Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rachel Reeves and David Mundell

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Reeves]

I am proud to be the Labour Chancellor who has overseen the biggest uplift in defence spending since the end of the cold war. Just last week we announced a £1 billion helicopter deal with Leonardo, based in Yeovil, just down the road from my hon. Friend. Yesterday I confirmed to the House that the Ministry of Defence has access to the special reserve. That means that the added costs of deploying additional capabilities in the middle east will be funded entirely by the Treasury special reserve.

[David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con)]

T2. I am the Member of Parliament for one of the largest rural constituencies in the United Kingdom, so the rise in the cost of heating oil is obviously a major concern for me. I welcome the opportunity to meet the Financial Secretary, and I hope that liquefied petroleum gas can also be on the agenda for that meeting, because that is a heating source for many of my constituents. People such as Craig Ritchie in Symington will be looking for concrete outcomes from that meeting, given that they face a 200% rise in their oil costs.

[Rachel Reeves]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising the important issues with heating oil that his constituents are facing. I very much hope that he will be able to attend the meeting tomorrow. There are two key issues: making sure that vessels can again flow through the strait of Hormuz, which requires a de-escalation of the crisis; and stopping the price gouging that some businesses are engaged in at the moment. That is why I have asked the CMA to look at that too.