Defence Minister 'sick and tired of armchair generals' in response to BFBS audience poll

In a contradictory remark he would later retract, Defence Industry and Readiness Minister Luke Pollard said he is sick and tired of "journalists and armchair generals" talking down the military, as he was pressed in response to a BFBS Forces News audience poll. 

The survey, which asked if public remarks about the military being "underprepared" had negatively impacted morale among serving personnel, saw 86% out of roughly 2,900 respondents say they had. 

Mr Pollard added that he did not accept claims the military was not ready for war, instead deflecting to familiar rhetoric that his party had inherited a "hollowed-out and underfunded" Armed Forces. 

• Underprepared and under attack: Govt accused of failing to protect UK from the threat of war
• People think they're safe – but they're not, warns the lead author of the SDR
• What does the Strategic Defence Review mean for each of the three services?

If you want to have your say in the poll, you can follow this link to our YouTube channel.

'Sick and tired'

The government minister said "we're investing in our people," pointing to an increase in defence budget, a plan to address defence housing, and the largest pay rise for the Armed Forces in 20 years, followed by a second increase above inflation. 

Mr Pollard reiterated that he was "sick and tired" of criticism while the Armed Forces were doing "incredible work" keeping citizens and allies safe in the Middle East, as well as recent operations which monitored Russian vessels near the UK's undersea cables, arguing that "this narrative exists".

When asked whether he dismissed the criticisms of George Robertson, he quickly reframed his earlier statement, saying instead that characterisation referred not to the former Labour defence secretary who wrote the government's Strategic Defence Review, but to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge. 

"I've got a lot of time for George Robertson," he said. "He's a good, decent man, that cares passionately about our defence. 

"If there's anyone who knows him, knows the state of our Armed Forces, it is him."

Silencing the critics 

Mr Pollard then doubled down on his broader point, saying there were "far too many people from outside defence that are wanting to take potshots". 

He added that producing and publishing the Defence Investment Plan – that was originally due in December 2025 – would "silence a lot of those critics". 

"There's not a single person in uniform, not an admiral, general or air marshal who has ever served in the UK Armed Forces with a decade ahead of them of rising defence spending," he said. 

"That's what we now have – and we're getting on with the job of renewing our Armed Forces."