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<\/p>\nLabour defence minister Luke Pollard has rowed with GB News host Stephen Dixon for \u201ctalking down\u201d the state of Britain’s armed services.<\/p>\n
Speaking to GB News and standing before a Royal Navy frigate, the Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry hit back at claims that the military was \u201con its knees\u201d.<\/p>\n
Quizzing Mr Pollard on the nation\u2019s defence posture, GB News host Stephen Dixon despaired: \u201cWe’ve got high unemployment, flat growth, above target inflation, massively high electricity bills compared to Europe. <\/p>\n
“We’ve got a huge welfare bill. Businesses are crumbling under high taxes. Armed forces on their knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet the Prime Minister says resilience has been at the heart of my government’s approach?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shooting back, the minister responded: \u201cI don’t agree with what you’ve just said there. Our armed forces are not on their knees. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have capable, lethal armed forces that are globally deployed, keeping us safe at the very moment. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just don’t subscribe to this talking down of our armed forces that we’re seeing from some features, some figures in the media and some politicians in Parliament.<\/p>\n
Luke Pollard clashed with Stephen Dixon over ‘talking down the armed forces’ <\/p>\n
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GB NEWS<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m really proud of the work that the men and women of our armed forces are doing.”<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody is talking down the men and women serving in our armed forces,\u201d Stephen returned fire. <\/p>\n
\u201cI should know I’m married to one, now a veteran. But when he was in a tank regiment, they didn’t have any tanks. <\/p>\n
\u201cA tank regiment with no tanks, minister,\u201d the GB News star stressed. <\/p>\n
Mr Pollard accepted that it was \u201ccertainly true that we’ve inherited a situation where over the last decade and a half, our armed forces were hollowed out and underfunded\u201d. <\/p>\n
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‘Nobody is talking down the men and women serving in our armed forces,’ Stephen shot back<\/p>\n
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GB NEWS<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first budget, the last government made, they cut the armed forces in our first budget with increased defence spending. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow it takes about six to eight years to build a frigate like the one behind me\u2026 We know there’s more to do to bring this new technology forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s precisely why we’re investing in more shipbuilding, in more industrial capabilities, and adding more uncrewed and autonomous systems alongside our crewed platforms to give our fighting forces the extra capability that they need to deal with the threats that we are facing,\u201d the Labour Minister insisted.<\/p>\n
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