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Monday Volume 654 18 February 2019 No. 254 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 18 February 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1171 18 FEBRUARY 2019 1172 The Secretary of State for Defence (Gavin Williamson): House of Commons May I take this opportunity to associate us with your comments about Paul Flynn, Mr Speaker? I remember Monday 18 February 2019 having the privilege of serving with Paul on the British-Irish The House met at half-past Two o’clock Parliamentary Assembly. As you quite rightly stated, he was always incredibly passionate about his constituents PRAYERS and about his beliefs. As a former Chief Whip, I also agree that Labour Members not following their Whip is [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] good advice, but the same is not necessarily true on the Conservative side. BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS The UK will pursue a distinctive, independent and DEATH OF A MEMBER sovereign foreign and defence policy that meets British interests and promotes our values. Mr Speaker: It is with great sadness that I have to inform the House of the death of the hon. Member for Helen Goodman: Mr Speaker, on my behalf and, I am Newport West, Paul Flynn. A dedicated, principled, sure, that of other hon. Members on the Opposition fearlessandaward-winningparliamentarian,Paulrepresented side, I would like to echo your words about Paul Flynn, and championed the Newport West constituency and whom I will always remember for his great independence the wider interests, as he saw them, of Wales for 31 and a of spirit and fantastic sense of humour. half years in this House. From drugs policy to pensions, I am grateful to the Secretary of State for his answer. from animal welfare to Europe, from parliamentary On 7 January his junior Minister said, in response to a reform to the war in Afghanistan, Paul Flynn spoke written parliamentary question, that in the event of no with conviction, with total commitment and without deal, fearorfavour.Hewaseveryinchtheexemplarparliamentarian “the UK would have to withdraw from Common Security and whom he strove over three decades to be. Defence Policy missions and operations”. As many colleagues will know, Paul spent the vast What would happen to Operation Atalanta, which is majority of his career as a Back Bencher. I often teased against pirates, and Operation Sophia, which picks up him, affectionately and with respect, about that well- refugees in the Mediterranean? thumbed tome that he penned, “Commons Knowledge: How to be a Backbencher”. He was a fine parliamentarian, Gavin Williamson: Those missions will continue, and a dedicated socialist, and much loved in his constituency we will continue to have negotiations with the EU on and beyond. how we can support those operations in the future. I hope that I speak for the House, in concluding my tribute to that very fine man, to whom I last spoke on Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con): I Saturday 26 January, when I say this. Paul Flynn was a would like to echo your kind tribute to Paul Flynn, standing rebuke in his parliamentary service to two Mr Speaker. My thoughts and prayers are with his categories of people. The first are those who think that friends and family. the only point of coming into politics is to become Is it not the case that the vast majority of our Prime Minister or a Minister—at the very least that industrial collaboration with other European countries shows a lack of imagination. Paul knew that there were is done on a bilateral basis, which will very much so many other ways in which you could achieve real continue once we leave the EU? gains and derive fulfilment. Secondly—I am sure that there are people on both Gavin Williamson: My hon. Friend raises an important sides of the House, who sit in certain positions, who will point: 90% of all our collaboration with EU nations recognise the veracity of what I am about to say—Paul and EU defence programmes is done outside the framework was a standing rebuke to those who thought that it was of the European Union. I joined him in his constituency vital always to be in the closest possible regulatory to visit Airbus and Boeing, and it was quite obvious alignment with one’s Whips Office. It was not. He spoke how important those bilateral and multilateral relationships his mind. He did it his way. He did it with eloquence, are to their growth. It is not through the European with knowledge, with character, and often, as we all Union. know, with mordent wit. Mr Adrian Bailey (West Bromwich West) (Lab/Co-op): Paul will be greatly missed by his wife of the last What contingency measures will the Government put in 34 years, Sam, and by the wider family. We respectfully place to protect the UK defence industry from losing remember him, and I hope we always will. the automatic right to bid for contracts within the European economic area in the event of a no-deal Oral Answers to Questions Brexit? Gavin Williamson: As I touched on in response to my DEFENCE hon. Friend the Member for Filton and Bradley Stoke (Jack Lopresti), most of our defence procurement and The Secretary of State was asked— most opportunities in the defence industry are not Leaving the EU: Defence Relationship through the European Union. We will continue to work with the European Union to have access to programmes. 2. Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland) (Lab): What That is not only important for UK business; if the recent assessment he has made of the UK’s future European Union wants to succeed in developing a defence relationship with the EU after the UK leaves defence sector, it needs countries such as Britain and the the EU. [909265] United States to be able to participate in these schemes. 1173 Oral Answers 18 FEBRUARY 2019 Oral Answers 1174 Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (Con): Gavin Williamson: We have never as a nation shied Mr Speaker, I associate myself with your eloquent away from our obligations, and there has been a clear words about Paul Flynn, whom we will all miss very understanding that Britain will stand with our European much and whose book I read before becoming a Back friends and neighbours in delivering security. Our Bencher, which I may remain. commitment to security on the continent of Europe was Will the Secretary of State expand on how, in our there long before the creation of the European Union future defence relationship with the EU in the north or our membership of it, and long before the creation of Atlantic, we will invest in and show continued commitment NATO. We have always been there, and we always to protecting that northern flank of Europe? will be. Gavin Williamson: The high north is an important Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con): part of the development of our strategy. At the weekend, Will my right hon. Friend clarify for the House that it is I had the opportunity to see our Royal Marines in in fact NATO, not the European Union, that has been Norway and what they are doing to support the Norwegian and will continue to be the cornerstone of European armed forces. We will be deploying our P-8s in 2020, security and defence? along with Norway and the United States, to deal with the increased threat that we face from Russian submarines Gavin Williamson: My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. in the north Atlantic. When we speak to the new nations that have been created out of the collapse of the Soviet Union, to which organisation do they turn to guarantee their Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP): security? It is NATO. I add the condolences of those on the Scottish National party Benches to the family of Paul Flynn and to the parliamentary Labour party on the loss of a thoroughly Armed Forces Covenant decent human being. The Secretary of State and his predecessors have been clear that NATO is the cornerstone of the UK’s 3. Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab): security, but many leading experts, including Professor What steps his Department is taking to ensure the Beatrice Heuser of the University of Glasgow, see effective delivery of the armed forces covenant. [909266] something of a devil in the detail. Much of the recent debate on Churchill missed out the fact that he was one 21. Mike Amesbury (Weaver Vale) (Lab): What steps of the architects of the Western European Union—a his Department is taking to ensure the effective delivery security-focused grouping that saw all its functions wound of the armed forces covenant. [909288] up into the European Union post Lisbon. Can the Secretary of State tell us what analysis his Department The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence has undertaken on the difference between the UK’s (Mr Tobias Ellwood): I am pleased to say that there is obligations under article 5 of the NATO treaty and broadening support for the armed forces covenant, article 42(7) of the Lisbon treaty? which is a priority for the Ministry of Defence. We now have over 3,300 organisations participating in it, and Gavin Williamson: Article 5 is a mechanism that the veterans strategy consultation, which was launched delivers security right across continental Europe and in November, is looking at further ways in which we can the north Atlantic area.

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