UK Defences

Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West) (Lab) and David Pinto-Duschinsky (Hendon) (Lab) asked the Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, about the steps being taken to secure the future of the UK's defences. In response, the Minister stated that the strategic defence review will consider all aspects of defence to ensure the UK is secure at home and strong abroad. The review will set out a deliverable and affordable plan within the trajectory of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence. Chi Onwurah followed up, highlighting the success of the Department's future capability innovation programme in delivering drones to Ukraine and growing the UK drone sector. She asked how the Minister will ensure the lessons learned from this programme are adopted across defence procurement, particularly in areas like cyber-security and artificial intelligence, to rapidly operationalise innovation and ensure a higher proportion of the work goes to British SMEs. The Minister acknowledged Onwurah's points, agreeing that the experience in Ukraine means the UK needs to innovate faster, have more spiral development, and bring more talent into these sectors. He stated the government has a good record on drones, AI, and directed energy systems, and is now working with NATO, Five Eyes, and AUKUS partners to ensure the entire supply chain, including small businesses and start-ups, benefits. David Pinto-Duschinsky welcomed the Minister's visit to the Nepalese community centre in Burnt Oak to speak with Gurkha veterans. He asked the Minister to outline the steps the Ministry of Defence is taking to address the failures of the previous government in supporting Gurkha veterans, and requested a meeting to discuss these issues further. The Minister responded that the government greatly values the Gurkhas' contribution and takes its responsibility to Gurkha veterans very seriously. He stated the Minister for Veterans and People will shortly meet the Nepalese ambassador and Gurkha veteran representatives to continue this work. Other interventions included a question from Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con) about the Royal Fleet Auxiliary industrial dispute, and a question from Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD) about addressing the shortage of STEM skills in the defence sector.