The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by inviting the Leaders of the
Commons and the Lords to update on business in both Houses. This
includes the remaining stages of the Planning and Infrastructure
and Product Regulation and Metrology Bills in the House of
Commons and the continued progress of the Employment Rights,
Fraud and Error, and Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bills in
the House of Lords.
The Prime Minister then turned to the Strategic Defence Review.
He said he had commissioned the SDR soon after the election to
assess the risks the country faces and the capabilities we need
to respond to those threats. He said the SDR responds to the
changing world we are in, setting out a plan for making Britain
both safer and stronger - underpinned by the largest sustained
increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. He
said our task now is to seize the defence dividend to deliver
warfighting readiness, integrated forces, new technological
advancements, national resilience, better housing and higher pay
for our armed forces, and an investment in good jobs across the
country.
The Defence Secretary added that the SDR reversed years of the
hollowing out of the armed forces with a ten-year vision and a
strengthened industrial base, underpinned by the largest
sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold
War. He added that it supported growth and skills, NATO first,
and better conditions for the armed forces.
Finally, the Prime Minister thanked every department for their
work to deliver the upcoming Spending Review and Industrial
Strategy, and reflected on the uptick in business confidence
following the three trade deals with India, the US and the EU,
building on the figures showing we were the fastest growing
economy in the G7 in the first quarter, four interest rate cuts
since the election and the fact that wages continue to grow
faster than prices. Cabinet discussed how the Industrial Strategy
and Spending Review would deliver on the Plan for Change through
a significant increase in investment in public services and
growth compared to the plans inherited from the previous
government and deliver on the priorities of working people.
