The world we’re living in is far more dangerous than at any point in my lifetime.
Putin’s Russia poses an unprecedented threat to European security. Having illegally invaded Ukraine in 2022, destroying cities and committing war crimes on the way, the threat of war is at its highest since the end of the Cold War.
We should also be in no doubt that the conflict in Europe impacts us all.
It’s driven up energy costs, making life more difficult for families and businesses across Meriden and Solihull East. The war has also pushed up the cost of food and continues to have a profound impact on so many other things we all take for granted.
But it’s not just the threat of a revanchist Russia that should worry us all.
Iran seeks to spread their evil ideology around the world, provoking instability in the Middle East and increasing state-backed threats to us right here in the UK.
China’s President Xi has also repeatedly spoken of his desire to re-take Taiwan. Taiwan’s importance to the global economy cannot be underestimated, and the repercussions of war in the Far East would be catastrophic for households across Meriden and Solihull East.
These grave threats to our national security mean that I have monitored the Government’s long-awaited Strategic Defence Spending Review (SDSR) very closely. It will form the basis of the UK’s defence policy for the next generation. It’s a well-written report, with some very important recommendations to bolster our national security. Unfortunately, it is well wide of the remark and built on very weak foundations.
The SDSR has been written on the basis that this will rise to three per cent by 2034. This essential increase in defence spending is now uncertain.
At the Despatch Box on Monday, the Prime Minister failed to commit to this target which the Defence Secretary spoke about just last week.
The Prime Minister is not showing the strong leadership needed to keep us safe. Just weeks after surrendering the Chagos Islands at a cost of £30billion, the Prime Minister is falling to find the money needed to keep us safe.
This concerns me deeply, and I will continue to monitor the situation very closely.
Alongside scrutinising Government policy, my team and I have been supporting people across the constituency.
On Tuesday, I asked the Justice Secretary about the ongoing case of Daniel Clarke. Mr Clarke was a teaching assistant who sexually abused children with special needs and disabilities. In May, he was jailed for seven years and six months after pleading guilty. This is shockingly lenient given the horrific crimes he has committed.
I have referred Mr Clarke’s case to the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. This allows for Crown Court sentences to be reviewed if sentences aren’t robust enough.
I am adamant that Mr Clarke needs to spend for more time behind bars so that he can pay for his crimes. The reprehensible actions to some of our most vulnerable young children are nothing short of repugnant.
As a father myself, I am firmly of the belief that his short sentence makes a mockery of our justice system and will not deter similar individuals from committing sickening crimes.
The Attorney General’s Office have 28 days to review Mr Clarke’s sentence, and I will be sure to update my constituents as soon as I hear from them.
