Pollard in spotlight with ministerial role

PLYMOUTH MP Luke Pollard has been appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence, and has hit the ground running by stressing the new Labour Government would commit to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

Mr Pollard, who successfully defended his Plymouth Sutton and Devonport seat at last week's General Election, said a "root and branch" review of the nation's defence capabilities would begin next week.

He took to social media to highlight his media interviews yesterday, when he set out the Government's policy. Mr Pollard appeared on GB News, Sky News, Times Radio, BBC Breakfast, LBC, BBC Radio 4's Today programme and ITN, and explained he was on air because Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey were attending a Nato summit in the United States.

On X, Mr Pollard wrote: "I'm up early to speak to the media about the Nato summit and the Labour Government's commitment to spend 2.5% of our GDP on defence. The first step is a root and branch review of our capabilities, with a new Strategic Defence Review that we will launch next week."