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Integrated Review
19 November 2020
Lead MP
Boris Johnson
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
DefenceEconomyClimateBrexitForeign Affairs
Other Contributors: 44
At a Glance
Boris Johnson raised concerns about integrated review in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Prime Minister announced an increase of £24.1 billion over the next four years in UK defence spending, which is £16.5 billion more than their manifesto commitment. This raises defence expenditure as a share of GDP to at least 2.2%, exceeding NATO commitments and investing £190 billion over the next four years, second only to the US among NATO allies. The statement emphasised reviving British armed forces, strengthening global influence, and reinforcing capabilities in networked warfare through advancements in artificial intelligence, directed energy weapons, and space technology. A new National Cyber Force was established and a focus on green industrial revolution projects that create 10,000 jobs annually is highlighted. The aim is to restore Britain's naval power, develop advanced warships, support the development of carrier strike groups globally, and bolster security through increased investment in research and intelligence agencies.
Torfaen
Question
The Member asks for clarity on whether the additional defence spending will result in cuts elsewhere in government budgets. He also queries if it will lead to borrowing or tax rises.
Minister reply
The Minister of Defence responds by stating that the decision was made to increase defence funding, and he aims to avoid any direct impact on other departments’ spending. However, no specific mention is provided about avoiding borrowing or raising taxes.
John Spellar
Lab
Warley
Question
The Member questions the Government’s approach towards foreign policy, especially after Brexit transition period ends and seeks clarity on future trade deals.
Minister reply
The Minister of Defence confirms that discussions are ongoing for post-Brexit arrangements but does not provide specific details about any planned trade agreements.
Gerald Howarth
Con
Aldershot
Question
Asks if there is a plan to retain current armed forces levels despite the additional funding.
Minister reply
The Minister of Defence assures that the Government's priority is on investing in defence capabilities without reducing personnel numbers, emphasising the importance of maintaining military readiness.
Justin Tomlinson
Con
North Swindon
Question
Inquires about the impact of additional spending on specific regions and industries such as shipbuilding.
Minister reply
The Minister of Defence highlights that increased defence investment will support jobs across various sectors including shipbuilding, aiming to 'level up' areas through economic growth spurred by industrial development.
Keir Starmer
Lab
Holborn and St Pancras
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement... [full question as provided]
Minister reply
Of all the humbug that I have heard from the right hon. and learned Gentleman, that really takes the cake. This is a man who campaigned until December last year to install in government a Prime Minister who wanted to scrap our armed services and pull out of NATO... [full answer as provided]
Question
I welcome the commitment to significantly upgrade our defence posture, for which the Prime Minister knows I, the Defence Committee and others in this House have been calling for some time. Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that, as we take on the presidency of the G7, we will work closely with the new US Administration in boosting western resolve to confront a growing number of hostile competitors?
Minister reply
I thank my right hon. Friend; he is completely right. This package will encourage and bolster our friends and alliances around the world and enable the UK to project global influence into the future.
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement... [full question as provided]
Minister reply
I can certainly give the right hon. Gentleman that guarantee. Once again, he seems to be a veritable geyser of confected indignation. Of course we are going to guarantee the Black Watch. DFID will remain in East Kilbride, as long as he does not continue with his ambitions to break up the United Kingdom; and even if he does, DFID will remain in East Kilbride.
Liam Fox
Con
North Somerset
Question
May I say to my right hon. Friend that this statement smacks not only of promises kept, but of promises exceeded? I congratulate him on that. Does he accept that in an era when global cyber-attacks threaten our entire way of life—from the economy to the NHS—we need to spend more of our defence budget on assets that we cannot see as well as on updating our core assets, and that that needs to be clearly explained to the British people? In this war of the invisible enemy, does he believe that cyber doctrine has evolved to match our capabilities, especially on existential threats, in order to provide adequate deterrence?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is an expert on what he is talking about. I can tell him that the National Cyber Force is working on doctrine that is currently evolving, but we will deploy our cyber capabilities, as I am sure he and the House would expect, in accordance with international law to protect the British public and our citizens.
Edward Davey
Lib Dem
Kingston and Surbiton
Question
We all owe an enormous debt to the brave men and women of our armed forces and security services for their work in keeping our country safe. We will give the review the study it merits, but I immediately welcome the extra investment in cyber-security so that Cheltenham’s GCHQ and the amazing people who work there can continue to ensure the UK remains a world leader in this crucial aspect of modern defence. With data and cyber so important to modern defence, the Prime Minister will know that access for our security services and police to European crime databases is vital to keeping the British people safe. Can the Prime Minister guarantee that we will retain direct, real-time access to all European databases after 1 January?
Minister reply
We will make sure that we have all the co-operation. I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his point, which is a very important one, and I agree with him on what he says about GCHQ and Cheltenham. I am assured that we will be able to maintain all the co-operation and collaboration we need to protect our people and our citizens, not just with our European friends and partners, but with Five Eyes and other allies and friends around the world.
Andrew Mitchell
Con
Sutton Coldfield
Question
My right hon. Friend has delivered for our armed forces today and he deserves the support of the whole House, particularly as he seeks to improve the procurement mechanisms of the Ministry of Defence. Will he bear in mind the wise words of General Mattis, the former US Defence Secretary, who told Donald Trump that the more you cut aid, the more I have to spend on ammunition? Britain’s development leadership—standing by our promise to the poorest by keeping the 0.7%, which was a manifesto commitment—will stand my right hon. Friend in very good stead as he assumes the chairmanship of the G7 on 1 January and promotes the important values of global Britain.
Minister reply
I am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s points. He has done extraordinary work to champion the poorest and neediest around the world. This country, as I say, can be very proud of our record on overseas aid. We will continue to lead the world on that under this Government. What I can say is that this statement is about our defence and security, and there is no read-across to any other issue. This is driven by our need to protect the British public and keep the world as safe as we possibly can, and to unite and level up across our Union with 40,000 more jobs.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for his commitment to the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Will he confirm that while the goal is speed, readiness and resilience, as opposed to mass mobilisation, for the British armed forces to remain the best in the world the training of personnel must be a top priority to ensure that while we are ready for technological warfare, we also remain ready for physical forms of war? How will the review of recruitment procedures secure that very goal?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. The defence review will ensure that we remain full spectrum capable. I think that is the phrase the House should use: full spectrum capable.
Question
I strongly welcome and support my right hon. Friend’s statement. We live in difficult times, but, as he states, the defence of the realm must always remain a top priority. The announcement will be warmly welcomed by so many British businesses who rely heavily on our defence industry. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that this will safeguard jobs, helping us to build back and level up opportunity across our nation?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is completely right. We will use this defence package and spending review not just to modernise and update our armed forces in a truly revolutionary way but to drive jobs across the whole of the UK. It is a very exciting prospect.
Question
If this boost for defence spending is the first fruits of the departure of Dominic Cummings, it is most welcome, especially in ensuring that we can continue to work effectively alongside our long-term allies and partners including the United States—even more so with the welcome arrival of President Biden. Will the Prime Minister ensure that, wherever possible, spending is directed to firms in the UK and that orders are pulled forward to get British industry moving? He can start with the fleet solid support ships by telling the Ministry of Defence to send out the invitations to bid not in some ill-defined spring as the MOD says, but early in 2021. That would be a welcome Christmas present and new year message not only for our shipyards but for our engineering and steel industries and their communities.
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman speaks for many in what he says about the fleet solid support ships—he certainly speaks for me. This is a great moment for shipbuilding in this country. Be in no doubt of the ambition of my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary, the shipbuilding tsar who is now leading a renaissance in shipbuilding. I am sure he heard the right hon. Gentleman’s points loud and clear.
Dehenna Davison
Con
Barking
Question
I welcome in the strongest possible terms the incredible announcement from the Prime Minister. Before joining this place, I worked for a County Durham start-up in research and development and saw at first hand the incredible value that R&D brings to society, particularly when tech is developed that can be applied to other uses. I have no doubt that investing in military R&D will lead to advancements for civilian applications in areas such as aviation and autonomous vehicles. Indeed, the technology that allows us to see the Prime Minister beamed on to our screens today first came from a military communication innovation. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that this package of funding will be underpinned by a strong commitment to military research and development?
Minister reply
I can indeed. There is big, big chunk of this package specifically dedicated to research and development in cyber, AI and drone warfare—all the warfare of the future. The victors of the future will be those who are able to master data and new technology in the way that this package supports.
Sarah Champion
Lab
Rotherham
Question
I really welcome this commitment to our armed forces. The Prime Minister spoke in his statement about defending our people and keeping the world safe, which I would argue are development objectives, thinking specifically about climate change, food security, creating stable Governments and investing to end violence against women and girls. How will he ensure that development remains front and centre of the UK’s new international policy following the integrated review? Will he please quash rumours and confirm his manifesto commitment to the 0.7% both now and going forwards?
Minister reply
As I have said several times to the House, we can all be proud of our record on overseas aid, and that will continue, but it is also by investing in our armed services that we can do some of the greatest things for the poorest and neediest people around the world. I have often found, when travelling around the world to countries in real distress, that the single export they crave the most is the help, reassurance and security that comes from the British armed services. That is one of the reasons why helping to keep our world safe is a huge part of this agenda.
Ben Everitt
Con
Kettering
Question
Our armed forces have played a crucial role in our response to the pandemic, not least in setting up and scaling the mega lab in Milton Keynes. Looking beyond Milton Keynes to the world, does the Prime Minister agree that this investment sends a huge message to our friends and allies around the world that Britain is serious about security, and to those who would do us harm and threaten the security of our people and our nation that Britain is serious about defending our people, our businesses, our economy and our values?
Minister reply
That is exactly the purpose of this announcement. It is a long-term plan that allows us to reform our defences. They must be reformed and they must be improved, while allowing us to project force and stability around the world. That is what it is designed to do. It simultaneously creates tens of thousands of jobs across the whole of the United Kingdom. So it has a big economic benefit as well.
Dan Jarvis
Lab
Barnsley North
Question
I welcome the commitment to additional future funding, but we should not forget that British boots are on the ground in Afghanistan today. A consequence of President Trump’s threat to reduce troop numbers would be that the UK needed to play a greater role in building peace, security and resilience. So does the UK stand ready to meet that challenge and ensure that the people of Afghanistan are afforded the opportunity of a more peaceful and prosperous future?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman and I recognise and admire the service that he has given to this country in our armed forces. He is completely right to point to the issue of a proposed potential American draw-down in those areas. We are watching it very closely, and we will be working with our American friends in the new Administration to do whatever we can to protect the stability and security of those troubled countries.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Thankfully, the Prime Minister is fulfilling his leadership election promise on defence spending. Given that the National Cyber Force formally announced today involves offensive cyber operations, I welcome the fact that the ISC will provide oversight of this joint MOD-GCHQ venture. Is my right hon. Friend fully satisfied that the ISC is now properly constituted to conduct this scrutiny impartially and independently?
Minister reply
Yes. I believe that the Intelligence and Security Committee is well equipped to provide exactly that further layer of scrutiny of cyber operations.
Question
The Prime Minister has outlined his ambition for a space control to secure space launch capability from the UK, but concerns have been raised by some in the UK-based space industry about the recently published US-UK technology safeguards agreement. What guarantee can the Prime Minister give the UK-based industry that it will be central to any space programme?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman raises an important and interesting issue. I will do my best to ensure that his concerns are addressed and that the House is able to look at all the technology safeguard measures that we are putting in place.
Thomas Tugendhat
Con
Tonbridge
Question
First, may I hugely welcome this announcement? It does more than guarantee the future of the Black Watch. It invests in businesses from Arbroath all the way to Abergavenny. Will my right hon. Friend commit to bringing forward as soon as possible the integrated review so that we have a strategic approach to spending?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is spot on. What this package does is set out much of the basic structure of the integrated review. We can start to see the tools that we will be using, but we will shortly be completing the review.
Jamie Stone
Lib Dem
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Question
As a Scottish MP, I have no doubt as to the vital role that Scotland plays in the defence of the realm. On 7 September next year, may I suggest that the UK Cabinet meet again in Inverness to review the defence of the UK by visiting places such as RAF Lossiemouth?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman makes an incredibly important point about the role of our armed services in beating the covid pandemic. It was wonderful to see the way that the UK armed services have helped during this pandemic, and I will keep very closely in mind the hon. Gentleman’s invitation to come to Inverness for a Cabinet meeting next year.
Question
It is great to be able to praise the Prime Minister for his leadership in delivering this multi-year settlement for our wonderful men and women of our armed forces. Would he like to thank all those officials and civil servants in the Ministry of Defence who have worked many hours to help deliver this multi-year settlement?
Minister reply
It is always a pleasure to thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence whom I have known for many, many years. He is supported by thousands of brilliant officials, and members of our wonderful armed services helped make this package what it is.
Question
In the mid-‘90s, the UK was one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions in terms of troops and personnel. Now we have only 600 personnel worldwide whom we contribute. Will this budget turn that around?
Minister reply
One reason why I am so excited about going up to 2.2% of our spending on defence is that it will allow us to do more on peacekeeping.
Question
This announcement, as a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Trust, I know will be much welcomed by our armed forces. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that it will in fact strengthen our global influence and secure jobs across a range of supply chain industries?
Minister reply
Yes, indeed. This will be big for the Black Country. The west midlands is at the cutting edge of technological change and new industrial revolution.
Navendu Mishra
Lab
Stockport
Question
Britain is the penholder for Yemen at the UN Security Council, with a responsibility to support peace process. Why have his Government resumed indefensible arms sales to Saudi Arabia?
Minister reply
Under the consolidated guidance, we have some of the strictest rules about exports of weapons in the world and everything is closely overseen and scrutinised by our lawyers.
Chi Onwurah
Lab
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Question
I very much welcome this increased commitment to invest in our armed forces. How is the Prime Minister going to ensure that jobs are created across the country through this investment? Innovative, high-tech businesses tell me that it is easier to secure a contract with the American Department of Defence than with the British Ministry of Defence.
Minister reply
The hon. Member makes an important point about the need to source as much as we can from the UK. That is obviously what we are going to do.
David Davis
Con
Goole and Pocklington
Question
This is the best defence statement in a quarter of a century in the House of Commons. Will he assuage two concerns that I have? The first is that it appears that the numerical size of the armed forces is still on a downward trend.
Minister reply
First of all, there are no redundancies in this package. My right hon. Friend is right about the need to maintain full spectrum and that is what this does.
Stephen Doughty
Lab Co-op
Cardiff South and Penarth
Question
There is much to welcome about the investment in our armed forces. What role does he see for us as a partner for peace, development and security in Africa?
Minister reply
We have made representations to the Government in Addis Ababa to de-escalate in Ethiopia. We continue to make our points with them.
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Question
I thank both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor for finding a way to provide this long-term financial stability for defence, despite the huge financial pressures that covid has brought upon us this year. Getting our defence funding on a sound footing affords us the chance to ensure that it can be genuinely resilient, so does the Prime Minister agree that ensuring that we get going at pace on the shipbuilding commitments he has set out is critical not only for the next generation of Royal Navy ships to be in service as soon as possible, but because the UK, in building ships and boats across the four nations of the Union that they defend, can lead the world in adapting to green maritime technologies?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is completely right because not only are we massively expanding shipbuilding with the two frigate production lines that I have described, the five Type 31s at Rosyth and the six Type 26s in Govan, and we are also committed to the Type 32, but we want to be in the lead globally—as she and I have discussed, and I thank her for all the work she has done to champion shipbuilding and the Royal Navy—in clean, green marine technologies so that our ships are also emitting less carbon. That is perfectly feasible.
Peter Grant
Con
Glenrothes
Question
The Prime Minister has announced an additional increase of just over £4 billion a year in the defence budget. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence admits that it already has a £6 billion budget shortfall in its equipment plan. That shortfall could rise to as much as £13 billion over the lifetime of the plan, so will the Prime Minister tell us what he thinks the MOD’s equipment budget shortfall will be at the end of the four-year period covered by his statement today?
Minister reply
As I say, this is the biggest increase in defence spending since the cold war. It gives us a long-term ability to reform, but it also delivers more ships, cyber, artificial intelligence, drone technology and the future combat air system, which will be absolutely vital to this country—all of it creating 40,000 jobs across the UK, so this is a big step forward for our whole country.
Scott Benton
Con
Wirral West
Question
I warmly welcome this statement from the Prime Minister and his continuing commitment to strengthening our defence capabilities. I am sure he will agree that it is vital that other NATO members also fulfil their obligations with regard to spending 2% of their GDP on defence by 2024. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that other members of the alliance fulfil their obligations to increase their defence spending?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is completely right, and we never tire of telling other NATO colleagues that they need to increase their defence spending for the good of the whole alliance. We will continue to make that case, but we are doing the most powerful thing—that is, setting a fantastic example ourselves with 2.2%. This is something that will not only help to drive jobs and prosperity in the UK and protect the people of the UK, but help to make the world safer.
Mary Foy
Lab
City of Durham
Question
In June this year, the Prime Minister abolished the Department for International Development, telling me and the House that there had been 'massive consultation over a long period'—[Official Report, 16 June 2020; Vol. 677, c. 678]—with aid organisations prior to making the decision. Since then, around 200 aid organisations and his own Secretary of State have contradicted that. Can the Prime Minister provide evidence that this consultation took place prior to making the decision, or will he finally apologise for misleading the House?
Minister reply
We are in daily contact and communication with the aid organisations that have benefited from the many billions of pounds that the UK contributes to international development—more than virtually any other country. We will continue to do that, and we will continue to work with those organisations on the ground.
Nigel Mills
Con
Amber Valley
Question
I welcome this statement and the increased investment. The Prime Minister has rightly set out the importance of spending this money wisely and efficiently and buying as much from British suppliers as we can. Can he bring forward revised public sector procurement rules that apply right across public spending, so that we can achieve both those welcome objectives?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an interesting suggestion. As I said in answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden (Mr Davis), we want to make sure that this money is well spent. We are going to scrutinise it very carefully. Normally, defence spending is outwith most OJEU—Official Journal of the European Union—procurement rules, but we will make sure that we procure all this in the UK in so far as we possibly can and use it to drive jobs and growth, and that means spending it wisely.
Tan Dhesi
Lab
Slough
Question
With the Conservatives having been in power for over a decade, it is ironic that the Prime Minister has just referred to coming out of an era of retreat and decline, since he has helped to facilitate huge cuts to spending on defence and our brave armed forces. The Government rightly sanctioned Russia for its annexation of Crimea and the appalling chemical weapons attack in Salisbury, so why has the Prime Minister failed to address the deep systemic failings in dealing with threats to our national security identified by the Russia report?
Minister reply
I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is pretty indistinct from here because of the size of the screen, but I think that that was a question from the Labour Benches. It seems extraordinary that complaints about not being tough enough on Russia are being directed at the Government from Labour, which was led until only a year ago by somebody who regularly appeared on Russian TV and took Russia’s side in the Salisbury poisonings. We remain absolutely determined to protect this country from threats from all quarters, particularly from those who wish us ill. That is why we are investing in cyber and our security in the way we are today.
Jeremy Hunt
Con
Godalming and Ash
Question
This is a fantastic announcement. The Prime Minister will remember that in the leadership campaign last year, I said that we should move towards spending 3% of our GDP on defence, so we think exactly the same on this. May I urge him not to listen to any voices in his ear that say the way to fund this is a temporary cut in the 0.7% aid commitment? We spent a decade winning the argument for that, and even a temporary cut will create an enormous clamour of people who say that we should not go back to it. In a year when 100 million more people have gone into extreme poverty, I know that he would not want to send the wrong signal out to the world about our values as a country.
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend and I think alike on so many of these issues, and we think alike on this, too. This country can be immensely proud, and he can be immensely proud of the leadership he showed as Foreign Secretary on aid and development and in championing the needs of the underprivileged around the world. The UK, under any view, continues to do that. Look at what we just did with the GAVI summit for global vaccines, raising $8 billion or $9 billion to spread vaccines around the world. We lead the world in investing in epidemic preparedness and in so many other ways. We will continue to do so, and the people of this country will continue to be world leaders in giving aid. I remember my right hon. Friend’s campaign to increase defence funding—I listened to it very carefully. I thought he was right at the time, and I am glad that we have been able to fulfil his expectations now.
Kenny MacAskill
SNP
Central Edinburgh
Question
When the major threat is terrorism, largely homegrown and driven by inequality and prejudice, and with other budgets being cut, inequality rising and prejudice increasing, how will all the king’s soldiers and all the king’s weaponry put further victims together again?
Minister reply
I could not quite hear that question, Madam Deputy Speaker, but the hon. Gentleman seemed to be saying that terrorism is somehow caused by injustice in this country. I do not believe that to be true.
Philip Dunne
Con
Lichfield
Question
I very warmly welcome this material increase in the defence budget and, in particular, the multi-year nature of the settlement. A significant challenge in defence budgeting is the stop-start nature of political decision making on multi-year projects, so this statement will help to modernise the equipment plan and get it back on track, which is welcome. Does the Prime Minister agree that the United Kingdom can now fully take into account the UK prosperity impact of defence procurement, and will he do what he can to ensure that state aid issues and the opportunity cost of making in the UK are fully recognised by the Treasury?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend makes a really important point. This is a big moment for us, because we can ensure that these colossal investments do drive jobs and growth in this country, and that is what they are going to do. That is why I am so thrilled about the announcements for shipbuilding in particular, but this is not just about shipbuilding; it means new jobs in new technology in all kinds of ways across the whole country.
Stewart McDonald
SNP
Clydebank and Milport
Question
I can only assume that Conservative Members are awfully punch drunk on the numbers, because what the Prime Minister has effectively done is to rip up the integrated review by announcing the spending before the review. Surely, the review is supposed to inform the spending. Let me ask him a specific question about a specific promise. At the last independence referendum, his party promised 12,500 armed forces personnel permanently based in Scotland. Will that promise be met by the time of the next independence referendum?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman asks a very interesting question about a hypothetical political event that is at least a generation away. What I can say is that there is absolutely no threat to the Black Watch, to DFID in East Kilbride or to any of the other fantastic investments that this package brings to Scotland. It is a fantastic thing for our country and for our Union.
John Baron
Con
Basildon and Billericay
Question
This announcement is extremely welcome and one that I know, as an ex-soldier, will be well received by our superb armed forces. My right hon. Friend will know that the integrated review offers the opportunity to consider Britain’s foreign policy assets in the round, including its world-class soft power capabilities. Will he therefore confirm that when the review is published, it will reflect the recommendations of the recent British Council all-party parliamentary group report and include a soft power strategy at its core, with a central role for Britain’s primary soft power assets, including the British Council?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for that question, because he is right to highlight the importance of soft power. Studies have shown that we are among the biggest wielders of soft power in the world—we are a soft-power superpower. That soft power has many components, of which the British Council is one, but a robust, self-confident defence policy that allows us to project strength around the world is also hugely valuable. Hard power leads to soft power.
Ruth Jones
Lab
Newport West and Islwyn
Question
Welcoming the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice-President, Ruth Jones inquired about Boris Johnson's explanation to President-elect Biden regarding his Government’s actions that may have undermined the Good Friday agreement.
Minister reply
Boris Johnson responded by stating that he congratulated both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their election victory. He clarified that during the conversation, emphasis was placed on the shared desire to uphold the Good Friday Agreement and stability in Northern Ireland, though the focus was more on future collaboration on issues such as free trade, democracy, human rights, and climate change.
Question
In support of the integrated review focusing on defence, diplomacy and development, Crispin Blunt inquired if there was an opportunity to commit modest sums from the integrated budget towards programmes supporting LGBT+ rights globally.
Minister reply
Boris Johnson confirmed that his government is committed to advancing LGBT+ rights around the world. He argued against countries repressing these rights by highlighting both moral and economic benefits, including the attractiveness of Britain as an investment destination for those seeking freedom.
Emma Hardy
Lab
Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Question
Acknowledging the armed forces' efforts during the pandemic, Emma Hardy requested that some personnel be made available to assist in Hull and East Riding with their health emergency.
Minister reply
Boris Johnson agreed to the request, stating that the armed services will play a part in rolling out lateral flow mass testing across various locations including Liverpool. He mentioned that trials for this rapid turnaround test are being considered.
Question
Welcoming increased defence spending and investment in new military technology, Brendan Clarke-Smith invited Boris Johnson to visit Drone Defence in Retford and highlight the support for British companies like this one as part of the investment.
Minister reply
Boris Johnson expressed enthusiasm about supporting innovative companies such as Drone Defence. He mentioned that the company has also benefited from the kickstart scheme by hiring new employees, which aligns with his vision to support various industries across the country.
Shadow Comment
Keir Starmer
Shadow Comment
The shadow Secretary of State for Defence welcomed additional funding but criticised the lack of clarity on strategic priorities and questioned how it would be financed, especially given economic downturns due to the pandemic. He highlighted underinvestment in armed forces over a decade and challenged the Prime Minister about potential further cuts to military size or reductions elsewhere in government budgets. Starmer also raised concerns regarding post-Brexit foreign policy direction, Russia's threat to national security, and insufficient action on climate change ahead of COP26.
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