Conservative MP for Exmouth & Exeter East | Shadow Minister for Defence, Security & Resilience 🇬🇧 | Former Royal Marine. Techie. Husband & Dad.

Exmouth & Exeter East
Joined November 2021
Embarrassing. If the government see the need to prepare people for a crisis, then they need to take the task seriously. Yet again, Burnham and Streeting are refusing to rise to the moment.
The national resilience moment that very nearly barely happened: A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to plan for the "Be Ready" rollout, which was first trailed during the dying days of Sir Keir Starmer's government. Andy Burnham inherited the project as well as leadership of the much-promised but minimally-delivered national conversation on defence. Yet he appears to have chosen not to speak out on the launch of the new readiness campaign despite its national significance. Even Dan Jarvis, the security minister, who is leading on resilience, stayed away from journalists on Thursday, instead just publishing his ministerial statement and sending out a written post on social media. This lacklustre approach was met privately with disappointment among members of the resilience community. The concern - rightly or wrongly - is that it creates the impression that preparing the country (every post code!) for the possibility of any crisis, up to and including war, is not a top priority for the government. news.sky.com/story/be-ready-…
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I welcome the launch of the Government’s household preparedness campaign, which is long overdue. As Shadow Minister for Defence, Security and Resilience, I have worked extensively on what an effective campaign should look like, seeking to take a collaborative, cross-party approach. In June, I led a debate on national resilience and the need for a national conversation about preparedness. I have visited our allies to learn from their approaches, including visiting Denmark to discuss its national preparedness campaign. However, the Government’s approach falls short. Today’s launch was announced haphazardly, with no parliamentary statement and no coherent campaign around it. It is not the way to start a campaign that needs to reach every household in Britain. Ministers must be honest with the public about the threats we face and explain how the advice they are giving relates to those threats. Advice alone, without that context, is unlikely to prompt people to prepare. Ultimately, the campaign largely repackages the existing online Prepare campaign, which has failed to reach and engage enough people. We need clear, practical advice, grounded in an honest explanation of the risks and delivered in a way that reaches every household. I have produced a booklet drawing on those distributed in European countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands. These booklets explain the threats, why household preparedness matters and what people can do in clear and accessible language. The Government must go further. An effective campaign needs to explain both what people should do and why they should do it.
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Every Wednesday, this entitled and selfish bore makes it impossible to work in nearby offices. He ruins the experience of thousands of visitors and tourists. And the police and courts let him. His supposed right to protest comes above the interests of everyone else. This is the problem with human rights laws - summed up in one very sad man.
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David Reed MP retweeted
Jonathan Powell’s position as National Security Adviser is untenable. His repeated meetings with the CCP were disclosed not by the British Government, but by Chinese Communist Party read outs, and serious questions remain over his role in the collapsed China spy case. He is responsible for the Government’s disastrous Chagos negotiations and still advocates giving away billions in taxpayer money to surrender a British territory. He has refused to appear before many Parliamentary committees. Now, concerning material shared publicly by his wife raises further questions about his judgement and sharing access to sensitive information. If he were a Minister, he would have to appear in front of Parliament to answer for these glaring concerns. Instead, the man running our foreign policy and national security refuses any scrutiny. telegraph.co.uk/politics/202…
The National Security Advisor’s wife’s tweets have raised serious questions about the handling of sensitive national security information, and the process of approving proscriptions. Is Jonathan Powell's position still tenable? I’ve written to the Prime Minister for answers.
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I was delighted to visit Imperial College London, alongside Lord Harris of the National Preparedness Commission, to discuss the threats to our critical national infrastructure in an increasingly dangerous world. In the year to May 2026, the National Cyber Security Centre managed more than 200 cyber incidents affecting this infrastructure and the systems that support it. Our critical national infrastructure underpins the utilities and services we all rely on. We saw yesterday how a “power event” at a data centre in London caused disruption to banking services and led to court trials and hearings being put on hold. As the Shadow Minister for Defence, Security and Resilience, I am working to ensure the Government takes these threats seriously.
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This is mental. Anyone who works in a sensitive role knows their work stays within the confines of the building they work in. A question of loyalty doesn’t even register. The NSA has a number of serious questions coming his way.
*EXCLUSIVE* Sarah Helm admits Jonathan Powell used to come home and talk about his day at no10 When asked whether this was against the Official Secrets Act she becomes coy
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Hello, @reformparty_uk HQ! 👋 I see in the latest edition of The Reformer you’re proposing to send in the Royal Navy to stop the boats. One small problem… you might want to choose a ship that’s still in service! I’d suggest retiring your defence spokesperson too, but then I remembered… you don’t have one! Schoolboy error! 😂⚓
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A warm Devon boo 🟢
🚨 WATCH: Nigel Farage is booed by Reform UK members as he accidentally says he’s in Portsmouth not Plymouth
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Argentina threatens the Falkland Islands, and Putin’s navy is expanding its presence in the far north. To protect our interests, we need to have an ice patrol capability at both poles. I challenged the government to set out their plans for the replacement of HMS Protector to allow us to have capabilities in both the north and the south. Predictably, they had no answer.
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We are a great country, I truly believe that. Throughout our history, we have evolved time and time again, overcome enormous challenges and led the world in so many ways. Although the rut we find ourselves in today can feel never-ending, we must rediscover the attitude, ambition and determination that have always allowed us to punch above our weight. It’s time to free ourselves from the relentless negativity, the naysayers and the doom-mongers who seem convinced our best days are behind us. We are capable of so much more. It’s time to believe in ourselves again, raise our ambitions and strive for excellence once more.
Cliveden House burnt down in 1849. The architect behind Parliament rebuilt it in two years. Now, Parliament has spent over a decade just planning its own repairs. What happened to the country that built things? 👇
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Was a pleasure to join @KemiBadenoch today. Our veterans deserve more than Labour's lawfare.
Brilliant to stand with our veterans alongside @KemiBadenoch in Parliament Square against the Government’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. With two days of debate ahead of us, we will keep opposing Labour’s damaging lawfare. We will defend those who defended us.
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In today’s Sunday Times, we’ve shared more detail of the blueprint for Britannia Shield with @benrileysmith - including our plan for ‘Radar Drones’. We’d use MQ-9B ‘Protector’ drones, already in service with the RAF & originally used in the Middle East, for homeland defence. At times of heightened threat, we believe they could augment Early Airborne Warning from the crewed E-7 Wedgetail to give 24/7 long range ‘eyes in the sky’.
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Watching the disgraceful scenes in Paris fills me with the same rage I felt during the 2011 riots across England. The footage of a distressed woman apparently watching her livelihood being destroyed, while young men stand around filming, is utterly sickening. What sort of society produces men so devoid of decency, compassion and basic humanity? These mindless thugs aren’t protesters. They’re cowards, exploiting legitimate grievances to terrorise innocent people and destroy the very communities they supposedly call home. There is nothing brave about attacking the vulnerable. Nothing principled about looting. Nothing admirable about standing by and filming someone else’s misery. These people need more than a lecture on right and wrong. They need to learn that actions have consequences. I hope every last one responsible is caught, convicted and locked up.
🚨BREAKING: A distressed woman is restrained by left-wing thugs and forced to watch her livelihood destroyed France has become hell on earth.
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Deeply saddened to hear this devastating news. My thoughts and prayers are with the four members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have tragically lost their lives, and with their families, friends and fellow service personnel at this incredibly difficult time. 🇨🇦🇬🇧
The four service members who died in a fire at a military base in Alberta have been named. Major General Wade Rutland confirmed the casualties and also said the blaze started in a training area where multiple activities were taking place. 🔗 trib.al/hMCbTq1
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The greatest disrespect we can show to those who sacrificed their lives for us is to turn their remembrance into a political battleground. The fallen deserve our gratitude, not our agendas. This must not go unchallenged. I will be making sure to tell anyone I see wearing this badge exactly what I think, and I implore others to do the same.
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Six years ago this month, a parachuting accident changed my life. This week, I led a debate in Parliament to mark Bone and Joint Action Week, drawing on my own experience to highlight how musculoskeletal conditions affect tens of millions across the UK- and what the NHS and Government must do to improve care. independent.co.uk/news/uk/po…
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I’ve held my tongue for long enough, but watching these oddball, military-cosplaying populists drag my old gang’s name through the mud is utterly disgraceful. The Royal Marines have served our nation with courage, honour and distinction for over 361 years. Their reputation was earned through generations of sacrifice, not political grandstanding. We all know what Yusuf and Jenrick have been saying. So if Farage genuinely disagrees with them, why does he keep defending them?
“Force will be met with force.” @NickFerrariLBC challenges Nigel Farage over Robert Jenrick's suggestion that Reform would deploy Royal Marines to use 'lethal force' against illegal migrants.
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David Reed MP retweeted
We’re delighted that later today, @DavidReedMP for Exmouth & Exeter East will shine a light on MSK conditions during his adjournment debate on ‘Bone and Joint Health’. On the day, when almost 100 attendees headed to Parliament to say that there are #20MillionReasons to champion MSK health, a parliamentary debate is a brilliant way to end the day. Thank you for speaking up for the 20 million people. #20MillionReasons #BoneAndJointWeek
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