Speeches by Lewell.

“I agree.”

“I forgot to ask this before. You applied for the post on 19 March. What was the date of your interview with the Secretary of State?”

“What would your views be if you were to be based in the MOD building?”

“Where do you think you should be based?”

“Was it just with the Secretary of State?”

“It is me again. All your predecessors have been lawyers or had professional backgrounds in complaints and front-facing organisations. As we know, none of them have had a career in the forces before you have. What are the advantages and disadvantages of that?”

“Just a plea from me: I think the whole system is really complicated, and if I was going through something stressful, I would find it really difficult. It needs to be more simplified.”

“Was there a time after the interview when they got in touch and said, “The job is yours”?”

“I just want to get this clear in my head in terms of a timeline. Let’s take the Warton example you gave, Steve. How long will it be before it’s endgame there if the DIP does not come out and you do not get the orders and the investment?”

“Morning all. What sectors are most affected by the DIP delay? What specific programmes are you most concerned about? Also, are we now looking at factory closures, job losses and production lines closing? If so, what is the timeline for that?”

“You can, if you do it quickly, because I think the Chair is keen to move on.”

“I will leave it there, Chair, because of time. Thank you.”

“I have some follow-up questions; I think this one is probably for you, Samira. Are ESG and debanking still a problem for defence SMEs?”

“In response to the Chair’s question, all panellists discussed MDM and the DSRB, but no one said what other fiscal tools they think should be used. Do you think it should be increased taxation or borrowing? What is your view?”

“I will speak briefly to Lords amendment 17. Since 2016, I have used every single parliamentary lever possible to improve sibling contact for children in care, by trying to create parity in the legislation. Although the Children Act 1989 requires local authorities to allow a looked-after child reasonable contact with th…”

“The Secretary of State is right that our armed forces are the very best of us. Australian and British media are reporting that HMS Anson has departed western Australia ahead of schedule. Can my right hon. Friend indicate whether HMS Anson will play a role in defending British interests in the region on her voyage home?”

“With a time limit of four minutes on Back-Bench speeches, I call Dr Kieran Mullan.”

“Dr De Vore, you seem to be nodding away. Is there something you want to add? You looked very keen.”

“Morning all. This will largely be for you, Professor Kennedy-Pipe. It might be difficult to predict, but what do you think the likely direction of the United States’ policy in the region is, given the recent designs of the President on Greenland and Canada, and the long-term foreign policy pivot in the national defence…”

“Thank you both for that. Professor, you said that the Americans have the powers to do what they want in Greenland anyway. Do you think they would use those? Have they used them? What do you see as their next step?”