THIS week is Armed Forces Week – a time to show our support for veterans, serving personnel, and their families.

The Armed Forces play an integral part in our communities in South East Cornwall. Between HMS Raleigh, veterans in towns like Torpoint and Saltash, and those commuting over the Tamar, we have a substantial Armed Forces population, and I am continually meeting service personnel when I’m out in South East Cornwall.

I would like to extend a thank you to all those in the Armed Forces. We owe you an overwhelming debt of gratitude for all you do to keep our country safe. In an increasingly complicated world, I can assure you that your work does not go unrecognised.

This Armed Forces week, I encourage everyone to participate in activities, whether in your own local communities or by joining events in Falmouth, Launceston or Plymouth. Last week, I had the pleasure of being invited to meet with Commanding Officer Captain Jane Roe at HMS Raleigh, who is doing a phenomenal job here in South East Cornwall.

A few weeks ago, the Spending Review enshrined Labour’s commitments to our Armed Forces into future defence budgets. With over £20-billion extra in defence spending, it is clear that this Labour government is serious about backing our Armed Forces. This extra funding will be used for cutting-edge programmes to keep us safe, but to also invest in making careers the best they can be.

I am pleased that Plymouth was named the National Centre for Marine Autonomy. Plymouth has long acted as a global hub for marine science and technology, with one of the largest concentrations of expertise in this field anywhere in the world.

This is terrific news, not just for Plymothians but especially for us here in South East Cornwall. For starters, we probably all know someone who commutes over the Tamar to work in this field, with its deep roots in defence capabilities. This status ensures job security, and more investments coming down this way, which is always wonderful to see. It will also mean a strengthening of our local economy more generally. All in all, it gives people more options to build their careers down here and stay local.

To build upon South East Cornwall’s history with the Armed Forces, we need to ensure that they have the current support to create a sector that is fit for the future. I appreciate the Government’s efforts in listening to the needs of the Armed Forces over the course of the Spending Review. We have excellent defence Ministers, including some I’ve had the pleasure of welcoming to South East Cornwall, who bring the real-world knowledge of what the sector needs to thrive. They are committed to putting the needs of service personnel into policy - and so am I. I look forward to continuing my work with Defence Ministers to feedback on the impacts of defence spending in South East Cornwall.