Speeches by Twigg.

“What has he brought to the tail in terms of anything additional that the Department did not already have?”

“You could have said, “Yes, in full,” but you did not.”

“Going back to the SDR, why has the MOD not agreed with the Committee’s recommendation that we should produce a publicly available annual report on the progress of the SDR implementation?”

“It would be useful to know. I am not sure whether you are going to say, “Well, I cannot tell you what the problems are with training because it would give away some sort of secret.” But I just wonder what the specific obstacles are there to completion?”

“Sorry to interrupt. Did you say, “Define what the question was”?”

“What has he actually added? What has changed as a result of his involvement? What is different and better?”

“Before I finish, you will notice that Civitas has today published an understanding of the UK’s transition to warfighting readiness, co-authored by Sir Bernard Jenkin and Chris Donnelly. There were a number of key issues, and one goes back to the CDS’s comments that we are basically not ready enough yet to deal with an …”

“Are you aware of any Afghans arriving in the UK under the secret Afghan resettlement route during your time as Secretary of State?”

“How many?”

“Are you aware of any Afghans arriving in the UK under the secret Afghan resettlement route during your time as Secretary of State? If so, roughly how many? It is unclear whether any arrived before the election. The first invitations were issued in April 2024.”

“You don’t know how many.”

“We were told that initially, “We were protecting lives, and that is why you were not told.” That was the original—”

“The first question is obvious: when and how did you hear about the breach?”

“Through the official channels?”

“You knew nothing before then?”

“Did they arrive before you left office?”

“This is not one of the most challenging questions I have ever asked you, compared with when you have sat there in the past, but it is one that we need to get a handle on. I want to understand the thinking behind why you went down the path you did. What alternatives to an injunction did you consider when deciding to res…”

“I place on the record that I support completely what the deputy Chair of the ISC, of which I am also a member, just said. The process issue needs looking at urgently, and the deputy Chair was clear about the problems we faced. An important letter today from the GCHQ and MI5 heads to the Foreign and Home Secretaries say…”

“Who was in that meeting?”

“So it was your decision.”