The situation in the middle east remains serious and volatile. This Government will be resolute in our focus, protecting British lives, bringing our people home and safeguarding our national interest.
Today my thoughts are with the family and friends of Sarah Everard on this very painful anniversary. Five years ago, I said that her death had to be a turning point, and this Government are committed to halving violence against women and girls. We are acting in our schools, our police forces, online and offline to keep women and girls safe and to prevent boys and men becoming abusers, and we are supporting victims to get justice and closure.
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.
I echo the Prime Minister’s comments on Sarah Everard and the situation in the middle east.
From the sound mixing desks made by Calrec in Hebden Bridge which brought the world its winter Olympics coverage, to the valves made by Blackhall Engineering in Brighouse which bring water to New York city, Calder Valley’s specialist manufacturing is recognised the world over, and it brings good jobs and sustainable work. However, with one third of engineers over 60, the last Government left our manufacturing workforce facing an existential crisis. Will the Prime Minister please work with me to ensure that the new growth and skills levy will support good-quality manufacturing jobs in Calder Valley and across the country?
My hon. Friend is right to champion brilliant manufacturers. Our modern industrial strategy is driving up standards, investment, jobs and growth, and our growth and skills levy ensures that we have the skills we need, supporting more short courses in critical sectors, including engineering. We are investing over £700 million to support thousands more young people into apprenticeships, in stark contrast to the 40% fall in apprenticeship starts under the Conservative party.
I pay tribute to our brave servicemen and women in the middle east during this very difficult period. Our bases in Cyprus and Bahrain have now been attacked. The US has taken offensive action to destroy missile launch sites to defend British territory. Why will the Prime Minister not allow the RAF to do the same?
This is obviously an extremely serious situation, and I know the whole country is worried about the potential for escalation. People are worried about the impact on their lives, particularly when they see what is happening with energy. The family and friends of those who are caught in the region will be worried sick about them, and of course we have civilians and military personnel at risk in the region. We need to act, therefore, with clarity, with purpose, and with a cool head. The protection of UK nationals is our No. 1 priority, and we are taking action to reduce the threat—planes in the sky in the region intercepting incoming strikes, deploying more capability to Cyprus, and allowing US planes to use UK bases to take out Iran’s capability to strike. What I was not prepared to do on Saturday was for the UK to join a war unless I was satisfied there was a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan. That remains my position.
That was not the question I asked the Prime Minister. Nobody wants to see an escalation. The fact is—[Interruption.]In case Labour MPs do not realise, the fact is that our bases have already been attacked. Iran is trying to kill our servicemen and women, and the Prime Minister is catching arrows rather than stopping the archer. That is what we are talking about. Why is he asking our allies to do what we should be doing ourselves? I say to Labour MPs that we are in this war whether they like it or not. What is the Prime Minister waiting for?
Let me give a little more detail. For a number of weeks now, we have been pre-deploying our capabilities to the region. In doing so, we have been liaising very closely with the United States, as the House would have expected. Therefore, radar systems were pre-deployed, ground-based air defence was pre-deployed, counter-drone systems were pre-deployed, and F-35 jets were pre-deployed. That is why since Saturday morning, multiple F-35s and Typhoons have been in operation, not just in the middle east but across Cyprus. Further missions were flown overnight, with Typhoons defending Qatar, in particular, and F-35s defending other regional parties. We are resupplying our air defence missiles today, Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities will be in Cyprus this week, HMS Dragon will be deployed to the Mediterranean, and of course, in agreement with the US, they are using our bases to conduct the operations to strike Iranian missiles and launchers. That is the action we are taking; that is the agreement we have reached with the United States to protect our nationals.
The Prime Minister has read out a long list—it is not enough. He says that we are pre-deploying; the one ship that we are sending, HMS Dragon, is still in Portsmouth. The fact is that the Type 45s cannot take out incoming missiles. This is not enough—he has read out a long list, but the people who understand know that it is not enough. He should be doing more.
Yesterday, the Chancellor could have given more money to defence. [Interruption.] I do not know why Labour MPs are laughing—I do not know why that is funny. It is not funny. Yesterday, the Chancellor could have given more money to defence; instead, she gave more money for welfare. Their priorities are all wrong—[Interruption.] They can chunter as much as they like. The fact of the matter is that the war in Iran is happening now—[Interruption.]
The country will not be distracted by Labour MPs moaning. The fact of the matter is that the war in Iran is happening now, but the Office for Budget Responsibility says that the Government will not hit 3% on defence for five years. The war is happening now. There is no urgency from the Prime Minister. Why is he leaving the job of funding our armed forces to the next Government?
Not only did they cut the defence budget, but they missed Army recruitment targets every year for 14 years. They left morale in our armed forces at an all-time low, and our forces “hollowed out”, in the words of Ben Wallace, the former Defence Secretary. Labour, by contrast, is delivering the biggest boost to defence spending since the cold war—£270 billion over this Parliament—and we are doing that because we are focused on what matters.
The right hon. Lady is right that the war is happening now, and we have to focus on that. Across the country, people are worried about those who are trapped in the region, and that is why we are taking action. I can update the House that yesterday more than 1,000 British nationals arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the UAE. A further eight flights are due to leave the UAE for the UK today. I can confirm that the first charter flight is expected to leave Oman later today and two more will leave in the coming days—[Interruption.] The country really does want to know this. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] Family and friends are worried sick about people who are caught up. [Interruption.] I will not be put off. I can announce that we will lay on additional charter flights in coming days. British Airways is laying on an extra flight from Oman, and the Foreign Secretary will have further discussions today. I urge all Members who have constituents who are caught in this to make sure that they register their presence so that we can do whatever we can to help them to get home safely.
I was not asking about evacuations; I was asking about defence spending. The Prime Minister needs to focus on the question he is being asked, not the statement that was prepared in the bunker. He stands there telling us that he is spending more money on defence—[Interruption.] No, he is not. In fact, the Government are cutting defence spending by £2.6 billion from the Ministry of Defence budget this year, and that is why there are no Royal Navy warships in the middle east—[Interruption.] He should ask his Defence Secretary for the numbers, because that is what is happening.
In June last year, the Government promised that their plan for funding our armed forces would be ready by autumn. In autumn, they promised it would be ready by the end of 2025. It is March 2026 and still nothing. Can the Prime Minister tell the House when his defence investment plan will finally be published?