if I may offer some words of advice to members opposite on the government benches life comes at you fast soon you might be fortunate enough to be tapped on the shoulder and offered a junior ministerial role then you'll find yourself attending cabinet then in the cabinet and then when the prime minister's position becomes untenable you might you might end up being called to the highest office and before know it you have a bright future behind you and and you are left wondering whether you can credibly be an elder Statesman at the age of 44 now it is right to begin by congratulating the Prime Minister on his decisive victory in the election he deserves the goodwi of all of us in this house as he takes on the most demanding of jobs in the increasingly uncertain World in which we now live now the party opposite has successfully tapped into the Public's desire for change but they now must deliver change and we on this side of the house will hold them accountable for delivering on the commitments that they made to the British people in the National interest we will not oppose for the sake of it but when we disagree with the government it is our responsibility as the opposition to say so and what will guide us will be our principles sound public finances a belief that people know how to spend their own money better than governments do that private Enterprise not State intervention is the key to delivering growth and PR Prosperity public services that work for those who need them an education system that gives everyone the best start in life secure borders and a strong National Defense now I welcome the government's decision to bring forward Martin's law I'm sure that the Prime Minister will find as I did that one of the most humbling parts of the job is seeing people whose lives have been touched by tragedy and seeing how they don't turn to anger or bitterness but campaign to ensure that other families do not have to endure the same pain that they did and I particularly commend fan Murray for her work to get this law onto the statute book I can assure her that this measure will command consensus in this house and we will work with the government to make sure that it becomes law as soon as possible I'm also glad that the government will continue with plans for a smokefree generation I know there are deeply held views on both sides of this issue and I have deep respect for those especially on my own benches who disagree with me on this question measures that end access to products are never easy but I do believe that ensuring that our children can be the first generation that doesn't have to suffer the false choice to quit smoking or not because they will have never started is a truly worthy aim it will make us a healthier fairer country where people live longer and better lives now the first duty of government is the defense of the realm and we're fortunate in our country to be to be protected by Armed Forces who are unrivaled in the world for their professionalism bravery and skill and I know the whole house will agree with me that they are truly the best of us every month in my previous job I became more concerned about the threats to our country's security we live in an increasingly uncertain world we need greater investment in our military if we are to deter our enemies and defend our interests and as I warned earlier this year there is an axis of authoritarian States who are a threat to our values Freedom democracy and the rule of law and we must collectively stand up to them the world is more dangerous now than it has been at any time since the end of the Cold War so I would urge the prime minister to commit to boosting defense spending to 2 and a half% of GDP by 2030 and if we lead the way on this we can make 2 and a half% the new NATO Benchmark for defense investment this is the single best way to strengthen the alliance it will show The Americans that we do not expect them to Bear every burden and it would show President Putin that NATO is serious about bolstering its defenses and will also be the most effective way to deter further acts of Russian aggression now in the last few years there has been an impressive amount of consensus across the house on foreign policy on the importance of supporting Ukraine on the centrality of NATO to our National Defense and in that spirit I commend the Prime Minister on his work at the NATO Summit and I'm glad that he and the Secretary of State for defense have taken such rapid steps to demonstrate that while the government has changed this country's commitment to Ukraine security remains constant and I also welcome the right honorable member for tottenham's visit to the Middle East it is of fundamental importance to this country that as we make real progress towards a two-state solution our friend and Ally Israel has a right to defend itself and to live in peace and let me turn next to another crucial issue facing not just our country but the broader Western World illegal migration now the fundamental question is what to do with people who arrive here illegally but cannot be returned to their own home country now our approach was to send them to a safe Third Country the Prime Minister was clear that he would scrap those plans and I acknowledge that and our fear remains that without such a deterrent the country will end up having to accept that a large number of those who cross the channel illegally will end up remaining here and how to prevent that that is something that the government I know will soon look to address and when it comes to Legal migration I urge the Home Secretary to retain the measures that we implemented which a forecast to Har net migration in the next 12 months now if I may turn next to the economy I understand well that the chancellor is Keen to paint oblique a picture as possible but I would just gently point out that this is not exactly what the facts say in inflation at 2% unemployment 4% and the fastest growing economy in the G7 so far the party opposite has inherited an economy that is already on an upward trajectory now the government the government have set out plans the government has set out plans to strengthen the role of the office for Budget responsibility and we will examine those proposals carefully but the work of the OB already means that the party opposite did have the full details of the public finances when they set out their Manifesto now the obr has rightly taken away from governments the ability to make forast say what they want them to but they have also taken away from oppositions coming into government the ability to say that they did not know the true state of the public finances as Paul Johnson of the institute for fiscal studies has said the books are wide open fully transparent in his words trying to pretend that things are worse than expected really won't wash now the party opposite promis no tax Rises on working people and no plans for tax Rises Beyond what's in their Manifesto in full knowledge of the public finances it would be difficult for them to claim that things are worse than they thought and then Rene on those pledges and we will hold the government to its own promises come the budget I note plans for new employment legislation now in this country our employment rate is far lower than the European average and that is thanks in part to our flexible labor market I would urge the party opposite not to impose new burdens on businesses that Business Leaders themselves have warned of the unintended consequences of those plans that they could lead to firms being less likely to invest less likely to hire and and so increasing unemployment in the long term and I further note the government's desire to impose new potentially rigid legislation on Technologies like artificial intelligence now we are third only to the US and China in the size of our fast growing technology sector and lead the world when it comes to AI safety and we should all in this house be careful not to endanger this country's leading position in this field which will drive growth and prosperity for decades to come and while today's speech did contain a slew of bills what was missing was a concrete plan to tackle the unsustainable postco rise in the welfare bill without action the cost of providing benefits to the working age population with a disability or health condition will rise to 90 billion more than we spend on our National Defense schools or policing now that's not only unsustainable but also unfair to taxpayers and that's why in government we had laid out a plan to significantly reduce the welfare bill but crucially to support all those that could back into work now I hope the government looks at those proposals when it has the time to study them in detail on this side of the house we will continue to advocate for a welfare system that is both compassionate and fair to those who need it but also fair to those who pay for it now the government has set out plans to change the planning system we will of course study these thoroughly as well as we all wish to see more homes built and the planning process speed it up but I would say that A system that does not allow local people to have a say will damage public consent for more housing in the long term exactly and I regret I regret that there was no mention of rural communities and farming in the King speech much like my own but I hope in time the government will bring forward proposals now turning to Net Zero this country has decarbonized quicker than any other major country and we have managed to do that while growing the economy as a country and across this whole house I know we will all be proud of that achievement now the government plans to decarbonize a grid by 2030 but there is a real danger but if the government puts the speed of doing this ahead of family finances and our energy security then we will again lose public consent for the measures necessary to ensure that we actually reach our 2050 Net Zero Target a Target on which there is genuine consent between our two parties as even one of the prime minister's own supporters has warned this 20 plan will and I quote just mean we will have to import our energy strategically we become more vulnerable we will pay more money for our energy so I hope that the Energy Secretary reflects on those thoughts now lastly Mr Speaker the government has set out plans for reforms to the other place looking at the benches opposite there can be no doubt about the government's ability to get them through this house but the effects of these changes will last long Beyond this Parliament long beyond our tenures in these jobs I would suggest that when it comes to constitutional reform it would be good to proceed on a cross-party basis rather than to use a simple majority in this house to push things through and that consensus should include should include the crossbenchers whose convenor would be removed by the government's proposals I also suspect that the public would prefer the government to prioritize practical real world issues over constitutional wrangling however however I welcome the news that the government has paused on their plan to force members of the other place to retire at 80 now this proposal always felt like it would be a blunt instrument and indeed in the dissolution honors the Prime Minister nominated rightly the former right honorable member for Darby South who will be a strong addition to the other place despite the right honorable lady being already over the retirement age that the labor Manifesto proposed so Mr Speaker let me close by saying that we of course recognize that the British people have entrusted the party opposite with the task of governing our country on our side of the house we will fulfill our duties as the loyal opposition professionally and effectively and across this house we are all first and foremost Patriots we all wish to see our country and our people flourish and succeed and in that spirit I wish the new prime minister and the new government well I know called the Prime Minister s