Oral Answers to Questions

Kevin Bonavia Excerpts

Wednesday 1st July 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

That is from the party that thinks we should give up the nuclear deterrent, and the hon. Gentleman stands there to talk about defence. We need no more advice and sanctimonious nonsense from the SNP. Before he or any of them give any more advice to me or this House, let us have some home truths. Their chief executive has just been jailed for five years for embezzlement. They are all pretending they did not know anything about it. They could not even see the motorhome parked in the driveway, apparently. And now they are blocking an inquiry in the Scottish Parliament. Before they offer any more advice, they should look in the mirror.

[Kevin Bonavia (Stevenage) (Lab)]

Q5. In this increasingly dangerous world the space domain is critical, so I welcome the £3.2 billion set out for space in the defence investment plan. The plan refers to Skynet 6A, the first military satellite to be designed, manufactured and tested completely in the UK, beginning at Airbus in my constituency of Stevenage and supporting 3,000 jobs across the country. Does the Prime Minister agree that we must develop both UK sovereign capability in space and the British jobs that already power it?

[The Prime Minister]

Our commitment to space in the defence investment plan reflects how we are preparing our armed forces for the conflicts of the future. When I see apprentices working in our defence industries, I see this investment creating more opportunities in many constituencies, including in my hon. Friend’s. It underlines exactly what our investment delivers: 60,000 new jobs, investing in British skills, promoting our brilliant industries abroad and driving growth in the UK.