Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Yemm and Luke Pollard

Monday 8th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Tristan Osborne (Chatham and Aylesford) (Lab)]

18. What steps he is taking to help strengthen the defence industrial base.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Luke Pollard)]

Through the defence industrial strategy, the Ministry of Defence will strengthen the defence industrial base by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, fostering collaboration with industry and academia, creating jobs, enhancing exports support and adopting sustainable procurement practices. These measures will boost innovation, resilience and competitiveness while supporting national security and economic growth.

[Steve Yemm]

I welcome last week’s news that Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturer has invested £200 million in a new factory in the UK, creating 500 jobs. This demonstrates the strength of our partnership with our Ukrainian friends and the confidence that international companies have in Britain’s skilled workforce. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of foreign direct investment in the UK’s defence industrial base?

[Luke Pollard]

I thank my hon. Friend for celebrating the investment we are seeing. Foreign direct investment is a really important component part of building our ecosystem for defence industries. Britain is the very best place to invest in defence industries, with a talented population, increasing skills, increasing defence spending and a military that is respected the world over. We have a huge opportunity to do even more, and when I announce details of the defence industrial strategy shortly, I hope he will support that work as we seek to go further in using defence as an engine for growth in every part of the country.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Yemm and Luke Pollard

Monday 24th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Steve Yemm (Mansfield) (Lab)]

T2. Our troops must be able to trust the body armour that they wear to keep them safe. Will the Minister for the Armed Forces update the House on how withdrawing cracked enhanced combat body armour is going and on when everyone in our forces can expect to know that their body armour is safe?

[The Minister for the Armed Forces (Luke Pollard)]

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 will act to keep them safe.