Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Louise Jones

Wednesday 21st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

They look in pretty good form to me, and there are lots of them. The Leader of the Opposition talks about business confidence. I did not have time yesterday to read out all the businesses that have come out in support of our EU deal, and I do not have time today—it is a long list. I went immediately to Lidl and spoke to the staff there. They are delighted with the deal we put forward yesterday. Business like the work we are doing, and it is giving them confidence in the EU deal, but the right hon. Lady is opposed to each and every measure.

[Louise Jones (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

Q4.   I recently visited Barrow Hill primary school in my constituency—a school in receipt of a new free breakfast club. The team there are doing a fantastic job, but challenges remain. What more can we do as a Government to support both them and local parents to give the children of Barrow Hill the start in life that they deserve?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend; we are united by a shared focus on creating better life chances for our children, and I am delighted to hear that her constituents are already benefiting from our changes. Thanks to our plan for change, we will deliver free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England. I am determined to support parents to give every child the best start in life. That is why we are rolling out free childcare, expanding the first 300 school-based nurseries, and delivering more family hubs.

Ukraine

Debate between Keir Starmer and Louise Jones

Monday 3rd March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Lady is right: our energy independence is hugely important, and the last three years have shown that we are far too exposed. We will obviously look closely at the question of the hydrocarbons and the sanctions.

[Louise Jones (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

The beautiful weather over the weekend brought with it the promise of spring, and I hope the Prime Minister got at least two minutes outside to enjoy it. However, I am afraid the same weather in Ukraine will be greeted with dread by soldiers on the frontline, who know that the improving weather will bring an intensification of war. Will he commit to the strategic defence review taking into account his commitments in order to ensure an excellent security guarantee, so that Ukraine can once again greet the spring with hope?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right about the impact of the weather on the conflict in Ukraine. I am always struck by the resilience of the Ukrainians, both on the frontline and within their civilian population. After three long years of conflict, their resilience is humbling.

Defence and Security

Debate between Keir Starmer and Louise Jones

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The Defence Secretary has just asked me whether he could reply to that question. The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point. Procurement and the grip on defence spend has not been in the right place, and we have not used our businesses in the way that we could have done in the past. I gently say that the past 14 years might have been a good period to have got to grips with that, but we need to get to grips with it now. I think that will be welcomed by the whole House, because we need to do that.

[Louise Jones (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I and many of my colleagues started our careers in the shadow of Putin’s first invasion of Ukraine, back in 2014. We knew then what Putin was capable of and what Putin intended to do. However, our service was marked by swingeing cuts from the Conservative Government that left our armed forces lacking key capabilities. There is an old saying that if you want peace, prepare for war, so will the Prime Minister assure me that the extra cash will be well spent to cover those capabilities and to take advantage of the new technologies we desperately need?