Derek Twigg

I will not, given the time. I look forward to hearing more from the Chancellor about the fiscal devolution road map, reforming the long-term funding model for regional and local government. It has the potential over time to make a real difference to the economic performance of many of our cities and towns outside London. We have had the biggest increase in defence spending since the cold war. It is also true that we face the biggest threat since the cold war. I am pleased that the Chancellor has announced that he is fully funding the defence investment plan and has a target date of 3% of GDP by 2030, but I think we need to see the plan for reaching that target sooner rather than later. It remains my view that threats are escalating, and we need to be spending 3% before the end of this Parliament. The previous Tory Government hollowed out and grossly underfunded our armed forces, leaving them in a truly shocking state, with the smallest Army since the Napoleonic wars, every single recruitment target missed and an equipment programme that was in disarray—over budget,behind schedule or both. Now they have the cheek to try to erase their woeful record on defence. This Government are working hard to make sure that our armed forces are ready forwar, but there is more to do. I want to turn briefly to the zero emission vehicle mandate. I declare an interest, as chair of the all-party motoring group, and I have both Jaguar Land Rover and Ford plants in my constituency. The consultation on the ZEV mandate review closed on 23 October 2026. Both Ford and JLR want Ministers to publish their response and clarify the mandate’s direction ahead of the 2027 compliance year. Early clarity will help manufacturers to plan, sustain investment and support an ambitious, deliverable transition. Ford tells me that it is committed to a truly electrified future, but the transition must reflect customer need, charging infrastructure and vehicle users’ needs. There are specific challenges for vans. We have big challenges ahead in bringing down debt and the cost of welfare. It will take some tough decisions and challenging work, but it has to be done, and we must have a credible long-term plan. We cannot just pick an arbitrary figure out of the air to save on welfare; we need a proper, thought-out strategy that is informed by the Milburn and Timms reviews. Finally, productivity remains a real challenge in the economy. We need to deal with the lack of capital investment to make sure we have sustained growth in our economy.