Defence in the High North

Michelle Scrogham Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dhesi]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman, a former Chair of the Defence and Intelligence and Security Committees, for his perceptive and incisive remarks. Under-ice capability is key for the UK to effectively deter and defend in the High North. Unfortunately, we have allowed our under-ice capabilities to lapse precisely at the time when they are most needed. That is why a previous Defence Committee report advocated for the hardening of hulls. This report recommends that we rapidly re-establish those under-ice capabilities, because if we do not, Russia will not be deterred from its activities. In fact, it will be further emboldened, because we will not be able to protect those transatlantic supply routes.

[Michelle Scrogham (Barrow and Furness) (Lab)]

I thank the Committee Chair for presenting this report on the High North to the Chamber. Does he agree that it underscores how acutely important our submarine programme is, and the value of what we do in Barrow-in-Furness? Does he also agree that we need a massive increase in funding to help deliver those changes rapidly?

[Mr Dhesi]

I thank my hon. Friend, a fellow member of the Defence Committee, for her strong and positive contributions to this report, and her other work. Indeed, it was a pleasure to visit Barrow-in-Furness and to see some of those submarine capabilities. She is right: as a nation, we need to invest at pace because of the lack of availability of those submarines, and that is portrayed strongly in our report.