L

Lord Callanan (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 16 December 2025

Debate

US National Security Strategy

Contribution

My Lords, the new US strategy makes it even more vital that the UK remains a key part of European and global defence. As the new head of MI6 reminded us yesterday, threats to us and our allies are increasing, and it is surely abundantly clear that we need to step up against the threat posed by both Russia and China. We should be serious about spending 3% of GDP on defence by the end of this Parliament, so can I ask the Minister whether she can confirm whether it is the Government’s ambition to reach 3% and whether the Treasury has a funded plan to do so? Secondly, the US strategy is particularly clear about the nature of the Chinese Communist Party regime threat. That contrasts with this Government, who cannot seem to decide whether or not China is a threat. We have seen recent reports that the Government are poised to approve China’s new super-embassy spy hub, presumably when the House is in recess. Could the Minister confirm whether the US Government have expressed any concerns to this Government about the potential approval of that application?

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