May I endorse your tribute to the late Sir George Howarth, Mr Speaker? May I also take this opportunity to welcome the incoming Minister for Veterans and People, the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey), to his new position? In the two years that he has been in the House, he has already established a reputation for independence of mind and for fearlessly speaking truth to power, regardless of the consequences. I am sure that will stand him in very good stead now.

May I ask a specific question about Northern Ireland veterans? When the former Armed Forces Minister, the hon. Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (Al Carns), resigned on principle, partly over the legacy issue, he famously described Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill as “unfit for purpose”. What does the Secretary of State think he meant by that?

May I endorse your tribute to the late Sir George Howarth, Mr Speaker? May I also take this opportunity to welcome the incoming Minister for Veterans and People, the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey), to his new position? In the two years that he has been in the House, he has already established a reputation for independence of mind and for fearlessly speaking truth to power, regardless of the consequences. I am sure that will stand him in very good stead now.

May I ask a specific question about Northern Ireland veterans? When the former Armed Forces Minister, the hon. Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (Al Carns), resigned on principle, partly over the legacy issue, he famously described Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill as “unfit for purpose”. What does the Secretary of State think he meant by that?

We have been waiting for those amendments almost as long as we have been waiting for the DIP. Where is the right hon. Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) on the legacy issue? Many regiments that hail from the north-west—such as the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which has already mentioned once today, and, before it, the King’s Regiment, which traditionally recruited from both Liverpool and Manchester—did multiple tours in Northern Ireland on Op Banner. Has the Secretary of State had any indications that our likely new Prime Minister is going to do right by those former soldiers from his own region, scrap the benighted Bill, which helps Sinn Féin pursue our veterans via lawfare, and get rid of the whole nonsense altogether?

We have been waiting for those amendments almost as long as we have been waiting for the DIP. Where is the right hon. Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) on the legacy issue? Many regiments that hail from the north-west—such as the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which has already mentioned once today, and, before it, the King’s Regiment, which traditionally recruited from both Liverpool and Manchester—did multiple tours in Northern Ireland on Op Banner. Has the Secretary of State had any indications that our likely new Prime Minister is going to do right by those former soldiers from his own region, scrap the benighted Bill, which helps Sinn Féin pursue our veterans via lawfare, and get rid of the whole nonsense altogether?

First Opposition day debate (part one). Motion, That this House regrets the chaos in Government which means a temporary Prime Minister will be attending the NATO summit; further regrets that at such a dangerous time globally this country is not being properly governed; calls on the Government to spend 3% of GDP on defence by the end of this Parliament, or at a minimum to act to provide the £28 billion that the Ministry of Defence has asked for primarily by cutting welfare and to publish the Defence Investment Plan immediately to deliver this; agrees with the former Secretary of State for Defence that any Defence Investment Plan which included a rise in defence spending of 0.08% from next year to 2030, with no date for raising that spending to 3% and no path to an increase to 3.5%, would fall short of what is required, particularly as intelligence assessments note there could be an attack by Russia on NATO as soon as 2030; further calls on the Government to ensure that the Defence Investment Plan prepares the UK for future conflicts; and also calls on the Government not to proceed with the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025 and the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill which is unfit for purpose as it fails to protect veterans who risked their lives to protect this country. Closure motion agreed to. Main Question negatived on division (108 votes to 307). Amendment agreed to on division (294 votes to 110). Main Question, as amended, agreed to.

First Opposition day debate (part one). Motion, That this House regrets the chaos in Government which means a temporary Prime Minister will be attending the NATO summit; further regrets that at such a dangerous time globally this country is not being properly governed; calls on the Government to spend 3%...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current IOC date for the new, sixth generation Tempest (GCAP) aircraft in RAF service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current IOC date for the new, sixth generation Tempest (GCAP) aircraft in RAF service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current estimated IOC date for HMS Venturer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current estimated IOC date for HMS Venturer.

May I begin by saying that we Conservative Members stand four-square with the Government on their response to Romania? It is a NATO ally, and it deserves our support.

While overall trends in recruitment and retention may have stabilised, there is still a serious problem of personnel leaving the special forces. We know from the personal accounts of former Special Air Service commanders that this is due in no small part to the Government’s facilitation of lawfare against their comrades who served in Northern Ireland. To aid retention, what is the Secretary of State’s personal response to the three special forces regimental associations that publicly warned him in late April that

“The egregious mistreatment of veterans and the ongoing infringement of their rights has to end”?

May I begin by saying that we Conservative Members stand four-square with the Government on their response to Romania? It is a NATO ally, and it deserves our support.

While overall trends in recruitment and retention may have stabilised, there is still a serious problem of personnel leaving the special forces. We know from the personal accounts of former Special Air Service commanders that this is due in no small part to the Government’s facilitation of lawfare against their comrades who served in Northern Ireland. To aid retention, what is the Secretary of State’s personal response to the three special forces regimental associations that publicly warned him in late April that

“The egregious mistreatment of veterans and the ongoing infringement of their rights has to end”?

The Secretary of State said he did not recognise “my” description. It is not mine. It is in a statement of 22 April from the three special forces regimental associations. Those are not my words; they are theirs. I will ask him again. If we are to persuade people to continue serving their King and country in uniform in very high-threat situations, we need to address these legitimate concerns. For months now, the Government have been promising to table amendments to their benighted troubles Bill to provide additional protections for veterans, but as with the defence investment plan, we are still waiting for Godot. When exactly will those long-promised amendments be published, and by which Minister?

The Secretary of State said he did not recognise “my” description. It is not mine. It is in a statement of 22 April from the three special forces regimental associations. Those are not my words; they are theirs. I will ask him again. If we are to persuade people to continue serving their King and country in uniform in very high-threat situations, we need to address these legitimate concerns. For months now, the Government have been promising to table amendments to their benighted troubles Bill to provide additional protections for veterans, but as with the defence investment plan, we are still waiting for Godot. When exactly will those long-promised amendments be published, and by which Minister?

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many F-35B aircraft have now been delivered by Lockheed Martin to the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many F-35B aircraft have now been delivered by Lockheed Martin to the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of the latest refit of HMS Iron Duke.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of the latest refit of HMS Iron Duke.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total cost of the RCH 155m artillery system to the MoD in terms of a) acquisition cost and b) through-life cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total cost of the RCH 155m artillery system to the MoD in terms of a) acquisition cost and b) through-life cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current status of the proposed buy of additional F-35B aircraft, beyond the 48 originally ordered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current status of the proposed buy of additional F-35B aircraft, beyond the 48 originally ordered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the definition of initial operating capability (IOC) for the recently ordered 155mm RCH artillery system and when this is likely to be achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the definition of initial operating capability (IOC) for the recently ordered 155mm RCH artillery system and when this is likely to be achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first of the recently ordered 72 RCH 155mm artillery systems is due to achieve initial operational capability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first of the recently ordered 72 RCH 155mm artillery systems is due to achieve initial operational capability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the policy of the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regarding the risk of potential leaks of engine oil or lubricants into the cockpit atmosphere of military aircraft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the policy of the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regarding the risk of potential leaks of engine oil or lubricants into the cockpit atmosphere of military aircraft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the latest estimated IOC date for the Challenger 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the latest estimated IOC date for the Challenger 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current estimated IOC for HMS Achilles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current estimated IOC for HMS Achilles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of the latest refit of HMS Lancaster.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of the latest refit of HMS Lancaster.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of the latest refit of HMS Richmond.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of the latest refit of HMS Richmond.

Urgent questions on plans to fund the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review.

Urgent questions on plans to fund the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review.

There are growing rumours that the Government plan to bring back their ill-fated Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to the Commons next week. If that is true, it will give us the perfect opportunity to debate the Prime Minister’s links with Phil Shiner, the disgraced lawyer who was convicted of fraud and struck off for making multiple false allegations against British soldiers. The Northern Ireland Secretary has told the House repeatedly that there is no such thing as a vexatious prosecution. Do MOD Ministers now agree that that is not just naive but simply untrue, especially after the case of Phil Shiner —a man universally hated across the British Army?

There are growing rumours that the Government plan to bring back their ill-fated Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to the Commons next week. If that is true, it will give us the perfect opportunity to debate the Prime Minister’s links with Phil Shiner, the disgraced lawyer who was convicted of fraud and struck off for making multiple false allegations against British soldiers. The Northern Ireland Secretary has told the House repeatedly that there is no such thing as a vexatious prosecution. Do MOD Ministers now agree that that is not just naive but simply untrue, especially after the case of Phil Shiner —a man universally hated across the British Army?