It was the honour of my life today to stand at the despatch box in the House of Commons as the government’s Defence Secretary.
Accountability is a central tenet to public life, to serious decisions and to good government.
And having re-entered government now, I feel this just as fiercely as I did fourteen years ago.
What we do, what we say, how we conduct ourselves, matters.
We must always be accountable to the public and to Parliament.
And by doing that we will help regain trust in government and help return politics to public service.
You can watch part of my first speech at the Despatch Box as Defence Secretary below.