By Civil Service World

23 Sep 2024

Your guide to the department's cast of ministerial characters, and what’s in their in-trays

Reviews are the news at the Ministry of Defence. The Labour Party was clear in its manifesto that its priority for the department in its first year back in government would be a strategic defence review. Keir Starmer followed through on this quickly. Within a few days of coming to power, the new prime minister had ordered the review and, around a week later, announced it would be overseen by defence secretary John Healey and headed by George Robertson, a Labour peer and former NATO secretary general. 

Strategic defence reviews have become increasingly frequent in recent years as the world has grown more volatile and amid changes of government. Back in 2010, the coalition government committed to five-yearly reviews. Labour’s review will be the third in five years, following 2021’s Integrated Review and the 2023 IR refresh. Upon the publication of the 2023 refresh, Healey – who has been shadow defence secretary since 2020 – said it was “not a good enough response to war in Europe”.

Healey, like a number of his fellow cabinet members, was a minister in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s administrations. Elected to parliament in 1997, his ministerial career began in 2001, holding roles at the Department for Education, Treasury and the-then Department for Communities and Local Government.

The defence secretary began his career in 1983 as deputy editor at CSW sister publication The House, only staying there for a year. He then worked as a campaigner and lobbyist for several disability charities, before working in unions. His last job before becoming an MP was as campaign director for the TUC.   

As shadow defence secretary, Healey has argued that the principal security threats the UK faces are in Europe and so British ambitions in the Indo-Pacific should be realistic from a military budget perspective. He has also carried on the Corbyn-era policy of prioritising British companies for defence contracts. Healey has also been a strong advocate for Ukraine, often calling urgent questions and pressing the government on providing aid to the country.

Labour has committed to raising spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP. However, it has not yet set a target date, instead leaving it to the strategic review to set out the roadmap. Defence spending currently accounts for 2.3% of GDP. 

Healey comes in to lead the department at a tricky time. As well as the increasingly volatile global situation, and pressure to find more money for the department, the MoD has been rocked by internal accusations of sexual misconduct. Last November, 60 female senior civil servants wrote to permanent secretary David Williams complaining of a “hostile” and “toxic” culture in the department. The letter included anonymised accounts from female MoD staff of being “propositioned”, “groped” and “touched repeatedly” by male colleagues.

In March, then-shadow procurement minister Maria Eagle said there had been a lack of “grip” by the political leadership at the MoD, which was led by Ben Wallace from 2019 to 2023 and more recently Grant Shapps. Eagle, who also served as a minister under Blair and Brown – has taken on the same role in government. 

She is one of two ministers of state in the department, alongside Lord Vernon Coaker, whose responsibilities include international relations and defence diplomacy; professional military education; security; and arms control and counter-proliferation.

They are joined by two junior colleagues: veterans and people minister Alistair Carns – who is also a former Royal Marine – and armed forces minister Luke Pollard. 

Starmer moved the Office for Veterans’ Affairs from the Cabinet Office to the MoD in one of his first machinery of government changes.

Carns, one of Labour’s big 2024 intake of MPs, served and led during four tours in Afghanistan and was awarded the Military Cross in 2011 “in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan” from 2010 to 2011.

Since 2017, he has served as an adviser to three UK defence secretaries. Recently he served as chief of staff to the Commander UK Strike Force, where he was responsible for coordinating aircraft carriers and commando forces. He was given an OBE for exceptional operational service in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Pollard, who became an MP in 2017, had been shadow minister for the armed forces since 2022. Before that, he was shadow environment secretary, a more senior frontbench role. Pollard’s father was a submariner in the Royal Navy. 

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