Question Time

The programme opened with a question about the US removing its bombers from RAF Fairford and what that says about securing British military bases against modern threats. The discussion noted recent arrests and people on bail after a security alert at RAF Fairford, the arrest of two Latvian men over an alleged break-in at RAF Molesworth, and a Royal Navy sailor in court on suspicion of spying for Russia. Panellists debated defence spending, cyber threats, the need for 3% GDP spending, and Conservative proposals for a Britannia Shield or iron dome-style system to protect critical infrastructure and bases, with questions about funding and whether enough was being spent in the right areas.

A question about public order and seemingly lawless areas led to discussion of shoplifting, reckless electric bikes, youth intimidation, and crime rates in the North East, including the Cleveland Police area being 48% above average and the North East 17% above the average for England. Panellists and audience members discussed police funding and numbers, prison capacity, anti-social behaviour, parental responsibility and parenting orders, youth services, apprenticeships, deindustrialisation and reindustrialisation, online crime, and the need for both enforcement and opportunities for young people. One audience member said they were not confident streets would improve, citing a recent stabbing in Stockton.

The final question concerned migration, noting that 1,620 migrants had arrived in seven days and asking what would definitively end the crisis. The panel discussed small boat crossings, asylum processing, data-sharing and returns agreements with European countries, the EU migration and asylum pact, deterrence, the Rwanda scheme, accommodation costs, and whether people arriving illegally should be allowed to stay. Audience members and panellists debated fairness, legal versus illegal migration, the reasons people come to the UK, and whether boat crossings could be stopped completely, with a government panellist declining to commit to stopping them entirely.