Oral Answers to Questions

Martin Docherty-Hughes Excerpts

Monday 27th June 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dunne]

The hon. Gentleman will have heard the Secretary of State confirm that that will not take too long.

[Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP)]

9. What discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on preparations for the NATO Warsaw summit.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon)]

The National Security Council has considered the UK’s preparations for the Warsaw summit next week, which is an opportunity to build on the success of the summit that we hosted in Wales in 2014. Our intention at Warsaw is to demonstrate a united alliance that is adaptable, transparent, and capable of planning for and responding to the full range of threats that we face today.

[Martin Docherty-Hughes]

Today the United Kingdom is seen as an ineffective, unreliable partner in global affairs, as highlighted not by Opposition Members, but by a former general and supreme commander of NATO, Admiral Stavridis. Reflecting on the admiral’s words, what does the Secretary of State think that his Government can achieve in Warsaw?

[Michael Fallon]

I hope that we can further reassure NATO members on the eastern flank that we stand by our commitment in the face of Russian aggression. I hope that we continue to make the alliance more flexible to deal with the new threats we face, particularly from cyber and hybrid warfare, and that through British leadership we will encourage other allies to meet the 2% commitment that we are already meeting this year.