Dan Jarvis MP: speeches

Speeches

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on recent national security developments, including the increase in the national terrorism threat level. The events of the last few weeks have illustrated the breadth and seriousness of the national security threats that we face from both terrorists and foreign states. In the response to those threats, they have also highlighted the strength and resilience of our world-leading law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Over recent weeks we have seen a series of arson attacks and incidents against British Jews and opponents of the Iranian regime, including the horrifying terror attack in Golders Green, which seriously injured two members of the Jewish community. We have seen the recent conviction of a 21-year-old man who planned to commit a terrorist attack to further his extreme white supremacist agenda. We saw convictions last week against two individuals under the National Security Act 2023 for surveilling and intimidating dissidents on behalf of China, and we are seeing record levels of investigative casework on terror plots, espionage and state-linked threats to individuals. On 30 April, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raised the UK national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe”. The decision to change the UK’s terrorism threat level is taken independently of Ministers, based on the very latest intelligence. “Severe” means that a terrorist attack is highly likely in the next six months. The threat level was last at “severe” from November 2021 until February 2022. This increase in the threat from terrorism follows the recent stabbing attack in Golders Green, but it is not solely a result of that attack. The terrorism threat in the UK has been gradually increasing. It is driven primarily by the broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based here in the UK. While the UK national threat level reflects JTAC’s assessment of the terrorist threat in the UK, it comes against a backdrop of increased state-linked physical threats, which is encouraging acts of violence, including against the Jewish community. In response, we have announced £25 million of immediate funding to strengthen policing, protect Jewish communities and provide reassurance. This brings the total protective security funding to £58 million this year, the largest investment a Government have made in protecting Jewish communities. I have also initiated a review of the national threat level system, which currently captures only the threat from terrorism, to ensure that it remains fully relevant and that we are communicating as clearly as possible with the public about the national security threats we face today. Contest, the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy, sets out a clear framework—prevent, pursue, protect and prepare—which aims to ensure that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence. We are broadening our intervention capabilities to better support those at risk of being drawn into terrorism, through the Prevent programme. We have improved training and guidance for frontline professionals and practitioners to better spot the signs of radicalisation. We are working with technology companies, international partners and Ofcom to tackle online content used to radicalise, recruit and incite terrorism. Co-ordinated intervention is crucial to reduce the terrorist risk, so we are providing children and individuals with the right support with our interventions centre of expertise, which brings together MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing with expertise from wider public services. MI5 and CTP work tirelessly to stop terrorist attacks, with 19 late-stage attack plots disrupted since 2020, including a chilling ISIS-inspired plot to target Jewish communities in Manchester using firearms. We have delivered our manifesto commitment to improve the security of public events and venues across the UK through Martyn’s law, and free expert advice, guidance and training are available to owners and operators of venues and public spaces through the ProtectUK website. Through closer working across the emergency services, we are maintaining strong, multi-agency working capabilities to respond to a range of different scenarios. We keep our preparedness under constant review, and the response is exercised regularly, ensuring that our emergency services can respond immediately to terror attacks, as we saw in their brave response to the violent antisemitic attack in Golders Green. Terrorism and state threats are sometimes interrelated, as we have seen with threats from states such as Iran, and the wider use of both terrorist groups and proxies by state actors, including Russia. We face a sophisticated and persistent challenge in responding to China, which presents a unique set of threats to the United Kingdom. The case last week demonstrates that we have the tools to successfully respond to that challenge, and Members across the House will know that a jury delivered its verdict following the nine-week trial of Bill Yuen and Peter Wai. The jury found both individuals guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service—in this case, the Hong Kong police force—under the National Security Act. Wai was also found guilty of misconduct in public office. The verdict represents the first convictions under the National Security Act related to China, and it sends a strong message that the full force of the law will be applied to anyone who carries out hostile acts in the UK on behalf of any foreign state. Both individuals held positions of power, leveraging these to conduct hostile activity on UK soil on behalf of China. It is simply unacceptable that an employee of a foreign power was conducting a shadow policing operation in the United Kingdom. That is why the Chinese ambassador has been summoned, and the Foreign Secretary will be making it clear to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive that this type of activity was, and will always be, unacceptable in the United Kingdom. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also made it clear that Yuen’s employment at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office must be terminated immediately. The trial has understandably caused considerable concern within the UK among the Hong Kong community. The safety and security of Hongkongers in the UK is paramount. That is why my officials have been working closely with the National Protective Security Authority to deliver new guidance on transnational repression. The guidance provides examples of what transnational repression might look like and what to do if anyone feels under threat from any state. Transnational repression from China, however, is just one type of state threat activity. That is why the Government are taking decisive action across a much broader range of state threats. We are: rolling out new training for police officers and staff to increase their understanding of state threats; driving forward the counter-political interference and espionage plan, to protect the UK’s democratic institutions and processes; bringing forward in the coming weeks fast-track legislation that will clamp down on individuals and groups carrying out hostile activity for foreign states, including those who act as their proxies, and which will include new proscription-like powers to ban the activities of state-backed organisations that pose a threat to the UK’s national security; and implementing all the recommendations made last year by Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of state threats legislation. We are responding to state threats in all their forms. National security is the first duty of Government. As this House knows, that duty includes being able to respond to a range of threats. We are giving our police and intelligence services the resources they need for that vital role. Last year we provided an extra £140 million for Counter Terrorism Policing, plus nearly £600 million more for our intelligence services. This takes their funding to record levels. Protecting our communities and standing up to hatred and intolerance is a shared responsibility of every person in the UK. I urge the public to remain vigilant and report any concerns they have to the police. Their contribution is a vital part of our efforts to keep our country safe. Support to the victims of terrorism is a moral duty, and I would like to acknowledge the profound and enduring impact on the survivors and families of those affected by the attacks in Golders Green, and all terrorist attacks, whose lives have been forever changed. I want to close by thanking those individuals serving in our police and security services for their dedication to keeping our country safe, and the public for their continued vigilance. We owe them all a debt of gratitude. I commend this statement to the House.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his points, and for his acknowledgment of our intention to introduce legislation that would allow the UK Government to proscribe state-backed entities. He will know that a range of measures have already been leveraged against the IRGC, which is sanctioned in its entirety. I think it was back in November last year that I announced a range of measures to defend against the threat that we undoubtedly face from Iran. The hon. Gentleman’s point about charities is entirely reasonable. We work across Government, including with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Charity Commission, to tackle the kinds of behaviours he describes. He makes a reasonable point; I will take it away, and come back to him with a further update on the work we are doing. Good work is under way. I hope that he gets a sense, not just from the statement but from the various interactions and exchanges we have had over many months, of how seriously we take these issues. If he wants to discuss them with me further, I would be happy to.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. and gallant Member for his contribution, as I always am. He knows me well enough that I can be quite candid with him in saying that I do not think the Foreign Secretary will need any encouragement from me. She will share the concern of Ministers right across this Government about the recent activity—she will have seen that very clearly when she served as Home Secretary. I agree that the kind of activity he describes is totally unacceptable, and this Government will absolutely stand against it. We are constantly making sure that we have the right legislative framework, toolkit and resources to guard against the nature of the threats we face, including from China. It is completely unacceptable that any nation, whoever they are, think that they can undermine our freedom of speech, our democracy and our sovereignty. It is not going to be allowed to happen.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important point, and let me reiterate the Government’s position that the targeting, harassment and coercion of anybody here in the United Kingdom, including, of course, the Iranian community and journalists, is completely unacceptable. On what we are doing to counter the threat from Iran, we have now sanctioned more than 550 Iranian individuals and entities and have placed the whole of the Iranian state, including Iran’s intelligence services, the IRGC and MOIS—the Ministry of Intelligence and Security—on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme. Importantly, we have also rolled out new training for all frontline police officers on state threats, so at a localised level—of course, this will be the case in Scotland as well—police forces have the insight and knowledge to identify and investigate the type of activity that he describes. But I give him an assurance of the seriousness with which we treat it, and we will stand firmly against the threat from Iran.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Member, as I always am. He has a very long and proud record of standing against terrorism—he knows a lot about it from his experiences in Northern Ireland—and he is also right to pay tribute to those who serve in our police forces and our intelligence services, who work tirelessly around the clock to keep us safe. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude. The hon. Member is right to highlight a number of concerns. I can assure him that we take these matters incredibly seriously; he will have seen the measures that were announced in the King’s Speech yesterday, which will complement our existing legislative framework. However, I give him an assurance that if there is a requirement to do more—to add to our toolkit, to make sure we are best prepared to guard against the nature of the threats we face—we will not hesitate to act.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the shadow Minister for his sensible and reasonable approach this morning. I agree that, wherever possible, we should seek to work on these matters on a cross-party basis, and that is absolutely my approach. I agree with the shadow Minister about the appalling and abhorrent attacks on the Jewish community that we have seen recently. I hope that he understands that the Government are absolutely committed to dealing with that poisonous hatred. I spelled out in my statement some of the measures that the Government have taken and will continue to take. However, the shadow Minister is right to hold us to account. This is not about warm words; this needs to be about deeds. That is precisely why we have allocated more funding to support that activity than has previously been the case. We will take every opportunity to ensure that our response, collectively as a nation, is proportionate to the nature of the threat faced by British Jews across the country. It is abhorrent that any British Jew might feel the need to lead a smaller Jewish life, and I hope that there is complete agreement on that across this House. I give the shadow Minister and the House my absolute assurance that we will do everything we can to ensure that our Jewish communities not only are safe, but feel safe. Entirely reasonably, the shadow Minister raised concerns about hate marches and protest activities that have taken place, and that may seek to take place in the future. Again, I hope that it is a point of consensus to say that the right to protest is fundamental to our democracy. At the same time, however, this cannot cross the line into unlawful or violent behaviour. The police do have a range of existing powers that enable them to tackle unlawful behaviour, including at marches. It is important to note that new powers will soon be introduced by measures contained in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent at the end of April, to further restrict intimidatory protests, particularly around places of worship, with the addition of new offences around face coverings at protests. The Act also places a duty on senior officers to take account of the cumulative impact of protest activity when considering whether to impose conditions on a protest, so the police will be able to force protests that follow the same routes time and again to change the route or time of a protest. As right hon. and hon. Members will be aware, the Home Secretary has asked Lord Macdonald to lead an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, and we look forward to receiving his recommendations in the near future. The hon. Gentleman made an entirely reasonable point about the disparity in the Prevent caseload. Although he is right about that, I hope he would acknowledge that that is not a new challenge; it has been faced by both the previous Government and this Government. As he will be aware, we have appointed a new independent Prevent commissioner. I will be meeting him later today, and I categorically guarantee that this matter will be on the agenda for our discussion. We take the hon. Gentleman’s point very seriously, but I know that he will understand that it is not a new challenge for Government. The hon. Gentleman referred to China. I hope I was clear earlier about my concern over the unique range of threats that China levels against the United Kingdom. I hope that he would accept that there are areas where we need to co-operate closely with China, and that there is always a balance to be struck, but I do give him an absolute assurance that national security will always be our priority. The hon. Gentleman mentioned FIRS, which I suspect other hon. Members may also take this opportunity to mention. FIRS is still a relatively new tool. I am making sure that we are able to draw the maximum operational benefit from it, and any decisions will be communicated to Parliament in the normal way. Finally, I want to respond to the hon. Gentleman’s point about Ben Wallace. Let me be crystal clear: the accusations that have been made about Ben Wallace are completely unacceptable. Ben Wallace has served our country. For reasons that the hon. Gentleman will completely understand, I am not going to get into the individual security arrangements for Mr Wallace— I cannot and will not comment on operational or intelligence matters—but I can say that I have met Ben Wallace to discuss the concerns that have understandably been raised. I am in touch with him. I will ensure that we continually assess the nature of the threats to individuals and their safety, and that the Government will absolutely be on the front foot in identifying and investigating such threats and will use all appropriate measures to defend against those threats. Any attempt by any foreign Government to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics in the United Kingdom, including Mr Wallace, will not be tolerated.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady makes an important and helpful point. I can give her an assurance that I discuss these matters with policing colleagues regularly. I hope she will understand that it is probably not for me, as the Security Minister, to be delving into the individual arrangements that different police forces have, but I am confident that all police forces understand the benefit and the importance of this training activity in the way that she has described. Let me consider further what she has said, and I will write to her with a more considered response.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I feel that fear, as I think we all do in this place. The hon. Gentleman has assiduously represented the concerns of Jewish communities in his constituency. I knew that he would send a letter, having given a commitment to do so, but I confess that it has not been put in front of me. I give him a guarantee that I will go back to my desk and look at his letter straight away.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful for the points that my hon. Friend has raised, and for his reference to the importance of remembering the victims of terrorism. It is an important part of my responsibility that we ensure that we have appropriate support for those who have been subject to terrorist activity. That is why we are progressing, as a priority, work to deliver a new victims hub, which will offer an enhanced service for those who have been victims and their families, as well as developing a proposal to hold a national day of reflection to properly remember all those who have been the victim of terrorism. On the points that my hon. Friend makes about British Jews in his constituency, I completely share other hon. Members’ thoughts about the unacceptable nature of the threats that we have seen in recent times. It is the responsibility of all of us to stand against those threats. That is an important priority for the Government, as I am sure it is for local authorities and police forces right around the country. If he has specific points of concern about the way that we are communicating information to members of that community, I would be happy to take that up with him offline.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Member for his questions. I agree with the concerns that he rightly expressed about antisemitic activity in our country. He will have heard the points that I made about protective security, but protective security is only part of our response. It is very important that we tackle the underlying causes. That is why—I hope that he will acknowledge this—there is a lot of activity in different parts of Government to attack antisemitic activity and behaviour wherever it rears its ugly head, whether in our NHS or our schools, colleges and universities. It is a real priority for the Government that we not only provide appropriate protective security but tackle the underlying causes of the abhorrent antisemitism that we have seen in recent weeks. The hon. Member mentioned Southport. Sir Adrian Fulford recently published his response to phase 1 of the Southport inquiry, and I met him to discuss it. He has already got phase 2 under way. It is a hugely important piece of work that he is undertaking, and he will obviously have the Government’s full support in completing it. We look forward to receiving his recommendations in due course. The hon. Member referenced Jonathan Hall KC and forthcoming legislation. I made a commitment in my introductory remarks to enacting all the recommendations that Jonathan Hall made in the previous parliamentary Session. I can give an assurance that the state proscription tool that we have committed to introducing will be fast-tracked. That piece of legislation was announced in the King’s Speech, and we will move as quickly as we can to get it on the statute book. I look forward to hopefully having his support, and the support of right hon. and hon. Members from across the House.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes an important point. The relationship with local government is absolutely mission critical, and I work very closely with not only local government right across the country and the devolved Administrations, but ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. She is right to raise the importance of social cohesion. She will know that that Department has led a piece of work recently, but it is very important that that is wired right across Government. The defending democracy taskforce, which I chair, provides a fulcrum point across Government to work closely with the police, local authorities and the security services to ensure that we have the right approach and response to the threats we face. Ensuring social cohesion and tackling the kind of vile online abuse that we have seen in recent times is an absolute priority for this Government.

• 14 May 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Member for his continued advocacy of FIRS. It is an important operational tool. It is still relatively new—it will be a year old on 1 June—and it is the Government’s intention to bring forward an annual report to update Parliament on the progress that we are making with it. I cannot get into the specific registration of the two individuals that he has referenced, but I can tell him—I think he will know this, because he knows a lot about FIRS, but I say it for the benefit of other Members—that countries are considered separately, and decisions are made on a robust evidence base. I am not able to get into speculation about what further decisions may be made, but those will be communicated to Parliament in the normal way. On the hon. Member’s second point about our wider resilience, that relates to my Cabinet Office responsibilities, but I give him an assurance that we are working across Government, including with partners in the Ministry of Defence, to guard robustly against the kind of threats that he describes.

• 23 Apr 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  If the hon. Member would like to write to me, I would be happy to look at the details of what she has raised. She will understand that I do not want to get into the detail of it now, but I give her an assurance that we look very carefully at all these matters and take decisions in our national security interests.

• 23 Apr 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We recognise the serious disruption that incidents such as the attack on JLR can cause for supply chains and local economies. We continually assess the resilience of our critical national infrastructure. The proposed cyber-resilience index will support improved accountability, and we are considering appropriate mechanisms to ensure parliamentary scrutiny as it is developed.

• 23 Apr 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  In the national security strategy, the Government made an historic commitment to spend 5% of our GDP on national security by 2025. That includes funding to protect critical infrastructure, ensure civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation and strengthen our defence industrial base. We are currently working through proposals for the UK to meet the 1.5% NATO commitment, and we will set out our detailed plans in due course.

• 23 Apr 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that important point. The UK’s defence industry is a cornerstone of our national security and an engine for growth. We are committed to spending £2.5 billion more with defence SMEs and recently launched the Defence Office for Small Business Growth, a key driver to improve SME access to defence opportunities. The £31 billion that we spend annually with the defence industry in the UK powers over 460,000 jobs and 24,000 apprenticeships nationwide, including many high-quality roles in the east midlands.

• 23 Apr 2026 · National Security · Hansard source

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  The Cabinet Office is driving implementation of the national security strategy. At CyberUK yesterday, I called on AI companies and innovators to work with the Government to build national-scale AI cyber-defence capabilities, and announced that a further £90 million will be invested to boost cyber-resilience. I also visited His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, where the Government are investing £250 million to strengthen our national security and deter our adversaries.

• 23 Apr 2026 · National Resilience · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the work that he and the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy do in this area. I was at CYBERUK yesterday, in the great city of Glasgow, and I can give him an assurance that we take these threats very seriously. The National Cyber Security Centre and our intelligence agencies continually monitor such risks and work closely with industry and with our international partners to protect our networks. As I set out yesterday, we will continue to strengthen our defences and ensure that we remain resilient.

• 23 Apr 2026 · National Resilience · Hansard source

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  I agree with the comments from the Secretary-General of NATO that the hon. Lady cited. From previous conversations that we have had, I think she understands the seriousness we attach to those issues. The Cabinet Office co-ordinates a whole-of-Government response and we work closely on those issues with partners, including in the Ministry of Defence. She is right about the need to communicate those issues to the public, and we are looking at how we can do that most effectively.

• 23 Apr 2026 · National Resilience · Hansard source

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  The Government are taking decisive steps to strengthen our national resilience, as set out in the resilience action plan. Building on the findings of Exercise Pegasus, the Government published a new pandemic preparedness strategy just last month. It sets out how the UK intends to rebuild readiness and strengthen underlying capabilities for future pandemics through a whole-of-Government approach.

• 23 Apr 2026 · National Resilience · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Lady for the point she raised and the way she raised it, and I pay tribute to the service of her family members, as I am sure all hon. Members will do. This matter is one that we take incredibly seriously. I can tell her and the House that, following sanctions already imposed on 544 vessels, the Prime Minister has now agreed that the British military will be able to board shadow fleet vessels passing through UK waters, but I will look carefully at the hon. Lady’s points and discuss them with colleagues in the Ministry of Defence.

• 20 Apr 2026 · Antisemitic Attacks · Hansard source

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  I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for the assiduous representation of his constituents and his constituency. The threats he describes are abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The notion that some members of our Jewish communities might be forced to live less Jewish lives is totally unacceptable. It is the Government’s responsibility to ensure that our response is proportionate to that threat. Along with ministerial colleagues in the Department, we have been in constant contact with the Metropolitan police over the past few days. I met Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes this morning to look at what more we can do to ensure that the police have the resources they need. I want to take this opportunity to thank the police for their work in recent times, which has been an impressive effort. They have stepped up to the plate and their response has been impressive, but we need to ensure that, collectively, we have the resources in place to continue that for as long as is necessary, to provide the reassurance required in constituencies such as the one that my hon. Friend is proud to represent. I give him an assurance of the seriousness with which we take this matter and I would be very happy to discuss it with him further.

• 20 Apr 2026 · Antisemitic Attacks · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who has raised her concerns diligently with me on a number of occasions. I had the privilege recently of visiting JW3, in her constituency, which is a truly inspiring place. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to Raymond, the chief executive officer, and to all the staff and volunteers for the incredibly important work that they do. I know it is hugely appreciated in my hon. Friend’s community. The threat that my hon. Friend describes is totally unacceptable, and I can give her an absolute assurance to take back to her constituents of how seriously we take that threat. I also assure her that we will bring forward and use all the tools at our disposal. There has been a lot of commentary about proscribing the IRGC, and I completely understand why. She will understand that the Government have made a commitment to bring forward a legislative tool that was recommended by Jonathan Hall. It was this Government’s view that we did not have the appropriate legislative mechanism to proscribe a state-backed entity, which is why we have made a commitment to bring forward that particular tool. However, she should be assured that we will not wait for that particular legislative tool to do everything necessary to combat and counter the work of the IRGC. I set out the work we are doing to counter the threat from Iran a moment ago, and I hope that provides some assurance to her and to her constituents.

• 20 Apr 2026 · Antisemitic Attacks · Hansard source

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  I am sorry to say that the hon. Lady’s characterisation is not fair. I have been incredibly clear about the work and the support that we are providing to Jewish communities. We take that incredibly seriously. Where there is a requirement to do more, and to do things differently, we will not hesitate to do so. Where we need to introduce new legislation, we will not hesitate to do so. The Government will ensure that all communities are kept safe.

• 20 Apr 2026 · Antisemitic Attacks · Hansard source

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  Of course, I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend and the CST, which I engage with on a very regular basis. He is right to describe this as a pattern of behaviour. I hope he accepts that we are doing everything that we possibly can, not just to deter and disrupt this activity, but to defeat it. He will have seen the decisive action over the weekend—15 arrests. Clearly, I am not going to prejudice ongoing investigations, and we do not know quite where those investigations will lead, but that is a significant level of activity by the Metropolitan police over the weekend. As I said earlier, anybody who is considering undertaking this kind of activity at the behest of some other entity for payment should have a very long, hard think about doing it.