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{{short description|'''Labour Co-op MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and defence minister'''}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Luke Pollard
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Start date|1980}}
| birth_place = [[Plymouth]]
| nationality = British
| residence = Plymouth
| occupation = Politician; Minister of State, [[Ministry of Defence]]
| known_for = [[Labour Party|Labour]] (Co-op) MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport; defence minister
| education = [[University of Exeter]]
| website = [https://lukepollard.org lukepollard.org]
}}
'''Luke Pollard''' is a British [[Labour Party|Labour]] and Co-operative politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for [[Plymouth]] Sutton and Devonport since 8 June 2017 and is a Minister of State in the [[Ministry of Defence]].<ref name="ParlCareer">UK Parliament, [https://members.parliament.uk/member/4682/career Parliamentary career for Luke Pollard], accessed 5 November 2026.</ref><ref name="GovUKBio">GOV.UK, [https://www.gov.uk/government/people/luke-pollard Luke Pollard MP], ''GOV.UK'', accessed 5 November 2026.</ref>

==Background==
Pollard was born in Plymouth in 1980. His father served in the [[Royal Navy]] as a submariner based at Devonport, and his mother taught at Marjon. He attended Tavistock College and Christleton High School before studying Politics at the [[University of Exeter]], graduating with a first-class degree in 2001 and serving as president of the students' union (the Guild of Students).<ref name="AboutLuke">Luke Pollard, [https://lukepollard.org/about-2/ About Luke], lukepollard.org, accessed 5 November 2026.</ref><ref name="GovUKBio"/>

Before entering Parliament he worked for [[ITV]] (Carlton Television), for Labour MPs including David Jamieson, at Labour headquarters on the 2005 general election campaign, for the communications firm [[Edelman]], for [[South West Water]], for [[J Sainsbury Plc|Sainsbury's]], for ABTA, and as a director of Field Consulting advising on construction, rail and transport projects.<ref name="AboutLuke"/><ref name="GovUKBio"/>

==Parliamentary career==
Pollard contested South West Devon in 2010 and Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in 2015 before winning Plymouth Sutton and Devonport for Labour (Co-op) on 8 June 2017. He was re-elected in 2019 and again for the redrawn seat on 4 July 2024.<ref name="ParlCareer"/><ref name="AboutLuke"/>

In opposition he was Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Fisheries, Flooding and Water) from 30 July 2018 to 7 January 2020, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 7 January 2020 to 29 November 2021, and Shadow Minister for Defence from 3 February 2022 to 30 May 2024.<ref name="ParlCareer"/> He sat on the [[Transport Committee]] from September 2017 to October 2018.<ref name="ParlCareer"/>

==Ministerial posts==
After the July 2024 general election Pollard was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the [[Ministry of Defence]]. The UK Parliament records the post as Minister for the Armed Forces from 9 July 2024 to 6 September 2025.<ref name="ParlCareer"/><ref name="July2024">Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-july-2024 Ministerial appointments: July 2024], ''GOV.UK'', 5 July 2024, accessed 5 November 2026.</ref>

On 6 September 2025 he became a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.<ref name="ParlCareer"/><ref name="Sep2025">Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-5-september-2025 Ministerial appointments: September 2025], ''GOV.UK'', 5 September 2025, updated 16 September 2025, accessed 5 November 2026.</ref> The government biography describes him as Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry between September 2025 and July 2026, and states that he was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence on 21 July 2026; a July 2026 Downing Street list records that he "will remain as Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence".<ref name="GovUKBio"/><ref name="July2026">Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-july-2026 Ministerial appointments: July 2026], ''GOV.UK'', accessed 5 November 2026.</ref> The UK Parliament career page lists the Minister of State post as continuous from 6 September 2025.<ref name="ParlCareer"/>

==Specialist Group Military Intelligence==
In an email of 7 August 2020 to the journalist [[Paul Mason]], among Mason's emails that were later leaked, [[Chris Donnelly]] wrote that he would "step down as Honorary Colonel of [[Specialist Group Military Intelligence|SGMI]] early next year" and could propose successors. "They want someone external (ie not an intel person), young (ideally under 50) and energetic," he wrote. "Given the importance of encouraging a defence awareness in the PLP had in mind someone like [[Stella Creasy]] or [[Liz Kendall]]."<ref name="MasonEmail">Chris Donnelly, email to Paul Mason, 7 August 2020, quoted in Mason's reply of 9 August 2020 ("Re: My latest on China..."), leaked Paul Mason emails.</ref> Mason replied two days later that Creasy "might be better" and floated Luke Pollard as another name.<ref name="MasonReply">Paul Mason, email to Chris Donnelly, 9 August 2020 ("Re: My latest on China..."), leaked Paul Mason emails.</ref> Whether any of them was approached is not established from these emails.<ref name="MasonEmail"/><ref name="MasonReply"/>

==Affiliations==
*[[Labour Party]] / Co-operative Party
*[[Ministry of Defence]]
*[[GMB]] and [[Unite]] (per his own account)<ref name="AboutLuke"/>
*SERA – Labour's environment campaign (per his own account)<ref name="AboutLuke"/>

==External links==
*[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/luke-pollard Luke Pollard MP] at GOV.UK
*[https://members.parliament.uk/member/4682/career Parliamentary career] at UK Parliament
*[https://lukepollard.org Official website]

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Labour Party|Pollard, Luke]]
[[Category:MP|Pollard, Luke]]
[[Category:British Politician|Pollard, Luke]]
[[Category:UK Ministers|Pollard, Luke]]
[[Category:Defence|Pollard, Luke]]

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 {{Infobox person
 | name         = Luke Pollard
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-| caption      =
+| caption      = Luke Pollard
 | birth_date   = {{Start date|1980}}
 | birth_place  = [[Plymouth]]

Luke Pollard - Revision history

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