The situation in the Middle East is fast evolving and I know people will be deeply concerned by the scale of this crisis. In particular, the British nationals including holiday makers and transit passengers, who are currently in the region and being told to shelter in place.
I, along with many others, passed through Dubai airport last weekend and my thoughts when I saw the news shortly afterwards that airspace was being closed was of those who were left stranded at the airport and in the region.
Our Foreign office has stood up 24/7 consular support to assist those who require help on the ground and with 300,000 British Nationals in the area, they are working to locate and support those in the area and are asking people to register their presence in the region to get updates and assistance. My office are working to help provide any support we can for constituents who need it, and anyone who has a consular issue they think I can help with should contact me at https://michellescrogham.com/contact/.
I spoke in the House of Commons earlier this week to stress that what we need at the moment is calmness and a clear, strategic plan, based on our national interest and the protection of British citizens.
The situation in the Middle East is yet another example of the instability in our world at the moment particulary following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent bloodshed over the past four years,
The post Cold War “peace dividend” is truly over, and impact of that will be felt by all of us.
Our area of south Cumbria plays a vital role, with Barrow’s shipyard, the surrounding supply chain, and our wider communities being an essential part of our defence.
I am therefore pleased to see that this Government is delivering the largest sustained increase in Defence spending since the end of the Cold War, making Britain safer in a more insecure world and hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027. That will see £270 billion invested into defence across this Parliament.
We spend nearly £32 billion annually with the UK defence industry, equivalent to about £460 per person living in the UK.
It is essential that we deliver a ‘defence dividend’ from this record investment – felt in good jobs and supporting UK businesses across our nations and regions.
The Defence Industrial Strategy, published in September, is making defence an engine for growth, creating British jobs, boosting skills and driving British innovation.
The Government is backing start-ups and SMEs with a range of measures that rewards risk takers, innovators, and supports them in creating the jobs and prosperity that successful defence firms can bring to Britain.
Through the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) the Government is making sure that our programme is affordable, and it will be deliverable. This will be the first line-by-line investment plan that defence has had for 18 years, putting an end to the delays and instability that had such a negative effect on our area for too many years.
And the Team Barrow project – backed by £220m investment in our local communities – reflects the fact that a town which carries the responsibility of building the nation’s most sensitive defence capabilities must also share in the benefits of that responsibility.
As a member of the Defence Select Committee, I have a duty to ensure that increased spending delivers what it promises and it does that on time, on budget and with a clear sense of responsibility.
Barrow stands firmly with the men and women of our Armed Forces, and we are ready to deliver the industrial capacity that the nation requires.
We will continue to play our part at the very heart of Britain’s defence.
We only ask that the long-term plan for that defence is a strong and resilient as the submarines we design and construct.