Oral QuestionCabinet Office

“If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.”

Tabled: 18 June 2026Answered: 25 June 2026

Asked by

Joe Powell

Labour — Kensington and Bayswater

Answering Minister

the Minister for the Cabinet Office

Answer from Hansard

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reason that the Defence Secretary set out at the Labour party conference a series of changes, including scrapping 100 outdated recruitment policies and creating a new direct entry route for cyber.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.