Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Luke Murphy and Luke Pollard

Monday 1st June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Luke Pollard]

Yes, we do agree. We know that climate change is driving a number of increasing threats. We also know that as a Department we are cutting our carbon emissions and supporting nature recovery. We do that not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it increases our warfighting readiness. We know from Ukraine that a diesel generator can be seen by an ISR drone many, many kilometres away. We know that if we continue with the use of fossil fuels, we are at a strategic disadvantage on the battlefield. That is why we continue to invest in new technology in that regard.

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

T6. Basingstoke is home to a number of vibrant and successful cadet forces—air, Army and sea cadets, as a well as a number of combined cadet forces at the Costello and Vyne schools. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to those fantastic cadet forces, set out what she and the Government are doing to support them, and perhaps commit to a visit to meet some of the wonderful cadets in Basingstoke?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Luke Murphy and Luke Pollard

Monday 14th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

T10. I am immensely proud of the armed forces, both those serving and veterans, who live in my constituency, but I do worry for the future given the recruitment crisis that we inherited from the previous Government. What steps are this Government taking to tackle the recruitment crisis, in particular to attract diverse skills such as in cyber?

[Luke Pollard]

I am grateful for the question, because we know that there is a recruitment and retention crisis in the UK armed forces. It is precisely for that reason that the Defence Secretary set out at the Labour party conference a series of changes, including scrapping 100 outdated recruitment policies and creating a new direct entry route for cyber. There is a lot more work to be done in this area, and the Department will be making further announcements in due course.