Recent from talks
Luke Pollard
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Luke Pollard
Luke Pollard (born 10 April 1980) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport since 2017. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has served as Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry since 2025. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces from 2024 to 2025.
Pollard was born in Plymouth at Freedom Fields Hospital on 10 April 1980. He grew up in Devon. His father was a submariner in the Royal Navy based at HMNB Devonport and his mother worked at the College of St Mark and St John.
Pollard was educated at Tavistock College and Christleton High School before studying politics at the University of Exeter, graduating with first-class honours in 2001. He specialised in the politics of the European Union and international terrorism. He was elected as the campaigns officer for the students' union in 2000 and then as president of the students' union (called the Guild of Students at Exeter) in 2001.
He worked as an advisor to the Labour politicians David Jamieson and George Foulkes before becoming account director at public relations and marketing firm Edelman. After that he was the head of public affairs for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) from 2009 to 2013, a role which included lobbying on aspects of the Consumer Rights Directive 2011 related to the travel industry, then head of European development for ABTA until 2014. He was a director at Field Consulting from 2015 until his election in 2017. Before his election, Pollard was an organiser for the campaign to erect a memorial for Plymouth politician and former Labour leader Michael Foot in one of the city's parks.
Pollard unsuccessfully contested the South West Devon constituency in 2010 and the Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency in 2015, before winning the latter seat in 2017 from the Conservative incumbent Oliver Colvile on a swing of 7.2%. Pollard is the first Plymouth MP to have been born in the city since the Plymouth-born Michael Foot represented Plymouth Devonport from 1945 to 1955. In his maiden parliamentary speech, Pollard called for more frigates to be built for the Royal Navy. He campaigned to stop the sale of HMS Ocean to Brazil and for the retention of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark both based in his Plymouth constituency. He also called for a new base for the Royal Marines after any move from their historic home at Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth.
Pollard sat on the Transport Select Committee until his appointment as a shadow minister. He made a proposal to extend the M5 motorway to Plymouth. He presented his first private member's bill in June 2019, seeking funds to recycle the thirteen retired nuclear submarines which are stored in his Plymouth constituency. The Nuclear Submarine Recycling (Reporting) Bill passed its first reading but did not proceed further.
In July 2017, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Labour's shadow environment secretary, Sue Hayman. Hayman cited reasons for appointing him including his advocacy for Plymouth's fishing interests and his advocacy for Plymouth University academic Martin Attrill's proposal for Plymouth Sound to become the UK's first national marine park. Pollard convinced his party to adopt the establishment of national marine parks as policy. He was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Flooding and Coastal Communities on 30 July 2018, a part of the shadow environment team led by Hayman.
Pollard led a campaign to prevent the early release of serial abuser Vanessa George who abused babies and toddlers at the Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth. He supported proposed changes to the law to "require the Parole Board to take into account any failure by a prisoner serving a sentence for unlawful killing or for taking or making an indecent image of a child to disclose information about the victim", as had been the case for George.
Hub AI
Luke Pollard AI simulator
(@Luke Pollard_simulator)
Luke Pollard
Luke Pollard (born 10 April 1980) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport since 2017. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has served as Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry since 2025. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces from 2024 to 2025.
Pollard was born in Plymouth at Freedom Fields Hospital on 10 April 1980. He grew up in Devon. His father was a submariner in the Royal Navy based at HMNB Devonport and his mother worked at the College of St Mark and St John.
Pollard was educated at Tavistock College and Christleton High School before studying politics at the University of Exeter, graduating with first-class honours in 2001. He specialised in the politics of the European Union and international terrorism. He was elected as the campaigns officer for the students' union in 2000 and then as president of the students' union (called the Guild of Students at Exeter) in 2001.
He worked as an advisor to the Labour politicians David Jamieson and George Foulkes before becoming account director at public relations and marketing firm Edelman. After that he was the head of public affairs for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) from 2009 to 2013, a role which included lobbying on aspects of the Consumer Rights Directive 2011 related to the travel industry, then head of European development for ABTA until 2014. He was a director at Field Consulting from 2015 until his election in 2017. Before his election, Pollard was an organiser for the campaign to erect a memorial for Plymouth politician and former Labour leader Michael Foot in one of the city's parks.
Pollard unsuccessfully contested the South West Devon constituency in 2010 and the Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency in 2015, before winning the latter seat in 2017 from the Conservative incumbent Oliver Colvile on a swing of 7.2%. Pollard is the first Plymouth MP to have been born in the city since the Plymouth-born Michael Foot represented Plymouth Devonport from 1945 to 1955. In his maiden parliamentary speech, Pollard called for more frigates to be built for the Royal Navy. He campaigned to stop the sale of HMS Ocean to Brazil and for the retention of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark both based in his Plymouth constituency. He also called for a new base for the Royal Marines after any move from their historic home at Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth.
Pollard sat on the Transport Select Committee until his appointment as a shadow minister. He made a proposal to extend the M5 motorway to Plymouth. He presented his first private member's bill in June 2019, seeking funds to recycle the thirteen retired nuclear submarines which are stored in his Plymouth constituency. The Nuclear Submarine Recycling (Reporting) Bill passed its first reading but did not proceed further.
In July 2017, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Labour's shadow environment secretary, Sue Hayman. Hayman cited reasons for appointing him including his advocacy for Plymouth's fishing interests and his advocacy for Plymouth University academic Martin Attrill's proposal for Plymouth Sound to become the UK's first national marine park. Pollard convinced his party to adopt the establishment of national marine parks as policy. He was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Flooding and Coastal Communities on 30 July 2018, a part of the shadow environment team led by Hayman.
Pollard led a campaign to prevent the early release of serial abuser Vanessa George who abused babies and toddlers at the Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth. He supported proposed changes to the law to "require the Parole Board to take into account any failure by a prisoner serving a sentence for unlawful killing or for taking or making an indecent image of a child to disclose information about the victim", as had been the case for George.
