Oral Answers to Questions

Jeff Smith Excerpts

Wednesday 5th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

First, I commend my hon. Friend for the work he did on this issue when he was a Minister. I assure him that the Department for Exiting the European Union has indeed stepped up the work on preparations. We have 6,400 civil servants working on EU exit. There are an additional 1,850 recruits in the pipeline so that we can accelerate preparations as necessary. We have passed necessary laws in this House such as the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018—an historic Act. Obviously, there are other pieces of legislation, like the sanctions Act and the Nuclear Safeguards Bill. We are publishing the technical notices on no deal preparations. We are ensuring that our preparations are being made, and they are being made for every eventuality. We are working for a good deal; we prepare for every eventuality.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

Q11. Does the Prime Minister agree with the chief constable of Greater Manchester when he says that, after losing 2,000 officers in eight years, the public have to accept that without more resources, it is impossible for the police to respond to crimes like car break-ins, antisocial behaviour and even property theft? Is that just the reality of policing under this Government, or will the Prime Minister commit to give our police the funding they need?

[The Prime Minister]

Obviously, we understand that the demand on policing is changing and becoming increasingly complex. That is why, after speaking to forces in England and Wales, we provided a comprehensive funding settlement that will increase total investment in the police system by over £460 million in this year, 2018-19. The hon. Gentleman might like to note that the force has a higher number of officers per head of population than the England and Wales average.