National Resilience
Monday, 19 October 2026
Contributions
Ian Roome (North Devon) (LD)Liberal Democrat
13. What steps he is taking to improve defence preparedness and resilience.
Mr SpeakerSpeaker
Question 13—unlucky for some!
The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (Luke Pollard)Labour (Co-op)
This Government have ended the underfunding and hollowing out of our armed forces that we inherited from the last Government. We are getting ready for warfighting readiness by 2030. That is why we are directing more of a growing defence budget at British companies, retiring old equipment, and giving our brilliant men and women in the armed forces the latest kit. Defence spending is up, morale is up and recruitment is up.
Speaking in Washington last week, the Secretary of State for Defence said: “Defence spending is the measure of our commitment. Defence capability is the measure of our credibility.” How will the Government ensure that in addition to increasing defence spending, this country maximises the capability that it gets for every pound?
We inherited defence spending of roughly 2.3% of GDP. That figure will be 2.7%-ish next year, and—as the hon. Gentleman will know, having read page 11 of the defence investment plan—at the spending review next year, the Chancellor will set out the spending profile that takes us to 3% and 3.5%. We are not only spending more on defence, but ensuring that we have the right equipment and capabilities. That is one of the reasons why we are retiring so much old equipment that no longer delivers for our armed forces and investing in new equipment, be that the hybrid Navy, autonomous drones or the latest capabilities for our people.
Alex Baker (Aldershot) (Lab)Labour
When it comes to improving defence preparedness and resilience, I was really pleased to see the Minister launch Project Safari at the Hebrides range last week, particularly as I am the MP for Farnborough, which is home to the headquarters of QinetiQ. Will the Minister update the House on Project Safari, how it will modernise test and evaluation provision across the UK, and why this is important?
Project Safari is a superb example of how, when we have asked industry to step up, it has responded. Steve Wadey, the chief executive of QinetiQ, is pioneering a new set of requirements for test and evaluation, with more access to our ranges for small businesses, a greater focus on more collaboration, and more utility for us to test new capabilities. Project Safari was delivered from start to finish in three months—it is a model for how I expect other companies to react to our move to warfighting readiness.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5419479.