Day two of the Budget debate and I'd put in to speak. I was in the House early to continue working on my speech. I was prepared to head to the Chamber at about 1130, but other business meant the Budget debate did not start until near 1300. The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, opened for Labour, with Mel Stride doing an admiral job replying for us. With few speakers on our side of the House - we were on a one line whip - and with a suggested time limit for speeches of seven minutes, it was not long before I was called. My speech is on the website. I was back in the Chamber for wind-ups, as is the custom, and then home to Dorset. Meanwhile, hopeful news regarding the strikes. A 5% pay rise from April was offered to NHS staff in England, including nurses and ambulance workers. We learnt later in the day, it had been accepted. That's a relief, not least for patients. In a rise in tensions between Russia and the West, the US Air Force released video said to show a Russian jet intercepting an American drone and dumping fuel on it over the Black Sea. And Sky reported that the SNP had lost around 30,000 party members since 2021. I am not surprised.