PMQs: Keir Starmer takes questions in parliament for first time as PM – watch live

for a stadium to host five matches at a time when there are huge waiting lists to be dealt with in the Health Service special needs education needs funding and social housing needs funding is an indefensible use of public money can the Secretary of State give us an assurance that the government's view has not been influenced by any personal interventions by the chief of staff of the labor party who has this is a personal project and can he confirm that such intervention would be a breach of public standards and public life well can I say to The Honorable gentlemen what I said it was a priority because the decision needs to be made the fact is the government has inherited a commitment to hosting the Euros at casan Park it is now a year and three quarters since ufer awarded that right to Northern Ireland and to the United Kingdom and Ireland nothing has happened during the year and three quarters since then to progress the project we're left with a situation where the cost has gone through the roof and we don't know even if you had the money whether you could build it in time and that is why the government is looking at it and that's why I said it was a priority to make a decision FL Hannah the GAA is overwhelmingly a Force for good across our Island and I was pleased to see so many in Britain enjoying the magic of the hurling final via the BBC on Sunday um GAA fans in Northern arand like Northern Ireland football fans awaiting sub Regional Stadium funding have been let down by a decade of storm and dither by sniping like we've just seen and by the last government had they green lit the project when they said they would construction would have been well underway in time for the Euros can the minister give an assurance that casement will ultimately be be built and that spectacles like we're going to see this Sunday and for armar will in time be hosted in Belfast well we I think we all look forward to um Wishing Well to Amar in the all Ireland final the executives committed to the casement Park project it's been a commitment for I think over a decade now but it hasn't progressed Windsor Park got an upgrade uh Raven Hill got an upgrade and it's important that casement Park is built which is why I said on my recent visit that one way or another that project needs to be completed Jim Alister will the Secretary of State explain to the 356,000 citizens of Northern Ireland who await outpatient admissions uh and uh appointments to the 94,000 who await inpatient admissions why in the government's view it seems to be a priority to pour hundreds of millions of pounds into a GAA Sports Stadium instead of fixing our Health Service and if the government commits money and if the U if the Euros do not come H to Belfast won't the government be in the position where the rugby stadium the football stadium didn't get a penny of Treasury or ni nio money but GA did how could that be fair and how could that be proportionate well I hope very much that sport will be a force for Unity in Northern Ireland rather than a source of division and when it comes to the Health Service The Honorable gentleman makes a very powerful point the state of the NHS in Northern island with the longest waiting lists in the United Kingdom is a function if I may say so of decisions that the executive has failed to take over many years and the people of Northern Ireland want to have a Better Health Service and that needs the plan which the new health minister is committed toel Hopkins does the Secretary of State agree that we wouldn't be in the final minutes of extra time as to whether casement Park could be rebuilt in time for the Euros If the previous government had actually done something about it after we rewarded host status some year and three quarters ago well I I agree with my honorable friend I'm in the fact speak for themselves a year and 34 since we were awarded that that wonderful opportunity to host the Euros nothing has happened on the project SAA eastw question number three Mr speaker thank you very much indeed Mr Speaker with permission I will answer questions three and nine together the interim fiscal framework agreed earlier this year introduced a needs-based funding formula set at 124% of spending behead in England based on the advice of the Northern Ireland fiscal Council and we are committed to taking forward these discussions with the executive I welcome the Secretary of State to his place and I'd like forward to working with him in his new role fixing Northern Ireland's Financial framework is crucial to ensuring our public services are properly resourced and indeed impacting on my constituents of L and valy will the Secretary of State ensure that any new arrangements are fully baselined and informed by independent expert analysis well the reason that the Northern Ireland fiscal Council was set up was to answer the question help to answer the question about what the need is in Northern Ireland uh they came up with a a range between 121 and 127% and opted for 124% in the middle the fact that that was in the interim fiscal framework that the last government negotiated uh is welcome was welcomed by the Finance Minister in Northern irland we're committed to taking those discussions forward and I understand that the Finance Minister in the executive has already met the new Chief secretary to the treasury Jim Shon thank you Mr Speaker can I also welcome the Secretary of State to to his place and wish him well in the role that he now plays uh the chancellor has indicated there will be a 5% increase in the wage for health workers and for those in the education sector unfortunately under the bar consequen which we presently have for Northern irand it means that that 5% will not mean 5% of those involved in in the education center and the health sector in Northern irland so can I ask the SEC State this question will he urgently look at this issue to ensure that the health workers and the education workers in Northern Ireland deserve the same increase in their wages as it do in the mainland because quite clearly I'm here for them well as the honorable gentleman will be well aware decisions about paying Northern Ireland are a matter for the executive but any additional spending in England will apply through the Barnet consequences to Northern Ireland in the normal way tonon Mr Speaker and I welcome the Secretary of State's commitment to needs based funding for Northern Ireland does he agree that how the funding is allocated and how further Revenue might be generated are matters for the devolved Administration and for the assembly well I certainly do agree because look all governments and it includes the northern Island executive has the money it's got coming in the money it can raise in addition and how it is going to prioritize its spending and the Northern Ireland executive does have more funding per head of population than in England and it is for the executive to take decisions about what their priorities are and to allocate the funding accordingly Shadow Minister Paul HS thank you Mr Speaker and can I very kind uh can I welcome the Secretary of State and the minister of state to their positions and thank them for their gracious phone call last week to welcome me and my rable friend to our positions too on Monday the business secretary slipped out a written statement rather than coming to this house revealing that the government had decided not to proceed with an export development guarantee or emergency loans that would save Harland and wolf to despite its unique role and outstanding defense contracts will the Secretary of State now use their position to continue the support the last government gave to Northern irand and make it very clear to the treasury that the people of Northern irand spec that the government should intervene in this case and support Harland and wolf which is desperately needed well I congratulate The Honorable Gentleman on his appointment the reasons for the government's decision uh about Harland wolf were very clearly set out in the written many mysterial statement that my right on friend the business secretary laid before the house Holland wolf are now talking to their main supporters Riverstone about potential additional financial support we are committed to ship building across the United Kingdom including in Northern Ireland and as that written ministerial statement made clear harand Warf is an essential part of the contract the 1.6 billion pound contract for the fleet solid support ships Robbins number four Mr speaker thank you Mr Speaker and I must say I'm delighted to be appointed to this role I look forward to working closely with executive ministers to see Public Services transformed in Northern Ireland and I'll be meeting with the first and Deputy first ministers tomorrow in storment as well as with the Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbit Mr Speaker can I welcome the minister of state and the Secretary of State to their positions delighted to see them in post and I know that they are committed to seeing effective public services and stability of the institutions in Northern Ireland but can I just caution that on the last number of responses we've received from the front bench that we're having this recurring conversation that the fiscal framework that was announced back in December on an interim basis does not solve the problems that we have and even the stabilization money that was agreed back in December has already been forecast as necessary to sustain pay in Northern Ireland can I ask the minister of state to engage earnestly not only in what government has been saying for the last six months of this Hue and of the previous government but to recognize that to provide good public services in Northern Ireland we not only need to sustain but transform I agree with the honorable member uh this money Al there's money allocated specifically for transformation of Public Services to improve Service delivery outcomes in Northern Ireland three in 10 people are on an NHS waiting list that number is one in 10 here in England that is a a figure that needs to be transformed to transform Health outcomes I will be talking about funding when I meet with executive ministers but I would also be talking about other ways in which our doors are open those of other ministers across the government too in which we're determined to work together to transform Public Services well Blackman number five Mr speaker thank you very much uh indeed Mr Speaker with permission I will answer questions 5 and 12 together as set out in The King's Speech the government is committed to repeal and replace the Legacy act as well as scrapping conditional immunity we will set out steps to allow trouble era inquests and civil claims to resume we will consult with all interested parties on a way forward in a way that can obtain support of victims and survivors and comply with our human rights obligations Bob Blackman speaker I congratulate the B Gentleman on appointment and for his answer I'm clearly any delays of course will inbuild a legacy for the victims and their families who've waited a long time for closure on these particular issues I understand absolutely the need to create a consensus across Northern Ireland for what is going to be proposed but could he set out uh for the house the timeline and the plan for actually achieving that and also agree to come back to the house and update the house when that is ready yeah well I'm very happy to give the honorable member that Assurance about keeping the house informed and reporting to it uh on my plans I can say to him as far as the independent commission is concerned um the government has decided that we will retain it because the Stormont house agreement that we say we want to return to the the principles that it set out en vises both information recovery and continued investigation those two functions are in effect combined in the independent commission I met s Dean Morgan yesterday to talk about how that work could be taken forward the commission is now open for business and it is available to families to approach to find an answer that many of them been looking for for so long Richard to thank you very much Mr Speaker the former member for Plymouth um uh more view was a very strong advocate for veterans in cabinet in government uh can they WR honorable gentlemen assure veterans in Basilone and B rii and across the country that any future legislation will protect now L veterans from vexatious legal action in the future well I uh pay tribute Mr Speaker to the work that veterans members of the police and the security services did over many years during the troubles in trying to keep people safe from terrorism and I undertake as part of the consultation I've already set out to the house to consult veterans organizations lock up thank you Mr Speaker and can I welcome the Secretary of State to his position can Secretary of State further outline what discussions he is having with groups and organizations who represent innocent victims and can I assure this house that in repealing this legislation there will be no pandering to those who were the victim makers also what meaningful engagement is having with the Irish government who opposed the Legacy bill but have disgracefully refused to deal with the many allegations of State collusion with the provisional Ira thinking specifically speically about the long awaited public inquiry into the OM bombing can I say to the can I say to The Honorable member I discussed the matter with Mel Martin when I saw him um very early on after my appointment and he has expressed the hope that a way forward can be found that might lead to the uh withdrawal of the interstate case that they have brought I was certainly engage with victims organizations a number of which I met during my time as the shadow Secretary of State because I am committed to trying to find a way forward that in the end if this is going to work it's got to work for the victims families because they're the people who say what went before hasn't given us what we were looking for so Desmond Swain sir thank you very much indeed Mr Speaker we are at know we are committed to implementing The Windsor framework in good faith in partnership with the EU and taking all steps necessary to protect the UK internal Market we are also looking to negotiate an SPS veteranary agreement with the EU which could help will he commit to all the provisions of the safeguarding the union agreement I already set out my answer to that in response to his honorable friend who speaks from the front bench we are taking those commitments forward but I would also point out to The Honorable gentleman that it is by working in partnership with the European Union we can make progress and what was achieved recently on dental amalgam is a really really good example of precisely that Dr Neil Hudson number seven Mr Speaker I understand how important and Urgent this issue is and I'd like to thank the honorable member for his contribution to the veterinary medicines working group the work of which we have committed to continue he will is a grace period arrangement for veterinary medicines that remains in place until the end of 2025 and provides for the continuity of Supply to Northern Ireland the government will continue to progress the work on this issue as quickly as possible thank you Mr Speaker I thank the minister for her answer the Winds of framework secured by the previous government extended that grace period to veteranary Vons in Northern Ireland till the end of December 2025 this includes vaccines and anesthetics so it's vital for biocurity and both animal and public health that access continues can the minister assure the house that the government will strain every senu to secure permanent access to veter medicines in Northern Ireland and will they continue with the cabinet office veter medicines working group on which I sat that was working so hard to find a solution I Thank The Honorable member and I can confir I can confirm again that that Veterinary medicines working group will continue we recognize its importance and we will continue to work at PACE um on the long-term solution because that continuity Supply and knowing that well in advance of December next year is very important L Den spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain Mr Speaker may I welcome the Secretary of State and his team to their place may I also associate myself with the remarks of The Honorable member for Belfast South and mid down I can only hope the success of the hurling being shown at the weekend means that the BBC will consider the shinty hurling International that takes place every year um I welcome attempts by the new government to continue to rebuild trust with Northern Ireland political parties and also to improve relations with the European Union it offers that opportunity to reduce frictions in trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland so Mr Speaker can the Secretary of State set out what he's doing with ministerial colleagues and other departments to open the doors to securing a Veterinary agreement with the EU which will further reduce those barriers to trade the government is committed to working at PACE on a long-term solution including a veteranary agreement this may change the relationship with the EU and build more trust and so a bespoke agreement may be needed but we were working at PACE to secure this Dr Allison G question number eight Mr speaker thank you very much indeed with permission Mr Speaker I will answer questions 8 and 14 together a fortnight ago uh the minister and I met the torn mik Martin in Hillsboro where we discuss strengthening relations between our two governments given the importance of our relationship with ir land the Prime Minister and the t-sh also held a bilateral meeting ahead of the European political Community last week Dr alerson go thank you Mr Speaker and may I also thank um Secretary State for his answer Duchess China which I believe uh Mr Speaker are the suppliers of your very excellent commemorative china service is based in my constituency so cont Trent South the Republic of Ireland is an important export market for the company and Northern Ireland is an important part of its domestic Market can the minister tell us how relations across the Irish sea and Northern Ireland Island borders be enhanced for the benefit of companies like Dutchess China well I I congratulate my honorable friend on the company that she mentions and the and the products that it produces we are committed to in protecting the Integrity of the UK internal market so that great firms in Great Britain and in Northern Ireland are able to sell right across the United Kingdom and internationally and for Northern Ireland in particular it has extraordinary opportunities and so much potential which we now need to build on one of the most important contributions the executive can make is to ensure executive stability because that's what investors are looking for em darling can I can I congratulate The Honorable right honorable member on his position and hope that he will be able to rebuild those relations that have been strained through the brexit process I'd like to ask my question very much like my colleague about small and mediumsized businesses in milon central that have had to go under because of the additional paperwork and other restrictions through our strained relations now with the EU can he confirm with me that he is talking to the Irish government and others about how we reduce those barriers to trade well there there is no doubt that the change in our trading relationship with the European Union has brought additional costs and paperwork for businesses whether they are selling to the EU or into Northern Ireland The Winds of framework is the means by which we are trying to manage that and I supported the Winds of framework negotiated by the previous government because it represented an important and a significant step forward but the reason why we have to continue to implement it is because if we're going to get the veter and SPS agreement and other agreements we are seeking with the European Union we still got others thank you Mr Speaker the Anglo Irish agreement is absolutely vital and the meeting between the Prime Minister and the t-shock was to be uh welcomed prime minister prime minister Ariel Diaries become very full will he use his good offices to make sure that that dialogue between t-shock and prime minister continue to build on that relationship to see it flourish still further yeah yeah yeah I can indeed give that assurance and my right honorable friend has agreed there will be an annual Summit fin question Gregory ke uh in discussions with the Irish government does they agree with me that ensuring that they understand that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland whether they consider themselves to be British Irish or Northern Irish can see that there's United Kingdom context that allows them that diversity and that that improving the lives of existing Generations is the best way to preserve the lives of everyone for the future I join with the honorable gentleman in that commitment to improving the lives of the people of Northern Ireland and that is something that we as a government are committed to work on with him and all of his colleagues in Northern Ireland can I welcome the prime Min leader of opposition and all new members to the first questions to the prime Min and in which case we're going to start with Callum Miller question one sir thank you Mr Speaker and I know the whole house will be shocked by by the news that a soldier has been attacked in Kent our thoughts are with him his family and our Armed Forces who serve to keep us safe we wish him a swift recovery Mr Speaker the whole house will also want to join me in Wishing team GB good luck as they travel to Paris for the Olympic Games and Mr Speaker this morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others discussing how this government will bring about the change the country has decisively voted for in addition to my duties in this house I shall have further such meetings today I begin by welcoming the prime minister to his first questions as prime minister I also associate myself with his remarks about the soldier in Kent and of course my wishes to the British Olympians at Kum in my constituency T's water has pumped sewage into the river evenl for over 2,600 hours in the last year T's water was allowed by ofwat to withdraw 7 billion pound in dividends yet now wants to jack up my constituent bills I welcome the water bill in The King's Speech but with the Prime Minister agree with my constituents and me that the system is broken and will he now commit to scrapping offw and replacing it with a tougher regulator that will finally put people and Planet ahead of water company profits can I welcome The Honorable member to his place and thank him for raising this important issue in relation to water and customers should not pay the price for the mismanagement by water companies and we've already announced immediate steps to put water companies under tougher regime and the minister for water will meet the bosses of failing companies to hold them to account for their uh performance after 14 years of failure with our rivers and beaches it falls to this government of service to fix the mess of the failure of the last 14 years wion thank you Mr Speaker and I welcome the prime minister to his place Mr Speaker many young trans people and their families are extremely concerned about the restrictions on puberty blockers implemented by the last governments one of my constituents a parent of a trans child told me I'm so worried about my child I'm terrified for what this means for them and where Britain is going on these issues will the Prime Minister meet with young trans people their families and organizations supporting them so that he can hear why they feel so strongly that these restrictions must be reversed can I welcome The Honorable friend back to her place our guiding principles must be the well-being of children a and this is a serious government and we will approach that question with care not in dividing lines the the cast review was clear that there's not enough evidence on the long-term impact of puberty blockers to know if they're safe and the health secretary will consult with organizations supporting young people and families uh and I will ensure that there is a meeting uh with her and the relevant Minister as soon as that can be arranged now come to the leader of the opposition rich thank you Mr Speaker can I join with the Prime Minister and expressing my shock at the attack on a British soldier our thoughts are with him and his family as we wish him a speedy recovery and I also join with the prime minister in his warm words about our Olympic athletes I have no doubt that after years of training focus and dedication they'll bring back many gold medals although to be honest I'm probably not the first person they want to hear advice from on how to win but I'm glad I'm glad in our exchanges I'm glad Mr Speaker Mr Speaker I'm glad in our exchanges so far we have maintained a cross-party consensus on important matters of foreign policy and in that Spirit today I wanted to focus our exchange on Ukraine and National Security the UK has consistently been the first country to provide new capabilities to Ukraine such as the longrange weapons that have been used so effectively in the Black Sea now those decisions aren't easy and I was grateful to the Prime Minister for his support as I made those decisions in government and in opposition I offer that same support to him so can I ask that he continues to be responsive to Ukraine's new requests so that they don't just stand still but can decisively win out against Russian aggression can I thank the leader of the opposition for not only raising the question of Ukraine but doing it in a way which can maintain the unity across this house which has been so important uh to the Ukrainian people and I can assure him that we are of course talking to Ukraine about um how they deal with the Russian aggression that they are facing have been facing for many many months and I will continue to try to do that in the way that he did which is to reach out across the house to share such information as we can to maintain the unity that is so important I thank him for that respect response now I also found that one of the UK's key roles as Ukraine's closest Ally is to encourage other countries to follow our lead in providing new military capabilities and in that vein when he saw Chancellor schz recently I'm sure he thanked him for the considerable air defense that the Germans are providing the ukrainians but did he also raise with him the issue of the Germans perhaps providing longrange missiles just as the UK America and France have now done I have the opportunity in Washington at the NATO Council to talk to our German counterparts there was a strong theme there on Ukraine discussed with all of our allies and part of my message was to urge all of our allies to provide further support where they can to the Ukrainian people and that was well received and there was Unity coming out of the NATO Council that's what we are must all do I'm glad to hear that the prime minister raay at the NATO Summit as well because I very much welcome the message that came out loud and clear from that Summit and indeed the prime minister's words from the dispatch box on Monday about Ukraine's irreversible path to Nato membership and so does he agree with me that fatuous Russian claims on Ukrainian territory must not act as a block to Ukraine joining the NATO defensive Alliance I wholeheartedly agree and it is for NATO allies to decide who is a member of NATO formed 75 years ago a proud and probably most successful Alliance that's ever been formed and that's why it was really important at the summit that we were able to say there is now this irreversible path to membership that's a step forward from a year ago and president zilinsky was very pleased that we' able to make that successful uh transition the opposition thanks to the complex legal and diplomatic work that the UK has led over the past several months together with our allies Canada and America the Prime Minister will I hope now find that there is a sound and established legal basis to go further on sanctions and seize Russian assets and use them to fund Ukrainian reconstruction now that work has taken time but I hope he is able to take a look at it and can he confirm for the house that this work is something that he will take forward because if he does I can assure him that the opposition will support him in doing so again I'm grateful for this opportunity to say how united we were on the question of sanctions um across this house the use now made of the what has been seized and Frozen is an important issue on which I think we can move forward and I know the chancellor is already beginning to have some discussions about how we can take more effective measures again um I will seek to reach out across the house uh as we do this important work together the opp much welcome the prime minister's response but I also welcome both his and the defense secretary's recent emphasis on the importance of the Tempest fighter jet program it's a crucial Sovereign capability as he mentioned and important for our alliances with Italy and Japan furthermore however other countries also wish to participate and in government we had begun initial productive discussions with our friend and Ally Sai Arabia about their desire to potentially join the program so could the Prime Minister confirm that he will continue those initial positive conversations with Saudi Arabia and again I can assure him that he will have our support in doing so well let me make this absolutely clear this is a really important program significant progress has already been made and we want to build on that progress and I've had some initial discussions uh not least in Farber where I was just a few days ago with the opposition finally Mr Speaker can I just say that in the dangerous and uncertain world world that we now sadly live in I know firsthand how important it is that our prime minister can use his prerogative power to quickly respond militarily to protect British national security sometimes without giving this house prior notice now these are perhaps the most difficult decisions that a prime minister can take and I welcomed his support when I made them and I want to take this opportunity to assure him of the opposition's support if he deems it necessary to take similar action in the future so does he agree with me that whilst the use of the prerogative power is sometimes politically controversial it is essential to ensure the safety and security of the British people I agree it's essential and um our security is the first duty of government uh I was grateful to the leader of the opposition for reaching out when action had to be taken to me personally to ensure that I was briefed on the sensitive issues that lay behind the decisions that he had to take uh and as I mentioned to him last week I will endeavor to ensure that we proceed in the same way so that he has access to all the information that he needs to come to a determination which I hope will be to be able to support the position that this government takes thank you Kim Le thank you Mr Speaker and welcome back can I congratulate the Prime Minister on such a positive start to his Premiership and on re and on re setting the dial on Politics as public service as an a force and as a Force for good irrespective of our different views and opinions in this chamber and Beyond it's a very important message and as such would he join me in Wishing the very best of luck to the 83 cyclist who have set off from West Yorkshire this morning on the ninth jerox way bike ride traveling 280 miles down the country to London celebrating all that we have in common through the power of cycling including sadly for the cyclist probably quite a lot of sore legs and aching muscles of course I will uh wish them uh good luck I I admire them I not sure I envy them it's 280 miles um but it's a brilliant cause and the whole house I think miss our dear friend Joe and I know that she would have been incredibly proud uh to have seen uh this government in place and would have played a big part um in it um and you know I'd like to welcome I friend back to her place and I know that she will continue in Joe's Spirit uh with the same dedication and determination and I think I'm right in saying that her parents and of course Joe's parents are with us in the gallery today to see this first pmq we will always have more in common than that which divides us it comes to the leader of the libd so Ed it thank you Mr Speaker and can I welcome the prime minister to his place at his first prime minister's questions and can I associate myself my party with the comments he made about the apping attack on the soldier in Kent and our thoughts are with his family and uh friends and comrades uh and can I also associate my uh ourside with his comments on team GP and particularly uh talk about how we want them to succeed in in Paris um the Prime Minister um has many messes that he's inherited one of them is the Scandal over the carer's allowance repayments an example is my constituent Andrea who is a full-time carer for her elderly mom she went back to work part-time mainly for her mental health she tells me she was earning less than £7,000 a year and been hit by a bill from the DWP for 4,600 but Andre is just one of tens of thousands of carers facing these repayments punished for working and earning just a few more pounds in the earnings limit so will the Prime Minister agree to meet with me and other family carers to try to resolve this [Applause] matter can I ra can I Thank The Honorable member for raising this and he of course has been a tireless advocate for carers and I don't think any of us could be other than moved when we saw the video of him and his son that was put out during the election campaign uh he talks about team GB I'm glad he's in a suit today because um we're more used to see him in a in a wet suit um but in relation to this issue look we um have a more severe crisis than we thought as we go through the books of the last 14 years uh we must review we must review the challes I know they don't like it they don't like it there was a reason the electorate rejected them so profoundly so we'll review The Challenge that we face um we do want to work with the sector and where we can across the house to create a national Care Service covering all these aspects and we'll start uh with carers and those that work in the care sector with a fair play agreement but I'm very happy to work across the house with all the people that care so passionately about this particular issue DAV for the prime minister's uh response I hope he will look at this matter though on carer allowance uh family carers save the taxpayer 162 billion a year and if we get this right many could go back into work um but there's another care crisis that's probably even bigger and that's the crisis in Social care I'm sure like me he's met millions of people around the country heard about millions of people for whom this is their biggest issue and has been for decades after once in a century election do you not think there's an opportunity uh for a a once in a century uh chance to fix social care and thus help our NHS so can I ask him to set up a cross-party commission on social care so we can address this urgent [Applause] matter he's right it is a crisis uh I'm sorry to have to reports the house it's not the only crisis that we've inherited there's a crisis fa failure absolutely everywhere after 14 years of failure that this government of service will begin the hard yards of fixing including on social care we will work across the house we do Endeavor to create a national Care Service uh that will not be easy but we can begin the first steps uh and we will share that across the house uh where we can and a little bit thank you very much Mr Speaker for decades my constituent Jack Taylor has been continuously ignored by previous governments he and other nuclear veterans have been denied access access to their medical records and compensation the Prime Minister has rightly said these national heroes deserve full accountability and Justice will he therefore consider supporting a special tribunal with statutary powers into this 7 year long Scandal can I first express my gratitude to the service Personnel who participated in the British nuclear testing program it is right that I think nearly 5,000 now have got the nuclear test medals uh in recognition of their service and the veterans have the right to apply for no fault compensation under the war pensions scheme and I will ensure on this issue uh a meeting has arranged for her with the relevant Minister stepen F Mr Speaker may I again warmly congratulate the Prime Minister on ending Tor rule in his campaign to do so he was of course [Applause] to see you back they're too close for comfort now they're too close for comfort in in his campaign to do so Mr Speaker he was of course joined by Gorden Brown in just 5 days before the general election in Scotland on the front page of the Daily Record Gordon Brown instructed voters to vote labor to end child poverty yet last night labor MPS from Scotland were in instructed to retain the two child cap which forces children into poverty so prime minister what changed here I'm glad he mentioned Gordon Brown because the last Labor government lifted millions of children out of something we're very very proud of and this government will approach the question with the same Vigor with our new task force already we've taken steps breakfast clubs abolishing no fault evictions decent home stand order order order props are not allowed to be used never mind put it down we don't need anymore prime minister Mr Speaker already uh We've set up a task force to put that Vigor in place free breakfast clubs in every Primary School abolishing no fault eviction decent home standard aabs law and a plan to make work pay but I would just say this before he lectures everyone else he should explain why since the snpk into Power there are 30,000 more children in poverty in [Applause] Scotland thank you very much Mr Speaker I'm pleased to see the government's Swift action in officially calling for an immediate ceasefire the release of all hostages a rapid increase of humanitarian Aid into Gaza the restoration of funds to HRA the commitment to complying with potential ICC arrest warrants and to recognizing a Palestinian state but too many innocent people are still dying every day there is no way safe in Gaza so what further pressure can the Prime Minister apply to bring about an urgent ceasefire both the foreign secretary and I have set out the urgent need for a ceasefire to PR prime minister Netanyahu we want a pathway to a two-state solution a safe and secure Israel alongside of viable Sovereign Palestinian State and I used my first overseas trip as prime minister particularly at NATO to raise this with world leaders and under a labor government this subject will be discussed negotiated and fought for at the highest levels on the world stage the alternative is standing on street corners protesting ultimately only one of those will deliver change Jord thank you very much Mr Speaker and can I congratulate the president Minister and welcome to his place and I'm sure he will want to reassure the many parents and teachers in Edinburgh West who've Express concerns about the implication for our state education system in Scotland of the VN increasing independent fees which he proposes Edinburgh city council led by the labor party have produced fiveyear projections which show we do not have capacity in the city to accommodate pupils who may leave the independent sector moreover how will he Ensure that the vat raised in Scotland from those fees can be reinvested in already hardpressed Scottish education I do obviously understand the aspiration that parents who work hard and safe C have for their children that they send to private school but every parent has that aspiration whichever school they go to and I am determined determined that we will have the right teachers in place in our state secondary schools to ensure that every child wherever they come from whatever their background has the same opportunity and I do not apologize for [Applause] that Mr Mr Speaker I welcome last week's announcement this this government will be introducing a new publicly owned company Great British energy this will be critical to ensure this country's energy security while meeting our climate goals and long energy bills will the prime minister make assurances to communities up and down the country that they will benefit from good skilled jobs and opportunities that Great British energy promises to unlock yes and I'm really pleased that Great British energy will be owned by and for the British people investing in the energy systems of the future that means cheaper bills Renewables are cheaper it means security so Putin can't put his boot on our throat and it means the next generation of jobs for years to come thank you thank you very much Mr Speaker the Prime Minister has achieved something that we didn't think would be possible in such a short period of time in less than 3 weeks he has had a significant rebellion and he has suspended seven of his members of parliament all for standing up for child poverty this from a labor government the headlines are awful for the Prime Minister this morning poverty campaigners are Furious with the prime minister is his honeymoon over before it's even begun having left for the election campaign with quite a significant number of SNP members and come out come back with a small handful I really don't think lectures of what the electorate in Scotland are thinking if you look it out I'm very proud of our Scottish labor MPS on this side of the house and I simply repeat the point I made to his leader perhaps the S&P needs to account for the 30,000 extra children in poverty in Scotland thank you Dan toon thank you Mr Speaker the previous conservative government cut the funding for the police in London by 13 taking a billion pounds out of the budgets for London's policing and forcing the closure of both of the police stations in the chipping Barnet constituency does the prime minister agree with me on the importance of our police stations and in the need to rebuild local policing can I welcome my honorable friend to his place the first ever labor MP for chipping Barnet and I know will serve its constituency with pride and our guarantee will put 13,000 extra neighborhood officers and pcsos back on Britain's streets and that's a fully funded plan he's right to say that that the last government absolutely hammered police numbers and he would have seen the impact of that in his constituency and it is telling that the former Justice secretary said at the weekend that that could perhaps have been done differently and I'm glad to see the people of chipping Barnet agree with that assessment have returned him for that constituency rer low thank you Mr Speaker my constituents in Great yth have little doubt that uncontrolled legal and illegal immigration since 1997 has damaged and disrupted their community and undermined their public services does the Prime Minister agree that importing millions of people with no thought whatsoever to the brutal consequences has failed our country I know the good people of Great Yarmouth would much appreciate a yes or no answer to this straightforward question question I'm not trying agree with his numbers but look I do think um that it's serious that the previous government lost control of our borders record numbers have crossed the channel since the leader of the opposition when he was prime minister for 18 months 50,000 people crossed the channel it's a serious issue that requires a serious answer and that is why we will set up our border security command to take down the gangs that are running this bile trade what we won't do is waste further time on a gimmick that cost a fortune and remove just four volunteers the Liverpool City region has one of the biggest concentrations of offshore wind in the world 100,000 homes could be powered through the Mery tidal project yet some members opposite want to block the jobs the lower bills and the energy security from renewable energy so can I encourage my right honorable friend to resist the siren voices opposite and support a range of Technologies including the Mery tidle project to maximize the benefits of clean energy for our country clean energy is at the heart of this Mission driven government boosting homegrown renewable energy is the best way to create new jobs give us energy Independence and lower bills for good and that's why we'll be changing the planning rules to make sure that we can get Britain building again and not just the houses but everything that we need including prisons by the way uh to make sure we can deal with the mess that we have inherited I'm pleased to hear of the viable projects that are being Advanced such as the Mery tidle project and we'll look at them carefully Lis poing thank you Mr Speaker it's a privilege to be the first conservative member to ask the new prime minister a question question at pmqs can the Prime Minister assure me and my constituents in brbor that they will not just have a say but a meaningful say over new development in the green belt in their [Applause] area can I welcome The Honorable member to his place um and be clear we intend to get Britain building we will change the planning regime in order to do so it's held us back for far too long young people have not been able to own a home until they're way past the age of 35 denying the basic dream of home ownership of course we will work with uh communities but we will take the tough decisions that the last government ran away froms speaker uh prime minister we've got much to be proud of inip switch from a thriving arts and culture scene to beautiful Parks um and a stunning Waterfront um unlike our friends over the Border in Norfolk we also now have a Premier League football team again [Applause] uh Prime Ministers very welcome to join when Arsenal come visit next SE and and next year um despite all those positives though after the last 14 years Our Town Center is really struggling and desperately needs help can the Prime Minister set out to this house the steps he will take to revive Town centers like ipswitch can I again welcome The Honorable my honorable friend to his place uh congratulate lip switch on their promotion uh though not I think it's boxing day when they visit Arsenal I'm going to resist the temptation that he puts in front of me to choose between ipswitch and Norwich uh but on Town centers he's right uh that we need vibrant High streets we need to make the change that we' voted in to bring about and that's why we will replace the business rate system to level the playing field um and we will absolutely address Regional inequality through our local growth plans adim Ramsey thank you Mr Speaker the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth so I welcome the government's signal that it's committed to Nature recovery this is critical to Humanity's future as it affects everything from food security to Public Health and well-being please could the Prime Minister tell us how he'll show leadership personally on this existential issue and in particular will he attend the 16th biodiversity cop later this year and will the UK government be launching a bid to host a future un nature Summit we are committed to Nature recovery it's a really important issue uh that this government will tackle and he talks about leadership and I'd ask him to show some because it's extraordinary that elected to this house as a green politician he's opposing vital clean energy infrastructure in his own constituent so I ask him we will put the plans before this house I ask him to back those plans Jo Mr Speaker um on Sunday night at a community event in North Kensington attended by hundreds of people um 15-year-old Renee Graham was shot and killed in a senseless act of violence and my heart goes out to his family and The Wider community that is feeling anxious frightened and shocked um Can the Prime Minister ensure that North Kensington gets support from this government at this difficult time and can he outline what measures the government will take to tackle gun violence and prevent young lives like Rene been taken in the future I welcome my honorable friend to his place and thank him for raising this awful case the loss of a teenage boy in West London is shocking and our thoughts I'm sure I speak for the whole house uh with his family and friends um I do urge the public to support the Metropolitan Police with any information which could help in their investigation which is ongoing making Street safer is one of the five central missions of this government and this is a shocking reminder of just how important that mission is and we have an ambition to drive down this sort of violence in our communities we do not not want interventions like this as we've had over the last few years and it is shocking uh to hear of this particular insent the last government invested massively in tside most recently committing a billion pounds to improving transport in our area uh that money will protect the future of our iconic transporter Bridge upgrade thornby train station create a new transport Hub at tside Park and much much more can the Prime Minister confirm are we still getting our billion pounds or is labor turning its back on [Music] tside well he talks about turning its back I I I think he's the sole remaining Tory MP in the Northeast uh or tside I've already taken an early opportunity to make our commitment clear uh to the uh plans that we need for economic growth across the country working with all the mayor who are in place including those who wear a different rosette and that's the way in which we will take this for J nles thank you Mr Speaker in a week where the National Police Chief's Council have declared violence against women and girls a National Emergency Sky News has today published appalling accounts of sexual harassment and violence against women paramedics can the Prime Minister please update the house on progress towards the mission board to finally tackle this Scourge in our society well I can I thank my horable friend for raising this because it is such a serious issue um and we have made a commitment a mission to Har violence against women and girls Mr Speaker I know from my own experience dealing with these cases uh as a prosecutor and subsequently just how hard that will be to achieve it does mean that we'll have to deliver in a different way we'll have to roll up our sleeves and do difficult things that haven't been done in the past and in answer to the specific question we've started work already on the delivery board and I look forward to updating her and the house on the progress that we're making on this really important issue final questions to Roger Gil thank you Mr Deputy speaker Mr Speaker another Freudian s the old dog is off the leash Mr Speaker could I first thank both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition for their supportive policies in relation to Ukraine their expressions today will have been of great comfort to thousands of Ukrainian res residents in the United Kingdom who simply wish to return to their lawful homes further to the answer given to my honorable friend the member for brbor can the Prime Minister tell the house how he's planning reforms which will smother fields in East Kent currently yielding bread making wheat with houses is compatible with his own seet of State for agriculture's desire to achieve sustainability I thank you for that question we have to get economic growth in this country we've had failure over the last 14 years and the failure on economic growth has been Central to it there be failure to build the infrastructure we need the houses we need the prison we need and I think the whole house can see the consequence of that we've got prison overcrowding where emergency measures have had to be taken because the building of Prisons hasn't kept pace with the sentencing of those to prisons we've got housing crisis where the dream of home ownership for most young people is simply gone under the previous government to be over the age of 35 before you can get a secure roof over your head of your own is a huge dash of dream we're not going to listen to the party opposite they put their case to the electorate the electorate rejected them profoundly and and my my advice would be having sat at that dispatch box for four and a half long years is when you get rejected that profoundly by the electorate it's best not to go back to the electorate and tell them that they were wrong it's best to reflect and change your approach and change your party that completes questions will let the FL benches change your over e on a point of order Mr Speaker point of Order James cleverly uh Mr Speaker the newly elected honorable member for chipping Barnet in his question to the Prime Minister made I'm sure I'm certain is an inadvertent inaccuracy in his claims about the funding of the Metropolitan Police which which is both in absolute terms and per capita the best funded force and where £62 million was offered to the mayor of London to fund which he failed to utilized for lack of recruitment my broader point is uh can advice be given to newer members uh or indeed returning members if this is the case on how to correct the record when they make an erroneous claim at on the floor of the house well first of all I think he's also put on record his views what I would says we're not going to continue the debate and it's up to individual members to correct the record if there has been an error in what has been said right we're now going to move on motion number one immunities and privileges I call the minister to move the motion go Min I beg to move Mr Speaker that this house approves the global air combat program international government organization immunities and privileges order 2024 copies of which were laid before the house on the 23rd of May 24 it's my pleasure as Minister for the indopacific in the foreign Commonwealth and development office to respond on behalf of the government in December 2022 the UK Japan and Italy launched the global combat air program known as the gcap to deliver a Next Generation aircraft by 2035 the Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting cooperation and collaboration between the UK and Italy on July 5th with the prime minister of Italy Georgia Maloney and between the UK and Japan on July the 6th with the Prime Minister of Japan Minister kishida fumio concurring to in the call with Japan that the security of the Euro Atlantic and the indopacific is indivisible his Majesty's government is committed to ensuring the security of the indopacific working closely with our allies for the UK this aircraft will sit at the heart of a wider system networked and collaborating with a range of wider air including the f 35 and broader military capabilities it will use information systems weapons and uncrewed collaborative combat air platforms to complete the capability replacing the capability provided by typhoon this system will sustain the UK's operational advantage in addition gcap will attract investment in research and development into digital design and advanced manufactur processes providing opportunities for our next generation of Highly skilled engineers and technicians minister the signing of the I'll continue if he allows the signing of the convention on the establishment of gcap international government organization known commonly as gigo by the parties of the UK Japan and Italy took place in December 2023 and was conducted by the respective defense secretaries of the three nations the Gio will function as the executive body with the legal capacity to place contracts with industrial partners Partners engaged in the gcap through the gigo the UK will lead on the development of an Innovative stealth fighter jet with supersonic capability and equipped with cuttingedge technology and facilitate collaboration with key International Partners which raise the profile of the UK's combat air industrial capacity the gigo headquarters will be based in the UK employing Personnel from the UK Italy and Japan on that point the chief exec and the director posts shall be filled by Nationals of different parties according to a mechanism that shall preserve a balance between the parties given the nature of the gigo and an international defense organization the ministry of Defense with support from the foreign Commonwealth and development office has been leading on trilateral engagement and negotiations on this establishment the convention once in effect will enable closer collaboration between the parties being the government of Japan government of Italy and the UK government and support the development of his Majesty's government's defense capabilities stimulated by development of the UK based headquarters it will enable further collaboration with key industry partners with the headquarters supporting hundreds of jobs and working in close partnership with Rolls-Royce Leonardo UK and mbda UK and with hundreds of other companies from across the UK in the supply chain to deliver the gcap I'm coming to an end and then there's 90 minutes for debate this order in council is a statutory instrument and forms part of the secondary legislation needed to confer legal capacity and privileges and immunities on the gcap international government organization and Accords certain privileges and immunities to the organization's personnel and the representatives of the parties to the convention this order was laid in Draft before Parliament on the 23rd of May 2024 can I just clarify it's not my decision whether to intervene it is actually up to the minister and normally I would say that if a shadow Secretary of State normally it but it is also up to the minister where she does give away Minister cther W if he wants to say something I'd be very happy following your advice Mr Speaker I am very grateful the H lady can she confirm that there will be no delay to the current plan spending this year on gcap by the ministry of Defense this instrument today to be clear to members new and old is the legal framework which the program will sit within this hasn't got specific um funding recommendations attached to it because it's the scaffolding if you like it's the nest within which all the work will happen this order was laid in Draft before Parliament on the 23rd of May 2024 is subject to the affirmative procedure and will be made by the privy Council once it is approved by both houses subject to approval and ratification the treaty would enter into force on the deposit of the last instrument of ratification or acceptance of the parties this is anticipated to be in Autumn 2024 to meet the 2035 inservice date this order confers a bespoke set of privileges and immunities to enable the Gio to operate effectively in the UK the government considers these privileges and immunities both necessary and appropriate to deliver on the interests and commitments that the UK has to towards the organization I'm not a minister but I watched for three years as he has so much experience in the defense select committee I'm very happy to take his point yeah I thank the minister for giving way she's a foreign office Minister I believe heading this up not a defense minister which is interesting but it is an international agreement can she tell the house because of the threat to the program from the defense review has she had any representations from the Japanese government or the Italian government out to two other major programs to express their concern about any threat to gcamp the honorable member asks an important question and I can confirm that this is the legal framework around which the program will sit and I can also confirm that the defense secretary yesterday met with his Japanese counterparts at the show and they were able to have um further interesting discussions and I'm sure that he will be able to continue that questioning once he is I'm sure once again a member of the defense Select Committee in the Autumn I'm very grateful to the for giving way um many jobs in our constituencies depend on contracts with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is also interested in gcap uh what conversations have been had with Saudi Arabia around this particularly in the light of the procrastination uh by the Prime Minister on this program which has been reaffirmed if I'm honest with the by The Honorable lady uh today in her remarks right honorable and Gallant member asks a very important question but there's been no procrastination that within the month of being elected we've got the legal framework to the House of Commons for a debate and I think that is Expediting all the important um organizational um uh arrangements so that this program can proceed at PACE and he talks of procrastination and I think after 14 years I'm sure he is a master in procrastination if he was part of the last government the privileges and immunities conferred on agency personnel and representatives and not for their personal Advantage but in order to ensure complete Independence in the exercise of their functions in connection with the gcap to be clear agency Personnel have no personal immunity if they commit a crime and there is a clear carve out ensuring that they have no immunity in any vehicle incident these immun ities in respect of the gigo cover immunity from suit and legal process inv viability of premises and archives and appropriate tax exemptions and reliefs in relation to its official activities in respect of the representatives of the parties and staff the provisions cover functional immunity and an immunity waiver Additionally the order also includes an exemption from the legal suit and process immunity in the case of a motor traffic accident or damage caused by a motor vehicle this is a standard Clause included in statutory instruments treaties providing for privileges and immunities in conclusion the support for the gigo's establishment ensured through this order is a unique opportunity to showcase UK leadership and innovation in the Air Force defense industry on a global stage through the gigo the UK will lead on the development of an Innovative stealth fighter jet with supersonic capability and equipped with Cutting Edge technology and facilitate collaboration with key International Partners which raise raise the profile of the UK's combat air Industrial capacity and let uh thank you Mr can I thank the minister very much there's much to be welcoming in the the minister stepen today and in an introduction at the very beginning to refer to a number of aircraft companies across the whole of the United Kingdom who will be involved my understanding and maybe the ministry can confirm this that uh Spirit uh uh will also be in uh air Aerospace will be involved in that as well I just want to confirm that that is a case and if it is a case it means that when it comes to the jobs and the opportunities that everybody in this great the United Kingdom of Great Britain and North Arab will benefit perhaps the minister could confirm if that's the case thank you so much obviously the specifics in terms of the supply chain Etc is not really part of today's order however we are aware that it is um a very important um part of our IND industrial puzzle and um I'm sure that there will be some knock-on benefits for Northern Ireland which I know he is a a fierce defender of jobs and opportunities for that wonderful place let me end by saying the first duty of government is to keep the country safe under the government defense will be Central to both the UK's security and to our economic prosperity and growth including by harnessing the strength of our wellestablished defense industry the gigo is key to the gcap and the UK government continues to make positive progress with our partners Japan and Italy and I commend this order to the house the question is As on the order paper I now call The Shadow Secretary State James car thank you Mr Speaker grateful to respond to the statute instrument can I begin by associating the shadow defense team with the remarks by the Prime Minister and lead the opposition about this terrible attack in Kent on a British soldier our thoughts are with his family um I can confirm that we support the measures before us and recognize that they are necessary to deliver into law the administrative governance for the global combat air program gcap whilst this is a foreign office measure today the SI was prepared with strong input from the ministry of Defense which I can confirm as it certainly crossed my desk when I was Minister for defense procurement may I put on record that it was a great honor to serve as defense procurement minister with significant responsibility in relation to gcap Mr Speaker and alongside the two previous secretaries of State Ben Wallace and Grant Chaps in particular it was a privilege to engage with our International gcap Partners from Italy and Japan whom I had the pleasure to host last September in Lancaster house for trilateral discussions this is not just about delivering UK military capability in The crucial area of combat air but doing so to the benefit of two great partners and in the case of Japan one that faces the threat of China and Russia right on its doorstep since that trilateral the project has achieved significant goals not least the signing of the international treaty last December that we are legislating for today a treaty that establishes the legal basis for the formation of a new gcap international organization the gigo I'm delighted we're able to agree that the international HQ of the gigo will be in the UK but in keeping with the spirit of equal partnership that underpins gcap with the first Chief Executives of the gcap agency and joint venture respectively being from Italy and Japan as such the SI before us effectively enables this International treaty to enter into effect with further important measures on immunity and privileges that are necessary for the effective operation of the gigo all that said Mr Speaker while this SI is necessary to deliver gcaps governance Arrangements it will not directly deliver a single aircraft alongside this SI we need the government to wholeheartedly back the gcap program ensuring that it has the funding necessary to deliver our sixth generation fighter capability indeed it would be quite extraordinary for the government to ask us as a house to approve these regulations if we were at the same time seriously contemplating scrapping UK involvement in gcap and yet that Prospect has figured prominently in the press in recent days for whilst The Best of British defense Aviation has been gathered at riat and farra Incredibly the government has not been able to repeat the previous wholehearted backing of gcap that it gave prior to the general election in responding to the statement from his predecessor Grant shaps on dece December the 18th last year when he confirmed trilateral agreement for the gcap treaty the now Secretary of State said when he was in my role as Shadow he said developing a sixth generation fighter will ensure that we can continue to safeguard our UK scar and those of our NATO allies for decades to come it will inspire Innovation strengthen UK industry and keep Britain at The Cutting Edge of Defense technology I totally agree with his remarks yet fast forward to the present and as we heard just now at Prime Minister's questions the prime minister is only able to say that the program is important meanwhile the minister for the Armed Forces with great respect he's on the front bench and I do have great respect for him personally when he was asked he said it is not right for me to prejudge what might happen in the defense defense review thus implying that the defense review might not continue the UK's commitment to gcap so we now need Clarity from the government for Parliament for industry for our International Partners we are being asked to approve this si in turn to deliver a key stepping stone for the gcap project so is the government still committed to that project this is my guess of what is currently happening I would be truly staggered Mr Speaker if the government were to withdraw from a program that is PR previous given such fome support for not because they are a party that doesn't know a good U-turn but because that would bring International ramifications that do not bear thinking about either for the foreign office or the ministry of Defense rather in my view it is another department we need to have in mind one that I also had the pleasure to serve in which is the treasury I suspect the overall question of whether the government is committed to gcap or not is a red herring what really matters is whether they are committed to funding it this year with important spending decisions to be made right now and the they'll be they'll be in the inbox of the Secretary of State funding decisions on gcap and we want to see them continuing that funding in the Years Beyond and we want to know whether they are using this review as a chance to shift spending decisions to the right it is not unprecedented in the history of the treasury to work in this way under successive governments probably offering illusory short-term savings but causing immediate and Lasting pain to the most important conventional defense program of our time to be clear and I mean this I have the greatest respect for the way the treasury has to balance the books and be responsible for nation's finances I was delighted that the previous government proposed moving to 2% 2.5% once it was both affordable because we were prepared to make difficult decisions to fund that 2 and a half% by reducing the size of the Civil Service back to pre-pandemic levels and also sustainable because far from this government inheriting what the chief secretary has described as the worst economic inheritance in World War II we did what we promised and only moved to 2 and a half% once the economic conditions allowed namely inflation back to Target Mr Speaker healthy economic growth and a deficit heading towards a little over 1% over the forecast period so that is our clear pathway to 2 and a half% versus their uncertainty and delay on that pathway which makes the real difference to understand the direct short-term importance of 2 and a half% and its relevance to Gap gcap and this stat instent Mr Speaker we only need to go back to what the the now Secretary of State said in that response which I referred to earlier to the statement from Grant shaps in December as he went on to say when he was Shadow Secretary of State this month the National Audit office reported on the mot's equipment plan it exposed a 17 billion pound black hole in Britain's defense plans and showed that ministers have lost control of the defense budget well Mr Speaker it is not so much that we lost control of the defense budget rather Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and sent inflation soaring all around the world and in a world that was then in a rush to rearm inevitably this Contex caused an inevitable hit to the cost of major defense projects and material and I personally have never pretended otherwise but bearing in mind the equipment plan which is the mod's forward inventory sir is over 10 years the National Audit office's assessment of a black hole did not take account of one particular thing moving to 2 and a half% by 2030 so as I said in my wind up to Thursday's debate on the gracious speech by setting out a fully costed and clearly timetabled Pathway to 2 and a half% we were able to fix that pressure to deal with those funding pressures headon and ensure that our largest two programs the nuclear deterrent and gcap would be stabilized and as a result properly funded into the future and I asked the then foreign office Minister responding to my windup speech to confirm that their their timetable would not put funding of either program at risk and there was no answer and we've had no answer today either this is the problem the government can afford to bring forward this SI and continue building the administrative apparatus for gcap but we fear it cannot afford to approve the funding requirements for the next stage of actually building the aircraft because of its vacillation on reaching 2 and a half% whereas we're clear on this side that we support the SI on the basis that we are supporting gcap as a whole including putting in place the funding necessary to deliver its requirements over the Urgent time scale all three member nations require but this is a key Point Mr Speaker all three nations to all three nations gcap is about pace and timetable for the UK and Italy that means replacing the typhoon before it is withdrawn from service towards 2040 and for Japan with equal urgency replacing the Mitsubishi F2 that is why any delay or deferment whether caused by the lack of a clear timetable to 2 and a half% or otherwise is so important and critical overall this is my view I happen to believe that withdrawing from gcap now would amount to the equivalent of scrapping the Spitfire program in the 1930s it is that serious Mr Speaker but if such an outcome is seriously under consideration and we know that there are those in government who are hugely skeptical then for the remainder of my remarks I want to explain ultimately why we are supporting this SI because on this side of the house we believe gcap is a military necessity that will bring enormous economic and strategic benefits to the United Kingdom so to start with the military capability argument Mr Speaker if there is one key lesson from Ukraine it is that in the absence of air superiority you face the prospect of terrible attritional Warfare with huge casualties reminiscent of the worst battles in World War II my honorable friend Al give away to friend I know it's thinking very H far ahead into the future but does he accept that one of the lessons from the Ukraine combat where we have had to give indirect support is the importance of maintaining in mothballs if necessary aircraft that you've withdrawn from service so they can be made available to allies should they ever face a crisis like this so when the happy day comes that we have this great sixth generation aircraft can we be certain that we haven't unduly disposed of their predecessors in case someone else might need them in the future well it's an interesting question from my honorable friend and I did find whenever I was in front of the select committee and it was always a great joy Mr Speaker and privilege to be cross-examined particularly by my colleagues uh on this side there is always this debate about when you withdraw uh platforms and when you bring in their replacement and that will never go away and I wish the Armed Forces Minister well when he has that unique uh privilege and experience of going in front of the committee what I would say genuinely to friend on this particular point we have to accept it is a matter of avionic reality if you like that the typhoon will reach the end of its service life and we as a country have to replace it and gcap is is is key to that with the construction of the new core platform so whilst investing in the best combat air capability does not guarantee air superiority in the future it offers us the chance to deny adversaries such potentially deadly freedom of operation by maintaining technological competitiveness but there are those who say and I notic in the Daily Telegraph this very day similar views expressed why don't we just go off the shelf and simply buy more f35s there's even a rumor that some government departments such as I've mentioned earlier may take a view along these lines we must be clear the F35 whilst a brilliant and highly capable aircraft is a fifth not a sixth generation platform not optimized for the battle space likely to pertain by the late 2030s and that the United States who after all possess manufactur the F35 are themselves investing in a sixth generation program as are our adversaries Mr speaker to give way to I command the shadow Minister for what he's saying there a good Focus now a great focus on on the issues of of technology and Bing technology and our companies and what they're involved with I know that the shadow Minister has tremendous interest in nor visits there regularly and his role in the former government can he perhaps s um give us some suggestions to this chamber in relation to our spirit Aerospace in Northern and their role that they could and will play and in the way forward for the future thank you so much well I'm very grateful to the who is an absolute champion of the defense industry in all n he's right I think one of my last visits was to the Talis Factory in Belfast which of course home to the en law and to lmm and other key Munitions but in terms of Aerospace uh the first uhme Forum I held Mr Speaker as as defense procur minister was in Lan in Northern Island on Armed Forces Day last year where Spirit one of the attendees uh and I'm confident they have a strong place in the future future of British aviation in the defense sector as long as we put the funding in place and as long as we keep with the programs um having said all this Mr Speaker there must be obviously debate when you're spending this amount of money on a capability and I do understand why there are those who look at the the sums of money involved the time frames and so on and I would just say this as a former procurment Minister I would not support a program which was purely about such a vast amount of money just for a new core platform to rep plays typhoon just to be clear so which brings us to what gcap is really about and and to The Minister's credit she mentioned this in her opening remarks um I I one of the last visits I had to a land company a company manufacturing armored vehicles for this country the chief executive I was speaking to referred to the gcap of land and the point is when we talk about gcap yes the a stands for air but really when we use gcap in military capability terms it means as much about how you work with autonomous systemss with uncrewed systems this is really what the key to the sixth generation concept is um I'm very passionate about this I I was proud to bring forward the First Defense drone strategy Mr Speaker at the ministry of defense and I think that whilst there are those concerned about the time frame I'll just make these points first of all actually the time scale for delivering um gcap is very ambitious compared to Typhoon but in particular there are benefits we can we can bring from this in capability terms on a much shorter time time scale um we heard the chief of the general staff who was talking about the need for the Army to be able to fight a war within 3 years and when I was defense procurement Minister I was Keen to ensure that all of the services were looking at what they could do to boost lethality and survivability in the near term and surely the key to that is how we make use of UNC crude systems Mr Speaker um the United Kingdom is incredibly well placed in this regard we lead the um Maritime uh Coalition in respect of Ukraine we jointly lead it with Norway where of course Ukraine's greatest military success has been Naval it has been to push back the Russian Fleet uh using what we might describe as Innovative weapons rather than traditional should we say Naval uh deployments uh and likewise on land the incredible importance of of drones it cannot be overstated indeed even the psychological impact of those fighting out there but I'm King please give uh Mr Speaker I totally confirm uh sorry confirm and agree with what The Minister's saying with regard to the requirement and necessity of sixth generation aircraft but and also in terms of maintaining Sovereign capability but would you agree with me that it seems peculiar that the Americans themselves are developing their own sixth generation aircraft with locky Martin the French the Germans are developing their own sixth generation aircraft as well and we have forged a strange partnership between the Italians and the Japanese working with ourselves to develop gcap do you think that makes sense in terms of pooling effort and making sure that our allies have at least one good sixth generation fighter aircraft well I don't I'm grateful gentlemen but I do not regard it as a strange partnership um all my experience of dealing with gcap and meeting my Italian and Japanese counterparts and meeting particularly industry from all three count countries working so closely together there's already so much work going on it is about developing a brilliant platform which is needed by all three nations I think there will always be a multiplicity of platforms from different countries I think that's perfectly healthy um and I think I think what is good about Don J said he's opened up this point about the debate on Sovereign capability which I'll come to uh shortly I just wanted to finish on the point of the uncrewed domain and what what it means to be sixth generation because does could he just very brief of course it's a pleasure he was a very he was a very good procurement Minister Y and we liked him at the committee because KY he actually answered the question and he'll know from that experience that even the Americans who have a new thing called the new Global air dominance fighter are struggling to afford that there have been media reports in the US they may even cancel the program because even the Americans can't afford to do everything unilaterally anymore in light of that does he believe that a three-way program represents quite good value for money well my honorable friend who of course we mustn't forget not only serving the committee was an armed forces Minister um makes an excellent point and I think you know we are there is there are those who argue we should go beyond 2 and a half% I would argue that 2 and a half% is still a significant jump for this country we had a funded plan and at 2 and a half% but crucially and critically with the pathway we set out which became an accumulation of significant additional billions of pounds for D that enabled us to afford gcap to stabilize that program but I just want to make this crucial point on the UN crude part because I have to be frank the uncrewed side of Navy Army Air Force these are not funded programs the funding has come hither to primarily from support for Ukraine now that is entirely logical because um under the defense drone strategy we're very clear there's no point now the Army for example ordering large scale drones they may order them to train with but the technology is changing so fast what we need as a country to build what I said set out in the Drone strategy is the ecosystem to develop them and we are doing that I always said I said it in my statement on the integrated procurement model my most inspiring moment as defense procurement Minister was visiting a UK that was building a a drone for use in Ukraine highly capable platform but brilliantly was getting feedback and re resaling it as we call it the very next day Mr Speaker so I just want to make this point that on gcap it should be a technology for the whole of Defense it should be a pan defense technology of how we team with uncrewed systems how the Navy fights with an uncrewed Fleet above the surface and below the surface for the Army as well and of course for the Air Force just two final points on Military capability there's been a couple of points floating around the press the first that the Army somehow is putting out their opposition to gcap I find that impossible to believe the idea of course if the Army wants to succeed it needs the support of the Air Force and so on and I think and in that's why an integrated approach to procurement is so important not single service competition there's also been this point that we should choose Mr Speaker between gcap and orcus as if somehow when the next War comes the Russians will sort of step into our dressing room and ask if we'd like to bowl or bat you know would we like to fight on land or sea what is our preference the fact is we don't know where the threat will come from but we know that it is growing and therefore we should support both gcap and orcus not least for the enormous economic benefit they bring which you'll be pleased know Miss speak brings me the last part of my speech on the economic benefits of gcap um so there are those who say buy off the shelf and we would stress how in a state of ever greater War Readiness it pays to have operational Independence and sovereignty but in particular investing in the great tradition of UK combat air offers huge economic gains for every part of the country in 2020 prize W house cop has estimated that the Tempest program alone will support an average of 20,000 jobs every year from 2020 to6 to 2050 those are well-paid jobs Mr Speaker in every constituency up and down in the country and many in Lancer as you will know sir um scrapping gcap would hit our economy hard even delaying or deferring gcap expenditure will undermine our brilliant Aerospace industry on display this past week at riat and farra and cast doubt over vast sums of private investment that's waiting from which hundreds of UK kmes would stand to benefit and and it was an interesting point raised by the uh the lead of the opposition earlier asking the Prime Minister about export and discussions with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia let me just say um it's an incredibly important point I was clear that in reforming procurement you have to have exportability at the heart of it because otherwise Industrial Supply chains wither it's as simple as that the demand from this country is not big enough this has been the french lesson for many years that's why they put so much effort into export and we need to do the same whether it's gcap or any other PL platforms or capability manufactured by the United Kingdom so to undermine gcap is to undermine our economy our future War fighting capability and relations with our closest international Partners the government should instead Embrace gcap wholeheartedly and confirm that it stands by its previous position of steadfast e e e e e e e e e