Speeches by Baker.

“I welcome this announcement and the Chancellor’s statement. It means that, thanks to this Labour Government, it will be cheaper for families across my community to go to theme parks, farms and soft plays this summer. I will see them there, because my children have a long list of places they want to visit. On days out, …”

“Minister, I know you have said that you cannot really talk about SF, but we as a Committee want to ask you some questions in this space. It has been widely reported that individuals from the special forces were responsible for both the data breach and the flawed verifications process. As you said, there was no evidence…”

“You alluded to the fact our industrial base needs to expand; we need to get money moving to be able to help that expansion. There was a Telegraph article yesterday reporting that the UK—I presume the Treasury—is looking at what would seem an evolution of the MDM, being referred to as a JEF bank. I declare an interest: …”

“Is it financially efficient? I am not sure, given the cost of storing this stuff. This is incredibly sensitive kit. I just wonder how financially efficient it is.”

“How do they see this race to create a financial institution that can help to get money moving to support defence? We have this concept of a JEF bank, which seems to be the latest evolution of the multilateral defence mechanism. Canada is leading another group of nations with the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank.”

“There are two big priorities for the Government: the High North and making defence an engine for growth. What opportunities are there to contribute to the Government’s growth agenda through defence exports, and how best can these be managed?”

“This is not about capability; this is about getting money moving.”

“Can I ask Professor Zysk about the foreign policy perspective? What does this look like from the Russian angle?”

“Can I come back to the small stuff? The Treasury has this multilateral defence mechanism, which very much seems to be JEF-oriented. We have not really, as a Committee, been able to get a sense of what Government are trying to do. There have been some communications with the Treasury Select Committee, but we are hoping …”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Does that make it pretty hard to replicate that deal?”

“For my community, the home of the British Army, this debate goes to the heart of our history and who we are. In Aldershot, we remember 22 February 1972, when the IRA detonated a bomb targeting the headquarters of the British Army’s 16th Parachute Brigade. It was one of the first attacks by the IRA on mainland Britain, …”

“How confident are you that those you spoke to made up a representative sample of those who could tell us what was happening on the ground?”

“We have already talked about the fact that organisations will not necessarily be able to give you that view. I am interested in how far you actually dug into the experience of individuals in this situation.”

“It is one thing to talk to organisations, but individual experiences can be very different from an organisation’s experience. How much did you seek out indicators that would challenge that judgment?”

“Mr Rimmer, we have been pretty horrified by the evidence we have received about killings and human rights abuses that have continued in Afghanistan, affecting individuals who are affected by this data breach. We note that you have said that it is hard to attribute specific cases, but we have heard evidence from people …”

“That person said to us that they knew that other people were saying the same thing to you, so they could not believe it when they saw your review. Clearly, other people feel the same way as this person. Why did you not speak to those people?”

“After the injunction was in place, did either of you judge that operating under extreme secrecy was reinforcing existing institutional caution and thereby slowing practical action to reduce potential harm to affected Afghans and did you raise those concerns directly with Ministers?”

“But the general election ultimately did slow the process down?”

“In my constituency, I hear from many small businesses that are worried about rising energy bills and what that means for their ability to grow and create jobs. As such, I welcome the measures that the Chancellor has outlined today, particularly decoupling gas and electricity, which will help to safeguard my constituent…”