Spending Review 2025

Harriett Baldwin Excerpts

Wednesday 11th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Reeves]

I thank the Chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee for that question. Warm homes are a big part of our plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, and the money that we have put into the warm homes plan today will mean that millions more homes can be retrofitted with better boilers, insulation and solar panels. On average, that takes £600 a year off people’s bills not just for one year, but for every year to come. My hon. Friend is absolutely right. What we have done today is set out a five-year package of capital investment, because it is crucial that the industry is able to plan for the future and that young people are therefore willing to train up and businesses are willing to invest in apprenticeships. That is why on all of our capital spending, including the warm homes plan, we have set out a five-year plan.

[Dame Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con)]

My constituents in Tenbury Wells are seeking funding for a flood defence scheme. They will have listened very closely to the Chancellor’s remarks today to hear her mention flood defence capital spending, yet it was not mentioned in her speech. Can she confirm that the capital that will be allocated in the spending review period to flood defences will be as high in real terms as it was in the previous Parliament?

[Rachel Reeves]

The hon. Lady knows that we increased money for flood defences in the spending review in autumn last year, because we knew that there was no time to waste. We have already increased that flood defence spending, in addition to what the previous Government were spending.