Speeches by Healey.

“We have some really important programmes and capabilities across the board. The strategic defence review, because it is a strategic defence review, is looking across the board at everything. However, I absolutely do not want you to take that as a signal that any part of our programmes and capabilities—to be clear—are i…”

“I can run through mine and the Government’s priorities, which are essentially captured in the framing terms of reference for the review. Mrs Lewell-Buck, you were on this Committee, and you saw a couple of defence reviews and a couple of integrated reviews. You will remember that the integrated review in 2023, on the I…”

“Mrs Lewell-Buck, that is a question that is, in all honesty, not possible to answer at this point. The purpose of commissioning the defence review, and doing it in a way that is unique to the UK—it is externally led but draws on the deep expertise within both the Department and the military, as well as more widely—mean…”

“That was an unhappy period for defence. There were delays in major programmes and conscious ministerial decisions to put back major programmes by four or five years. There were decisions made and then changed on major procurement programmes, as well as decisions driven by an austerity Government that cut the defence bu…”

“You make the point that I made to the Committee earlier. These are serious times, with war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East and rising global threats, as you say. That is precisely the reason why we must increase defence spending to 2.5%—everyone agrees with that—in order to deal with the threats that we face and…”

“I see no anomaly. First, we set out the commitment to establishing a path to 2.5%, but we are not waiting until then. You mention the Budget that the Chancellor delivered on 30 October; you will have noted that, unlike for many other Departments, there was a substantial increase in next year’s budget for the Ministry o…”

“As a Labour MP like me, you will appreciate that we stood as Labour candidates on a manifesto with a unique commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP—a level that has not been met in this country since 2010, when Labour were last in government. Our commitment is that we will set a clear path to 2.5% of GDP…”

“Mr Chairman, thank you for your welcome. Perhaps you will allow me a few opening remarks, as you have made, before I answer that question. One of the special privileges of this job is, every day, meeting inspiring men and women who are serving in the military, the civil service and industry, who are totally dedicated t…”

“That was a rather wide-ranging response that spanned the fiscal position in 2010 and farming today. I remind the hon. Gentleman that the last time this country spent 2.5% on defence was in 2010 under Labour, and that the Tory plan to spend 2.5% on defence was a pre-election gimmick, announced four weeks before the elec…”

“I regard defence as largely beyond party politics, so I am happy to extend, on a cross-party basis, that invitation to a meeting to the hon. Lady. What I cannot undertake to do is to promise to deliver a cross-ministerial meeting, but if she is happy to start with me, then that is what we can do.”

“I can confirm that, and I welcome my hon. Friend’s comments. The best exemplification of the argument she makes is in the Army’s plans to rapidly replace the Watchkeeper mark 1 capability. It is a 14-year-old drone in an era where, as Ukraine tells us, drone technology has a lifecycle of two to three months. The Army k…”

“The statement means no change to the available amphibious capability, because, in practice, Albion and Bulwark had been mothballed. They are out of action, and there were no plans for them to sail again until they were to be taken out of service a decade into the future. This position allows us to focus more quickly on…”

“Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. We have seen, over recent weeks, a significant change in the action and in the rhetoric on Ukraine, and Ukraine’s action on the battlefield speaks for itself. We, as a nation and as a Government, are doubling down on our support for Ukraine, and are determined to do…”

“My hon. Friend puts his finger exactly on the button. At the heart of the SDR is an assessment of the increasing and diversifying threats we face, the rapidly changing technology and nature of warfare, and therefore the capabilities we require for the future and the sort of forces we require for the future. Those are a…”

“If my hon. Friend, with her south-west posse, wants to come to see me to discuss this matter, I would be very happy to try to arrange that soon.”

“The hon. Gentleman is right. Procurement is one of the first focuses and most important areas for further reform in defence, but defence reform is required across the board. On recruitment, I hope he will welcome the steps I have already taken to remove almost 100 bits of red tape that prevent young people from being r…”

“Given the right hon. Gentleman’s experience in this very job, I will take that as an early representation on the future decisions I will have to take on what to do with the kit once it is decommissioned.”

“The message is that our UK armed forces offer a fantastic career: a wide range of opportunity and skills for any young person who wants to sign up that will give them experiences and set them up for life. My hon. Friend is totally right when he talks about Conservative cuts. In the first year of a Labour Government, we…”

“The message is clear: we now have a Government who are willing to take the decisions to deal with outdated equipment that should have been retired long ago, so that we can switch our focus and our finances, and develop the capabilities, technologies and weaponry that our forces need to fight more effectively in future.”

“I am proud of our tradition of UK shipbuilding, including in Scotland. I want Britain’s warships to be built in Britain. My hon. Friend may be aware that we are committed to make the Government’s industrial strategy with the defence sector one of those priority sectors, so that we not only strengthen our forces for the…”