James Cartlidge

James Cartlidge

Conservative — South Suffolk

Speaking in the House of Commons on 14 October 2024

Debate

Strategic Defence Review

Contribution

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I associate all of us in my party with your comments about the late Alex Salmond. The most important point about the SDR is that it must not be used as an excuse to delay increasing the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP. In September, in answers to written questions, the Department said that it would set out a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence “as soon as possible”, but last week, at the Dispatch Box, in his middle east statement, the Prime Minister said that the Government would go to 2.5% “in due course”. We all know that there is a massive difference between the two, so which is it?

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