because if we fall below what one might call critical mass, we will not be able to maintain the necessary footprint to support the construction and manning of vessels on a consistent basis. That is why the question of the fleet solid support ships is so important....

That is true, because if we fall below what one might call critical mass, we will not be able to maintain the necessary footprint to support the construction and manning of vessels on a consistent basis. That is why the question of the fleet solid support ships is so important....

I entirely endorse what the hon. Gentleman said, and I am glad that he mentioned the modernising defence programme. I will take a moment to talk about that exercise. It was felt at the time that the programme was not a very substantial document, but it did rescue the armed...

I entirely endorse what the hon. Gentleman said, and I am glad that he mentioned the modernising defence programme. I will take a moment to talk about that exercise. It was felt at the time that the programme was not a very substantial document, but it did rescue the armed...

Definitely.

Definitely.

What the Minister says is completely correct. The question is not so much whether countries choose to do this but whether they have to. In the case of Germany, its expenditure on defence is notoriously a much smaller proportion of its GDP than ours is of ours, so it is...

What the Minister says is completely correct. The question is not so much whether countries choose to do this but whether they have to. In the case of Germany, its expenditure on defence is notoriously a much smaller proportion of its GDP than ours is of ours, so it is...

rose —

rose —

I fully understand the logic of the Minister’s position, but it just goes to what I was trying to convey in my speech: it is a question of short-term savings that will show up in an annual budget, compared with medium to long-term costs when the time comes that we...

I fully understand the logic of the Minister’s position, but it just goes to what I was trying to convey in my speech: it is a question of short-term savings that will show up in an annual budget, compared with medium to long-term costs when the time comes that we...

Will the Minister give way?

Will the Minister give way?

The Minister is being amazingly kind. I really appreciate it. Let me put this sunny scenario before him. Let us imagine that the wishes of the Defence Committee come true and the defence budget is restored to 3% of GDP, as it was right up until the middle of the...

The Minister is being amazingly kind. I really appreciate it. Let me put this sunny scenario before him. Let us imagine that the wishes of the Defence Committee come true and the defence budget is restored to 3% of GDP, as it was right up until the middle of the...

They never do. They always try to put it back to you.

They never do. They always try to put it back to you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I am pleased that the Secretary of State mentioned HMS Albion in an earlier answer. Does she recall that it is not that many months since her predecessor had to fend off moves to scrap HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and to reduce the size of the Army by 11,000, the Royal Marines by 2,000 and the RAF by 1,250? Does she accept that there is a fight to be had with the real enemy here, and that is the Treasury?

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I am pleased that the Secretary of State mentioned HMS Albion in an earlier answer. Does she recall that it is not that many months since her predecessor had to fend off moves to scrap HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and to reduce the size of the Army by 11,000, the Royal Marines by 2,000 and the RAF by 1,250? Does she accept that there is a fight to be had with the real enemy here, and that is the Treasury?

It is a pleasure to make a brief contribution to this debate under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. All three previous speakers

have shown absolute mastery of the detail, which I cannot hope to match in this context, so I intend to draw out some of the broader issues and seize...

It is a pleasure to make a brief contribution to this debate under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. All three previous speakers

have shown absolute mastery of the detail, which I cannot hope to match in this context, so I intend to draw out some of the broader issues and seize...