Theresa May has visited families of those who serve in the Armed Forces in Northwood today.

The Prime Minister praised family members at the Joint Forces Command Base, where she announced the government will increase the amount of money it spends on specialist mental health care for the Armed Forces to £220 million over the next decade.

In what is set to be Mrs May’s final military speech before she steps down from office, she said that the Armed Forces only deserve the “best”.

She said: “First as Home Secretary and now as Prime Minister, I have had the privilege of working with and getting to know a great many men and women from every branch of our armed forces.

“The toughest decisions I have had to make were the ones that would put you in harm’s way.”

Mrs May added the most important partners of the Armed Forces are children, friends and families of the wider forces community “who do so much to support their loved ones who serve”.

Mrs May continued: “I cannot imagine how it must feel to wave goodbye to someone you care deeply about, knowing you won’t see them again for many months – or even hear from them, if they are serving out of reach beneath the waves as part of our continuous at-sea deterrent.

“None of us would wish to imagine how it feels to lose a loved one in the service of their country.”

“So I want to take this opportunity to recognise the contribution that you make, and to thank each and every one of you for helping to make our armed forces the very best in the world.”

Commanding Officer of Northwood Headquaters, Jason Sutton, felt that Mrs May’s visit was “very good” and said it was great that “she found time to come and see us and express her support”.

He said: “I think we all enjoyed meeting her.

“Mrs May was very interested in our families, our welfare and how we support military operations in the wider sense.

“She has always been interested in what we do. She has always recognised Northwood in her support for the Armed Forces.”