Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Holden Excerpts

Tuesday 8th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Darren Jones]

Yes, and I congratulate my hon. Friend on championing jobs and businesses in her constituency. As she knows, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have confirmed that defence spending will increase to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and that a minimum of 10% of the Ministry of Defence equipment budget will now be spent on novel technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence, which will create highly skilled jobs and drive benefits to the wider economy, including in her constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South.

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

T4. Earlier, in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Bourne (Gareth Davies), the Chief Secretary rejected Labour’s Climate Change Committee’s advice regarding aviation policy. That also goes directly against what the Energy Secretary had committed to. Who in Government should we believe when it comes to aviation policy?

[Darren Jones]

The right hon. Member knows that we are supporting airport expansion alongside investment in things like sustainable aviation fuel to be able to reduce carbon emissions from long-haul flights as well as supporting investment into decarbonised surface transport, to help people get around the country and to their airports. Opposition Members might want to welcome investment into this country, as opposed to talking it down.