NATO and the High Arctic

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Westminster Hall

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) for securing this debate and also for his service. I have not served myself, unlike the hon. Member for Exmouth and Exeter East (David Reed), who is speaking for the Opposition, but I have been to Norway.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate, because last month I spent five days in the High North with the armed forces parliamentary scheme, visiting British Marines, sailors and soldiers training in northern Norway. From my arrival in Tromsø to field exercises in the Mauken training area and aviation operations at Bardufoss, I saw at first hand what Arctic readiness really means. It is impossible to witness that work and not conclude that the High North is central to Britain’s security in some of the harshest conditions imaginable—sub-zero temperatures, deep snow, limited daylight. Our personnel demonstrated extraordinary mobility, reconnaissance capability and survival skills. They operated seamlessly alongside Norwegian and other NATO allies with professionalism, pride and determination. They understand that what they are doing matters not just to the alliance, but to the safety and prosperity of the people back home.

The High North is not a remote periphery. It is strategically vital. Maritime routes are opening; energy infrastructure is concentrated there; and critical undersea data cables that power our digital economy run through those waters. That is without the impact of climate change, which we have heard about. As competition intensifies, allied readiness in the Arctic is not optional—it is essential. The Government have recognised the realities, as has the First Sea Lord.

As vice-chair of the APPG for the armed forces, representing the Navy, and as the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North, it would be remiss of me not to mention our two aircraft carriers, His Majesty’s ships Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales. HMS Queen Elizabeth deployed to the High North in autumn 2021, as part of the UK carrier strike group 21 deployment. During that period, the ship operated in the north Atlantic and near the Arctic circle, including in exercises with Norway and our NATO allies. She returned to northern waters again in 2023 for further NATO and joint exercises, focusing on cold-weather and Arctic operations. I am proud to say that when she returned in 2023, my son was serving on that ship.

In 2022, His Majesty’s ship Prince of Wales also deployed on a major NATO maritime deployment in the north Atlantic, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ship operated again in northern waters early in 2024, taking part in NATO’s large-scale exercise in Norway and the surrounding Arctic region. We have committed to her returning there in the near future. All the evidence is that we, as a Government and as the armed forces, as the First Sea Lord has said, are taking our national security very seriously.

Our national security policy positions the United Kingdom at the forefront of efforts to make NATO stronger, fairer and more effective, and commits us to strengthening our armed forces and protecting our national security in the face of growing threats from state actors. Those commitments are not abstract, because they underpin the Government’s defence investment pledge, agreed with NATO allies, to raise defence and security spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, reinforcing our broader national resilience and collective deterrence.

The UK’s preparations for Exercise Cold Response demonstrate our commitment to NATO and our collective defence. They send a clear signal that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Norway and our allies, and that we are prepared to operate and, if necessary, defend in the most demanding of environments. Since taking office, this Government have doubled down on our strategic posture in the High North, including with plans to double the number of UK troops deployed to Norway over the next three years to strengthen security in the Arctic and the High North.

Readiness, however, is not only about kit and capability; it is about people. I not only observed exercises, but spoke at length with those deployed about welfare, sustainment and the realities of repeated operations far from home. They spoke candidly about separation from their families, the physical and mental demands of Arctic conditions, and the importance of clear political direction and sustained investment—as well as about the kit.

If we are serious about Arctic readiness, we must ensure that our defence policy reflects operational reality and not assumptions, and that our people at home and abroad get what they need. That means listening carefully to those who deliver the missions, ensuring that equipment is fit for purpose, guaranteeing that logistic chains are resilient, and recognising that deterrence begins long before a crisis emerges. It also means that we must champion the alliances that make our security possible. Labour’s manifesto reaffirmed our absolute commitment to NATO, and to ensuring that Britain plays its full part in collective defence.

While I was in the High North, our Norwegian partners spoke about their genuine respect for the capability and reliability of our British forces. Their trust has been built over decades of partnership and a real shared endeavour. In the High North our forces are prepared and professional, and they are proving that Britain remains a serious and dependable ally. Our responsibility is to match that commitment with our own, to provide the strategic clarity, resources and long-term vision that Arctic readiness demands.

I echo the three questions put by my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen and add one of my own: a request from service personnel. In terms of our troops on the ground, how can we ensure that what are often seen as soft materials—their gloves, jackets, uniforms, boots, body armour and backpacks—are the best they can be? How can we ensure that they are listened to when it comes to the real things used by real people?

Ministry of Defence

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

It is a privilege to speak in this debate on defence. In Portsmouth North, defence is not abstract; it is jobs, apprenticeships, families and an essential part of my city’s future. My constituency is home to the Royal Navy, and I welcome the Government’s record investment in defence, which is the largest sustained investment since the cold war. That investment is not just in the hard stuff, but in families, personnel, housing, and all the necessary things for our armed services personnel.

We need to see leadership, and we have shown that in our support for Ukraine. This year’s £4.5 billion in military aid, including advanced air defence systems and lightweight multi-role missiles, shows that the UK stands firm against aggression. The war in Ukraine has taught us that warfare is changing fast, with drones, autonomous systems and uncrewed capabilities reshaping the battlefield. Agility and innovation is key, which is why the £4 billion investment in autonomous and high-tech systems matters.

Along with my small and medium-sized enterprises, I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Alex Baker) about the need for us to be involved in the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, and to bring in long-term support and investment, opportunities and British jobs.

We are also watching escalating tensions in the middle east with concern. Recent developments highlight the importance of maintaining a credible forward presence, and I would be grateful if the Minister could provide further information on the deployment of HMS Dragon in her current role—I would be happy to take an intervention on that point or at the end.

In Portsmouth North this investment is real. The UK defence sector supports thousands of jobs, many connected to the Royal Navy. Defence growth deals and the £250 million fund have given us a chance to enhance local expertise, strengthen supply chains, and attract private investment into maritime technologies. SMEs are key. Many in my constituency struggle to cut through the red tape and infiltrate the MOD. The defence office for small business growth and the SME commercial pathway are vital, but they must take into account the nuances of working with the defence sector.

Skills are also crucial, and the £182 million defence skills package and the defence technical excellence colleges are really important. Today I was proud to launch, at the Space-Comm Expo here in London, a partnership between Airbus and the Solent growth partnership, to create the UK’s first ever space and defence apprenticeship matching programme, and to provide local jobs and opportunities for young people.

However, we must be candid: the previous Government left procurement over-committed and underfunded, but this Government understand that growth must go hand in hand with security. I echo the calls for a national conversation about the ever-changing world in which we live and what extended defence spending might mean for our public services and our priorities, because to be war-ready is not just the task of Government and our armed forces, but a task for the whole country. To conclude, I thank all who work in and with our British armed forces.

Armed Forces Bill

Amanda Martin Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 26th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[James Cartlidge]

The hon. Gentleman hits the nail on the head, and I need add nothing further. We all agree and we pay tribute to all those who served in Afghanistan.

Moving on to the Bill, given its necessity to ensure that we have functioning armed forces, we will not seek to divide the House. Indeed, on national security, we should always strive for consensus where possible, as has particularly been the case on Ukraine. We have presented a united Parliament to our adversaries, which should be a source of national pride. However, as with any major piece of legislation, there will be many issues of detail that we will want to tease out in detailed scrutiny in Committee.

While we inevitably have concerns about the underlying issue of defence funding, there are many aspects of the Bill that we support in principle. In particular, I welcome the Government’s commitment to strengthening the armed forces covenant. Having been the party that first introduced the covenant, it will be of no surprise that we support moves to strengthen both its purpose and delivery. That said, when it comes to our veterans, we remain resolute in our total opposition to the Government’s policy in respect of those who served in Operation Banner to protect all of us from terrorism. The House surely cannot ignore the fact that as we debate this Bill, which is designed to strengthen our armed forces, Labour continues in parallel with its plan to repeal our legacy Act—the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023—and threaten a new era of vexatious claims against former soldiers. It is fair to say that my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) will say more about that in his winding-up speech.

On the Bill’s proposals relating to the service justice system, there is recognition on both sides of the House that we have massive lessons to learn. Work to improve the system began under the previous Government, as the Secretary of State recognised. After publication of the Atherton report, which identified cultural failings in the forces, the then Secretary of State, Ben Wallace, took steps to enforce changes so that we could better protect women in the armed forces. In 2022 we introduced a series of new policies—for example, clamping down on unacceptable sexual behaviour by introducing a zero-tolerance approach and banning instructor-trainee relationships of any sort. We also established the defence serious crimes unit. As a result of the changes we made, more people have been empowered to come forward, and service personnel who have breached those policies have been discharged or convicted as a direct result.

I particularly welcome the steps in the Bill to ensure that the service justice system protects victims of the most serious offences from further harm. The reality is that implementing cultural change in any large organisation does not happen overnight, but we will work with the Government in the forthcoming sittings on the detail of their proposals to ensure that we find a better way to deliver justice in the armed forces.

Let me move on to the proposed changes to the reserve forces. I pay tribute to all those serving as reservists, including, as was pointed out, those on Operation Interflex—they are a critical part of our fighting strength. That said, given the heightened threat level that we face today, we can surely all recognise that nations geographically closer to the Russian threat, such as Finland, draw a major part of their overall military strength and, thereby, conventional deterrence from possessing a large and active reserve.

As such, it is important that we understand more of the detail about the Government’s plans to increase the number of active reservists by 20%. That is stated in the strategic defence review, but with a vague timeline—

“most likely in the 2030s”.

We can all see that there is a big difference between 2031 and 2039, and that the threat we face is nearer. In his winding-up speech, can the Minister for the Armed Forces tell us if that will be in the next Parliament or the one after that?

We also welcome proposals to make reservist life more flexible, particularly incentivising regulars to stay in the reserves as they explore new careers. In fact, that is exactly what was suggested in the Haythornthwaite review, which was commissioned under the previous Government and delivered by my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison). It made the important recommendation for so-called zig-zag careers, enabling far greater flexibility between reserve and regular service. We welcome that and will look at it further.

Let me move on to the Bill’s proposals for armed forces accommodation. Buying back the defence estate was my top strategic priority as Minister for Defence Procurement.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

You didn’t do it!

[James Cartlidge]

The hon. Lady says from a sedentary position that I did not do it. The deal was done in 1996. Who was in government between 1997 and 2010 and did nothing about this issue?

Let me speak openly. When I got the job, I went to visit defence accommodation. As I have said many times, I was ashamed, but I said, “I am going to do something about this.” My former colleague Jeremy Quin, who was the Minister before me, had brought test cases, but there was no work, and nothing had happened under successive Governments. I started the work with the Treasury and with people across Government. That deal, which took a heck of a lot of negotiation, was under negotiation with the Annington group when the general election came.

--- Later in debate ---

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

Portsmouth North knows the value of service. We are a proud naval city, home to serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families, and to the many charities and individuals who support them. We are a city whose identity is inseparable from the Royal Navy. More than 9,000 veterans of all services live in Portsmouth. Thousands more serve at His Majesty’s Royal Naval Base, Portsmouth, and many families in my constituency move where duty sends them, putting down roots again and again in the service of this nation. That is why the Armed Forces Bill matters so deeply to Portsmouth North. The Bill renews the nation’s contract with those who serve. It delivers better homes, stronger protections, fairer support for veterans and serving personnel and greater readiness at a time of global threat.

Let me start with housing, because for far too long forces families were badly let down. Under the Conservatives, satisfaction with service family accommodation collapsed to record lows as families lived with damp, mould and unsafe conditions. This Bill draws a clear line under that failure. Indeed, I am proud to see that this work has already begun under this Government, with real change to be seen in houses in areas such as Hilsea. I thank the Minister and the Secretary of State for visiting and seeing this change.

But we are going to do more, by establishing a publicly owned Defence Housing Service and backing it with a fully costed £9 million defence housing strategy. Change under Labour is real. This investment will directly improve service family accommodation in Portsmouth, which will improve retention and provide stability and quality of life for those who serve and live in our almost 700 local homes. That is also only possible because we ended the disastrous privatisation of military housing and brought 36,000 forces family homes back into public ownership, saving £200 million a year—money we are now reinvesting for our service personnel.

I am proud that the Bill delivers on a solemn promise that we made at the general election: for the first time, the armed forces covenant will be extended across every part of government. Central Government, local authorities and public bodies will be legally required to consider the unique circumstances of service life. For Portsmouth North, where thousands of veterans and service personnel rely on local healthcare, housing, employment and support, that will end the postcode lottery and deliver fairness for those who are serving and those who have already given up so much. I ask the Minister to tell me in his summing up how clear statutory guidance with practical examples will support consistent delivery on the ground and give confidence to those responsible for making the covenant work. I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Alex Baker) and join her campaign by making Portsmouth the national covenant city, alongside Aldershot’s covenant town.

Those who serve our country must be able to do so with dignity and respect. This Bill strengthens the service justice system, improves support for victims and ensures that serious offences are dealt with swiftly and properly. It also delivers new protections against sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking and harassment in line with our mission to halve violence against women and girls. Supporting victims and raising standards does not weaken our armed forces; it strengthens them.

In conclusion, the Bill exposes a clear divide between those who back our armed forces and those who prefer slogans to substance. The Tories talk tough on defence, but their record is one of abysmal failure. Their 14 years in government left morale at record lows, forces housing in a shameful state, our services decimated, and the no-detriment service of our service personnel unrecognised, unknown and, for many, invisible. But there is another group I must mention: Reform UK. Reform Members speak loudly outside this Chamber about patriotism and respect for the armed forces. Yet when this House debates housing, welfare and legal protection for those who serve and have served, they are conspicuous by their absence. On debates marking D-day, VJ Day and moments of enormous significance to my naval city and to veterans across the country, Reform Members are shamefully not here.

[Rachel Taylor]

Does my hon. Friend agree that given that Reform is in control of more than 10 county councils up and down the country, which will be responsible for implementing the armed forces covenant in areas such as education and social welfare, the inability of its Members to show up today is shameful?

[Amanda Martin]

Absolutely, which is why I ask the Minister how we can ensure that the covenant is statutory across all our local authorities.

Patriotism is not a slogan or social media post. It is showing up, voting for better homes for forces families, backing the armed forces covenant, strengthening the protections for those who serve, and listening and supporting individual constituents as an MP and collectively as Government. Help for Heroes, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the Naval Children’s Charity have all welcomed the direction of the Bill and stand ready to support its implementation so that lived experience continues to shape delivery.

This is a Bill for homes fit for heroes and for fairness for thousands of veterans in Portsmouth and for those serving. I am proud to say that two special naval personnel are in the Gallery today: my son and his girlfriend. I want to give them and all others who serve and have served dignity, respect, support and readiness in an increasingly dangerous world. Since being elected, I have stood up proudly for my armed forces community, alongside a city that has always stood up for our armed forces. Today this Bill ensures that Government will do the same.

Ukraine and Wider Operational Update

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Wednesday 7th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

The right hon. Gentleman tempts me to comment on hypothetical what ifs. What I can say is that security guarantees that are being agreed at this point are an essential element of any potentially successful peace negotiations. If they reach agreement, those negotiations will test what, at the moment, Putin says is his approach to Ukraine and its future.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and leadership. As the Member for Portsmouth North, the home of the Royal Navy, I pay tribute to all our armed forces. Does the Secretary of State agree that continued strong UK leadership from our Prime Minister and commitment and consensus across the whole of this House with our allies is vital to enforcing sanctions on Russia and to strengthening security and achieving peace in Ukraine, and in doing so, ensuring security in my port city and in Britain too?

[John Healey]

I warmly welcome my hon. Friend’s support for the statement and the wise words that she has set out for the House. She speaks with great authority and great strength for her home city, and I think the House will have welcomed her words.

Ukraine

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Luke Pollard]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. We have announced that we intend to introduce the maritime services ban on Russian LNG, which will restrict Russia’s ability to export globally. The reason it is being phased in is so that it can be done in lockstep with our EU friends, who are introducing equivalent restrictions. He is right to identify the issue, and the Government are right to take steps to address it. I am an impatient so-and-so, and I know that the efforts that we are making across Government are based on a similar impatience to get it done fast, but it must be done well.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his statement and send solidarity to Ukraine. As Christmas approaches, I would like to thank all who serve in our armed forces and wish them a merry Christmas, wherever they are in the world.

I want to pause and remember Lance Corporal George Hooley, who, as we heard from the Minister, has returned home to the UK. Before his passing, Lance Corporal Hooley wrote a letter to his friends and family to be opened in the event of his death, as many members of our armed forces do. If you will allow me, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to share a few of his beautiful, poignant and proud words:

“If you are reading this, it means I didn’t make it home. Please don’t let that be the thing that breaks you. You know I was doing what I believed in as well as loved, with people I respected, and for reasons that matter to me, my country and democracy and freedom in this world. I was proud of what I was doing.

Don’t remember me with sadness and loss. Be proud. I went out doing what I trained to do, what I chose to do, and I had all of you in my heart the whole way.”

Rest in peace, Lance Corporal George Hooley.

[Luke Pollard]

I thank my hon. Friend for reading Lance Corporal George Hooley’s words into the record. I know how close to home that will hit with her, as a mother of someone serving in our armed forces, and indeed other Members across the House. We ask extraordinary things of our people. What they do and the sacrifices they make—the ultimate sacrifice in this case, but also the sacrifice at Christmas—is appreciated on the Government Benches, on the Opposition Benches and, I believe, by everyone in the United Kingdom.

Oral Answers to Questions

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Monday 15th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Al Carns]

It is not lost on me that the testing and trialling of systems, in both the maritime and the air space, is full of regulatory issues and hurdles. We have had a couple of meetings with the Department for Transport, and we have a firm grasp of the problem. We now need to move this forward and unlock legislation to ensure that it is easier and far faster for those companies not only to develop cutting-edge technology and get it into the open market but to procure it for defence.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

5. What steps he is taking to improve support for female veterans.

[Joe Morris (Hexham) (Lab)]

23. What steps he is taking to improve support for women veterans.

[The Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones)]

Engaging and supporting the women who have served in our armed forces is an important part of our new veterans strategy and a priority that is deeply personal to me as a veteran myself. As well as our commitments across the strategy, we will specifically be taking forward plans to establish a new women veterans forum and an oral history project to improve public understanding and recognition of the experiences and contributions of women veterans in keeping the nation safe.

[Amanda Martin]

I would like to thank my hon. Friend for her service and for her support in this area. In the last two years, changes have been made to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary maternity policy that prevent new parents from taking back-to-back shore assignments, which are crucial to balancing seafaring with young families. These changes are especially detrimental to families where both parents are in the RFA and raise serious concerns about compliance with employment law. Given the retention crisis in the RFA, does the Minister think that the maternity policy provides adequate flexibility for families, and will she meet me and those affected to discuss this important issue?

[Louise Sandher-Jones]

We are, of course, committed to supporting families across defence, and we recognise the extraordinary service that RFA sailors give to this country. As I have previously written to my hon. Friend, the maternity and parental support package provided by the RFA includes enhanced leave entitlements and tailored assistance through mechanisms such as occupational health. While consecutive shore postings have never been a Defence policy, the RFA does support employees to use flexibilities within that offer, and I would be happy to meet her to discuss this further.

Remembrance Day: Armed Forces

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I associate myself with the eloquent words of the Minister for the Armed Forces, and thank all those in this House who have served for their service.

I am honoured to contribute to today’s debate on behalf of the people of Portsmouth North, including members of the armed forces, as we pause to remember those who gave, and those who will give, their lives in the service of our nation, and to reflect on the continuing cost of conflict and the lasting contribution of our armed forces to our national life.

For me, remembrance is deeply personal. On 23 December 1940, during the second world war, my great-grandad George Hector Coles was killed when German bombers struck his home, 22 Abercrombie Street in Portsmouth, in one of the horrific blitz raids on my city. While families across Britain prepared for Christmas, mine received news that changed them forever. He never saw peace return after that war, and never met his grandchildren, but his sacrifice—like those of so many—echoes through generations and shapes my understanding of what remembrance truly means.

Portsmouth’s role in our nation’s defence cannot be overstated. As the home of His Majesty’s naval base, our city has stood on the frontline time after time. During the second world war, our streets endured 67 bombing raids, with nearly 1,000 lives lost and thousands left homeless, yet Portsmouth never faltered. The courage of dockyard workers, civil defence volunteers and ordinary families across the city exemplifies the spirit we honour today. At the weekend and today, I was proud to lay wreaths at memorials across our city, where the names of Pompey folk stand alongside those who never returned, including so many who were lost at sea with no grave. We owe it to all of them not only to remember, but to uphold the values for which they served—courage, duty, and a belief in a better future.

Remembrance is not only about the past; it is about those who serve today. There are around 4.5 million people in the UK armed forces community, and I am proud to say that my son is one of them. Alongside the Royal British Legion and with the amazing Terry and Denise, I am proud to have sold poppies for many years, and to wear my poppy. I pay tribute to the veterans, veterans’ groups, cadet forces, community organisations and charities across my city who support our armed forces families all the year round.

This year I have been contacted by constituents who would like me to speak specifically about their heroes. They are Leading Writer Kate Elizabeth Arnold; Kathy Cox—known as Katy Newman—who served as a corporal during the civil war in Cyprus; Barry Hynd, who served 30 years in the Army; Christopher John Purcell, who served 20 years in the Royal Navy, including in the Falklands and the Gulf; Graham Street, who served 35 years in the Navy; Corporal Fred Head, a recipient of the Military Medal and bar, who served from 1914 until 1919; and Walter Gabriel McKay, a first and second world war veteran. We must remember them.

Oral Answers to Questions

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Monday 3rd November 2025 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

I have nothing to add to what I said in response to the hon. Member for Ashfield (Lee Anderson), who asked the same question. What a waste of a question.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I very much welcome the Government’s Op Valour pilot programme and the Minister’s commitment to improving support for our veterans. However, I am disappointed that Portsmouth—home to the Royal Navy and one of the largest veteran communities—is not part of the programme. Can the Minister reassure me that councils like Portsmouth city council will be encouraged and supported to join Op Valour and look after the veterans who live in our city?

[Louise Sandher-Jones]

I share my hon. Friend’s disappointment. Valour is a £50 million programme that will bring together a network of regional hubs to ensure that there is a physical location where veterans can go to seek help. I urge every region of the UK to get involved.

Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

It is an honour to rise to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day—the day when the guns finally fell silent and the second world war came to its end.

Portsmouth has been the beating heart of Britain’s naval power for over 500 years, and it played a crucial role in the Pacific campaign that led to VJ Day. Victory in the Pacific was hard won, and Royal Navy ships sailed thousands of miles from Portsmouth docks to join the fight. Within months of Pearl Harbour in December 1941, the Navy was deploying significant forces to the Indian and Pacific oceans. By 1945, the British Pacific fleet was the largest and most powerful fleet Britain had ever assembled, comprising four battleships, six fleet carriers, 15 small carriers and over 750 aircraft—all supplied and maintained, and many built, in Portsmouth and other British shipyards.

The fleet comprised thousands of personnel—sailors, aircrew, marines and support staff—who fought in the sweltering heat of the Indian ocean and weathered the typhoon of the Pacific, but many never returned. Portsmouth naval base worked around the clock preparing ships for service. The barracks housed thousands of men bound for the far east, and local shipyards built the landing craft, destroyers and frigates that would prove essential. The entire city, from dockyard workers to families who billeted sailors, was a valuable part of the war effort.

The human cost of victory was profound. Beyond those who died in battle, thousands suffered disease, wounds and psychological trauma—yet their sacrifice was not in vain. When Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, it marked the end of one of the most devastating conflicts in human history. The Royal Navy had played its part in bringing about a victory that would reshape the world, establish the principles of international law, and create the foundations of decades of peace and prosperity.

The lessons of VJ Day remain so very relevant today. The victory was achieved not through the efforts of any single nation but through alliances and co-operation. As we face new challenges in an uncertain world, the examples of those who served in the Pacific remain inspirational. I would like to mention the Royal Navy ships that have served since: HMS Daring, HMS Argyll, HMS Albion, HMS Sutherland, HMS Tamar, HMS Spey and, of course, HMS Prince of Wales, which is en route there as a special deployment in Operation Highmast. To all veterans and serving personnel, I say: thank you.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to two individuals—Lance Sergeant Harold Kennard from Stamshaw in Portsmouth, and Private George Ogle from North End, both of whom were captured and died as prisoners of war, making the ultimate sacrifice—and reflect on my city’s role in VJ Day. History is not made of distant figures, but by serving personnel from my city and by communities like mine that came together for a common cause.

Afghanistan

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Tuesday 15th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

I am not in a position to make a decision about publishing the legal advice that led the previous Government and Defence Secretary to extend the scheme. It is not legal advice that I have had access to or seen. On the question of costs, the hon. Member for North Cotswolds (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown), Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, will do the job. I can confirm that the total cost of all Afghan relocation schemes to date, for those 36,000 Afghans who have been brought to this country, is around £2.7 billion. The expected cost over the entire lifetime of those schemes, to bring in anyone who may subsequently prove eligible, is between £5.5 billion and £6 billion. That is at least £1.2 billion less because of the policy decisions I have taken this afternoon.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for his openness and transparency, and for his apology, and I thank Portsmouth city council for its involvement in Afghan resettlement schemes, which have helped many of those who served alongside my Portsmouth North constituents. I welcome today’s decision. The Government rightly took time to consider all the options and examine the complexities, including through the Rimmer review. They considered the cost to taxpayers and the safety of those affected, alongside the need for transparency and openness in this House and to the press and the public. Does the Secretary of State agree that we must, as a Government, reaffirm our commitment to public transparency?

[John Healey]

I do agree, and this House is doing so this afternoon in response to my statement. The role that my hon. Friend’s local council in Portsmouth and councils across the country are playing in making sure that there is a warm welcome and a unified Afghan resettlement programme in place for those Afghans and their families who we are welcoming into this country is remarkable. We thank them for that. Central Government and this House could not see these schemes operate effectively without our local councils.