The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence
Labour/Co-operative MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
@lukepollard.bsky.social @LukePollard Facebook UK Parliament Profile
I thank the hon. Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) for this urgent question and thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to provide an update on the current status of the Ministry of Defence’s new medium helicopter procurement. Earlier this afternoon, I spoke with the CEO of Leonardo UK and the managing director of Leonardo Helicopters to continue our conversations around NMH exports and...
I thank the hon. Member for his questions. He will have heard my first answer, which answers some of his questions, which said that the NMH decision will be made as part of the defence investment plan. That will be announced shortly, so I will not be able to give him an answer today. I continue those conversations with Leonardo, as indeed I have today. It is important that we continue having...
My hon. Friend is right about two things. First, defence is an engine for growth. That is why we are investing more of the increasing defence budget in British companies. Secondly, the Conservatives left huge swathes of their equipment programme unfunded—a problem that we are sorting out because of the mess that the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge) left.
Deary me. It is this Labour Government who are increasing defence spending to the highest level since the end of the cold war. It is the Conservatives who hollowed out and underfunded our armed forces. In their first year in government, they cut defence spending by £2 billion. In their first five years of government, they cut defence spending by £12 billion. In their 14 years, they never...
As a fellow Unite member, I recognise the importance of good, well-paid, unionised jobs in our defence industry. The opportunities in autonomy were set out clearly in the strategic defence review. We believe that a mix of crewed, uncrewed and autonomous systems—for not just some but all units of our armed forces—is the right future, in which we can increase our lethality and move towards...
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his questions. They are, I am afraid, the same questions that his hon. Friend asked, so I will have to give him the same answers. All decisions on the new medium helicopter contract will be made as part of the defence investment plan. We continue those conversations with Leonardo. I recognise the importance of the skilled workforce. I will continue speaking to...
Constituencies across the south-west of England and around the country stand to benefit from the increase in defence spending set out by the Chancellor: £5 billion for the defence budget this year, which will rise to 2.5% and then onwards. We know that we are living in a new era of threat, and we are renewing our armed forces as a result. Many of the contracts that we are placing now are for...
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and for the tone in which he asked it, and he is right to say that corporate decisions about where investment goes are important. That is one reason that we have continued dialogue with Leonardo, not just in the UK but also with its parent company in Italy, to ensure that it is kept abreast of our challenges with the DIP, and with the military need...
The Defence Investment Plan will set out how the Department will allocate spending over the next 10 years, ensuring that resources are directed effectively to meet our priorities. It is vital that these decisions are carefully considered so that the Department gets these decisions right. We are working hard to finalise the plan, and it will be published at the earliest opportunity once it is...
The UK is a NATO ally and participant in the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINAMDS) a network of interconnected national and NATO systems comprising sensors, command and control facilities, and weapon systems. This system allows the UK to exchange information with Allied nations on a reciprocal basis, to improve sensor coverage and reaction times across the Alliance. Although there...
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with partners across Government on a range of Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) issues. The Home Office is responsible for C-UAS policy and strategy in the Homeland during peacetime. During wartime, C-UAS policy falls under the Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework, which the MOD is responsible for. The process of providing...
This Government recognises the vital contribution that the Scottish defence industry has for the national security of the UK, while also being a key driver of economic growth. This is illustrated by the £2.5 million that this Government is providing to the Welding Skills Centre in Glasgow, which is developing the future skills pipeline needed to deliver the UK’s nuclear deterrent. Along...
The Ministry of Defence paid General Dynamics Land Systems UK £330 million in line with contractual obligations for the Ajax programme between 1 January 2025 and 12 January 2026. I am unable to publish details of the milestones and payment schedule as this may prejudice the Department's commercial interests.
To obtain the information required to answer the hon. Member’s question in full would incur disproportionate costs due to the amount of data that would need to be obtained.
The Government has committed to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament, subject to fiscal and economic conditions, and will be considered at the next Spending Review in 2027. The commitment to spend 3.5% by 2035 will be reviewed by NATO Allies in 2029.
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intent and he will know that Challenger 3 has been designed to deliver an optimal balance of lethality, survivability, and mobility to meet its operational requirements.
