Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Rosindell and Wes Streeting

Monday 19th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

As a matter of policy, we obviously do not talk about the storage of nuclear weapons. Suffice it to say that however much people want to try to find another way around this, I can only assure the House that, having looked at this issue with a fresh pair of eyes, I have reached the same conclusion as every Prime Minister since Boris Johnson, including this one. That conclusion is that the capabilities provided by the Diego Garcia base make it extremely unwise—and a risk not worth taking—to have legal uncertainty, which is why efforts to negotiate a treaty continue. [Interruption.] Conservative Members may disagree now. If they do, they should explain why Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and the right hon. Member for Richmond and Northallerton (Rishi Sunak) were all trying to achieve the same outcome.

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Reform)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Wes Streeting)]

Last week in Washington, I met my US counterpart in person for the first time to discuss a range of issues including Ukraine, Russian aggression and Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism. In recent weeks, we have seen threats to our airbases here at home and deadly attacks on civilians in Saudi Arabia. The first responsibility of any Government is to defend the nation, and this Government are stepping up to meet the challenge with the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war. We are building a country ready to fight and a Britain worth fighting for.

[Andrew Rosindell]

Since 2020, the Royal Navy has lost more than half of its frigates, its entire landing craft capability and its only icebreaker, and all of its attack submarines are now inoperable. I fear that our ability to protect the Falkland Islands is now in doubt, so will the Secretary of State take the defence of His Majesty’s overseas territories seriously and rebuild our naval capability?

[Wes Streeting]

It is simply irresponsible, not to mention inaccurate, to suggest that the UK is incapable of defending the Falkland Islands. We are perfectly capable of doing so, and we had a very visible demonstration of that only recently. Maybe if Reform had a defence spokesperson, they might have noticed.

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Debate between Andrew Rosindell and Wes Streeting

2nd reading
Tuesday 26th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I recognise that there are people who have the freedom and the liberty to smoke today, the vast majority of whom, by the way, want to stop and struggle to do so. That is why we are announcing support to enable people to do that, with £70 million of investment in smoking cessation services. That is important, but for a future where people are no longer able to smoke, a phased approach is the right thing to do. It is also essential for the health of the individual, the nation and our economy.

Since 2018, our productivity has dropped by £25 billion due to worsening health alone. Some 900,000 more people are off work than would have been on pre-pandemic trends. That is more people than are employed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda put together. Smoking alone accounts for more than £18 billion in lost productivity. The rising tide of ill health, coupled with our ageing society, presents an existential challenge to our health service. If we do not act now, ever-increasing demands for healthcare threaten to overwhelm and bankrupt the NHS. That is the choice that we face.

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

Surely the Secretary of State realises that banning things rarely works. When tobacco was banned in South Africa during the covid pandemic, 95% of the trade went underground. Surely we should be promoting the concept of freedom with responsibility and allowing people to make choices about their own lives. I am glad that he goes shopping in Barkingside—he should go and speak to the shopkeepers in Collier Row, where local retailers will lose a lot of potential business if the ban comes in.

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful for the intervention, because I anticipate that there will be similar arguments made from the Opposition Benches, particularly from a right-wing libertarian perspective. I want to engage seriously with those arguments.