The sight in 2021 of Russian troops invading a sovereign nation shocked people across our country and in our community.

At the time, I was struck by the way people in our towns and villages expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Ukrainian flags flew on buildings and in gardens, local churches and businesses collected clothes and supplies for those who had been displaced, and many people opened their homes to welcome refugees.

The response was profound because the actions of Vladimir Putin were so shocking and so significant. Most of us did not expect to see another war in mainland Europe in our lifetime, but Russia’s aggression shattered this expectation.

The people of Ukraine have suffered the worst consequences of Putin’s war in the form of lives lost and communities destroyed, but across our country we also felt the effects of this conflict.

Energy prices increased as we suffered the consequences of years of over-reliance on Russian gas. Prices went up and we saw shortages of some goods because of disruptions to supply chains.

We also see the effects of Russian aggression directly against our own country. Last year, the director general of MI5 – Ken McCallum – set out the threats facing the country, with Russian interference near the top of that list.

Between 2023 and 2024 the number of state threat investigations conducted by the security services increased by 48 per cent. This includes advanced cyber operations that, in the words of MI5, target our technology, our democracy, journalists and defenders of human rights.

Russia has also not abandoned conventional threats to the UK. Just last month, the defence secretary revealed that a Russian spy ship passed through British waters with the intention of gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure.

It is this sustained threat to our national security that led the Prime Minister to announce a significant increase in the defence budget this week.

By investing in defence we are not just protecting our country and the people who live here, but preparing ourselves for the new threats that might emerge in the coming years.

Our area has a proud history of contributing to the defence of our country. Local shipyards provided many of the ships that protected our country during the second world war and beyond and today hundreds of local people are employed at BAE in Govan and at HMNB Clyde.

That is why this week I wrote to the defence secretary asking where our area might be able to benefit from the increase in defence spending, and to meet the government’s aim to reindustrialise areas and ensure growth benefits every part of our country.

The jobs that are available in building the next generation of frigates, in maintaining our submarine fleet and establishing our defences against cyber-attacks are highly skilled and well-paid, and our area deserves to benefit.

REDUCING INEQUALITY IN EDUCATION

Inverclyde schools regularly punch above their weight, and we have great outcomes for our young people delivered by dedicated teaching staff. But across Scotland, the attainment gap between the richest and poorest children is growing.

Your postcode should never define how well you do at school, and those in power have a responsibility to ensure that opportunities are available to all. But despite Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP promising to close the attainment gap, the gap is growing.

This was meant to be the SNP Government’s defining mission, but instead the growing attainment gap in our schools is likely to be the defining failure of their time in Government.