It’s three years since Russia launched its vile assault on Ukraine.

These are times, like others we have faced in our history, when we must put our collective security first.

Britain can be proud of our response these last few years. British families opened our doors to fleeing Ukrainian families. Heading over with emergency supplies and support. We have felt the cost of Russian aggression through rising prices and bills. Russia is a menace in our airspace and launched chemical weapons on our streets. It has launched cyber-attacks on our NHS.

But unless we defend our collective security and a commitment to a continent united by freedom and democracy, then threats to our security and the economic instability will only grow.

So I fully back the Prime Minister’s announcement today to increase defence spending by 0.5% of GDP, bringing our total defence budget to 2.5%. This means an extra £13.4 billion every year for the remainder of this Parliament, with a commitment to rise to 3% by the next Parliament.

We are also going even further by reducing foreign aid from its original figure of 0.7% (currently 0.5%) to just 0.3%, ensuring that our focus is firmly on protecting our nation and securing the safety of our people. The protection and defence of the British people must ALWAYS come first.

This is the right call to make sure we invest in our armed forces, strengthen our defences, and put Britain’s security first. Labour is prioritising the safety and wellbeing of the British people.

We will be asking British industry, British universities, British businesses and the British people to play their part. Defence spending will drive British growth. British jobs, British skills and British innovation and rebuild our industrial base.

So this is how we must meet the threats of our age. And this is what the security of our nation needs now.

Britain will stand up to be counted once again.