long as it takes. mr them for as long as it takes. mr speaken them for as long as it takes. mr speaker, that is why we are increasing defence spending to 2.5% of gdp by april 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament. as economic and fiscal conditions allow, and this afternoon, of course, i will travel to the us to have discussions with president trump about the enduring security partnership between our two countries. mr speaker, i am also delighted that we have announced the first 750 schools to start offering free breakfast clubs. this is our plan for change in action, ensuring every child has the chance to thrive. mr speaken the chance to thrive. mr speaker, i am sure the whole house will want to join me in thanking amanda pritchard for her services as chief executive of the nhs england, and i wish her well for the future. this morning, mr speaker, i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house.i addition to my duties in this house. i shall have further such meetings later today. >> dr lubna could the prime

minister tell this house whether the outcome of his budget was by design or by mistake? did he mean to push 100,000 pensioners into poverty with his own analysis when he removed the winter fuel allowance? or was that a mistake? did he mean to decimate family farming when he changed the inheritance tax, or was that a mistake? and did he mean to tax care homes and hospices when he raised nics? or was that a mistake? prime minister, could you tell the house are these acceptable collateral damage in his path for change, or simply a mistake that need rectifying? the. >> i'll tell him what was a mistake. leaving a £22 billion black. >> hole that we had to sort out. >> hole that we had to sort out. >> we took the difficult decisions investing in our nhs, and i would have thought he would have welcomed the 2 million extra appointments that we have achieved in the first seven months of the labour government. that is the difference our budget is making

to people. >> at least back in the. mr speaken >> i'm delighted. >> i'm delighted. >> that carlton and grange primary schools in my city of gloucester will be part of the first 750 schools to get free. >> breakfast clubs. >> breakfast clubs. >> and i am pleased that this government is already delivering on its manifesto promises in less than a year. so will the prime minister agree with me that by helping working parents with childcare and delivering the best start to the day for every single child, we are delivering opportunity for the next generation. >> well, i agree with my honourable friend. we are pleased that two of the early adopter schools will be in his constituency. mr speaker, we are ensuring that all primary school children aged can get access to free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare. and that means every child ready to learn. and parents, of course, supported with up to £450 a year back in their pockets. that is the change a labour government makes. >> we now come. >> we now come. >> to the leader of the

opposition, kemi badenoch. >> thank you, mr speaker. mr speaken >> thank you, mr speaker. mr speaker, i wish the prime minister every success on his trip to washington. the visit to see president trump must serve our national interest. the prime minister and i are completely unhedin minister and i are completely united in our support for ukraine as a proud and sovereign nation. yeah. what specific steps will he take to ensure ukraine is at the negotiating table for any peace settlement? >> well. >> well. >> i thank her for her words about the forthcoming trip, and it is right. and i think the whole house will think it is right that ukraine must be at the table at the negotiations. there can be no negotiations about ukraine without ukraine. that has been my consistent position in all of the discussions that i have had. that will continue to be my position, because this is about the sovereignty of ukraine and their ability to decide for themselves the future of their country. so they must be at the table. >> there can. >> there can. >> be badenoch. >> be badenoch. >> mr speaker, i thank the prime

minister for that answer. and as i said, i wish him every success. we want to support him on this issue. so turning to the details of the plan he set out yesterday, over the weekend, i suggested to the prime minister that he cut the aid budget, and i am pleased that he accepted my advice. mr mr speaker, it is the fastest response. it's the fastest response. it's the fastest response. it's the fastest response i've ever had from the prime minister. however, he announced £13.4 billion in additional defence spending yesterday. this morning, his defence secretary said the uplift is only 6 billion, which is the correct figure. >> prime minister. >> prime minister. >> i'm going to have to let the leader of the opposition down gently. she. she didn't feature in my thinking at all. i was so busy over the weekend, i didn't even see her proposal. she i think she's she's appointed herself, i think, saviour of the western civilisation. it's a

desperate search for relevance. but, mr speaker, look, if you take the numbers for this financial year and then the numbers for the financial year 2728, that's £154 numbers for the financial year 2728, that's £13.4 billion increase. that is the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the cold war, which will put us in a position to ensure the security and defence of our country and of europe. >> letby badenoch. >> letby badenoch. >> mr speaker, that wasn't very clear. how is it that the defence secretary says 6 billion and he says 13.4 billion? the ifs said today that the government is playing silly games with numbers. how does he find this difference in numbers? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> mr speaker, we went through this two weeks ago of going through the same question over and over again. so let let me say it. if you take the financial year this year and then you take the financial year for 2027, 28, the difference

between the two is 13.4 billion. that's the same answer. if you ask again i'll give the same answer again. >> they're not. >> they're not. >> i'll decide. it's more. >> i'll decide. it's more. >> can we be? >> can we be? >> mr speaker, someone needs to tell the prime minister that being patronising is not a substitute, is not a substitute for answering questions. it's not a substitute. he hasn't answered. what he has said is different from what he said yesterday. we are still not clear where the money is coming from. we want to support him. he has also said that we should put british troops on the ground in ukraine. we haven't seen the detail of any proposals. would his new spending plans allow him to fund this commitment effectively? >> prime minister. >> prime minister. >> i mean, i think it's the same question again. it's13.4 billion. that's the difference between this year and 2020. she asked a serious question about the security guarantees in

ukraine. and that is extremely important because the worst of all outcomes, if there is to be all outcomes, if there is to be a cessation of hostilities, is that it a cessation of hostilities, is thatitis a cessation of hostilities, is that it is a short break rather than a sustained and lasting peace. and i think that that means there has to be security guarantees. i've indicated that we will play our full part. that has to be us backing, because otherwise i don't think it will deter putin. we are working on that. i'm having extensive discussions about it, not in a position to put details before the house, as she well knows today, but i'll continue down that route because i want a lasting peace in ukraine and europe for the safety and security of ukrainians, of europeans, and of course, for everybody in this country. >> david mellor mr speaker, this is an endeavour that we want to support him in, but we need to know exactly what it is we're supporting. we need clarity and transparency over the money. we also need to know where this money is going. this morning, the defence secretary could not say if the chagos deal would come out of the defence budget.

can he confirm to the house that none of the defence uplift includes payments for his chagos deal? >> prime minister. >> prime minister. >> mr speaker, the additional spendi >> mr speaker, the additional spend i announced yesterday is for our capability on defence and security in europe. as i made absolutely clear yesterday. the chagos deal is extremely important for our security, for us security. the us are rightly looking at it when it is finalised. i will put it before the house with the costings. the figures being bandied around are absolutely wild to the mark. the dealis absolutely wild to the mark. the deal is well over century, but the funding i announced yesterday is for our capability to put ourselves in a position to put ourselves in a position to rise to a generational challenge. that is what that money is all about and i thought she supported it. >> you david mellor know. >> you david mellor know. >> speaker, we need to make sure we are supporting a plan that is clear and transparent. yesterday, the prime minister set an ambition for defence spending to reach 3% in the next parliament. we agree with spending to reach 3% in the next parliament. w