Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role new technology adoption and efficiency tools, including artificial intelligence, will play in reaching the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee target of 13,000 additional police personnel.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
New technologies, including artificial intelligence, will play an important role in supporting the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee by improving productivity and, over time, freeing up officers to focus on frontline duties.
The Government is investing in the rapid and responsible adoption of AI across policing, including over £115 million over the next three years. This will be delivered through PoliceAI, a new National Centre for AI in Policing, which will support forces to test, assure and scale AI tools, while providing transparency through a public register of systems in use. These tools are already helping to automate time‑intensive tasks such as analysis of CCTV and triage of 101 calls, enabling officers to spend more time in their communities. By 2028-29 we estimate AI adoption will free up 6 million hours of police time per year, equivalent to 3,000 extra officers.
Alongside this, we have also launched a Police Efficiency and Collaboration Programme to support policing to free up thousands of additional officer hours by the end of FY2028/29. As part of that we are investing in the Centre for Police Productivity within the College of Policing, to scale what works, spread innovation nationally, and ensure forces are delivering real, measurable productivity gains to achieve this target.
Technology is not a substitute for officers. Its primary role is to support policing by reducing administrative burdens and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of investigations. We want officer time spent solving crimes and protecting our communities.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government is on track to reach its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee target of 13,000 additional police personnel.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, the Government has committed to delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of this Parliament. By February 2026 we had delivered 3,123 additional full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles since March 2025, with growth expected to reach 4,750 FTE by the end of March 2027.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces in England and Wales have procured and adopted new technologies and efficiency tools including artificial intelligence; and if she will provide an update on the progress of the adoption of artificial intelligence efficiency tools in the remaining forces.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions on the procurement and adoption of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, are operational matters for Chief Constables, who are responsible for determining how best to equip their forces in line with local priorities and legal and ethical obligations.
The Home Office does not centrally hold or publish a comprehensive list of which individual forces have procured specific tools, and updates on adoption are similarly determined and held at force level. However, the Home Office remains closely engaged with all 43 police forces in England and Wales to support the responsible use of new technologies.
To support a consistent and coordinated approach across policing, the Government has established PoliceAI, the new National Centre for AI in Policing. As set out in the Police Reform White Paper, this is backed by £115 million of investment over the next three years and will support forces to safely test, procure and implement AI tools, while providing greater transparency through a public register of deployments.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of an expanded role for the Joint Expeditionary Force in European security over the coming years.
Answered by Al Carns
The Joint Expeditionary Force strengthens NATO by operating actively, routinely, and rapidly in the Northern hemisphere.
As the threat to Europe grows more acute, JEF activity has grown in scale and ambition. Ex TARASSIS, the JEF’s flagship 2025 exercise, was the largest in its history. Ex LION PROTECTOR this year is planned to be more ambitious still.
While the JEF is an open and accessible framework which welcomes collaboration with non-members, it has a bounded area of strategic interest focused on the North Atlantic, Baltic, and High North and Arctic. NATO remains the cornerstone of European security writ large and the JEF remains complementary by design.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any Ministry of Defence procurement has been adversely impacted by delays in the delivery of USA-manufactured weapons as a result of the conflict in Iran.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
While the conflict in Iran has resulted in changes to delivery schedules of some munitions, Ministry of Defence teams work continuously with US partners to assess and adapt procurement programmes to ensure support to operations. We cannot comment further on specific munitions or stockpile questions for security reasons.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether the UK/EU–Ukraine Defence Innovation Corridor could help UK drone manufacturers benefiting from the Ukraine drone package to develop longer-term co-production and technology-sharing arrangements with Ukrainian industry.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK continues to assess the strategic landscape across Europe for opportunities that contribute to our collective defence and military industrial resilience. This has included officials meeting representatives of the UK/EU–Ukraine Defence Innovation Corridor and providing advice on how this early‑stage proposal could align with existing UK–Ukraine engagement on defence innovation and capability development.
The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) focus is delivering Programme LYRA, which the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy announced last June, and unlocking export control restrictions that will enable UK drone manufacturers to benefit from co-production and technology sharing arrangements, alongside supporting the exchange of battlefield data, with UK technologists and industry working alongside Ukrainian industry. MOD facilitates collaboration between Ukrainian and UK drone manufacturers by enabling co-location, testing and close working relationships to support both our industries and enhance innovation. The establishment of the UK’s Business Centre in Kyiv will help facilitate this for the benefit of UK, European, and Ukrainian industry.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with UK (a) SMEs and (b) early-stage defence technology companies on developing (i) counter-drone and (ii) electronic warfare capabilities informed by lessons from Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Procurement teams along with the National Armaments group routinely engage with Industry, including subject matter experts, to deliver the capability requirements of UK Armed Forces. These are informed by the current threat picture as well as lessons learnt from Ukraine, which include the need for a faster 'learn and adapt' cycle to accelerate the development of capability, doctrine and tactics.
More broadly, the Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by the UK to meet prevailing challenges, threats, and opportunities. Work to deliver Strategic Defence Review's recommendations, including on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, drones and electromagnetic warfare will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding has been allocated from the up to £1 billion announced for UK air and missile defence specifically to counter-drone technologies; and what proportion of that funding is directed toward industry-led innovation.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Reviews recommendations, including the proposed distribution of the allocation for Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125978, what metrics his Department is using to assess the effectiveness of the learn and adapt cycle referenced in relation to lessons from Ukraine; and how frequently these assessments are reviewed by Ministers.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
His Majesty’s Government continually monitors and assesses the threats to the United Kingdom.
Ukraine is demonstrating that the pace of the ‘learn and adapt’ cycle has accelerated exponentially. Capability concepts through acquisition to employment to countermeasures can now take weeks, if not months. Defence’s lessons governance mechanism provides interpretation of lessons and how they relate to the UK and identifies pathways for remedial action. Our relationship with Ukraine has allowed the UK to continually improve this approach.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what milestones and timelines will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan for the delivery of Integrated Air and Missile Defence capabilities, including counter-drone systems and electromagnetic warfare.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Reviews recommendations, including on the milestones and timelines for delivery of Integrated Air and Missile Defence capabilities, including counter-drone systems and electromagnetic warfare will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.