Havant MP Alan Mak welcomes Prime Minister's speech on keeping the UK safe

He said the speech showed that the Government was taking action to both strengthen our nation's security and get the economy growing.

Mr Sunak said: "I feel a profound sense of urgency. Because more will change in the next five years than in the last 30. I’m convinced that the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet most transformational our country has ever known.

He added: "Our country stands at a crossroads. Over the next few years, from our democracy to our economy to our society - to the hardest questions of war and peace - almost every aspect of our lives is going to change.

"How we act in the face of these changes - not only to keep people safe and secure but to realise the opportunities too - will determine whether or not Britain will succeed in the years to come. And this is the choice facing the country."

Mr Sunak said national security and the threats from ongoing wars and cyber attacks are among the Government's chief concerns going forward. It has announced that UK military spending will rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 - the biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation.

He described an axis of authoritarian states such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran as a threat to the UK.

"They are working together to undermine us and our values. Iranian proxies are firing on British ships in the Red Sea, disrupting goods destined for our high streets.

"Here at home, China has conducted cyber targeting of our democratically elected MPs. Russia has poisoned people with chemical weapons. And when Putin cut off the gas supplies it had a devastating impact on people’s lives and threatened our energy security."

He vowed to safeguard the UK against threats of war, plus a global rise in immigration.

He also said cutting taxes and investing in key industries were helping the economy to recover, whilecapitalising on technologies such as artificial intelligence would keep it growing.

Mr Sunak said: "Of all the dangers ahead, few are felt more acutely than people’s sense of financial insecurity. We’ve been pounded by a series of once-in-a-generation shocks.

"The worst international financial crisis since the great depression in the 1930s. The first global pandemic since the Spanish flu in 1918. The biggest energy shock since the 1970s. Global forces, yet they are hitting our living standards here at home.

"We must be prepared strategically, economically, with robust plans and greater national resilience, to meet this time of instability with strength."

He added: "There are storms ahead. The dangers are all too real. But Britain can feel proud again. Britain can feel confident again. Because with bold action and a clear plan, we can and we will create a secure future."

Mr Mak said: "The Prime Minister has demonstrated that he understands people's concerns - that's why strengthening our defences and continuing the economic recovery are at the forefront of Government policy."

The full speech can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-on-security-13-may-2024