Oral Answers to Questions

Luke Evans Excerpts

Monday 6th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dr Luke Evans (Hinckley and Bosworth) (Con)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Dan Jarvis)]

Last week, I made good on my promise to publish the defence investment plan and do right by our people. Yesterday, I met some of those people deployed on our aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in the High North. They are deterring our adversaries and keeping the UK and our NATO allies safe. I know that the whole House will join me in offering our gratitude for their dedicated service and sacrifice. Tomorrow, I will join the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary in Ankara for the NATO summit, where 32 nations, with the might of our armed forces and defence industry behind us, will be building a stronger, more secure Europe.

[Dr Evans]

I welcome the new Defence Secretary to Question Time, and simply pose a quick question to him, because we need some clarity about the Chagos deal. Will he confirm that it has been cancelled and that the money—the billions—that was going to Mauritius has now been transferred to defence spending?

[Dan Jarvis]

It is a fair question. I am looking very closely at the detail, and I will discuss it with our American allies.