Speeches by Pollard.

“That is probably one for me rather than the official, if I may. I do not think that we are undertaking that perspective as you present it. On the counter view, we are having a clear focus on our defence structure. It is beyond doubt that the war in Ukraine has changed the way that we think about conflict and the way th…”

“It is precisely why we are bringing together, as a Government, the SSR, the SDR, the various reviews—and there are additional ones across Government—into a single national security strategy. That is what I think is the basis of your question. Where does it get at it? It gets at it in terms of that broader national piec…”

“Work is still ongoing with it. It would be for Lord Robertson to make announcements on the progress.”

“Work is still ongoing. The Prime Minister described it as work being advanced at this stage, but it is for Lord Robertson to make announcements on the progress of his review.”

“It reaffirms the reason why we are doing a defence review.”

“Some of the underlying assumptions are still broadly the same, though. We are still seeing Russian activity in Ukraine using different tactics and doctrines than we may have viewed in the past. We still have a situation where the US is a key partner for the United Kingdom and will remain so. We know that there are new …”

“It is quite a challenge, and one of the reasons why our adversaries undertake hybrid activities against us and our allies is because there is a difficulty in attribution. When that is accompanied by misinformation, as well as an effect, that is deliberately designed to confuse a population or to cast doubt on the under…”

“We do, and that was the original plan. RFA Proteus was supposed to be one of two ships when originally planned by the last Government. Certainly, we are seeing a huge interest in Proteus’ capability with our allies and the ability for us to look at what platforms we need to deliver it. The Norwegian model, where indust…”

“When we are looking at a whole-of-society approach, there are some really good models. This is not about a greenfield site and creating a new concept, but about borrowing best practice. The Norwegians are exceptionally good at this, and there is a real opportunity, as we deepen our defence relationship with Norway, tha…”

“I would be really happy to. We want to create a deeper relationship between Parliament and the MOD. With this group, without phones, I am absolutely happy having those conversations.”

“UK defence networks face a range of state threats from malign actors. In 2024, the National Cyber Security Centre received 1,957 reports of cyber-attacks, of which 89 were nationally significant, with 12 severe in nature. The Government continue to improve resilience and response options to those threats.”

“We have made it very clear that we will continue supporting Ukraine, not only to put it in the best possible position on the battlefield and in any negotiations to come, but to secure its critical national infrastructure. We will continue working with Ukraine’s defence and civilian sectors, which are incredibly impress…”

“The UK is fully committed to the joint expeditionary force. I discussed the JEF on my visits to Denmark, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania and the Netherlands last month. I meet regularly with the JEF partners’ defence attachés, including last week.”

“Just to clarify for the House, they were different snowdrifts at different times—otherwise there could be stories! The more procurement we can do with our allies, the better—not only in how interoperable the equipment will be but in its interchangeability. With P-8s, F-35s and potentially Type 26 frigates being shared …”

“It is important that we meet the threats we face, which are not just from state actors but relate to a range of issues. I would be very happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss her interest in this topic further.”

“Not only is a career in our armed forces good for a young person; it also offers training opportunities, with each of our single services appearing in the top five apprentice employers—the very best in our country. A career in the defence industry is also good for our young people. The ability to move between regular, …”

“The hon. Gentleman is entirely right about the terrible state of armed forces retention that we inherited. We have seen armed forces morale drop from 60% in 2010 to just 40% last July. We need to invest more in our armed forces, which is why we have introduced the biggest pay rise in 20 years and why we are bringing de…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. The 77th Brigade does a superb job of tackling disinformation, especially by malign actors. We need to expand our provision and range of capabilities, which is precisely why we have created a new direct entry cyber-pathway to recruit people directly into our cyber-forces to …”

“I fully agree with my hon. Friend and, on something as fundamental as body armour, we back our troops. I ordered immediate action to replace ECBA on the frontline, flying new body armour to units worldwide. Rapid testing of plates is under way. Our people should know that their safety matters to the Government, and we …”

“We are committed to maintaining and enhancing the security and resilience of critical undersea infrastructure. Just as the Defence Secretary called out the activities of the Russian spy ship Yantar hovering over our undersea cables, let those who threaten the UK or our allies be in no doubt that we will defend our unde…”