DOCSLIB.ORG

Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy: Priorities for the 2015 NSS

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy: Priorities for the 2015 NSS JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY The next National Security Strategy Written evidence Contents Dr David Blagden, University of Cambridge – written evidence ............................................................ 2 David L Bowen – written evidence ....................................................................................................... 26 Cabinet Office – written evidence ........................................................................................................ 27 Campaign Against Arms Trade – written evidence ............................................................................... 29 Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – written evidence ..................................................................... 32 Conciliation Resources – written evidence ........................................................................................... 36 Dr Rory Cormac – written evidence ...................................................................................................... 41 A Defence & Strategy Research Group – written evidence .................................................................. 43 Professor Andrew M Dorman, Centre for British Defence and Security Studies, King’s College London – written evidence ................................................................................................................................ 52 James Flint – written evidence ............................................................................................................. 56 The Foundation for Information Policy Research ................................................................................. 61 Dr Jamie Gaskarth – written evidence .................................................................................................. 65 Global Sustainability Institute – written evidence ................................................................................ 70 Institute for Conflict, Co-operation and Security, University of Birmingham – written evidence ....... 72 Dr Victor Madeira, Senior Fellow, The Institute for Statecraft – written evidence .............................. 80 Dr Tim Oliver – written evidence .......................................................................................................... 87 Oxford Research Group – written evidence ......................................................................................... 92 Population Matters ............................................................................................................................... 99 Saferworld – written evidence ............................................................................................................ 102 Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) – written evidence ............................................................ 108 Dr Daniel Stevens (University of Exeter) & Dr Nick Vaughan-Williams (University of Warwick) – written evidence ................................................................................................................................. 112 Transparency International UK, International Defence & Security Programme – written evidence . 117 Dr David Blagden, University of Cambridge – written evidence Dr David Blagden, University of Cambridge – written evidence Written Evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy: Priorities for the 2015 NSS Executive Summary Multipolarity – a situation of multiple great powers – is returning to the international system, as new great powers rise through the convergence growth produced by post-Cold War economic globalization. Such dynamics of relative rise and decline tend to produce major power competition and conflict incentives, with the potential to cause war unless other factors intervene. In light of the destructive potential of major power conflict, which dwarfs that of other contemporary security concerns such as terrorism, guarding against it should be the prime focus of UK national security strategy (and at least receive more attention than found in the 2010 NSS): it need not be imminent – or even particularly likely – to still qualify as the greatest danger, now that it is no longer wholly inconceivable, given its severity. While Western major powers in general are in decline vis-à-vis the rising ‘BRICs’, Britain’s economic outlook is actually relatively positive by European standards: so within Western Europe, the UK may actually qualify as a rising power, which will impact both the security benefits and burdens that we encounter in the years ahead. Within Western Europe, interstate peace is reinforced by an array of strategic, normative, cultural, and institutional factors – however, the negative consequences of the return of great power competition in the wider world will still impact the European and UK security environments, in five key ways. 1. The resurgence of Russia: globalization-driven growth has given Russia the military wherewithal – which may expand further, if global oil prices recover – to go with its political incentives to weaken NATO, particularly around its borders. As such, there is once again a hostile major power threat in Europe that poses a territorial threat to our allies, will likely seek to coerce us militarily, and is already confronting NATO forces in a way that creates a danger of potentially- unintended escalation. 2. The US ‘pivot’ to Asia: the resurgence of Russia would not otherwise be a serious security concern for the UK, except for the fact that the defence of Europe is no longer the United States’ principal strategic concern, focused as it is on balancing China. As such, European states – the UK foremost amongst them – will increasingly have to carry the burden of supplying European security and balancing Russia. 3. International military crises: under US unipolarity, the United States could pacify all other major power relationships by threatening to defeat one or – if necessary – both parties to a conflict, thus rendering aggression futile. Under multipolarity, by contrast, this is no longer the case – and both rising and declining powers may have reason to instigate crises to advance their interests. 2 Dr David Blagden, University of Cambridge – written evidence 4. Vulnerable sea lines of communication (SLOCs): a key manifestation of the return of great power competition is likely to be additional maritime contestation in areas essential to our economic viability as an import-dependent island power reliant on seaborne energy and raw materials, including the Northeast Atlantic, Persian Gulf, and Suez region. Such threats to SLOCs could compel UK involvement in a crisis. 5. Nuclear proliferation risks: a world of multiple competing major powers is likely to be one in which many states are attracted by the deterrent and coercive leverage provided by nuclear weapons. At the very least, this will create an unconducive environment for nuclear disarmament efforts – and possibly worse. These security threats in turn point towards the incorporation of five core principles by the 2015 NSS. 1. We must prioritise threats based on their relative danger, rather than just likelihood – which in practice means devoting more effort to hedging against powerful hostile states than has been the norm since 1989. 2. We must not conflate threats to global human security with threats to UK national security. 3. We must not mistake international activism for national security: status is not the same thing as safety. 4. We must emphasise deterrence, containment, and the preservation of national strength by eschewing low-priority commitments that lack a strong national security rationale. 5. We must preserve a balanced military capability set – even if that looks inefficient in the short term. These core principles can, in turn, be used to derive implications for the following specific policy areas (discussed in order): resourcing national security, nuclear deterrence, choice of grand-strategic posture, cyber deterrence, SLOC protection, prioritisation of regional commitments, nuclear proliferation policy, responses to terrorism, humanitarian intervention, responding to climate-/resource-induced conflict, and alliance policy. Certain key caveats are also in order: the BRICs’ current economic slowdown could turn into a more permanent stall or reversal of their rise, and the UK could choose self-defeating policies that weaken our strategic position. Introduction 1. The purpose of this evidence submission is to address the question of the UK’s national security priorities out to 2035, so as to inform the 2015 UK National Security Strategy (NSS) and the subsequent Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). It does this by discussing the security implications of – and appropriate UK strategic responses to – the return of great power competition to the international system: a consequence of the ongoing relative economic rise of the so-called ‘BRICs’ (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). It recognises that this is not the only national security concern that the UK faces in the next two decades – but it will make the case that it is by far and away the most important. Post- 3 Dr David Blagden, University of Cambridge – written evidence Cold War international politics has been shaped profoundly by the absence of great power competition: a product of the United States’ unmatched and unprecedented economic and military preponderance between 1989 and today. The freedom that Britain has enjoyed
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Inside the Temple of Covert Propaganda: the Integrity Initiative and the UK’S Scandalous Information War
    Inside the Temple of Covert Propaganda: The Integrity Initiative and the UK’s Scandalous Information War By Mohamed Elmaazi and Max Blumenthal Region: Europe Global Research, December 20, 2018 Theme: Intelligence, Politics Gray Zone Project 17 December 2018 Recent hacked documents have revealed an international network of politicians, journalists, academics, researchers and military officers, all engaged in highly deceptive covert propaganda campaigns funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), NATO, Facebook and hardline national security institutions. This “network of networks”, as one document refers to them, centers around an ironically named outfit called the Integrity Initiative. And it is all overseen by a previously unknown England-based think tank registered in Scotland, the Institute for Statecraft, which has operated under a veil of secrecy. The whole operation appears to be run by, and in conjunction with, members of British military intelligence. According to David Miller, professor of political sociology in the school of policy studies at the University of Bristol and the director of the Organization for Propaganda Studies, the Integrity Initiative “appears to be a military directed push.” “The most senior government people are professional propagandists and spooks,” Miller explained. “The ‘charity’ lead on this [Chris Donnelly] was also appointed as a colonel in military intelligence at the beginning of the project — a truly amazing fact that suggests this is a military intelligence cut out.” A minister for the UK FCOhas officially confirmed that it has been funding the Integrity Network. In addition to conducting diplomacy, the FCO oversees both the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) the UK equivalent to the National Security Agency, and the Secret Intelligence Services (SIS) commonly known as MI6.
    [Show full text]
  • Resisting Foreign State Propaganda in the New Information Environment: the Case of the EU, Russia, and the Eastern Partnership Countries ISBN 978-9934-8536-9-2
    RESISTING FOREIGN STATE PROPAGANDA IN THE NEW INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT: THE CASE OF THE EU, RUSSIA, AND THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTRIES ISBN 978-9934-8536-9-2 UDK 32.019.5 Re708 This publication is a part of the project “Resisting state propaganda in the new information environment: The case of EU member states and EU Eastern Partnership states vis-à-vis the Russian Federation publication/re- search” organised by the Foundation for European Pro- gressive Studies (FEPS) with the support of Brīvības un Solidaritātes Fonds (BSF). RESISTING FOREIGN STATE PROPAGANDA IN THE NEW INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT: THE CASE OF THE EU, RUSSIA, AND THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTRIES Table of contents Foreword Dr. Ernst Stetter 11 Foreword Ervins Labanovskis 17 PART I: INCREASING RESISTANCE TO PROPAGANDA WITHIN THE EU Countering propaganda in Europe: Responses and options Ben Nimmo 23 The role of national strategic narrative in raising resilience to hostile foreign propaganda in European societies Māris Cepurītis 39 Increasing the resistance of democratic states to hostile foreign propaganda— what is the right recipe? Elīna Lange-Ionatamišvili 52 The Audiovisual Media Services Directive and propaganda Andris Mellakauls 71 7 Key findings of the EED’s Feasibility PART III: THE VIEW FROM Study on independent Russian- THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTRIES language media initiatives in the Eastern Partnership and beyond Farther from Russky Mir, Jerzy Pomianowski 89 Closer to the West Tamar Kintsurashvili 173 PART II: THE VIEW FROM THE BALTIC STATES Russian propaganda
    [Show full text]
  • HJS 'Putin Sees and Hears It All' Report.Qxd
    Putin SeeS and HearS it all: How ruSSia’S intelligence agencieS Menace tHe uK BY DR ANDREW FOXALL DEMOCRACY | FREEDOM | HUMAN RIGHTS November 2018 First published in 2018 by The Henry Jackson Society. The Henry Jackson Society Millbank Tower 21-24 Millbank London SW1P 4QP Registered charity no. 1140489 Tel: +44 (0)20 7340 4520 www.henryjacksonsociety.org © The Henry Jackson Society, 2018. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and are not necessarily indicative of those of The Henry Jackson Society or its Trustees. Title: “PuTiN SEES AND HEARS iT ALL: HOW RuSSiA’S iNTELLigENcE AgENciES MENAcE THE uK” By: Dr Andrew Foxall Putin SeeS and HearS it all: How ruSSia’S intelligence agencieS Menace tHe uK BY DR ANDREW FOXALL November 2018 PuTiN SEES AND HEARS iT ALL “Dr. Foxall’s report forcefully reminds us that Russian Intelligence activity in the West is still large scale and intrusive, and that we need to devote significant resources and expertise ourselves to monitoring and blunting this threat to our national security. As during the Cold War an effective counterintelligence capability remains an essential part of our own intelligence and security community.” Sir richard dearlove KcMg oBe chief of the Secret intelligence Service (Mi6) (1999-2004) “Anyone who is relaxed or complacent about Russian intelligence activity in the United Kingdom should read this Report. Not only have we experienced the murder of Litvinenko and the attempted murder of the Skripals on British soil, Britain and the West as a whole face an unrelenting assault from Putin’s bloated intelligence and security agencies.
    [Show full text]
  • Constituency Report (January 2019) Foreign Office Questions
    Constituency Report (January 2019) Foreign Office Questions At Foreign Office Questions this week I asked the Foreign Secretary whether he still believes that the British people should be the ones to decide whether or not the government’s Brexit deal is acceptable. After the referendum in 2016 Jeremy Hunt made it clear that he believed either a General Election or a referendum on the final deal should be held . This government continues to hold the threat of a No Deal Brexit hanging over the heads of MPs. When appealing to the public, the government claims that we are intent on ignoring the “will of the people” and trying to sabotage Brexit in any way possible. The reality is that the government has wasted precious months of negotiating time attempting to bypass Parliament. It is Visiting new homes on Dover Court Estate, time for the government to take No Deal off the table 21st Dec and finally engage Parliament in the process. Tory Brexit Deal On the 15th of January, the government’s Brexit deal was voted down by the House of Commons, after being delayed for five weeks. This was the largest defeat of a government in British history, and the result is indicative of the widespread dissatisfaction with the Tory’s handling of the Brexit process. Ahead of the vote I wrote an article laying out the historical precedent for holding a General Election when the government of the day can’t govern. We are heading towards a disastrous No-Deal Brexit, led by a zombie government which has allowed these failed negotiations to consume all of the government’s resources and bring Parliament to a standstill.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Ranking of Countermeasures by the EU28 to the Kremlin’S Subversion Operations
    Kremlin Watch Report 13.06.2018 2018 Ranking of countermeasures by the EU28 to the Kremlin’s subversion operations Kremlin Watch Team Kremlin Watch is a strategic program which aims to expose and confront instruments of Russian This report has been consulted with 16 governmental influence and disinformation operations focused and non-governmental experts from 12 European against Western democracies. countries. 2018 Ranking of countermeasures by the EU28 to the Kremlin’s subversion operations 1 2018 Ranking of countermeasures by the EU28 to the Kremlin’s subversion operations 1. Introduction This report is a follow-up to the Overview of countermeasures by the EU28 to the Kremlin's subversion operations conducted by the European Values Think-Tank and published in May 20171. It summarises the attitudes, policies, and strategic responses of the EU28 to Russia's disinformation campaigns and other hostile influence operations. The special focus in this updated issue is on the main developments and changes, positive or negative, which took place during the months after the original report was published. Specifically, the developments have been updated up to June 1st, 2018. The second half of 2017 and first half of 2018 have been far from uneventful. The Kremlin's hostile activities are becoming ever bolder each month. Europeans have witnessed more attempts to meddle in domestic affairs and elections, increased activity of automated bots and trolls on social media, and even a physical attack on their own soil in the case of the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the public and political debate has also progressed.
    [Show full text]
  • BBC, Reuters Exposed As British Regime-Changers
    Click here for Full Issue of EIR Volume 48, Number 11, March 12, 2021 ROUND TABLE O n Great Power Cooperation Instead of War: British Exposed March 5—In a Schiller Institute online roundtable dis- “counterstrike against Russian propaganda.” The cussion Feb. 27, Mike Robinson, a journalist and Daily Express and other sources of leaks exposed the radio talk show host in the United Kingdom, presented “Institute for Statecraft” as an FCO umbrella for an a compelling overview of how the U.K. Foreign Office operation called the Integrity Initiative (II). and British intelligence services have been using lead- Robinson reports that the initial exposure of this op- ing British media to target Russia and other countries eration, including that done by himself and some col- for regime change. What is shocking is how successful leagues, resulted in shutting down the II. Yet, the FCO— the sponsors of these programs have been in keeping newly renamed the Foreign, Commonwealth & the story out of the press. The British government me- Development Office—has not only continued such op- dia’s goal has been to remain camouflaged while erations, but has been expanding them, contracting building an “enemy image” of Russia as an aggres- with British media giants Reuters and the British sive, authoritarian “malign” actor, to justify a con- Broadcast Company (BBC). Former Member of Parlia- tinuing policy of imperial geopolitical confrontation ment Chris Williamson who is attempting to force the and military buildup, which threatens to break out into release of additional documents related to these anti- a general war.
    [Show full text]
  • Useful Idiots' in the West: an Overview of RT's Editorial Strategy and Evidence of Impact
    Kremlin Watch Report 10.09.2017 The Kremlin's Platform for 'Useful Idiots' in the West: An Overview of RT's Editorial Strategy and Evidence of Impact Kremlin Watch is a strategic program which Monika L. Richter Kremlin Watch is a strategic program, which aims aimsto expose to expose and confrontand confront instruments instruments of Russian of Kremlin Watch Program Analyst Russianinfluence andinfluence disinformation and operationsdisinformation focused operations focusedagainst Westernagainst democracies.Western democracies. The Kremlin's Platform for 'Useful Idiots' in the West: An Overview of RT's Editorial Strategy and Evidence of Impact Table of Contents 1. Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 Key points ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6 3. Russia Today: Background and strategic objectives ......................................................................................................... 8 I. 2005 – 2008: A public diplomacy mandate .................................................................................................................... 8 II. 2008 – 2009: Reaction
    [Show full text]
  • Mind the Gaps
    JULY 2020 Mind the Gaps Assessing Russian Influence in the United Kingdom AUTHOR Rachel Ellehuus A Report of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program JULY 2020 Mind the Gaps Assessing Russian Influence in the United Kingdom AUTHOR Rachel Ellehuus A Report of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program About CSIS The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges. Thomas J. Pritzker was named chairman of the CSIS Board of Trustees in 2015, succeeding former U.S. senator Sam Nunn (D-GA). Founded in 1962, CSIS is led by John J. Hamre, who has served as president and chief executive officer since 2000. CSIS’s purpose is to define the future of national security. We are guided by a distinct set of values—nonpartisanship, independent thought, innovative thinking, cross-disciplinary scholarship, integrity and professionalism, and talent development. CSIS’s values work in concert toward the goal of making real-world impact. CSIS scholars bring their policy expertise, judgment, and robust networks to their research, analysis, and recommendations. We organize conferences, publish, lecture, and make media appearances that aim to increase the knowledge, awareness, and salience of policy issues with relevant stakeholders and the interested public. CSIS has impact when our research helps to inform the decisionmaking of key policymakers and the thinking of key influencers. We work toward a vision of a safer and more prosperous world. CSIS is ranked the number one think tank in the United States as well as the defense and national security center of excellence for 2016-2018 by the University of Pennsylvania’s “Global Go To Think Tank Index.” CSIS does not take specific policy positions; accordingly, all views expressed herein should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
    [Show full text]
  • Romanian Intelligence Studies Review
    ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE STUDIES REVIEW Nr. 17-18/2017 This is the English version of the Romanian Intelligence Studies Review, an academic journal with scientific prestige, acknowledged by the National Council for the Validation of University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates (CNADTCU), indexed in the international databases CEEOL and EBSCO Bucharest 2018 RRSI, nr. 17-18/2017 2 Senior Editors Eduard HELLVIG - Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service Adrian Ivan - Rector of “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, Romania Christopher DONNELLY - Director of the Institute for Statecraft and Governance, Oxford, Great Britain Mark PHYTHIAN - Professor at University of Leicester, Great Britain Ioan Mircea PAŞCU - Professor at The National Shool of Political and Administrative Studies, Romania Vasile DÂNCU - -Bolyai” University from Cluj, Romania Michael ANDREGG - Professor atat St.University Thomas University, of Bucharest United and State “Babeş of America Elaine PRESSMAN - Expert at Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Netherlands Jan GOLDMAN - Associate Professor of Justice Studies Southern New Hampshire University, Great Britain Sergiu MEDAR - Professor at „Lucian Blaga” University from Sibiu, Romania Iulian CHIFU - Professor at The National Shool of Political and Administrative Studies, Romania Iulian FOTA - Associate Professor at “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, Romania Irena CHIRU - Professor at “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, Romania Iulian MARTIN - Professor at „Carol
    [Show full text]
  • Britain's Secret Propaganda “Integrity Initiative” Targets
    ﺍﻓﻐﺎﻧﺴﺘﺎﻥ ﺁﺯﺍﺩ – ﺁﺯﺍﺩ ﺍﻓﻐﺎﻧﺴﺘﺎﻥ AA-AA ﭼﻮ ﮐﺸﻮﺭ ﻧﺒﺎﺷـﺪ ﺗﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺒـــــــﺎﺩ ﺑﺪﻳﻦ ﺑﻮﻡ ﻭ ﺑﺮ ﺯﻧﺪﻩ ﻳﮏ ﺗﻦ ﻣــــﺒﺎﺩ ﻫﻤﻪ ﺳﺮ ﺑﻪ ﺳﺮ ﺗﻦ ﺑﻪ ﮐﺸﺘﻦ ﺩﻫﻴﻢ ﺍﺯ ﺁﻥ ﺑﻪ ﮐﻪ ﮐﺸﻮﺭ ﺑﻪ ﺩﺷﻤﻦ ﺩﻫﻴﻢ www.afgazad.com [email protected] ﺯﺑﺎﻧﻬﺎی ﺍﺭﻭﭘﺎﺋﯽ European Languages 4 February 2019 By Thomas Scripps 06.02.2019 Britain’s secret propaganda “Integrity Initiative” targets Russia In a desperate attempt to cover its tracks, the propaganda network linked to Britain’s security services, the Integrity Initiative (II), has wiped its website and locked its Twitter account “pending an investigation into the theft of data.” The decision was taken shortly after the Anonymous hacking group released new II documents targeting Russia as supposedly the greatest threat to world peace, based on claims that it is the country most likely to use nuclear weapons. The documents reveal yet more of the disinformation campaign used to justify NATO preparations for war with Russia, including the use of nuclear weapons. Minutes from a joint workshop of the Institute for Statecraft (IfS), which runs the II, and the US government-funded Center for Naval Analyses discuss what would happen if the “West” intervened to “push back” a Russian advance in the case of a localized conflict. “The reality of the Russian nuclear doctrine is that it will not back down. … War games usually start with Russia about to, or using a nuclear weapon,” the minutes conclude. Citing the inevitability of Russian use of nuclear weapons is used to justify their “pre- emptive” use by the NATO powers in the type of “pre-emptive war” made infamous by President George Bush’s criminal invasion of Iraq and which now forms the bedrock of the Pentagon’s National Security Strategy.
    [Show full text]
  • Recommendations
    Defending and Ultimately Defeating Russia’s Disinformation Techniques w . c e p a o r g Recommendations A Report by CEPA’s Information Warfare Project in Partnership with the Legatum Institute Edward Lucas and Peter Pomeranzev August 2016 I WINNING THE INFORMATION WAR Acknowledgments This report is produced under the auspices of the Center for European Policy Analysis’ (CEPA) Information Warfare Initiative. Co-authored by CEPA Senior Vice President Edward Lucas and Legatum Institute Senior Fellow Peter Pomerantsev, it is part of an ongoing effort at CEPA to monitor, collate, analyze, rebut and expose Russian propaganda in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Previous publications in this series provided an analytical foundation for evaluating the methods and aims of Russian propaganda. This report extends that research, examining how Russian propaganda is being employed across the CEE region, the perils it presents and actionable counter-strategies for addressing it. In preparing this report, the authors conducted an extended assessment of the existing record of Russian, English and Baltic language literature on the subject of information warfare. They solicited written inputs from, and conducted interviews with, members of the scholarly, academic and expert community who are investigating specific dimensions of Russia’s “new” propaganda. Additionally, the authors solicited written and conceptual inputs through practitioner workshops with CEE media specialist, area experts and journalists – individuals who are on the frontlines
    [Show full text]
  • Russia: Implications for UK Defence and Security
    House of Commons Defence Committee Russia: Implications for UK defence and security First Report of Session 2016–17 HC 107 House of Commons Defence Committee Russia: Implications for UK defence and security First Report of Session 2016–17 Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 28 June 2016 HC 107 Published on 5 July 2016 by authority of the House of Commons The Defence Committee The Defence Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies Current membership Dr Julian Lewis MP (Conservative, New Forest East) (Chair) Richard Benyon MP (Conservative, Newbury) Douglas Chapman MP (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline and West Fife) James Gray MP (Conservative, North Wiltshire) Johnny Mercer MP (Conservative, Plymouth, Moor View) Mrs Madeleine Moon MP (Labour, Bridgend) Jim Shannon MP (Democratic Unionist Party, Strangford) Ruth Smeeth MP (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent North) John Spellar MP (Labour, Warley) Bob Stewart MP (Conservative, Beckenham) Phil Wilson MP (Labour, Sedgefield) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in the House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No. 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication Committee reports are published on the Committee’s website and in print by Order of the House. Evidence relating to this report is published on the relevant inquiry page of the Committee’s website. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are James Davies (Clerk), Dr Anna Dickson (Second Clerk), Claire Cozens, John Curtis, Dr Megan Edwards, Eleanor Scarnell and Ian Thomson (Committee Specialists), David Nicholas (Senior Committee Assistant), and Carolyn Bowes and David Gardner (Committee Assistants).
    [Show full text]