Estimates Day Debate Day 1

There were debates on Monday 29 June 2026 on the following Departments:

1 Cabinet Office: Cabinet Office working to deliver security and resilience and enable the UK to thrive

The House of Commons debated the estimated spending of the Cabinet Office, with a focus on security and resilience. The Cabinet Office works to ensure the Government runs effectively and co-ordinates cross-cutting policies and operations.

The Government recognises that its first responsibility is to keep our country safe. National security is vital to the safety of our nation and ensures that we can fulfil the needs of our citizens. By 2035, the UK will spend 5% of GDP on national security, with 3.5% of this going to core defence spending and 1.5% on broader resilience and national security.

The Cabinet Office spends more than 90% of its national security and resilience budget running the National Security Secretariat, which works to implement the National Security Strategy. The strategy is a clear plan to deal with the breadth of challenges we face at home and abroad.

As well as national security, the Government is committed to Europe-wide security and has committed up to £25 billion to Ukraine.

2 Home Office and Ministry of Justice:   Government rebuilding criminal justice system with investment and reform

The House of Commons debated the spending of the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice.

The Government inherited an intolerable situation in our criminal justice system. Prisons were allowed to run red hot, with nowhere to lock up the most serious offenders. Record and rising court backlogs delayed justice for both victims and defendants. I firmly believe justice delayed is justice denied.

Ministers commissioned independent reviews into criminal courts and sentencing, and have now acted to implement their recommendations.

I welcome the investment in our court estate, prison construction, and technology to modernise our justice system. The vital intervention of uncapping sitting days will salvage our courts from the brink of collapse. I welcome the £116 million for criminal legal aid for solicitors, and the record settlement for the Crown Prosecution Service, and the investment in our judiciary. This will help fill and sustain our courtrooms.

£500 million has also been invested in victim support services. The transformation in the availability of transcripts and audio recordings of magistrates courts will not only improve victim experience, but will also keep victims and witnesses engaged in the process, delivering justice.

Efficiency and investment alone will not clear the backlog of 80,000 court cases. Victims are still waiting for justice, which is why structural reform is needed. The Government’s Sentencing Act and Courts and Tribunals Bill will tackle the problems in our criminal justice system. To bring down the backlog, the right cases must be heard in the right courts.

Ministers’ proposals to increase magistrates’ sentencing powers, remove the right to elect, and create a Crown court bench division are sound and proportionate, and will deliver timely justice.

I welcome the additional investment in probation, which is vital to keeping the public safe and reducing reoffending. This includes recruiting at least an additional 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2027, on top of the over 2,300 recruited in the past two years.