Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP's speech at DVD 2026

Minister Pollard highlighting the importance of collaboration between government, industry and private finance, to strengthen the capabilities of the British Army and boost economic growth.

Good afternoon. It’s nice not doing a speech in a suit, I have to say, and actually be able to get out there and get some mud going on, which is, I think, one of the great benefits of this event here. So good afternoon.

It is a real privilege to be here at DVD 26. I want to thank Rupert, our new National Armaments Director, and his team, for the work they’ve put in, their colleagues in the British Army for all the work that they’ve done. And my thanks to industry for what is a fantastic showcase of the warfighting abilities of our British Army, but also the potential of what could come next as well.

Strengthening that connective tissue between defence, industry and what is to come is an important part of delivering not just the Strategic Defence Review that was delivered last year, but also the Defence Investment Plan that was delivered only a few months ago. Now land is an essential domain, integral to the government’s mission to re-arm and reindustrialise the UK and it’s this domain that is one of the cornerstones of our deterrence as a nation.

And as an industrial sector, the land domain not only underpins the fighting power and lethality of the British Army, but also reinforces the argument that defence is an engine for growth.

Now, although I’m now supposed to say reindustrialisation, every time I say engine for growth due to the swapping Prime Ministers, the great advantage of that is both are true: that if we spend an increasing defence budget more with British companies, we create more good, decent jobs at home. We increase our industrial capacity, which increases our deterrent ability, as well as getting the latest kit and equipment into the hands of our warfighters.