Oral Answers to Questions

Alex Baker Excerpts

Wednesday 4th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Let me be absolutely clear about this: as soon as there were any allegations of wrongdoing by Phil Shiner, I had absolutely nothing to do with him.

[Alex Baker (Aldershot) (Lab)]

Q6. This year in Aldershot and Farnborough, we are looking forward to hosting the national celebrations for Armed Forces Day in the home of the British Army. Businesses in my community welcome this Government’s record investment in defence in the years ahead, but our banks still struggle to lend to defence companies because of international regulations. Will the Prime Minister ensure that the UK works with Canada and our other allies to found the multilateral defence security and resilience bank, so that we can get money moving to our defence industries, get our armed forces what they need, and stand firm against our adversaries?

[The Prime Minister]

I am delighted that Aldershot will be hosting Armed Forces Day; it has a hard-working Labour MP and Labour council. Our historic defence spending uplift must be an engine for growth and jobs in the United Kingdom, which is why we have committed to spending an extra £2.5 billion with small and medium-sized enterprises. I agree with my hon. Friend that it is vital that we work in lockstep with our allies, particularly in Europe, to enhance and align our defence capabilities, and we are therefore working at pace to identify the most effective mechanisms for greater multilateral co-operation.