PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Engagements - 10 June 2026 (Commons/Commons Chamber)

Last week, I noted the helicopter crash in Devon, and I want to put on record our sincere condolences to the families of Lieutenant Commander Chris Gayson, Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher and Petty Officer Owen Green. Our thoughts are with their families at this tragic time.

I also send my condolences to the family of Michael Storey. Michael worked as a driver in No. 10 for over two decades. He was a remarkable gentleman who was held in the highest regard by all who knew him, and will be deeply missed.

Mr Speaker, people are rightly sickened by the horrific attack on Monday night in north Belfast. As you have just said, the man who was arrested has been in court in Belfast this morning and charged. I thank the Police Service of Northern Ireland, other first responders and members of the public, who responded with such bravery. Our thoughts are with the victim.

But let me be clear: the acts of violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified. This morning, I spoke with the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister and the Chief Constable, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is meeting leaders in Belfast today. We are united in calling for calm and we are determined to restore order, support the police and all those on the frontline, and ensure that justice is done.

On a lighter note, Mr Speaker, as the world cup gets under way, I would like to wish the best of luck to both Scotland and England. I would also like to wish you a happy birthday.

This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

Happy birthday to you, Mr Speaker. Let me associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks about the situation in Northern Ireland, and about the Scottish football team. [Laughter.]

The existence of Israeli settlements and settler violence against Palestinians is a major and deliberate impediment to peace. By working with Israeli human rights researchers, I have uncovered 32 British charities that are funnelling money to Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Last week, I submitted a formal complaint to the Charity Commission about them. In the last five years, they have sent over £28 million to illegal settlements, with a likely taxpayer subsidy through gift aid of more than £5 million. Our constituents will be appalled by this. Does the Prime Minister agree that funnelling money to Israeli settlements is extremist activity, not charitable activity, and will he be clear that it is banned?

I thank my hon. Friend. Settlements are a flagrant breach of international law, and no UK charity should be supporting them. The Middle East Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Mr Falconer), met the Charity Commission today to discuss those concerns. We announced yesterday further sanctions against those who support settler violence, and we will continue to look at strengthening those sanctions. British businesses should have no economic involvement in illegal settlements. Let me just say that the situation across Palestine remains desperate, and the UK will continue to lead efforts to prevent human suffering and get aid in, and to preserve the viability of a two-state solution.

I call the Leader of the Opposition.

I, too, wish England and Scotland the very best in the world cup. I wish you a very happy birthday, Mr Speaker—many happy returns. May I take the opportunity to associate myself with the remarks that the Prime Minister made about the helicopter crash? Our condolences go to their families, and to the family of Michael Storey.

I thank the Prime Minister for his short statement on Belfast. The scenes in Belfast are deeply, deeply disturbing. A man is in hospital after a brutal attack and now families are frightened after a night of violence. There is a live criminal case, so we must be careful about what we say, but we can be clear about this: people have a right to be angry—I am angry—and people have the right to expect their politicians to secure our borders, but no one has a right to burn families out of their homes or to burn public property and attack the police. We all have a duty to stand up for public safety in every way.

Last night, America carried out strikes on Iran in response to the downing of a US helicopter. This comes just days after renewed attacks on Ukraine. The world is getting more dangerous and the British public want to know that this Government are doing everything they can to protect our national security. Can the Prime Minister tell the House, will the full defence investment plan finally be published this week?

I agree with the Leader of the Opposition that in relation to both Iran and Ukraine, we are facing a more volatile world than at any time during our lifetimes. So far as defence is concerned, we have already taken a number of measures. We have increased defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6% in 2027. That is spending of £270 billion over this Parliament. We have carried out a strategic review of defence and we are committed to publishing the defence investment plan before the NATO summit, which is in just a few weeks’ time.

That sounded like a no. We have wasted two years waiting for the defence investment plan. Projects have been put on hold and Britain is getting weaker with every passing day. It has been reported that the Chief of the Defence Staff told the Prime Minister that the Ministry of Defence needs an extra £28 billion. Will that requirement be met in full?

We will set out the defence investment plan. It is a 10-year plan and it is the first line-by-line review of defence budgets in 18 years. The right hon. Lady is wrong to say that it has been delayed by two years. The defence strategic review was published a year ago and we have been working through the details to make sure that we get this right.

We are the Government who increased defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6%. I remind the Conservatives that when they came into power, defence spending was 2.5% and they took it down to 2.3%. We have taken it up to 2.6% by 2027. The defence investment plan will be published before the NATO summit. We have already signed 1,400 major defence contracts, and 94% of those are with British businesses. As the Defence Secretary said, that includes helicopters made in Yeovil, drones made in Swindon and armoured vehicles made in Telford. We have also given our armed forces the biggest pay rise in over 20 years. That is Labour making investment to safeguard our national security.

I welcome the pay rise for the armed forces. The Prime Minister says he has increased defence spending, but he has not. This year he is cutting it by £3.5 billion. What he is talking about are hopeful increases, and we do not know if he will make them because there is still no defence investment plan. At a time when we need leadership, we have total paralysis. It is reported that the Chancellor is only willing to find £13 billion for the DIP. At the London defence conference last year, the Prime Minister said that defence would be the “central organising principle” of his Government. How can that be the case when he is giving the armed forces less than half of the minimum that they need?

We have already increased defence spending. We will spend £270 billion in this Parliament. What did the Conservatives do on defence spending? They took it from 2.5% and cut it to 2.3%. We will take no lectures from them. They sat at the heart of a Government that failed our armed services. They cut frigates and destroyers by 25%. They cut minehunters by 50%. They cut the Army from 100,000 down to 72,000. They missed Army recruitment targets every single year for 14 years, and they left morale in the armed forces at an all-time low, so we will take no lectures from them on the defence and security of our country.

We have heard the Prime Minister say that about 100 times. There is still no defence investment plan. He is the Prime Minister now—at least I think he is. Should I be calling Andy Burnham instead to ask these questions? He is the Prime Minister, and the reason he is dithering is because he does not know where the money is coming from. The military is waiting and the bond markets are watching. He has only three options: cutting spending, more borrowing, or higher taxes. We know that the Chancellor wants to put up tax to pay for defence. Will the Prime Minister rule out raising taxes?

The right hon. Lady asks the House to simply ignore the last 14 years, saying, “We may have failed the armed forces and hollowed them out, but please just forget all that and act as if it didn’t happen.” Well, we cannot forget all that, given the damage the Conservatives did to our armed services. She says, “Forget all that,” but I remind the House that when they left office, 47 out of 49 major defence contracts were delayed or over budget. That is what we are fixing. We cannot just scrub it away and forget. I know that the Conservatives want to forget their last 14 years in power. So do the British public—that’s why they are sitting on the Opposition Benches. We have increased defence spending, and we are going to publish the defence investment plan. That will be done before the NATO summit that is coming up in just a few weeks’ time.

I remember when the last Government led Europe when we were fighting the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded, we were ready. We supplied Ukraine with munitions. We increased defence spending. But I was not asking the Prime Minister about our record; I asked him if he would rule out tax rises. He did not rule out raising taxes, so tax rises are coming. He cannot borrow more, because the markets have no confidence in him. The Prime Minister is in this mess because he maxed out on spending in his first two Budgets. That is why the benefits bill is set to rise to over £200 billion by the end of the decade. He has things the wrong way round: he has a benefits plan until 2031, but no defence investment plan. Why not just cut welfare?

The right hon. Lady talks about leading the way on Ukraine. I did, and do, pay tribute to what the last Government did on Ukraine, and we stood with them. We continue to lead the way. It is the United Kingdom and France that are leading the coalition of the willing that have got the military plans together for security guarantees in Ukraine. Equally, on Iran, it is the UK and French Governments that have put together the military plans for the coalition for reassurance as soon as the strait of Hormuz is open. That is what we are doing to lead. We are not going to take lectures on defence from the Opposition after what they did to the armed forces, and neither are we going to take lectures on the economy, which they crashed and we have had to pick up.

At a time of increased global instability and tension, with war in Europe and the middle east, the Prime Minister is paralysed, giving the armed forces less than half of the minimum that they need. Tony Blair says to cut welfare for defence. Lord Robertson, a former NATO Secretary-General—and also one of them—says to cut welfare for defence. We all know why he will not cut welfare. It is because he is too weak—too weak to make a decision, too weak to face down his Back Benchers and cut benefits, and too weak to stand up for our national security. As the sun sets on his premiership, he is scrabbling around for a legacy, but is it not the case that his real legacy will be a bloated welfare state and weaker armed forces?

When the Conservatives were in office, they did not reform welfare spending or invest in our armed services. The right hon. Lady sets out that choice, but, on their watch, defence spending went down and welfare spending went up—£88 billion overall, with £33 billion alone under the shadow Chancellor, the right hon. Member for Central Devon (Sir Mel Stride). The Conservatives neither reformed welfare nor spent on our armed forces.

Every week, the right hon. Lady reminds us why the British public sent them packing. She ignores the fact that we are turning the country around: growth is up, but she does not want to talk about that; interest rates are down, but she does not want to talk about that either; immigration is down, after she cheerleaded for it to go up, and NHS waiting lists have come down at the fastest rate in 17 years. I am going to keep fighting for the people who elected a Labour Government and sent us here two years ago—people who want to live in a safer world, parents who want a better future for their children and young people growing up in poverty who deserve a better future. [Interruption.] We are investing in this great nation and standing up against those who divide us for a stronger, fairer Britain.

Order. There will be a taxi, and it might be for somebody who did not request it.

As the Health Secretary has said, the existing contract will be reviewed as it always is ahead of the break clause. Data security is always a priority; there will be strong cyber-security protections for the single patient record and we will protect that data, as we do with all health data. We are focused on modernising the NHS so that patients do not have to repeat themselves and can get the care they need more quickly. Our investment has cut NHS waiting lists, delivered millions of extra appointments and improved A&E and ambulance response times, and I am proud of what we are doing.

I call the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

I join the Prime Minister in sending our condolences to the families of those killed in last week’s helicopter crash. I associate myself with his remarks about the horrific knife attack in Belfast; our thoughts are with the victim and his family. I join the Prime Minister in condemning the disorder last night.

In Carer’s Week, I celebrate the millions of family carers who make huge sacrifices to look after their loved ones. I also look forward to an England versus Scotland world cup final, and wish you, Mr Speaker, a happy birthday.

As the chaos over the defence investment plan goes on, I am sure that Members across the House were shocked to read yesterday’s reports that the Government are considering slashing the hospital programme to fund the shortfall. Surely in 21st-century Britain people can expect both a decent local hospital and armed forces that keep them safe, so will the Prime Minister rule out any cuts to the NHS budget to fund defence?

I agree with the right hon. Gentleman about the amazing work of our carers.

I will take the measures necessary to defend our country—the first duty of any Prime Minister. The Government will also take the measures to invest in our public services, as we have done already. Forgive me, but I was running a public service when the Government that the right hon. Gentleman’s party was part of were stripping them bare under austerity. We are really not going to take lectures on austerity from him.

I was hoping we were going to hear more about defence investment. I urge the Prime Minister to look at our plans for defence bonds to get £20 billion into defence.

I will turn to the horrific scenes in Belfast. We have seen the same pattern too many times: an appalling crime is committed, making us all feel immense pain and anger, and then extremists exploit that grief and anger to spread hatred and violence, aided and abetted by social media barons like Elon Musk and their divisive algorithms. Does the Prime Minister agree that this is not who we are as a country, and that it is not free speech if it is controlled by tech billionaires and their algorithms? Will he therefore crack down properly on platforms like X that are fuelling violence and hatred?

We will crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division. I agree with the right hon. Gentleman: we are heading into a very difficult situation in Northern Ireland. I have spoken to the chief constable, First Minister and Deputy First Minister this morning, and they were united in saying that we should all be calling for calm. The police are on the frontline, and it is our duty as politicians to call for calm. Nobody who is a politician should be whipping up division and hatred.

I absolutely recognise the important role that flexible working spaces play in regenerating our high streets. Where the law requires a property to be treated as a single unit, the business rates are paid by the operator, not the individual business. I cannot speak for every case, but I will ensure that a Treasury Minister picks up this issue with my hon. Friend as quickly as possible.

May I associate myself with the remarks of the Prime Minister in relation to the tragic helicopter crash last week?

Yesterday I shared my concern that community cohesion stood on a precipice. The north Belfast attack on Monday was medieval and sadistic, and it has sadly been viewed by millions in this country. As reprehensible as it was, the outrageous violence, intimidation and community damage carried out last night in my constituency and other parts of Northern Ireland require the strongest condemnation. It is impossible to share concerns about damage to our British values and then act in a way that tarnishes the very thing we should want to protect.

The Government’s job—our collective job—is to act to protect our country and defend our borders. The Prime Minister knows that the man who has been charged entered our country illegally. He passed through two safe countries and attained asylum in record time. Will the Prime Minister meet me urgently to discuss the steps that he and his Government will take to ensure that our values are enforced, that the rule of law in this country sustains, and that he protects and closes the open, porous border between our country and the Irish Republic?

I thank the right hon. Member for his question. I also particularly thank him and all leaders in Northern Ireland who have urged calm, particularly before what happened last night. Standing together with that common message was very powerful. I am very happy to meet the right hon. Member and other MPs from Northern Ireland, as he requests, and I think that a slot has been identified after Prime Minister’s questions. It is important that we meet at the first opportunity.

We are all sickened by this attack, but we need to be clear that the scenes of violence and disorder have no justification. Of course there are questions that need to be answered, but destroying communities, destroying homes and driving people out of their homes is not, and will never be, the right way to respond to such an attack. I look forward to working with the right hon. Member and others to ensure a calm response and that the police are given the space that they need to deliver justice.

I thank my hon. Friend for raising the Mildmay hospital, which is synonymous with extraordinary care and compassion as she describes. I will ensure that she meets the relevant Health Minister to discuss the concerns I know she has in relation to it.

All those involved in the violence will face the full force of the law, and quite rightly so. The hon. Member is right to describe, as he does, the fear that this instils in some of our communities. That is a very real fear, and it is being felt today, this hour, in Northern Ireland by families who are too scared to go about their lawful work, to go to school and to go about their business. That is exactly what it does, which is why we must all condemn it.

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been an outstanding advocate on this issue. I congratulate the BSI on 125 years of vital work. The guidance reminds us that every part of society has a role to play in suicide prevention, and it is positive that so many businesses are putting it into practice. I am pleased to raise awareness of it and to encourage others who have not seen it yet to look closely at it and follow it.

Last week we had the terrible case of Henry Nowak, which Reform Members sought to exploit. Now we have a very difficult situation in Northern Ireland where families and communities are extremely frightened. What do they do? They try to whip up fear and division, because that is all they have got. The hon. Member talks about stopping the boats. When we passed legislation to help stop the boats, what did they do? They voted against it.

To take those measures, you need money, and the hon. Member has still not properly addressed why his companies have not just aggressively avoided tax but failed to pay the tax they legally owed. His investment company then gave huge donations to Reform. If he paid his taxes, we would have more money to deal with these issues.

I thank my hon. Friend for raising Ryan’s case, the details of which, as he outlined, are very hard to hear. As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I find that particularly hard to hear. No one—no mother—should have to experience what Angie has. I know that she is here with us today, and I very much hope that I can meet her immediately after PMQs.

Let me be very clear: any blade that is used to threaten or to harm others is illegal by law—any blade. We will work with the Sikh community, knife crime campaigners and the police to learn the right lessons. That is the responsible thing to do. We all have a responsibility and a duty as politicians to respond to the case that we were discussing last week and to the events in Northern Ireland that we are discussing today with the calmness that leadership requires.

I am pleased that my hon. Friend’s local maternity services are seeing improvements. We now have a record number of midwives working in the NHS, and we are investing over £150 million to address critical safety risks. There is much more that we need to do so that every mother is listened to and receives outstanding care. The recommendations of the Amos inquiry will be published shortly, and we will act to deliver lasting change.

I thank the hon. Member for sharing his personal experience and, notwithstanding that, congratulate him on his achievements at the London marathon. I agree with him that patients should receive high-quality, consistent care, wherever they live. Through national improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time, we are making sure that best practice is shared to drive up standards, and I am happy for Ministers to give him the details.

I thank my hon. Friend for his great work supporting young carers for decades. We have given tech companies a deadline: introduce the device-level controls that already exist to prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images or we will change the law, with fines for companies or even criminal liability for bosses who fail to comply. When it comes to the safety of our children, standing by is not an option, and further steps will follow.

I agree that we must act to protect ecosystems that underpin our food supply and our way of life, and I am really proud that, under this Government, the UK is back playing a leading part on climate change and restoring nature.

Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling over £400,000 of Scottish National party members’ funds. Thousands of pounds were spent on luxury items ranging from a salt and pepper grinder to a new Jaguar and a luxury motorhome. When party figures raised concerns, and even resigned, they were silenced and ostracised by those at the very top of the SNP. Does my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister agree that a full investigation into this national scandal needs to be held as a matter of urgency?

These are clearly serious legitimate questions that deserve answers and scrutiny—answers and scrutiny that they are not getting. I do think the Scottish Parliament should look at them closely, and I hope that it will listen to the concerns of this House.

I am very glad that we are cutting VAT over the summer with our summer savings programme, which I hope the hon. Lady will support. I note that we have not heard much from the Green party leader after he admitted he had not paid his council tax. Perhaps he has traded his houseboat for a submarine.

Mr Speaker, integrated care boards have a statutory obligation to fully fund all essential medicines and pharmacy provision for the delivery of specialist end-of-life and palliative care at our wonderful hospices, such as St Catherine’s and Derian House, serving our respective constituencies of South Ribble and Chorley. However, this is not happening, with ICBs claiming that the costs are covered by the hospices’ core grant. Will the Prime Minister support my private Member’s Bill—St Catherine’s law—which seeks to place an explicit obligation on every ICB to fund all essential medicine and pharmacy provision for all our hospices, separately from any core grant they receive from the NHS?

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this. As he knows, integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning palliative care and end-of-life services, including hospices, to meet the needs of their area, and that includes decisions on how services are funded, including medicines and pharmacy provision. I am happy to talk to him further about it.

I thank the hon. Member for raising this case—it is obviously awful. If he shares further details with my office, I will ensure that the Water Minister picks it up and acts as quickly as possible.

My hon. Friend is right to raise the concerns that we have. We have increased defence spending, and the defence investment plan is going to be set out very soon and before the NATO summit, which is in just a few weeks’ time.

For the final question, I call Alicia Kearns.

Lindsay Foreman and her husband Craig have not eaten in 32 and 23 days respectively. They are being held hostage by the terrorist Government of Iran, but this Government’s weak words have abandoned them, so will the Prime Minister stop raising their case and start fighting for them? He can do that by declaring today in this House that they are being arbitrarily detained—something he has refused to do—and by referring their case to the International Court of Justice, so we get them home.

I thank the hon. Member for raising this important case and give her and the House the assurance that this is raised regularly by us. The Foreign Secretary has raised it very recently. We raise it every time we can; we do everything we can in relation to this case. We are doing everything that we can, as she would expect and as the Conservatives would have done in office, but she is right to raise the case.