Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Investment Plan 2026-07-06

Monday 6 July 2026 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial discussions with the Chancellor resulted in a 15 billion increase for the Defence Department.
  • The Secretary of State acknowledged the importance of defence accommodation and referenced a 9 billion investment commitment.
  • James MacCleary inquired about a defence bonds scheme, to which the Secretary of State responded by highlighting specific investments in the Army's lethality and the UK's nuclear enterprise.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Dyke Lib Dem
Defence
Context

Discussions about the merits of increasing funding for defence investment.

Question

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of increasing funding for the defence investment plan?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

I worked closely with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to secure more money for our armed forces—a £15 billion increase in my Department's spending power. That means we will invest £298 billion in defence over the next four years. Of course there is more to do, and I will continue to work closely with colleagues across Government to ensure that defence remains the No. 1 priority at the next spending review.

Answered
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Q2 Sarah Dyke Lib Dem
Defence
Context

Concerns about delays in funding for refurbishing or replacing service homes, impacting bases like RNAS Yeovilton.

Question

Can the Secretary of State confirm whether personnel serving at bases such as RNAS Yeovilton will be affected by that delay, and what they should expect by 2030?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising that important point, and I pay tribute to those who serve in her constituency. We well understand the importance of having the best possible standard of defence accommodation for those who give so much for our country. That is why the defence investment plan restated the commitment to spend £9 billion over the next 10 years on defence accommodation, and that is why nine out of 10 of those most in need of repair have already been fixed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific confirmation about personnel being affected by delays or expectations for improvements was not provided.

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Q3 Alistair Carns Lab
Ukraine
Context

Concerns about NATO's readiness to respond to potential threats from Russia, especially on the eastern flank.

Question

Can the Secretary of State confirm that if the Russians were to test us on NATO's eastern flank, they would look across that flank and see not a NATO brigade, but something that looks like a Ukrainian brigade?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

My hon. and gallant Friend raises an important point, and I know that he speaks with operational experience on these matters. I hope that he sees and understands the importance that we attach to these matters. I know he understands the importance of working closely with our allies, both in NATO and in the joint expeditionary force—he and I have discussed that on many occasions.

Not addressed: The specific readiness question was not directly addressed; focus shifted to operational experience and ally collaboration.

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Q4 David Reed Con
Defence
Context

Concerns about funding cuts affecting service housing, previously stated as ringfenced and guaranteed by the Armed Forces Minister.

Question

Can the Secretary of State tell the House exactly how many service family homes will now have their refurbishments or rebuild delayed into the 2030s because the Government have failed to honour that commitment? Can he confirm that that figure is 14,000 homes?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

I have a lot of time for the hon. and gallant Member, but I will take no lessons from Opposition Members on the state of defence housing. He will have heard the commitment I made earlier about the £9 billion of investment that was reiterated in the DIP. I can also tell him that we will be refurbishing another 2,000 homes across the UK in the next 12 months alone.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Exact figures and confirmation of 14,000 homes affected were not provided; focus shifted to commitment reiteration and current efforts.

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Q5 James MacCleary Lib Dem
Defence
Context

Concerns about underfunding in the Defence Investment Plan and proposal for innovative financing through defence bonds.

Question

Have the Secretary of State or his colleagues spoken to Mr Haldane about a defence bonds scheme? If not, will he commit to doing so?

Answer from Dan Jarvis

I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's analysis of the DIP, not least because it included £20 billion to rapidly increase the Army's lethality and nearly £64 billion of investment in the UK's nuclear enterprise. In addition, the defence investment plan will create up to 60,000 good, skilled jobs across the country.

Not addressed: Specific commitment or discussion with Mr Haldane was not addressed; focus shifted to DIP investment details.

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