Defence Select Committee trip to Estonia and Finland.

Last week I was away with the Defence Select Committee in Estonia and Finland both of which border Russia. 

Meeting the British Troops in Estonia was always going to be a highlight but I hadn’t expected to bump into a major from the Excellent Royal Dragoon Guards who was a youngster when we served together in Afghanistan in 2010. 

Meeting the various politicians and hearing their reactions to this week’s developments concerning Ukraine left a grave impression on me.

I will take what I learned there back to the commons. As I said there recently in a debate, we seem to have forgotten the old adage: you should prepare for the war you don’t want to have to fight.