00:00 So today, Labour's announcing our ambition to get to 2.5% of GDP spent on defence as resources allow.
00:08 That's to reflect the growing international concerns and threats that the UK and our
00:12 allies are facing, as well as supporting our renewal of the independent nuclear deterrence.
00:17 Big challenges facing our country and we're setting out a clear defence policy
00:22 that will meet those challenges today. When Labour left power in 2010, we were spending 2.5%
00:28 of GDP on defence. Since then, the Tories have cut and hollowed out our armed forces. We've lost
00:34 200 planes in the RAF, one in five Royal Navy warships and our army's the smallest it's been
00:40 since the Napoleonic War. This is a concerning situation when our adversaries are massing and
00:46 attacking our allies. That's why we're committing today to an ambition to increase defence spending,
00:51 but also to renew our independent nuclear deterrence. We need to win votes from every
00:56 part of British society, but the first duty of any government is to keep the nation safe.
01:02 That is something that Keir has absolutely determined that we would go into the next
01:06 general election trusted on defence. That's why we've been setting out our agenda for what a
01:12 reformed armed forces looks like, with more resources and with the capability gaps properly
01:17 addressed. But the bedrock of our national security is that independent nuclear deterrence.
01:22 And that's why Keir is in Barrow today, visiting those submarines and meeting the workers that
01:29 build our nuclear deterrence. It's a pretty feeble growth level. And what we've seen is low and
01:34 stagnant and negative growth over the last 14 years. If we're to get Britain back on its feet,
01:40 if we're to give it the fresh start that our public services need, we're going to need to have
01:44 a greater level of economic growth, and importantly, greater economic stability as well.
01:50 There has been no stability with the Conservatives, especially since they crashed the economy under
01:54 Liz's trust. That's why, as a party, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have set out our policies
02:00 to create more jobs, to motor the economy, to create growth in every single part of the United
02:05 Kingdom. And from that growth comes the additional tax revenues that enables us to invest in the
02:10 public services that so desperately need it. The vast majority of people leaving our armed forces
02:15 transition successfully from a life in uniform to a life in the civilian world. But for those
02:20 who don't and need that little bit of extra help, this announcement today is a welcome step. But
02:24 when the government halve support for veterans in recent years, it's going to take more than
02:29 an announcement like this to give those veterans the support they need. And that's why, as a party,
02:34 we're committing to making sure that we're giving veterans the support they need, not only in
02:38 employment, in mental health, but in housing as well. There's some really big, thorny challenges
02:42 that the government are trying to paper over with announcements. But we need to get to the root of
02:49 the problem, not just have one year funding boosts that sound good in a media release, but don't
02:54 fundamentally alter the destiny of those individuals involved. The difficulty with all social media,
02:59 from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp, is it's not necessarily the platform, it's the content
03:05 and the moderation on that platform that creates the difficulties. I want to see our young people
03:10 able to be themselves, to be able to express themselves freely and do so in a safe environment,
03:15 lowering the age where people can interact with that without the necessary stepping up of the
03:21 support, moderation and help from those social media giants is not necessarily going to deliver
03:26 that safer space for our young people to grow and explore on social media that's required.
03:31 We do need to make sure that social media companies are taking their responsibilities
03:35 more seriously, because there's far too much content online that young people should not have
03:40 access to. And there's far too much cyber bullying still that affects so many, especially of our
03:44 vulnerable young people. So I want to see there being proper protections for those young people,
03:50 if those age changes are being introduced. If I'm honest, this isn't an issue that I nor the vast
03:56 majority of the public spend too much time worrying about. When we've got high NHS waiting lists,
04:01 when we've got threats to our national security, wondering about what Angela Rayner did with her
04:06 ex-husband 10 years ago is tit for tat, so that I think can be better replaced with debate on more
04:12 pressing issues facing Britain.
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