Why are we talking military cuts when our schools are already cut to the bone?

How can we sit here and talk about "operational cuts" in defence as some kind of national emergency when schools across the country have been operating on bare minimums for years? It’s absurd. Every year we’re asked to do more with less, patching up crumbling buildings and trying to teach classes of thirty kids with textbooks older than me. Where’s the alarm bell for that?

The real defence of this country isn't just about tanks or fighter jets. It's about having a population that's educated, healthy, and has opportunities. If we want a stable society, if we want to tackle things like knife crime and social division, then we need to invest properly in our young people from the start. That means putting serious money into schools, into youth services, into making sure every child has a shot, not just the ones whose parents can afford tutors.