Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Hudson Excerpts

Wednesday 1st May 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am not aware of the topic that the hon. Lady raises, but I am not going to make any apology for Conservatives pointing out the record of the SNP in Scotland or the Labour Government in Wales, because that is exactly what the democratic process is about. She might not like it when we highlight their record, but we will keep doing that so that we can deliver for people across the United Kingdom.

[Dr Neil Hudson (Penrith and The Border) (Con)]

Q9. I welcome our Government’s commitments to boosting defence spending and supporting Ukraine, made possible by this Conservative Prime Minister’s international leadership and sound management of the economy. My constituents have been doing us proud supporting Ukraine, with the Pot Place Garden Centre delivering ambulances, medical equipment and supplies, and Steve Hodgson providing vital aid. Will the Prime Minister join me in paying tribute to my constituents and people up and down the land for their support for Ukraine and reaffirm that we will continue to stand with Ukraine for the sake of freedom, democracy and global security?

[The Prime Minister]

I join my hon. Friend in thanking people up and down the country, including his constituents, for their fantastic work in supporting the Ukrainian community in the face of Putin’s illegal invasion. We remain steadfast in support of Ukraine.

In total, since the war began, we have pledged over £12 billion of aid to Ukraine. Last week, we announced an additional half a billion pounds of funding, which will be used to deliver much-needed ammunition, air defence and engineering support and drones. More importantly—President Zelensky welcomed this—we are now able to say, because of the historic increase in our defence spending, that we will continue with this level of support for as long as it takes. It is crystal clear that, on the Government Benches, we can say that our support for Ukraine will never waver.