Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Monday 15 December 2025 · 9 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister discusses steps to support a national conversation on rising defence costs.
  • Minister meets with West Midlands Mayor to discuss opportunities for SMEs due to increased defence spending.
  • Minister emphasizes the importance of addressing the shortage of adult instructors for cadet forces growth.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Julian Smith Con Skipton and Ripon
Ukraine Defence
Context

The strategic defence review mentioned the need for a 'national conversation' to address trade-offs in increasing defence spending.

Question

The right hon. Gentleman referred to the speech that the Chief of the Defence Staff will make tonight, arguing that the price of peace is rising and requiring a response from society. What steps are the Government taking to support this national conversation?

Answer from John Healey

We were talking about the strategic defence partnership agreement and wanted to follow that up with an agreement on Security Action for Europe, but it proved impossible to negotiate in a way that was good value for the British defence industry and taxpayer. However, we will do more alongside the European Union, particularly on Ukraine.

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Q2 Antonia Bance Lab Tipton and Wednesbury
Defence Business & Trade
Context

The west midlands is key for UK manufacturing, and there's a focus on small businesses benefitting from increased defence spending.

Question

What work is the Minister doing with the West Midlands Mayor to ensure that West Midlands companies, particularly SMEs, can access more opportunities due to increased defense spending?

Answer from The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (Luke Pollard)

I have met Richard Parker, showing his passion and determination to drive more growth in small businesses located in the west midlands. There is a huge opportunity as we increase defence spending, and setting up an office for small business growth will provide more opportunities for west midlands companies.

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Q3 James Cartlidge Con South Suffolk
Ukraine Defence Foreign Affairs
Context

There is concern over the UK-EU defence pact and its impact on sovereign fishing grounds without tangible benefits.

Question

From the Government Dispatch Box in May, the Secretary of State stated that the UK-EU defence pact 'opens the door' to the €150 billion EU Defence Fund. However, from June, it was noted this is surrendering precious sovereign fishing grounds without getting a penny in return. Who was right?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)

We were talking about the strategic defence partnership agreement and wanted to follow that up with an agreement on Security Action for Europe, but it proved impossible to negotiate in a way that was good value for the British defence industry and taxpayer. However, we will do more alongside the European Union, particularly on Ukraine.

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Q4 Alan Strickland Lab Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
Defence Science & Technology
Context

There is a growing space cluster in the region with Filtronic as a satellite communications business.

Question

How will Ministers from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology work together to champion our innovative space industry?

Answer from The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (Luke Pollard)

We are seeking to renew our space strategy, because the one we inherited was out of date and ineffective. We aim to support our industry further, including meeting with colleagues to discuss space opportunities.

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Q5 James MacCleary Lib Dem Lewes
Defence
Context

Concerns over the US-owned nuclear weapons used in F-35A jets and the lack of full cost assessment for the programme.

Question

Does the Secretary of State accept that relying on US-owned nuclear weapons for new F-35A jets compromises British operational security, given potential US authorization requirements? Given the Public Accounts Committee's concerns about full cost assessment, how can this represent value for money?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)

I fundamentally disagree with the hon. Gentleman. We are committed to purchasing F-35As so that Britain can play a full part in NATO’s DCA nuclear mission, reinforcing European defence and our nuclear deterrence.

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Q6 Pam Cox Lab Colchester
Veterans
Context

Colchester houses many serving personnel, veterans, and their families.

Question

Will the Minister set out how our new veterans strategy and Valour will better support those who have served in our armed forces? Also, would a member of the ministerial team love to visit Colchester for its 25th anniversary?

Answer from The Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones)

As my hon. Friend rightly notes, the veterans strategy is a huge step forward in how we will support our veterans. The £50 million Valour commitment will rapidly improve how we meet our veterans’ needs, and I will visit her constituency.

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Q7 Mark Pritchard Con The Wrekin
Defence
Context

Concern over the lack of comprehensive anti-hypersonic, anti-ballistic missile defence systems in the UK.

Question

Given threats from Russia and elsewhere with hypersonic capabilities, does it mean all our constituents are defenseless without a proper system?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)

We must take seriously our homeland defence, as pointed out in the strategic defence review. We are doing more on this front.

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Q8 Julian Lewis Con New Forest East
Defence
Context

The Government has committed to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035, a target date that is later than during the cold war years of the 1980s. There are concerns about rising threats from Russia.

Question

I welcome the Government’s commitment ultimately to spend 5% of GDP on defence—as we used to do in the cold war years of the 1980s—but not the target date of 2035. Do the Government really believe that there is no threat of attack from Russia on a NATO country for the next 10 years?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)

Of course there are rising threats, which is why we have a rising defence budget over the next 10 years. The 2035 commitment that we have made is shared with all other 31 NATO nations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific question about the threat of attack was not directly answered, instead acknowledging threats without committing to a timeline or details.

How: Under Review, Working On

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Q9 Ian Roome Lib Dem North Devon
Defence
Context

The strategic defence review requires a 30% increase in cadets from the current number of 140,000 to 180,000 by 2030. However, there is a severe shortage of adult instructors needed for this expansion.

Question

The strategic defence review states that we need a 30% increase in cadet forces, from 140,000 to 180,000. However, I am informed that there is a severe shortage of adult instructors. What is the Minister going to do to address that problem?

Answer from The Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones)

The hon. Member raises an important point. The cadets are a fantastic opportunity for our young people, who learn to build valuable skills, values and experience. Underpinning that is the work of our amazing adult volunteers. We are working very hard to see what we can do to improve how we support adult volunteers and, of course, to recruit more, so that we can continue to grow our cadets by 30% by 2030.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific question about actions to address the shortage was not directly answered, instead acknowledging the issue and committing to work on it without providing concrete steps or timelines.

How: Under Review, Working On

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