Speakers

James Cartlidge has been the MP for South Suffolk since 2015 and was appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence following the General Election in July 2024. He has previously served as Minister of State for Defence Procurement from 2023 to 2024, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2022 to 2023, as well as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice from 2021 to 2022.

As the Defence Procurement Minister, on 22^nd February 2024, Cartlidge launched the Defence Drone Strategy, committing the Ministry of Defence to its first comprehensive capability plan for uncrewed systems. The following week, on 28^th February 2024, in a Commons Oral Statement he set out plans to overhaul defence acquisition, introducing a new Integrated Procurement Model.