Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard has denied that the Government has backtracked on its pledges to increase defence spending.Asked if the Government has watered down its promises, he told GB News: "Absolutely not. This Labour Government is increasing defence spending."FULL STORY HERE.
00:00But with the government insisting there will be no extra spending and the defence budget
00:05remaining below 3% national income, how will it all be paid for?
00:10Well, let's cross live now to Whitehall and speak to the Parliamentary Undersecretary
00:13for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard.
00:16Good to see you this morning, Mr Pollard.
00:18How is this all going to be paid for?
00:20Because we've gone from John Healey talking about pledges and promises and we're now hearing
00:24the words aims and ambitions.
00:27Is he watering down on the spending pledge?
00:33Absolutely not.
00:34This Labour government is increasing defence spending.
00:37We have £5 billion extra in the defence budget this year.
00:40And thanks to the historic increase announced by the Prime Minister by April 2027, we'll
00:45be spending 2.5% of our GDP on defence, a figure not met since Labour was last in power in 2010,
00:53not met by any one of the last 14 years under the Tories.
00:57And then the ambition to spend 3% in the next Parliament.
01:01That is the commitment that was given by the Prime Minister in February.
01:05It is the reason why today in the Defence Review we're announcing what we're spending that historic
01:10uplift on defence on.
01:12New kit and equipment to keep our fighting forces at the cutting edge.
01:17New support for those people who serve, including sorting out the scandal of defence housing, the appalling state that we have some of our armed forces living in and making sure that defence can be an engine for growth with that increased defence spending being directed at British companies to create new jobs nationwide.
01:35A force to be reckoned with surely at 2.5%, 3%, sticking to those budgets all the time and those percentage limits.
01:47If you need something, why don't you just dip into the pot and buy it and pay for it and to deal with this cold war that's going on at the moment.
01:54It's more than a cold war, it's a grey war that's going on, whether it's cyber, whether it's cables in the sea, we are being attacked by China and Russia and goodness knows who else around the world.
02:07It's a different type of war and we need to spend money on it and 2.5%, I put it to you, it's just not enough. It's got to be 5%, surely.
02:19Well, 2.5% isn't enough. That's why we have this ambition to increase it to 3% in the next Parliament.
02:25But you're right that there are new threats facing the UK. We live in more dangerous times, not just new conventional threats, but new nuclear threats as well.
02:33And so many of those grey zone activities. In the last two years, the UK armed forces have had 90,000 cyber attacks on them by foreign states.
02:45That's precisely why when you heard John Healy then talk about investing in a new cyber command, the Defence Review today sets out not just that investment in the conventional forces,
02:56the tanks, the tanks, the airplanes, the frigates and destroyers that we are so used to seeing, but in the new capabilities, the directed energy weapons that will be fitted to some of our Royal Navy destroyers
03:07to shoot down missiles and drones attacking them, to make sure that we have the cyber defences that are necessary for keeping not just our armed forces safe,
03:17but our whole of society, the civil resilience of our entire economy safe.
03:21Now, these are really big challenges, and it is precisely because we are facing those big challenges that the Prime Minister has cut international aid spending,
03:30moved it to defence, and we're directing that increased spending at British defence industries, creating jobs in every part of the country.
03:38I ask you to clarify the position on the 12 attack submarines that are going to be built. It's part of the AUKUS programme, isn't it?
03:44So how many of those will actually come under the Royal Navy's command, and how many will go to the US and how many will go to Australia?
03:51It's a very fair question. So we're building up to 12 new nuclear-powered conventionally armed attack submarines for the Royal Navy.
04:01We'll also be supporting the build of new AUKUS submarines for our Australian friends as well,
04:06using not just cutting-edge British technology, but tech transfer from our American friends as well.
04:12That AUKUS partnership is just one of those international partnerships that the Defence Review today will be setting out.
04:19But I've been to Barrow. I've seen the amazing work of the shipyard there, the workers building not just our current Astute-class and Dreadnought-class submarines
04:29that are in their giant submarine building factory there, but also the amazing work that's taking place in Derby,
04:35where the new nuclear reactors are being built as well.
04:38These submarines will help secure the North Atlantic from Russian threats, both conventional surface fleet,
04:44but also the development that they're putting into their underwater capabilities.
04:49And that is a sign, I think, of the commitment that this government is making to invest in the latest generation technologies
04:55that helps keep our country safe, as well as creating more jobs.
04:59That nuclear announcement today doubles the number of apprentices and graduates that will be involved in that nuclear enterprise now.
05:06That's a really incredible opportunity for young people and helps drive growth in our economy.
05:12OK, Luke Pollard, we're out of time with you this morning, I'm afraid, but thank you so much for your time.
