Simon Kirby
Main Page: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)Department Debates - View all Simon Kirby's debates with the Ministry of Defence
(12 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)
12. What plans he has for defence deployments to the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.
Simon Kirby (Brighton, Kemptown) (Con)
15. What plans he has for defence deployments to the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)
16. What plans he has for defence deployments to the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hammond
My right hon. Friend is right on two counts. First, it is absolutely necessary to ensure that our intentions are not capable of being misinterpreted. We have the strongest possible intention of defending the Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination and the strongest intention to defend the islands. Equally, we have no desire or intention to increase the heat around the debate. We are not seeking to take actions that are provocative or cause unnecessary alarm. We will defend the islands—nobody should be under any illusion about that—and we will deploy the forces necessary.
Simon Kirby
May I press my right hon. Friend on that very matter? Will he do whatever it takes to ensure that the only time that the Falkland Islands will not be British is when the Falkland Islanders themselves decide that they do not want to be?
Mr Hammond
That is the position of Her Majesty’s Government. We will not discuss the issue of sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless at any time it becomes the islanders’ wish that we should do so.