Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mark Pritchard

Wednesday 26th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

It is so important that men have the space and support from their peers to discuss their mental health. I thank Men Walking and Talking for the work they do, which makes such a difference. We were proud to launch our men’s health strategy last week to get more men the support they need.

Mr Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) for his honesty and bravery on International Men’s Day. I say it again: men speaking so truthfully about their experiences is so powerful and inspires more to do the same. He is a credit to this House.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

Q7.  Consequential to President Trump’s misunderstanding of Putin’s assessment going forward into—[Interruption.] Apologies, I have completely lost the thread of my question. What a day to do it! I am going to carry on—I am afraid the Prime Minister is not going to get away that easily.Consequential to President Trump’s misunderstanding of Putin’s strategic intent for both Ukraine and Europe is the Prime Minister’s solemn responsibility to keep this country safe. Given the known hypersonic and ballistic missile threat from Russia, and the fact that the United Kingdom has no current counter to that, what is the Prime Minister going to do to keep this country safe from those that have already threatened us?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his contributions to this important debate, including the contribution he made yesterday. It is the first duty of the Prime Minister to keep this country safe; that duty is paramount and above all else, and I take it extremely seriously and treat it as my No. 1 priority. We review our security and defence arrangements all the time, and we are, particularly, a leading member of NATO, which is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen.

G20 and Ukraine

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mark Pritchard

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I can assure my hon. Friend that negotiations are going on in the ordinary way in relation to SAFE and a number of other issues.

I am endeavouring the get the best information I can in relation to what is developing, and I will weave it into an answer if I get anything that will help the House.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

And will you come back?

[The Prime Minister]

I will certainly come back, but if I am able to update the House as we go along, I will endeavour to do so, so that others can ask questions about it.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Prime Minister]

I agree with the principle that my hon. Friend puts forward; I am not sure I would put it in quite the terms that she does, but the sentiment is shared. This is just shocking—the idea of kidnapping children as an act of war and a weapon of war is just so disgusting, frankly. We should do absolutely everything we can to ensure not only that the children are safe, secure and returned, but that there is full accountability.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement, but if I may, I will caution him. I understand that the reports referred to by the hon. Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel) are from a single source—an unnamed US official. I think we might be falling into a trap here, which others want us to fall into, of bouncing the Ukrainians ahead of an arbitrary deadline of Thanksgiving day. We need to ensure that officials and all of us are able to verify sources and corroborate them, even if they are reported in the mainstream media and repeated in the United Kingdom.

I believe I am still allowed to ask a question. What reassurance can the Prime Minister give to the people of this country and of Ukraine that President Trump’s very bad 28-point plan will not now be replaced by a bad 19-point plan? We all know from history that Ukraine, Europe, the United Kingdom and even our allies, the United States, will rue the day that we roll over for Putin. If we reward the aggressor, history tells us and we know that they come back for more.

[The Prime Minister]

My instinct is with the right hon. Gentleman on the breaking news. I spoke to President Zelensky about four hours ago—I have obviously spoken to him extensively, so I have a pretty good sense of where he is at on this matter—and I intend to speak to him again this afternoon.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mark Pritchard

Wednesday 10th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing. People should feel safe in their communities, and that is exactly why we have committed to putting 13,000 additional police personnel back in our town centres and communities. That means there will be a named police officer in every community, armed with tough new respect orders to break up antisocial behaviour. These powers are contained in our Crime and Policing Bill, which the Conservatives and Reform voted against.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

His Majesty’s Prison Stoke Heath in Shropshire has seen six deaths in custody in less than two years. That is above the national average. Will the Prime Minister join me in calling on the Ministry of Justice to ensure that there are enough resources and that the right governance is in place at Stoke Heath?

[The Prime Minister]

The Secretary of State for Justice will look into the matter and take up the suggestion, and I will arrange for a meeting as soon as possible.

G7 and NATO Summits

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mark Pritchard

Thursday 26th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Let me first pay tribute to the veterans in my hon. Friend’s constituency and across the country. We have already put in place a number of initiatives, particularly in relation to homelessness and veterans, and more broadly in relation to accommodation and the support for not just veterans, but our armed service personnel. That is vital not only as a reflection of their contribution, but to ensure that we deal with the retention crisis among those serving, which was caused by the Conservative party.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

Although we may disagree on the detail, I agree with the Prime Minister that, as far as possible in this place, it would be better to keep partisan politics out of national security issues. Who knows, I may get the Whip withdrawn for saying that, but so be it. There are things that go beyond party politics. I thank the Prime Minister for all his hard work in the national security interests of this country.

On the G7, the Prime Minister mentioned sanctions. In his statement, he said that he urged the United States to do more on sanctions. Is he aware that the United States is actually urging the United Kingdom to do more on sanctions when it comes to Russia? Can the Magnitsky legislation be widened and deepened, so that it captures more Russian assets, and possibly other countries that may have sanctions imposed on them soon—for example, Georgia?

The joint expeditionary force was mentioned at the NATO summit. The Prime Minister will know, having attended the Norway meeting some weeks ago, that Ukraine is a JEF partnership nation. Does the UK support Ukraine becoming a full member of the joint expeditionary force? If so, when might that happen?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Member for his questions; they are all good ones, so I will endeavour to answer each part of them. Sanctions are being discussed intensely, as he will understand, and there are two elements. The first is the immediate application of sanctions in relation to Russia. We are attempting to ensure that we all act together—the US, the UK and the EU. That is the focus of our discussions and what we are urging on the US. The right hon. Member will know that there is a piece of legislation in the US that is ready to go; that needs to be co-ordinated with what we are doing. In the longer term, we need to look always at whether there is more we can do within the framework on sanctions, and we can discuss that in this House.

The right hon. Member raises an important point about Ukraine and the JEF. We have been a leading advocate of Ukraine having a role in the JEF. Ukraine already has an enhanced partnership with the JEF—the first of its kind. That was done the last JEF meeting that we had in Norway a few months ago, where we were one of the leading nations pushing for that greater involvement. We will see over time whether that partnership can be taken further, either with the JEF or NATO, but it was an important first step—not only a reflection for Ukraine but also a message to Russia.

Ukraine

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mark Pritchard

Monday 3rd March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I agree with everything that my hon. Friend says. Those are the principles and values that must be uppermost in our mind as we take our decisions.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

I commend the Prime Minister and indeed the Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary for their ongoing support for Ukraine. I also commend the leadership that the Prime Minister has shown over the last few days. He mentioned not making a false choice between our allies the United States and Europe, and I completely agree. Does he agree that there is a historic opportunity for his Government, hopefully supported by the Opposition, and for this country to be a diplomatic, political and defence bridge between the United States and Europe?

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, I do think that there is that opportunity, which is why we will not make that choice between one side of the Atlantic or the other. That would go against our history, and that of the country and my party—actually, cross-party. The best way to secure the defence and security of Europe is to ensure that we are working both with our European allies and with the US in our special relationship.

Anniversary of 7 October Attacks: Middle East

Debate between Keir Starmer and Mark Pritchard

Monday 7th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am not going to accept invitations to agree with other people’s assessments. I will make my own. I have been absolutely clear that Israel has the right to defend herself in accordance with international law. The displacement is a very serious issue across the region. Very many people have been displaced and many of them simply want to go home. That includes Israelis who have been displaced from their homes as well. That is why we need to de-escalate: to ensure that those displaced can return back and live safely in their own communities.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

In just 15 months, Iran will be free of many of the restrictions under the joint comprehensive plan of action on its production of centrifuges and its uranium enrichment. Given the new nexus of evil of North Korea, Iran and Russia on nuclear technology transfer, does the Prime Minister believe the JCPOA is still fit for purpose?

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman raises a really important point in relation to the nuclear ambitions that we absolutely have to be alive to. We must ensure that Iran cannot possibly get weapons. The sanctions, and the regime around them, must be geared towards that central issue.