Speeches by Twigg.

“First, I welcome your comments about the Committee being able to hold the MOD to account over readiness, because we have been denied that opportunity time and time again. I welcome that, particularly coming from a former Secretary of State as distinguished as you, Lord Robertson. Dr Hill, during the course of the revie…”

“I want to follow up Lincoln Jopp’s question, and maybe put it in a different way. First, I welcome the review; I think it is a very good review, particularly in the context of the political and financial constraints that you have to work within; we can have the debate around timelines, funding and so on, but that is fo…”

“Is there anything in particular that you wanted to look at or include that you had not been able to because of those constraints?”

“Things could have been done more speedily, then?”

“When did you give the report to the MOD?”

“So March-ish.”

“Given that the Government have accepted the recommendations in the report, are you convinced that they have a strategy in place, or are developing one, to implement those recommendations? Is that in place now, or is it an ongoing process in the MOD?”

“I understand that, but with respect, sir, because of the time, let me come back to the question: have they got a strategy in place to implement this report?”

“So there is already a plan to implement the report. For a strategy you need—well, I do not need to tell you, because you are much more experienced than me.”

“I am just asking whether you know that there is a plan or strategy in place to implement the report.”

“By the sound of your response, you are not 100% sure.”

“Okay. We heard that one of the questions you would answer was about whether the Armed Forces are “thinly spread and…should be more focused”. What does the review recommend that UK defence stops doing, if it is spread too thin?”

“General Barrons, we are too “thinly spread”, so what is it that we should not be doing?”

“So we should do much less in Asia-Pacific then?”

“Basically, you are saying that our focus should really be on Europe and not on trying to do lots of things in different parts of the world.”

“Can I ask one question on nuclear? You say in the review: “Commencing discussions with the United States and NATO on the potential benefits and feasibility of enhanced UK participation in NATO’s nuclear mission.” As the Chair has raised on the Floor of the House, and you will have seen in The Sunday Times, does that in…”

“Can you say why you were not enthusiastic?”

“So you considered it, and you decided that was not the way that we should be moving forward?”

“Why were you not enamoured with that idea?”

“Were you not personally a fan of expanding our nuclear deterrent to include F-35s with tactical nuclear weapons?”