UK Armed Forces in Middle East

Debate between Andrew Bridgen and Leo Docherty

Monday 29th April 2024 Commons Chamber

[Leo Docherty]

My right hon. Friend asks a very good question, and a huge amount of effort is going into this. We are energetically leaning into the prospect of a greater degree of aid flowing through the Cypriot and Jordanian humanitarian corridors, and the JLOTS temporary pier capability could be an absolute game changer.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Ind)]

The Government continue to provide huge sums of taxpayers’ money for arms and weapons for Ukraine, but minimal funding for humanitarian aid for Gaza. Does the Minister believe that the UK public share the Government’s spending priorities?

[Leo Docherty]

I believe they do, yes.

Death of Alexei Navalny

Debate between Andrew Bridgen and Leo Docherty

Monday 19th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Leo Docherty]

The hon. Gentleman will know he should address that question to the Home Office. He mentioned the second anniversary of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. Earlier today, I had a good meeting with the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires at which we looked at images of the Ukrainian Red Cross delivering aid in some of the worst afflicted cities in Ukraine. Each Member of the House will choose how to remember and commemorate the second anniversary, but I am grateful to him for raising it.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Ind)]

I express my condolences to the friends and family of Alexei Navalny, but can the Minister explain why we can have a statement on the untimely death of one foreign national but we cannot have a statement on the ongoing excess deaths of 100,000 of our own citizens, many of whom have died suddenly? [Interruption.] Is it because this death fits the Government’s narrative, but the death of our own citizens does not? Or is it a parody of Stalin, whereby one death is a tragedy but 100,000 deaths is merely a statistic?

[Leo Docherty]

The hon. Gentleman has answered his own question.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Bridgen and Leo Docherty

Tuesday 18th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Leo Docherty]

At the historic summit in Vilnius, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine would become a member of NATO at a time when allies agree and “conditions are met”. Like the Foreign Secretary, I will continue to engage with NATO allies and with Ukraine, not least because we know that Ukraine is a hugely valuable and courageous partner in the defence of freedom.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Reclaim)]

Will the Minister inform the House whether the Government will be supporting or opposing Ursula von der Leyen’s bid to become the next Secretary-General of NATO? Given her lamentable performance as Germany’s Defence Minister, I would urge the latter, but it is clear that she has preferment, and despite all her failures she has always failed upwards.

[Leo Docherty]

No.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Bridgen and Leo Docherty

Monday 28th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

Does the Minister agree that we train all our military personnel to be able to be extremely violent when the situation requires but we also train them to have the self-discipline to control that aggression and that any breach of that discipline, whether perpetrated against male or female victims, needs to be dealt with expeditiously and seriously through military law?

[Leo Docherty]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, and this is all the more the case given that women occupy every role right across Defence, quite rightly.