Defence policy

Last updated April 2026

National security comes first; everything else follows.

Much has been made of the changing world we are living through. We are seeing an increasingly turbulent geopolitical climate; the return of war to Europe; the rise of cyber-attacks and disinformation; the steady shift in global power that has made the world less predictable than it was even a decade ago. As I said in Parliament last year, threats to the UK are no longer distant, they are here and now.

“The day a British citizen died on British soil as a result of a Russian attack ought to have been a wake-up call for everyone in this country… The reality is that Russian planes and ships menace our air and waters, their cyber-attacks have hit our NHS and councils, including Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and their propaganda has been disseminated by British politicians and online. […] this is not a distant threat elsewhere in the world; it is here and now.” (Hansard, 4 December 2025)

That is why I have taken a clear approach on the policies I support in Parliament: strong defence, strong alliances, and a defence industrial policy that puts Teesside jobs first.

I will give some examples.

First, backing our armed forces personnel and their families, not just while they are serving but afterwards too.

I was privileged to be selected to take part in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, a privately-run programme which allows a small cross-party group of MPs insight into our armed forces facilities, personnel and service life. It has been eye-opening and valuable to experience first-hand the ethos and culture of the Defence community, and it has informed my work on behalf of our area.

Along with visiting many of our bases, including RAF Fylingdales and RAF Leeming near us, I have also supported our Army reserves based at Coulby Newham’s Hollis VC Armoury, and visited HMS Duncan too.

Time after time, I have raised the issue of veterans’ welfare in Parliament. That has meant pressing ministers on rough sleeping among former armed forces personnel, challenging the adequacy of mental health support, and asking detailed questions about services like Op COURAGE.

One of the first issues I raised in Parliament was the issue of veteran homelessness. I said “It should shame every politician in this House that today, veterans who have served our country are still sleeping rough on our streets,” and I meant it. Working with the Government and with our local councils, we were able to overhaul social housing rules to ensure that local veterans are given top priority access for housing. When some social housing providers tried to avoid the requirements, I highlighted in Parliament the issue of my constituent who was shamefully left sleeping on the floor so his children could have a bed. My team and I were able to get him housed.

Following the tragic death of Royal Marine Sam Morgan in Guisborough in 2024, I immediately raised the issue of veteran mental health in Parliament – and demanded the Government “do more to address the issue of veteran mental health”. In February 2025, we brought the Government’s Veterans Minister to Guisborough to listen to local veterans, support services, and Sam’s family. That discussion fed directly into the national Veterans Strategy published in 2025, and spurred local work including the new Morgan House veteran supported housing project in East Cleveland, which turned a disused building into a place people can rebuild their lives.

This is not complicated. If we ask people to serve, we must be there when they come home. So far, progress has been made, but there is more to do, and I will keep pushing.

The second area I have campaigned on is strengthening our defence industrial base.

I have consistently supported the Government’s decision to increase defence spending to levels not seen since the Cold War, and to carry out the root-and-branch Strategic Defence Review. I have also joined cross-party motions in Parliament calling for them to move faster. The reality is that the old assumptions no longer hold. The idea that we could rely on a “peace dividend” has been overtaken by events.

That’s why in January 2025, I called on Government to overhaul defence procurement and support small businesses, including those in our constituency. Then, in May 2025, I led a debate in Parliament on support for defence industries in the North East. I spoke about the 2,500 people working directly in defence across our region, and the thousands more in the supply chain at manufacturers large and small. I have continued to raise these issues across a range of different areas, but with one common, simple point: if we are increasing defence spending, that investment should strengthen British industry in the regions that need it most. Partly that is about economics, partly it is about fairness. But it is also about security – because if we cannot build, repair, and sustain our own capabilities, then we are not in control of them.

The Government has started to move in the right direction, through the Strategic Defence Review published last year and the wider industrial strategy, but I will continue to push to ensure that change is fully delivered. In my view, every pound spent on defence should strengthens our national capability. That means building more in Britain, training more people here, and ensuring that our industry is resilient enough to support us in a crisis.

Third, I have pushed for better preparedness for future warfare.

In Parliament, I have raised concerns about the security of our infrastructure, including undersea cables and energy links. I have highlighted the importance of anti-drone technology. I have repeatedly pressed ministers on the need to tackle foreign interference, particularly online disinformation driven by hostile states. Whatever you may call it – hybrid warfare, grey-zone threats – the effect is the same: it seeks to divide us and weaken our democracy, and therefore our security.

There have been positive noises from ministers, and the Strategic Defence Review does set out a meaningful shift towards readiness, resilience, and a stronger link between defence and the wider economy. The question is whether we follow through. I will continue to raise these matters to ensure we do.

From my perspective, the priorities are clear: back our people, strengthen our defences, and ensure that procurement works for British industry and British communities. Decisions taken now will shape how secure we are in the years ahead; if we get those decisions right, we will not only be safer, but we will be stronger too.