PMQs

Answer from Keir Starmer

We introduced a Budget to fix the foundations of this country and to rebuild our country. One of the issues we had to confront was the £22 billion black hole left by the last Government. We have taken the tough decisions that will stabilise our economy. This means we can commit to the triple lock, which means that pensioners will be better off, seeing an increase in their pension, than they would have been under the Conservative party.

Answer from Keir Starmer

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is a champion for families in his constituency. My answer is simple: yes. I do not agree with the Leader of the Opposition when she says that maternity pay is excessive and has gone too far.

Answer from Keir Starmer

There will be many issues on which the Leader of the Opposition and I disagree, but there will be issues that unite this House, on national security and Ukraine. I look forward to working closely with her on that. I will provide her with the information that she needs to discharge her duties. That is the right thing for the country and it is far more important than party politics. The Foreign Secretary and I did meet President-elect Trump, just a few weeks ago, for dinner, for about a couple of hours. We discussed a number of issues of global significance. It was a very constructive exercise.

Answer from Keir Starmer

Of course we will discuss issues of our economy with the President-elect, as we already have done. Economy, security and global conflict are issues of real significance that ought to unite this House. When it comes to the economy, what we have done with our Budget is to fix the foundations after 14 years, and return economic stability after the £22 billion black hole. We have protected the payslips of working people. We have made the single biggest investment in our country for a generation in the NHS, schools and homes. We have given a pay rise to the 3 million lowest paid. If the Leader of the Opposition is opposed to that investment or the pay rise for working people—she is a straight talker, as I understand it—perhaps she should say so.

Answer from Keir Starmer

There is no more important duty than keeping the people of this country safe. It was the Labour Government who signed the NATO treaty in the first place, and we are strong supporters. We have a strategic defence review, and we are committed to 2.5%. [Interruption.] I remind Conservative Members that the last time 2.5% was met was under the last Labour Government. Fourteen years, and they never did it once. Last year, the National Audit Office identified a £17 billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence finances. The former Defence Secretary said that the previous Government “hollowed out” the armed forces. The plan that the Conservatives put forward at the election was pure fantasy.

Answer from Keir Starmer

There is no more important duty than keeping the people of this country safe. It was the Labour Government who signed the NATO treaty in the first place, and we are strong supporters. We have a strategic defence review, and we are committed to 2.5%. [Interruption.] I remind Conservative Members that the last time 2.5% was met was under the last Labour Government. Fourteen years, and they never did it once. Last year, the National Audit Office identified a £17 billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence finances. The former Defence Secretary said that the previous Government “hollowed out” the armed forces. The plan that the Conservatives put forward at the election was pure fantasy.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The Prime Minister's scripted lines show that he has not even listened to the Budget himself. The Budget last week put £5 billion over the next two years into farming. That is the single biggest increase, unlike the £300 million underspend under the last Government.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The Budget was about fixing the foundations, fixing the £22 billion hole that the Conservatives left and investing in the future of our country—investing in our NHS, our schools, our hospitals and our homes. We are proud that we are making that investment.

Answer from Keir Starmer

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this really important issue. Economic abuse has a devastating impact, and we are committed to ending it. We have £200,000 this year for the charity Surviving Economic Abuse.

Answer from Keir Starmer

I am very proud that in this House we are united on the question of Ukraine, and clear about Russian aggression. Our relationship with the US is strong and we will continue to work together as it has been historically.

Answer from Keir Starmer

We made the economy the centrepiece of our Budget, ensuring economic growth and living standards increase for working people across the country.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The NAO report exposed that children with special educational needs were being failed by the system under the previous Government. We will focus on ensuring every child receives the right support to succeed in their education.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The hon. Member is right to draw attention to that issue. Misogyny and abuse, both online and offline, cause horrendous harm to women and girls across the UK. We must create a safer world online for women and girls through the Online Safety Act 7123, mitigating the risk of illegal content and activity that is abusive or incites hatred.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The previous Labour Government transformed the labour market with the national minimum wage. That was opposed by the Conservatives at the time, and sadly they do not seem to have changed. I disagree with the comments of the Leader of the Opposition regarding the minimum wage being something legislators pass to make themselves feel good. We have raised wages for 3 million low-paid workers.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The Budget sees record R&D investment, with over £20 billion next year, including over £2 billion to support our world-leading life sciences sector. Through the British Growth Partnership, we will crowd in pension fund investment to support innovative business.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The River Wye is one of our most important and iconic rivers, and we are working closely with the Welsh Government on that pressing issue. We have launched a water commission to attract investment and speed up infrastructure delivery.

Answer from Keir Starmer

We are listening to farmers. The Environment Secretary and Treasury Ministers met with the NFU on Monday. We have taken a fair and balanced approach: the vast majority of farms will not be affected.

Answer from Keir Starmer

Across the country, people made enormous sacrifices during covid. They missed weddings, births and deaths—really important moments in their lives. People saved lives of others they will probably never meet. Unfortunately, the party opposite set rules but did not follow them themselves.

Answer from Keir Starmer

What we did in last week's Budget was ensure that no one would face tax rises in their payslip. We had to deal with the £22 billion black hole, but when we did so, we protected the smallest businesses and charities. We doubled the employment allowance to £10,500, meaning that 40% of employers will not pay employer national insurance contributions. Companies with four employees or fewer on the minimum wage will pay no employer NICs at all, and half of businesses that pay NICs will see no change or pay less after the Budget.

Answer from Keir Starmer

My hon. Friend is a champion for the north-west, and the Budget secured investment for vital transport projects to transform connectivity across the north of England and drive economic growth. That includes completing the Wigan to Bolton electrification—a really important moment on Northern Powerhouse Rail. Over £5 billion has been allocated to support everyday journeys for working people.

Answer from Keir Starmer

The hon. Lady will be pleased to know that I have been to Berkhamsted a number of times, as we have very good friends who live there. I pay tribute to the work of the Swan Youth Project; too many young people—she cited some of them—are struggling with mental health and not receiving the support they need. That is why we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers and are introducing long-overdue reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983.

Answer from Keir Starmer

My hon. Friend is right to raise higher education. We inherited a sector facing severe financial challenges. Universities have suffered a real-terms decline in their income and the gap between disadvantaged students and their peers is the highest on record. We have had to take tough decisions to put that on a secure footing, but we are also taking the step of easing living pressures by increasing maintenance loans, which is worth an extra £414 per year.

Answer from Keir Starmer

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising this important issue. A commitment was made to properly compensate the victims of this scandal. Unfortunately, the Conservative Government, having made that commitment, regrettably did not allocate any money. Her constituents will be pleased to know that we have changed the approach. We have set out the compensation within the Budget—a transparent, accountable Budget—and we will make the payments as soon as we can.

Answer from Keir Starmer

Last week in the Budget we delivered the largest settlement for the Scottish Government in real terms since devolution. That includes £3.4 billion through the Barnett formula, a fuel duty freeze and an increase to the national living wage, benefiting my hon. Friend's constituents and all those across Scotland. The result of the Budget is now clear. The SNP in power in Scotland have the powers and they now have the money, so they have no more excuses.

Answer from Keir Starmer

No, I do not.

Answer from Keir Starmer

I am not sure about the description “semi-retired”, although that may be the wish of the Conservative party. What I know from personal experience is that music, the creative subjects and art are really important not only for the pleasure and knowledge that they give to children and young people but for the experience of working in groups and leadership. That is why we are determined to ensure that they are counted as subjects again in the curriculum, which will encourage many more schools to provide them in the curriculum and enrich the futures of children and young people across the country.

Answer from Keir Starmer

We are keeping the promises that we made in our manifesto. The right hon. Gentleman's problem is that he cannot add up; if he could, he might be down on the Front Bench rather than up on the Back Benches. We will take up the issue in his constituency.

Answer from Keir Starmer

Yes. We are committed to pushing the Government of India on this important case. The Foreign Secretary has raised it and will continue to do so, and we will ensure that we speak to my hon. Friend as we do so.