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Lord Beamish (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 10 September 2026

Debate

Defence Spending

Contribution

My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister agree with me that, in this debate on the level of defence expenditure, we should look at how we got to where we are today? Between 2010 and 2017, from the Tory-led coalition Government onwards, the then Government cut the defence budget by 16% and made people compulsorily redundant, leading to the smallest standing Army since Napoleonic times. Because of the Liberal Democrat veto, the then Government delayed the replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent, leading to extra costs today. Does my noble friend agree with me that, in this debate, the Opposition should be a little humbler in their approach by taking some responsibility for why we have got to where we are today?

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