Comments
Luke Pollard tells MPs he is only still in the job because John Healey asked him to stay.In a strong hint he agrees with Healey, he praises his former boss:"It's no secret that I worked in lockstep with the former Defence Secretary. He is a friend and mentor. "I was his… pic.twitter.com/NaM8FPdiXX— Tony Diver (@Tony_Diver) June 15, 2026
Poor Sir Keir Starmer simply cannot catch a break. Last week, what remained of his authority suffered another hammer blow after John Healey quit as Defence Secretary. He was quickly followed out of the door by the colonel-turned-Labour defence minister Al Carns. One Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, however, stayed on.
While Downing Street would have been somewhat relieved that the entire team had not turned on the Prime Minister, Pollard made clear today that his continuing in the job is hardly reason for No. 10 to pop the champagne. In the Commons, he confessed that he is only still in post because Healey asked him to stay. Pollard not-so-subtly implied that he shared the former Defence Secretary’s disgust at Rachel Reeves’s refusal to cough up the £28 billion needed to keep the country safe.
Pollard admitted to MPs:
