Defence: 2.5% GDP Spending Commitment Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Ministry of Defence
David Reed
Main Page: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)Department Debates - View all David Reed's debates with the Ministry of Defence
(1 week, 3 days ago)
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John Healey
My hon. Friend is right. Time and again surveys of armed forces personnel show that poor-quality housing, which would be intolerable in civilian life, is cited as a reason for low morale and an intention to leave the forces early. This is an underlying problem that we will fix. We will not be able to do that overnight but we are determined that we will provide the accommodation and housing that our heroes in uniform have a right to expect.
David Reed (Exmouth and Exeter East) (Con)
I completely agree with the Defence Secretary that defence spending must increase to meet the threats we face. Given that the threats are visible and increasing, I found myself nodding in agreement with Admiral Lord West’s recent Guardian article, in which he said we should be bold and move directly to spending 3% of GDP on defence. Does the Defence Secretary agree with his revered Labour colleague’s assertion? If not, why not?