Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash says: 'Keeping our country safe requires serious choices'

The recent resignations of Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns over the level of investment in our Armed Forces were such moments.

Both men have served this country with distinction and their honourable actions were driven by a simple belief: in a more dangerous world, Britain must be properly defended.

Peace is not preserved through wishful thinking.

It is maintained through strength, deterrence and the knowledge that those who would threaten us know Britain is ready.

That means we must be honest with ourselves.

Defence spending is not a luxury that can be put off until times are easier.

It is the foundation upon which everything else depends.

There is no NHS without national security. There is no economic prosperity if our country is vulnerable.

But this debate also requires difficult choices about how we spend public money.

At a time when the welfare bill has grown to unprecedented levels, it is right that we ask whether the balance is correct.

Reforming a welfare system that is too often failing people, trapping some out of work rather than helping them into employment, can create the fiscal space needed to strengthen our Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Defence, of course, has a responsibility to reform, improve procurement and ensure value for money.

But efficiency can never become an excuse for asking our servicemen and women to do more with less.

For communities like Hartlepool, defence investment means jobs, apprenticeships and industrial renewal.

We have the skills, the workforce and the ambition to play a major role in rebuilding Britain’s defence capability.

For too long, our country made the mistake of believing the world had become safer.

The war in Ukraine and the changing international order have shattered that assumption.

John Healey and Al Carns have made a difficult stand because they believe Britain must meet this moment.

Whether people agree with their argument or not, they have demonstrated courage and integrity by putting the security of our nation ahead of political convenience.

The first duty of any Government is to keep its people safe.

That duty requires serious choices, serious investment and a serious commitment to the men and women who defend our freedoms.